Short & Sweet (Kinda)

Since it has been a while since I posted a blog. I thought I would give a quick update. I really would like to blog more often but it seems to be hard for me to do these days.

Chey is finally better. We figured out the problem and have it all flushed out so to speak! We got through the FCAT week and she has went to school 2 weeks straight without missing a day! She still cries most mornings but we are working through it. I guess I spoke too soon about her doing so well with the changing schools thing...

Brant is in full swing at baseball. I will have to post some pics soon of that. The team is coming together and they all play so well together. He got sick again this week, with the flu this time. He is better today and went back to school. Lets see we have been to the doctors office a total of 7 times in the last month between Chey & Brant.

We got 2 little Lion head Rabbits. They are so cute and fuzzy (will post pics another time of those adorable little baby bunnies). Larry & Brant planted our first ever garden (I need to take pics of that). The kids got lots of ribbons from the Southeastern Youth Fair with all their 4-h projects and 4 of them are for photography, where do that get that interest from?

I managed to get a full week at the Court House in last week, but this week I subbed at the Elementary School 3 times so I only made it there twice this week. My supervisor at the Court House is ok with me subbing since that is the agreement we made when I started working there. It gives me a good oppurtunity to see which career I would like to pursue. However I really think that I want to be a Professional Photographer when I grow up!

I subbed once for PE and I loved that. I hope they call me more to fill that spot! It has been a very eye opening experience for me to sub, but I really like it. Still been busy with my photography. Im taking lots of pics at the ball field for a special project for our team. Also, I have been asked to do a Mother Daughter Banquet in May to take pictures for everyone. Im really looking forward to that!

Larry's job is OK and hopefully the layoffs have stopped for a while. In the meantime while all this is going on he has decided to go into the Army Reserves. We are waiting for his blood work to come back to make sure he can go. If everything comes back fine he may be leaving in May for 4 months. He has to go through basic training and AIT. Then he will come back home and go once a month and 2 weeks out of the year.

I will be honest and say I was not for this in the beginning. Who wants their spouse to leave them for 4 months??? But the more we have talked and prayed I think it may be for the best for our future. He has dreams and I want him to follow them. He supports every dream I have, no matter how far fetched it may be sometimes or how short lived it is. Ill update more on this subject when I know more about what is going on.

That is about it for now...I'm off to lay in my cozy bed for some much needed R&R and catch up on my Days of Our Lives DVR!!! Have a great weekend everyone!

My 50th Post!

This is my 50th post since I have been blogging! I would like to blog more but it seems life has become pretty busy! So there really is no theme for this one just a little update and since I havent been able to participate in Not Me! Mondays I do have a few things to confess!

First, work is going ok, there is alot to learn and ALOT of handwritting! I have not hand writtin anything other than a check or note to school since they came out with the computer! So I have writers cramp, but thats ok!

I have had to miss the last 2 days, Chey has been sick. I took her to urgent care Sunday and they thought she had a ear infection and congestion. However, by Monday night she was feeling much worse and coughing horribly. So Tuesday I took her to the pediatrician. She ended up having either bronchitis or walking pnemonia. So now she is on the z-pack and cough medicine, she seems to be feeling better today and hopefully can go back to school tomorrow.

I have also been busy taking pictures. I have had a shoot the last 3 weekends in a row! I have a few more scheduled and hopefully will be booking more soon!

Everything else is a little crazy and there is a HUGE change coming for my family in the next few months. I cant say at this time other than it involves my husbands job. They have been having more layoffs at his company and he works in fear everyday that it could be his last. He has things in the works for something in which Im not happy about but know I have to stand behind him. Just please pray for us that he wont be laid off and also that if what he wants to do is God's will then it will all fall into place!

So for the things that I have not done the past few weeks!

