I had the most AMAZING birthday weekend

with my friends, my kids, my parents and then

ending the weekend with Darren returning home

from California.

I keep thinking birthdays will get

boring and dreadful as I get older,

but I still love them! love em!

I love them because I am so blessed

with MANYYY lovely, beautiful,

loving people in my life

that make it great!

Just a few pics from the weekend of partying~

On my way to celebrate getting OLD~

Breakfast #1
Split hueves rancheros and poached eggs~yum

breakfast on day 2, made by my kiddos~

The girls behind the planning of this extravaganza!

Soul sista, kimmie~

Cake pops and lattes with the family~

here

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you be a blessed, cozy time with family and friends!
Count your blessings today~
We are so blessed!

Thirteen~

My baby girl turned 13 last weekend!!
Her best friend's grandparents own this corn maze
and had this pumpkin waiting for her! Sweet!

Just a few of her awesome friends
She had invited a few guys but they
had football, I love that one guy, Noah,
 still came...he said it was his dream
come true! haha!

After the haunted corn maze....that took 1 hour to go through!

Lunch with her bro and sis~

It was a fun weekend of celebration!

I love celebrating this girl,

she celebrates life everyday!

She is crazy, funny,

passionate, compassionate,

insightful, caring, self-confident,

loving, thoughtful, spontaneous,

and a lover of life..PERIOD!

I wrote this a few years ago...it's a little

story of her rough start in life and how

she came out FIGHTING!

She blesses me and the Lord has

used her to change and heal so much of me!

Five Minute Friday: Growing

I am so happy about today's 5 Minute Friday! GROWING! Today we are celebrating my dear daughter's 17th birthday! Impossible, we just had her 5th birthday tea party, complete with pearls, white gloves and little sandwiches!  FIVE MINUTES.....

GROWING............

My dear little sunshine,

from the moment i held you,

you have been a complete JOY

to our family!

your smile, your tender, tender heart,

your love, compassion and gentle spirit

always leave me speechless..and thankful.

you are just like your daddy in that area..patient,

kind..not much rattles you, miss molly!

I don't think i've ever seen you angry,

mad or mean! you shine Jesus,

and leave me wanting to be more like HIM!

you are a great sister, always pulled by the big

brother that wants to hang out and

the little sister that wants to play!

Thank you for being a constant

calm in this family!

You are my sunshine

and I thank God for you everyday!

mom and molly~

Senior picture~

The Best of 2010, The First Half~

I haven't scrapbooked all year and this is my weak effort
to sum up what our year has been like!
It is taking me a bit so I have divided it in half~
January-July :)


January brought a little of this...

SKIING!
Tim and Molly behind me on the ski lift~

February is a party month in the middle of a dreary winter:

 We celebrated him

The big 41!

And my dad's birthday
And one of bff's  ROBIN'S bday
And Valentine's Day
And Ground Hogs Day (not really)

March was a long month with a fun road trip at the end.

We got to watch my bro accomplish this,

 LA MARATHON...pretty inspiring!!

and my boy made one last college visit and made his final decision,

oh and in the middle of that, I got to see me kindred

spirit, cousin, aka little sister, bff Nicole and her boy.

April: Easter

May: Said goodbye to teaching elementary and moved to a new counseling position!!

June: Watching my firstborn graduate

July: My first tat, Tim's accident, camping and

sweet family, (other favorite cousin) from Ohio came for a visit! Busy month!

six of us went and did something c-r-a-z-y!

(including my mom :)

Family!

A complete miracle Tim was unharmed!

A week after this, he got his first tattoo, "God is my only security"

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Wow, that's alot to cram into six months.

But I think I like this better than scrapbooking..no mess to clean up! ha!

More tomorrow!

Snow, Christmas and MY BOY~

I just bought the much anticipated Jessica Simpson Christmas album "Happy Christmas"

We have a snow day today and what a great day to turn up the Christmas music and drink some hot chocolate!

I had a great weekend celebrating my birthday with my wonderful brother and sister-in-law in LA. They completely spoiled me and loved me! So blessed! We ate, watched movies, went to the movies, got a mani/pedi, and just spent time together! I am so thankful my family didn't mind that I was not with them on my birthday. Don't worry, I made sure we will still party together. We will be having a bday dinner when Tim gets home from college TODAY!!



my lovely sister and her awesome red lips!

wish this was closer!
Yes, my big body is blocking their cute tree : - (



 





my lovely brother and sister!
love em~



My sweet boy is coming home from college today,

We haven't seen him in 3 months!

Soooo excited!

Super nervous, it's snowing!

Praying he is sleeping in his own bed tonight!

I've missed him GREATLY!!!

8 til the Big 41~



Love this blurry pic of my amazing friend Robin



My other amazing friend Laurie!

MY 3 WONDERFUL BFF'S

An early celebration with my girls
in the city!

~8 til the BIG 41~

Why am I feeling strange and old....

I never thought I would feel like this turning a young 41!

I loved turning 40! I loved my party!

(I don't think I ever blogged about it last year)



My kids leading me into my party~



 It was perfect.... so me and everything I wanted plus two surprises! (my brother and best friend flew to see me) 40 feels good! I feel "smarter" I mean wise! Wisdom comes with age, right? I felt mature! Alot happened my 40th year...my son graduated, my youngest left elementary school, I got a new job, I stopped teaching elementary kids (that I loved) I saw my childhood best friend, took two road trips to California, moved my son to college, my first daughter turned 16, I got an international daughter, my cousin and daughter came to visit us for the first time,  a college student moved into my sons room, I'm now a counselor, my husband's job description changed, again and again....sooooo why does 41 seem different? Other people turn 41. Not me, I'm the young mom, the youth pastor's wife, the one that has energy and spunk and is crazy...those kind of people don't turn 41...haha! I have never dreaded age..I truly believe it's all in our perspective and we need to embrace where we are..make the best of it and wear it proud! So, WELCOME 41, HERE WE GO, SHOW ME WHAT YA GOT! ha :)