Surgery Successful!!!!

(Photo of mom ~ Kaiden's "birth" day)

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on my mom. Her surgery was scheduled for 12:25, and I got the call from my dad around 2:30 saying that she was done and was in recovery. I had intentions of going to the hospital tonight, but when I talked to my dad he told me she was sleeping, so I decided to give her some time to rest. I can't wait to see her - I'm so excited that she made it through okay and that this part of the process is over.

God is good! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

(Post 1 of 2 ~ 10/29/08)

Practicing for Christmas

Kaiden got his hands on my curly Christmas ribbon tonight. Guess he's trying to tell me I need to start shopping! I guess I'll have to take his advice....but, it looks like what I'll be shopping for is more curly ribbon! I knew I would never be able to wind it back up because he was getting it so knotty, but the enjoyment I got from watching him unravel it was worth the $1.97 I paid for it last year. Too cute!

(Post 2 of 2 ~ 10/29/08)

Thinking of Mom....

As many of you already know, my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Tomorrow she goes for her surgery. There are a lot of you out there who have been praying for her since we found out, and I want you all to know just how much that means to me....you see, my mom is my best friend, and it's a little scary when you get news like this; and, even though you know everything is going to turn out just fine because it was caught early, it's still hard to have to watch someone you care about so much go through something so difficult.

I remember when I was pregnant with Kaiden and got put on bedrest....my mom was there through it all. I had appointments every week, and she would drive to Pine Grove to pick me up and take me there, only to have to sit through ultrasounds, exams and NST tests. Not only that, she prepared dinners for me every night!!! She is always there for me, so I feel like I'm not going to be able to "measure up" now that it's my turn to be there for her. Mom - if you're reading this, I know I can never be there the way you were there for me (unless you are looking for a menu of frozen pizza, lean cuisines and ice cream - ha ha), but I love you so much and will do my best to be there for you through all of this.

Again....thank you everyone for your prayers.

PS - The photos I attached to this post were taken by a friend of mine, Tom Richards. Tom works with me at Reynolds, and has such a talent for photography. That's not the only thing he has a talent for either....Tom has been almost like an angel to me - in so many ways he has helped me in my journey with the Lord. He is a wonderful person that I'm glad God has put into my life. Tom - thanks for letting me post these photos - they are beautiful!

(Post 1 of 2 ~ 10/28/08)

A Plumber ~ Just Like Daddy!

Tonight after Kaiden got his bath he went into the bathroom closet. I didn't think anything of it because he loves going in there to step on the scale (hey....a guys gotta do what a guys gotta do to manage his weight, right!!?!?). Anyway....I was cleaning up his bathtoys and turned around to find him with the toilet plunger. I couldn't help but laugh at him as he carried it around the house making truck noises. By the way....in case anyone is wondering, we've never actually had to use the plunger (....and trust me, the people I work with can tell you that I wouldn't even know how to properly use a plunger even if I needed it! Long and crazy story for those of you who don't work with me....you'll have to ask me about it sometime! ha ha)

I guess Kaiden wants to be just like daddy when he grows up (a plumber)....next thing you know, I'll find him in Kenny's taxidermy shop sewing up a bear!

(PS ~ It's 10/28 - Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!)

(Post 2 of 2 ~ 10/28/08)

The Confident Woman

A few months ago I read a REALLY great book by Joyce Meyer. I have to say it was even better than the one I'm reading right now! The title of the book is "The Confident Woman", and I highly recommend reading it....after all, who couldn't use a healthy dose of confidence every now and again?!?!!

Once I read a book, I don't read it a second time.....there are way too many good books out there to do that! So....what I do is make a list of items that "grab me" while I'm reading and save them on my computer under that book's title....that way I can quickly glance at the highlights anytime I want to without having to re-read the entire book.

I thought I'd share just a few of the items I jotted down from this book. If anyone wants the entire list, let me know....I'd be more than happy to e-mail them to you.

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Deal with life one day at a time.

This one hit me because sometimes I focus on something that's going to happen two weeks down the road, and I worry about it for the entire two weeks! What did I accomplish....I wasted two weeks of my life stressing out, usually about nothing!

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If you want to gain something, you'll have to give up something to get it.

Think about this one....you can relate this to almost any area of your life and it holds true. Something I frequently talk about with several of my close friends is weight and the constant struggle to keep it off. If you gain something (aka - lose weight) you have to give up something (aka - ice cream).....see, it does relate to every area of life, doesn't it!!!

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Don't get bored with yourself.