*Started running the washer, added detergent...forgot the clothes! TWICE TODAY!
*Ate the remaining brownies from our baseball meeting dinner before anyone else could.
*Spend 8 hours on the computer editing pictures over the weekend.
*Splurge on another prop even though I promised I would wait a little bit to buy more.
*Get addicted to Facebook along with Myspace and blogging! So that is where all my time went.
*Put off working on my taxes to do other things...I will be working on that next I promise ;)!

Hope you all have a great week!
PS Check out the pics I took over the weekend on my photography blog!

Baseball Season Is Upon Us!

For our family after Christmas we know that baseball season is going to be our #1 priority from the end of January until sometime in the summer (depending on Allstars). In the beginning it is a least one night a week and every Saturday. Then it progresses into at least 2 nights a week and some Saturdays. Even though after about 2 months we are ready to drop from exhaustion we love it.

Brant has been playing in Belleview since T-ball, so we have been there for 8 years. Over that time especially the last 3 or 4 we have become pretty close to some of the families and they have since become our "Baseball Family". The kids know each other well and have a good time playing together. They may not always get on the same team and may have to play against each other but they still are all really good friends. Then by the end of the year they are usually together to play Allstars.

This year Larry has decided to be a head coach. He's nervous but confident with Scott as his assistant and with the support of our friends and "baseball family", this will be a good year. It will be a big change for our boys, they will be leaving the smaller fields for the big 13-15 year old field and playing against bigger boys. I know it will be tough for them until they get used to the size and distance of bases, but with this group of boys I know they will have it together in no time.

Once the season starts I will post pics of our team!

Just one more thing I need to add speaking of Baseball. My brother has played baseball for as long as I can remember. In high school he received a scholarship to play at LSCC, where he played for a few years and then got another scholarship for Georgia Southwestern where he played for 2 years. His senior year he had to have a surgery on his elbow due to an injury from being a pitcher. He didn't get to finish playing that year, but stayed to support his team.

Since then every year they have an alumni game at LSCC that he plays in. This past Saturday was this years game. He pitched 3 innings and did a great job! We are all so proud of him! Best of all though was Savannah and Katie watching him through the fence yelling "Go Dad!".

Here is a few pics from the game. I hope to have some really good ones from the sports photographer that was there, he said he would give me a CD with all the pics. He also took some with my camera for me! He was really nice and talked to me a little about photography.

Let's Play Ball!!!!

What's Been Going on Around Here!

There has been so much going on lately I have not had time to blog or really do anything. I have tried to stay up on reading others blogs and comment when I can but to sit and write my own I just haven't taken the time. So here is a little bit of what has been going on around here!

First we had a good New Year and celebrated by seeing family we haven't seen in 2 years, plus some we don't get to see very often. Although it was so bittersweet being at the church I went to when I was a little girl living with my Mema. After crying the first few minutes of being there (the memories where very strong that day) it was nice to see everyone.

Two days later however we lost my step-grandfather to a very sudden massive heart-attack. For those of you who read my blog from the beginning, he had the old house that Jill, Curtis & Joey (Jeanne's husband) helped us clean up a few months back. Luckily and sadly my mom was on the porch with him when it happened. Larry & Pop where there too working on his rental trailer. They were unable to save him as the doctor told mom he was probably gone as soon as he fell. We had to watch her closely too as her blood pressure shot up and she had a terrible headache and couldn't sleep, but after a few days she seemed to calm and her blood pressure has settled back down some. My Nana is taking it pretty well, she has a touch of Alzheimer's and it seems to have made it not hit so hard, although at the funeral she was full aware of what was happening and I felt so sad for her. It was very nice though and I feel like my mom did an awesome job taking care of everything despite what she went through. We plan as a family to keep working on the rental trailer to finish it as he asked Pop just that morning that "no matter what to finish the trailer". I have heard all my life that some people can sense when their time is near. We all know that the next few months will be busy trying to sort things out, make repairs and decisions on the future of the property.

On the brighter side, I got a job!!! It is part-time (which is what I have been looking for) at the Sumter County Court House. Im not sure what I will be doing just yet other than I start on Jaunary 26th. God truly works in wonderful ways, he has answered my biggest prayer with this. I not only will have a job, I can be with my kids in the afternoons and I can still pursue my photography!!! That was my biggest fear that I may have to give it up with a full time job and my other household chores. But I get to have the best of all worlds and still sneak in a little volunteering at the schools too!

The kids made their transition from Marion County Schools to Sumter this week also. Chey started at Wildwood Elementary yesterday and Brant started at Wildwood Middle today. They both seem to like it and are eager to go back. They also rode the bus for the first time other than field trips and I think that is the highlight for them...lol other than Brant gets to sit wherever he wants at lunch. I dont think we did in Middle School did we??? Here is a pic of them dressed in their uniforms, they both looked so cute!

We also got another bit of news that lets me know there are Angels out there and God really does take care of our needs. Baseball season is coming and signups are this month. I have been waiting to sign Brant up to get the 90.00 registation fee. Being just after Christmas the extra money is hard to come by, but I was going to have it by this coming Saturday. Anyways, I got a phone call last Saturday saying that someone (who wants to remain anonomys) came in and wanted to sponser Brant to play baseball this year. He or she said that they watched him play last year and think he is a great kid and good little baseball player. So they payed his registration fee for him, so all I have to do is go up and sign him up! That touched my heart in so many ways, not just that someone paid for him, but that someone thinks that highly of my son and I have done the right things with him to make him the great kid he is!

I hope all is well with everyone in Blog world and here is a little something I found today, enjoy!

Do not forget to entertain stangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. -Hebrews 13:2

Our Trip to Destin

Let me start out by saying that even if its warm in Florida the weekend after Christmas the water is still cold!!! But not to this little guy, our nephew Blake who is 7 and from Wisconsin, loves to swim in the water no matter how cold it is, they left snow to come down here for a week of fun in the sun. To them it feels like summertime!

This is Mark, Lisa and Blake. We only get to see them at Christmas and this time it had to be a quick visit. We drove up there on Saturday, then had to leave to come home Sunday around noon. It took 6 hours to get there and then 7 hours to get back. Traffic was a little hectic!

But it was worth the travel time to get to visit with them. Maybe next year we can go to Wisconsin...We will see!!

Aw! Brother & Sister Love!

Below is a few pics that I took of the kids on the rocks, the beach was beautiful. I just wish it wasn't so foggy. The sun never came out enough during the time we were there so most of the pictures are dark or foggy looking. We have hopes of going back there sometime during the summer when its warmer so we can see all the pretty colors of the water and stay longer to enjoy it!

Hope you all have a Safe and Happy New Year!

What's In That Big Box?

It was left with only a tag that said From: SANTA

Another Box to unwrap...

I snapped that picture in the right moment to have her say "It's a Wii!"

Surprise was the theme for this Christmas...we really didn't think we would be able to get them a Wii but when we sold the boat I found a very gently used one online we bought it and ever since, I have toyed with the idea of selling it because money was so tight and if I sold it we could afford to buy more gifts they wanted instead of just this one thing and a few smaller things. The last time I told my mom "I think Im gonna sell the Wii, Brant wants a skateboard and Chey wants a bike and a camera" She told me "NO don't sell it, let me help and get them one of the other gifts they asked for this year." So she did...

Brant got a skateboard freshly built from the Van's Skate park in Orlando and Chey got a beautiful purple "big girl" bike from Mimi this year (Thanks Mom for all you did, you made their year) plus they got really great gifts from everyone in our family...Between all the opening presents, eating and visiting everyone here in our big family had a wonderful Christmas!!!

And as a added bonus the Big Boys (meaning Larry, Bubba & Jeremy) got to play the Wii and entertain the rest of us all day! Here is Larry & Mandi's Bubba boxing while Pop watches.

I will have to tell you it is addicting, Larry and I stayed up until 11:00 last night playing Mario Kart and Pool!!! If I come up MIA in the blogging world you know where I am (playing the wii)!!!