I can't even count the number of times I've said "I'm just so tired of the same things all the time". I'm terrible at this one....I eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday, my weekends are almost always spent doing the same things, etc., etc. The book emphasizes that there are a lot of little things you can do so you don't get bored....one thing I just tried is moving around some of my decorations and swapping out drawers. It kinda makes everything feel fresh and new again!

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Make a list of your strengths and forget about your weaknesses.

Wow - I really do focus on my weaknesses more than my strengths when I truly sit down and think about it. I actually seldom think about my strengths at all. Do you do the same thing? I took The Dale Carnegie Course about 2 years ago, and in that course we had three slips of paper and were asked to write our name on them.....we then had to pass the papers to our right, and the people then had to list three positive things about us. It was interesting to see the responses come back. Do you know your strengths? Ask someone....sometimes they see things you cannot see!

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Well.....I would love to post a lot more of the items, but for now I'm done....time to get to bed - 4:00 a.m. comes early!

Move Over Betty Crocker!

I am certainly not a baker (Kenny can tell you all about that!), but every now and then a little 'Betty Crocker' comes over me and I decided to bake something. Today was a 'Betty Crocker' day, so I gathered up my supplies and my little helper. I guess I really don't need to take the time to tell you about our little bake shoppe.......the pictures say it all!

(PS - Mom....did you notice his tongue sticking out in some of these photos....who did he get that from....ha ha!)

Where Did My Baby Go?

Today something hit me.....my "baby" isn't a baby anymore! Where did that little baby go? I remember him well...the one that used to coo and smile when I sang silly little songs, the one I could put in a swing while I made dinner or took a shower, and the one who was content just laying there in his little "jungle" mat staring at all the bright colors......somehow he turned into a little man over night!

Kaiden is picking up on things so quickly now. This morning at breakfast he decided to throw his food off his tray, to which I responded "Kaiden.....no, no (shaking my finger with each no like mom's typically do), big boys don't throw food on the floor - that is not nice". His response to me was to look me straight in the eye with a big smile and shake his finger, just the way I did as I was staying "no, no" to him! Now tell me....how do I discipline him while I'm laughing??!?!

Two other things I thought were cute and kinda grown up that he's done this weekend are:

.....opening the cabinet where I keep the dishwasher tablets, pulling one out and loading it in the dishwasher (like he's been doing it for 20 years), shutting it and then reaching down and shutting the front of the dishwasher! (I was waiting for him to turn it on too.....hum, do you think next month he'll master putting away the dishes too!??!?!)

......helping me take the clean laundry out of the dryer (which he has done for a while), BUT...then as I'm coming back from taking an armful of laundry to the other room, I see him taking the lint out of the lint catch, toddling across the bathroom floor, opening the cabinet, and throwing it in the trash! Holy cow....how did he know to do THAT???? I guess he watches me more closely than I had thought! (uh oh!!!!)

A Clean Kitchen

Today I was determined that, even if I got nothing else done, I was going to "spring" clean the Kitchen....trust me, it's long overdue! For those of you that have been to my house, you know the Kitchen isn't exactly what one would call large, so I thought it would be "no problem" to get it done.....then why did it take me the entire day??!?!

I'll give you a hint.....he's got blonde hair, blue eyes, a devilish little grin, and melts his mama's heart! You guessed it ~ Kaiden Tyler!

I started in the freezer. Everything was going well until Kaiden spotted the cool pops. Even though it was only 10:00 a.m., he thought he had to have all six of 'em. We compromised and I gave him one. (Technically he didn't even eat a whole one because most of it ended up running down his chin onto the floor (more to clean up) and all over me. He was happy though!

While Kaiden was taking his nap, I decided to clean the base cabinets, that way it would be less for him to get in to. Uh huh.....as soon as he got up, it's as if he sensed what I'd been working on. He went right over to "his" cabinet (the one I always let him play in), and starting tearing everything out. (So much for that "tidy" cabinet!)

We did take a few breaks so that he could watch some Tigger & Pooh, help me change the bedding, do some wash, tear down some clothes in our closet, help Kenny vacuum and get tickled, but finally around 8:00 tonight I got my Kitchen 100% cleaned!

You know what......even if it took all day, it doesn't matter, because before I had Kaiden my Kitchen was always perfectly clean, but I never laughed so much or had such a good time while cleaning it! And it's a good thing too, because tomorrow Kaiden will be stepping on baby gold fish, spitting out his veggies and tearing things apart again, so I might as well get used to having a good time cleaning....because there's always something to clean with Kaiden around!!!