We are leaving in the morning for Destin to see Larry's sister Lisa. They are flying in from Wisconsin tonight and we have not seen them since last Christmas. Im excited to go, I have never been there and I heard it is beautiful! Hopefully I will have some great pics to share when we get back on Sunday!

What a Busy Week!

Well as you all can see I didn't post much this week. Things have been CRAZY!!! The kids were sick, which they are now better Thanks for all your prayers! The only other one in the family sick was little Katie she had bronchitis again, but the rest of us are fine so far (finding a piece of wood to knock on).



I know you all missed my Not Me Monday post and I will try to do it next week. I started volunteering/mentoring at Cheyenne's school on Monday's & Wednesdays, this week and Ive been trying to get back into the routine. I love going there. The 2 little ones I mentor are so sweet and I enjoy spending time with them. I had them both last year too. One of them may be moving and he told me "I don't want to move now, you are my mentor again"...Hopefully he wont be moving anytime soon. They have the mentoring program for children who need an extra ear to read too or just chat and be a friend. We talk about their week, their Friends, family, problems what have you...sometimes when I'm having a bad day when I go there it makes me realize how lucky I am for what I do have. I try to make them see the positive in everything in their lives.


I also started volunteering with a wonderful 1st grade teacher. I enjoy helping her and the kids are great...I can see a great friendship growing between me and Mrs. Ryder. She is a alot of fun to work with.


On Thursday I went to Ocali Cracker Days with Cheyenne's class for a field trip. What an experience that was!!! It was really neat, they had an old Florida Cracker village set up with a blacksmith making tools, a corn grinder making corn meals and grits (yummy), a lady making butter(that butter was better than the store bought stuff), Civil War reenactments, ladies spinning cotton, cracker houses and a church/school. Oh and the ever popular face painting!!!The kids had a blast. Plus I found alot of great places to take pictures!! I will be going back there for some practice!!!


Check out these pics of the fun!







And Today is my birthday! I am 33!!! Wow times flies when your having fun...
Anyway I spent the morning getting my highlights touched up and I cut my hair off...I like it but Im not sure my husband will... Maybe I should do a My Husband Rocks Friday just in case to smooth it over...LOL. He loves long hair and so do I, but after 3 years Im tired of it and I wanted something new...not sure if it will stay like this, I may let it grow back out, but what the heck its only hair! Thank goodness that is one thing that will grow back in no time!!!



We have a whole birthday weekend planned since my brothers bday was Thursday, Mine is today, Jordan's is tomorrow and my niece Lexi's is Sunday! So I will be doing lots of celebrating ! Im sure I will have new pics soon and you can see my new hair do!

The Things We Do For Kids!

Of course this past weekend was all about kids. Halloween, a baby Shower, a costume/birthday party and sickness!

Friday night we started out getting ready for the Fall Festival at the church. I was busy as usual multi-tasking, ironing a sequin thing to Chey's costume, baking cookies, checking my email, answering the phone, feeding the animals... so I had another baking dilemma, I burnt the second batch of cookies! So instead of having a plate of brownies and a plate of cookies for the cake walk, there was just one plate with a little of both on it! I was told later by Larry, I should not multi-task and cook at the same time...LOL.

The Fall Festival was fun for the kids, they got lots of candy, played on the inflatable slides and did the cake walk 1000 times until they both won something... My niece Katie was so funny she kept running up the slide bouncing on her butt at the top and it would almost throw her to the bottom, cat ears flying off, then she would get up, put them back on and run to the top to do it all over. Here are a few pics from Friday night.

Then on Saturday morning I went over to my BF Rhonda's house to help her get ready for her daughter's Costume/Birthday party. We made caramel apples and ghost cookies. Since the party was kinda my idea, I volunteered to help out and Jordan said she wanted the adults to dress up too...

In between all the fun of the party we went to Sloan's baby shower, which was so nice. They had it decorated the cutest and she got so much, I dont think she will have to shop for that baby until she's 20...

Back to the party...we rushed home to get ready. Cheyenne was going to be an 80's girl, Brant, Mask from Tap Out, Larry a giant Roach and me the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz. Now first I have to say that Larry really didnt want to be a roach and I didnt want to be the lion. We borrowed the costumes so we didnt have to spend the money on buying them...so we took what we could get...If I had my way I would have been Goldie Locks or Little Red Riding Hood and Larry something cool and manly...all for the love of kids...we wore this...

Me The Lion, Rhonda was the Cow, Beth a Cat & Susie an Angel

Mason was The plumber, Rob was Batman and Larry the Roach!

I just have to tell you guys soemthing ...My husband is such a good sport, he really did not want to be that roach and when he got out of the truck at the party, he got the tentacles stuck in the truck door! I thought I was going to wet myself laughing so hard!

Needless to say the men had the costumes off within 45 minutes, the kids all had theirs off a little over an hour later and the only ones left dressed up were us four ADULT women!!!! What fun it was though, the kids had a blast and so did we!

They had a sleepover for the girls so Cheyenne stayed there and Chase came home with Brant, but at 5:30 a.m. Rhonda called and said Chey was sick, she had thrown up...so I had went to pick her up, I got her home and she slept until 1:30 p.m. the new time (2:30 the old time). She didn't feel well when she got up so she laid around the rest of the day. We went to mom's and ate dinner then back home and back to bed for her.

She went to school yesterday and felt a little better until today...I got a call from Brant's school at 9:45 to come pick him up, then at 11:45 I got a call from Chey's school...They are both home now...poor Brant is very sick throwing up and Chey has been laying in bed...oh I hope they feel better tomorrow and no one else here gets it! Keep us in your prayers!

It's Not Forever, Just For Now!

I have a friend that always used to tell anyone who was complaining about anything "It's Not Forever, Just For Now" . How right she is. I have to tell myself that one all the time and the kids too... Its one way to look at a situation you maybe in, it may seem like forever especially if its bad, but eventually it will fade away (usually) I know this is not the case in everything.

I tell my kids that when they dont want to do homework or go somewhere they dont like...If they will just grin and bare it for a little while it will soon be over! Im having to learn this myself with the financial situation we are in as a family and the whole USA! I know this strain can not last forever, it will get better eventually. Right now things look pretty dim for Americas, our economy and our government. I sometimes wonder if we will ever see the light at the end of the tunnel, but know in the back of my mind there will be but it may be a long time from now. I know more than ever we have to turn our eyes toward God and keep faith he will watch over us all and the good will come out of all this bad.


As it doesn't look like Im going to find a job anytime soon (I know I sound like a broken record "Its Not Forever Just For Now!"). Im going to have to be pretty creative for Christmas this year. We are going to give handmade crafts and for the kids be more selective in what we buy instead of buying the whole store. Its gonna be a shock this year for them, not that I have always been able to give them every expensive thing on their list but for the most part they got what they wanted plus some! However, Im excited that maybe this year they will actually understand what Christmas is all about, the birth of Jesus and feeling the joy of making & giving to others and not getting, getting, getting (all that extra stuff usually ends up in a yard sale anyway!) I think they will enjoy it more when they have a gift to give that they made themselves or at least I hope they do! They will get a few things they want, a few they need and a heart full of Love!


So last night I implemented something I had been thinking about doing...NO TV/COMPUTER/VIDEO GAMES NIGHT! You would have thought I told them I was gonna shot them when I mentioned it... but it was actually pleasant, we completed a few "to-dos" like o like their Christmas list, some 4-H paperwork for the fair, extra reading for AR points!!! Since it was rainy they were a little bored at first but during a few minute break we went for a quick bike ride/walk and ended up getting rained on before we got home...hehe... Brant sliced the potatoes for supper and then after dinner we sat down together to work on our No Sew Blankets we are making for Christmas and 4-H! Wow that was fun! It also gave me a chance to go through some of my craft supplies that Ive had forever, I found some cross stitching pieces that I havent finished so I may start working on them again...what the heck I need just one more thing to add to my to do list...LOL...Over all, the night went by pretty good without any total breakdowns. I will say Larry did watch a little news after Chey went to bed (but that's OK) then we all went to bed earlier than normal! Wow I may have to do that twice a week!

We are taking my nieces Katie & Savannah to find a pumpkin patch tomorrow (or at least I hope we find one) I cant wait to take pictures of them! If you haven't seen my gorgeous nieces wait til I post those pics! I will share next week!

One more little thing, I ask that you guys will remember us in prayer for Larry's job. With everything happening to the economy most companies are having cut backs and lay offs. We are hoping it will not effect us, but have been told no one is safe from a layoff...so with that said we are a little scared but keeping the Faith that God will watch over and keep us and if it happens we will deal with it keeping our eyes on him!

Hope you all have a wonderful Weekend!

He Needs A What?

I have to take Brant for a Bone Age today. I never thought I would have to take him for one, they are not bad, just an x-ray of the hand. I am used to Cheyenne getting them regularly because she has been having them since she was 2, but she is growing so fast they do them to keep track of how rapidly her bones are aging. For example the last one she had, her bone age said she was almost 10.5 but she actually was only 7.5...which means her body (and hormones) are growing faster than they should.

However Brant is short, he is smaller than most 13 years olds, he looks about 11. So the other day when I took him for his checkup, she informed me she felt he was developing too fast...WHAT???? I didn't take her seriously at first, I kinda laughed and said well he is 13...and she said "more advanced than most". So now she wants him to have a bone age to see if his bones are growing right with his age... I'm not really worried, because he is very healthy and it may only mean that he may end up shorter than most men... I don't know how it works other than if they start producing hormones too early it will make them shorter than they are supposed to be...they tell me that Cheyenne (even though she is the tallest 3rd grader I have ever seen) could end up short??? Confusing I know. Cheyenne takes shots to keep her from developing any further right now...but I'm just so shocked that Brant is also doing the same thing and with totally different characteristics. I'm actually interested in knowing now if it is something in my genes that causes this. We will have to wait to find out...I'll update when I get the results!
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Need a little comedy break?
Kids say the funniest things sometimes and I wish I had a recorder or notebook at all times to write them down, because I cant remember them all...One day I will have to do a post on the ones I do remember...
Anyway this morning we went to the gas station and I asked Brant to pump the gas, I told him I would get out and get it started but I wanted him to pump it...I just had on a pair of my walking gym shorts and a tank top with the little bra top built in (not much support in those)...so when he gets done I get out and help him close the cap and jump back in the car, when I did I looked up and some man waved at me...I said "Oh that's great, he probably saw my outfit", Brant asked me "What would you do if a man asked you for your phone number?" I showed him my hand with my wedding ring and before I could say anything he said "Tell him 1-800-I HAVE A HUSBAND!"
Out of the mouths of babes!!! Have a great day!

One Proud Mama

On Friday, We had a sleepover for Brant's Birthday. Our first one ever...

There were 3 boys from his baseball team, 1 best friend from school and my best friends son Chase who spent the night... Of course Cheyenne was here and Jordan stayed to keep the boys straight for a little while. They had lots of fun playing football, running an obstacle course (which included putting on a dress and running around the house)riding bikes, skateboarding jumping on the trampoline, roasting marshmallows and did I forget to mention playing XBOX 360 all night long!!!

What is a sleepover without staying up all night? I remember those all night sleepovers when I was young. They were good though, Larry only had to get up once at 4:30 a.m. and tell them to quiet down and which they did. They may have slept for an hour around 6 they said... but I was up at 7:30 waiting for Jordan to come back. They were up and ready to go some more, they played again all morning and we took them to the Oxford park for a little while! They all had such a blast! He had a great 13th birthday!

Below is a pic of Larry & Brant playing football and Chance (our puppy) wanting in too!

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Now this is why I don't bake! I asked Brant what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said yellow with chocolate icing. I'm thinking no problem, I can do that... yeah right!!!

I baked the cake no problem, so I go to turn it over into a cookie sheet to put icing on it and when it landed on that pan it looked like an earthquake hit it, there were cracks through the whole thing... So I decide to "cover it up" with icing...wrong answer...I didn't let it cool, so it just melted into all the cracks...I thought "Those boys will never eat this cake!"...here is a pic of it!

Thankfully,a very dear friend of mine, Mrs. Tammy, came to drop off her son. I showed her the cake for a good laugh... She saved the day! She told me to put the cake in the freezer and let if completely cool, then spread cool whip on top, shave a Hershey bar over it and drizzle Hershey's chocolate over that! It was awesome! Much better than just plain cake. She is such a lifesaver, I don't know what I would do without all her great advice!!! Needless to say, the boys still didn't eat it, they only wanted ice cream, but that's OK because the adults liked it! Here's the after pic!

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Today I got to shop all day! How great is that!?! We don't really have extra to spend, but it was really nice to go and hang out with Janet at Hobby Lobby, looking at all the things I would love to decorate my house with... Fall is definitely creeping into my thoughts! We had great conversation and I enjoyed not finishing cleaning my floors to spend the morning with her. We will have to do that again soon!

Then this afternoon, Brant & I went back to Ocala to the mall for him to spend his birthday money. Cheyenne had dance tonight and went to her dad's, so he and I took our time and enjoyed being together...

He surprised me (and made me cry tears of joy)...while we were in Inland Ocean I pointed out a car sticker of a sun that I thought was pretty...so we paid and walked back out into the mall, he asked me for some of his money and said he had forgotten something, he went back in the store and came out beaming and handed me a little bag... he had bought me that sticker and said "Thanks mom for bringing me shopping today"...my heart melted and I teared up...that boy knows how to make a mama proud!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Today is Brant's 13th birthday! I just can't believe that I am the mom of a teenager... although he has been reminding me all week that it is coming... Of course like every other birthday of theirs, I reminisce over the day they were born, the joys and the trials...then I think of how lucky and blessed I am to have both of them.

I have good kids despite the fact they both have been through alot in their little lives, they are emerging victoriously in so many ways! Growing, changing, learning and exploring everyday... I so miss those early days of their lives when they were so dependant on me in every way. Now they almost do everything for themselves, ok not everything... I still do alot for them, but if I werent here they would survive without me for a few hours.

I usually cry every year on their birthdays, even if its a few little tears...I think they expect it... Brant asked me this morning, "are you crying yet?", they know if mom is crying she is happy or proud...tears in my family does not mean only sadness, it simply means our hearts are about to burst with joy and pride, so it has no where to go but out in tears (Right Mom????) I got it from my mom, poor Mandi & Jeremy so many times saw both of us cry over them while they were doing things like singing, pageants, pitching or whatever event we were watching them do...

I've already cried tears of joy and pride over so many things from my kids and I dont think I ever will stop...they know how much I love them when they see me cry with a smile on my face!!!

Little does Brant know I have cried a few times today when thinking about him over the years, but I may have to save just a few for later so he can see I still cry every year on his birthday...

They are the light of my life and joy in my heart!!!

I made 2 collages for their birthdays so Im putting them both on here... Cheyennes birthday was last month and I didnt blog about it because it was still so new to me...so this is for both of them!!!

Baby Steps Into Growing Up

My 8 year old daughter Cheyenne, is very shy, and everyone says I named her perfectly. We actually call her Chey as a nickname. She has always been one to take so long to warm up to everyone and everything. We once took her to a water park in Daytona and she was scared to leave my side the for the first hour, then when she finally did and started enjoying herself it was time to go. I can't say a lot about it because I am also a little shy, maybe not as much as I used to be but sometimes when we are around a lot of people around me I get nervous and I defiantly can not speak in front of a crowd!

The first few years of school was no picnic either, most mornings she cried and threw up before school. It was awful, that is one of the reasons I quit my job and last year in 2nd grade was better for her, no throwing up and she only cried a few times... Now this year is a whole different story, she gets up in the morning, gets ready and actually has a smile on her face. I have seen her blossom so much in the past few months, its like she is trying to leave the baby behind and come into being an adolescent or more importantly a tween...oh my, I'm not sure I'm ready for that one. She already acts like she is 16 sometimes, thanks to Hannah Montana!

She is also afraid to spend the night anywhere, the only places she would stay are at her dad's or her dad's mother's house. But this summer she did stay with my Mom once, for the first time in a really long time. She said it was great and asked not long ago when she can stay with her again. We are working on that feat but she is doing alot better. Im not sure I will get her into children's church anytime soon either, but you never know she may surprise me.

I am especially proud of her right now though, I saw her overcome a fear of speaking in front of people last night. We joined 4-H and they asked her to be the secretary, the whole time Im saying "she's not gonna do that", but all the parents assured me they would help her along, so we agreed. So last night was her first time and she had to read the minutes, she was scared to death and I could see the fear on her face. She wouldnt even participate in the activities before she was so nervous, but when it came time for her, one of the leaders stood beside her and helped her with the words she had trouble with and she read the whole thing aloud!!!! She did AWESOME... I was so proud, then she actually wanted to stand up in front of all of them and recite the 4-H pledge, she couldnt remember it this time, but we will study hard for next time.
She even asked if we could do a presentation in one of the upcoming meetings! WOW is all I have to say, is that my little Chey who is scared of her own shadow sometimes??? Yes it is!!! We are also going to enter the Southeastern Youth Fair in Marion County where she may have to speak to judges, we will cross that bridge when we get there but for now we will take these baby steps into growing up!

Cutting some of the Apron Strings

I had yet another "cutting the apron stings" experience this past week. Brant my oldest started Middle School on Monday (Since Marion Cty has been closed the rest of the week, I will have to do this again next Monday). During his orientation, I walked him around to all of his classes and showed him which way to go to find his way. That school is alot bigger than the one I went to with alot more kids!

During the day I met his PE teacher who told me that Mon-Wed they will have a 6 period schedule then on Thurs & Fri they will have a block schedule...Me getting paranoid I asked if they would remind the kids of this and she told me yes and reassured me that they will help the kids until they all knew the routine. I apologized for "being a mom" and she said "Well we all have to start cutting the apron strings a little at a time each time they go on into new schools and as they go through life."

On Monday we took Cheyenne to school, she starts an hour & a half earlier than him. She was a little nervous but I wasnt so worried about her, she is in the same school and in 3rd grade so she know the ropes so to speak.

Anyway, we had a little time together, we went to Walmart and got a few things and then we were on our way to the school. He looked at me and kinda took a deep breath. I knew he was nervous because he barely ate breakfast and I was naseous all morning too, wishing I hadnt eaten breakfast. I asked him "Do you have the note card with all of your classes in your pocket?" He shook his head yes and then I said, "Are you sure you dont want me to walk you to your first class?" Without hesitation he said "Mom Im going into 6th grade you dont need to walk me."

So we drove on and as we pulled up to the drive he got out and took his stuff, turned and looked with a little bit of a nervous look and just said "Bye Mom". While Im telling him I love him and waving...

I drove away and made it out of the parking lot when the tears came. I waited all day, wondering how it went. Did he find all his classes? Did he see anyone he knew? When I picked him up he said he had a good day and really liked it. Which was a great relief but a little gut wrenching knowing he doesnt need me as much as he did...

So I cut a little of my apron strings for now waiting until the time Cheyenne goes to 6th and He goes to 9th... Thank goodness that's 3 years from now! They will always be my babies in my mind even when they are 50!!!!