Old Habits...

...are hard to break. When Madison was about 8 weeks old she started sleeping through the night. The reason for this huge milestone...her thumb! She found that wonderful little thumb & it would become her friend when she was tired, hungry or upset. Bill & I were not concerned by this "bad" habit because we both sucked our thumbs...for me until I got braces in 3rd grade & Bill...let's just say his habit lasted a little longer than mine. Well now those 2 front teeth are starting to come in & after many conversations about teeth & my braces & headgear I had to wear, she agreed it was time to stop. So she picked out extra large Sponge Bob band-aids to help her quit. It has been 3 nights & she is doing great! She still sleeps with Didley, her favorite green dog beanie but has not sucked her thumb! Yay! Great job Mad!!! Keep it up. Daddy & I both know how hard it is to break this habit, but with God's help (she has been praying too) you can do it!!

Happy Birthday Blog!

It's been a year since I began this blog so I wanted to thank everyone (all 5 of you...hehe) for visiting and making comments, and for your encouragement. I have been so blessed just writing my thoughts out & posting pictures of Bill & the kids. It's like my little journal & it has been a blessing to me...so thanks...and keep checking in!! For those of you who come & don't make comments because your not sure how...just go to the bottom of the blog entry and click on comments & follow the instructions to leave a comment. If you don't have a google account just comment as anonymous but put your name in the comment.

I also wanted to ask for prayer for my Papa. He turned 90 yesterday & his health is failing rapidly. Please pray for God's mercy to be upon him...thanks.

"Fireproof" Your Marriage

This morning I am sitting at the computer with gratefulness in my heart to God for how He helps me. Last week was a rough one for me. It was "that time of the month" and I was in a very grumpy mood. Grumbling & complaining about my kids, my husband & my life in general pretty much sums up the sorry state I was in. Nothing & no one could please me. My words to everyone in my family were harsh & sarcastic and at times plain mean. My children were so patient & forgiving and my husband would sit & listen to me...patiently asking me questions to help draw me out. I don't like to talk about problems...I like to let them sit & fester into bitterness...I know, not good. Bill was able to help me alot. On Thursday we went out on a date to the Olive Garden for soup & salad and talked. It was great to reconnect and ask for forgiveness...and be forgiven. Last night we watched the movie Fireproof. It was about a failing marriage on the verge of divorce. It was a wonderful story displaying the messiness and hard work marriage requires and about the true meaning of love. Bill & I both cried...it was a great movie. It reminded me that God displayed the meaning of love when he gave up His own Son as a sacrifice to die for us and that truly loving your spouse means giving up something too. Putting my needs aside for the sake of his and vice versa. That means not just spouting off what I feel, but considering my words wisely because they have consequences. It also means doing little things to show my love and care for him and considering him, thinking of ways I can help him. What a great reminder. Here is the link to the website if your interested...I highly recommend seeing the movie. Have a great week!

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Father-in-Law

65! WOW! Have a great day today Poppy! We love you!

AC Fun

We stayed at Bally's over the weekend & enjoyed swimming, eating and watching movies...It was a much needed getaway. Thanks again Nana & Poppy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing all my family & friends a Happy Valentine's Day...especial my sweetheart Bill. We'll be spending the weekend in a casino in AC thanks to Nana & Poppy...enjoying movies in the room and lots of swimming in the pool. I also wanted to thank Gege & Papa for the wonderful package they sent with all sorts of goodies, clothes, books & toys for the kids. They really enjoyed all of it. Be blessed this weekend everyone!

Temple Gymnastics Reunion

This weekend was the Temple Women's Gymnastics Alumni meet so with the help of Facebook, a bunch of my old teammates planned a get-together Friday night and Saturday. It was so nice to see all my friends from college. We laughed remembering all the fun, crazy, silly & stressful times in our gymnastics career at Temple. Here's a picture of some of us at the meet on Saturday. It was a little hard to chat as much as I wanted because the kids were attempting to fly off the bleachers in McGonigle Hall. We went into the gym to see Bill's picture on the wall...it's in the same shape from when I left it in 1994. Have a great week everyone!

Fun in the Snow

Snow Angels, sledding and even Snowboarding were some of the fun things we did in the snow yesterday. Enjoy the pictures!

Real Snow!

It finally happened. Brookhaven finally got real snow last night...not slush, not freezing rain or sleet but the real, white fluffy stuff. Bill got home real late last night from his game because the traffic was crazy. The girls had a sleepover last night. Our good friends just had their 3rd baby (a boy!) and we offered to take their 2 girls overnight. This morning they are once again enjoying our bedroom as their playroom. So we are skipping school today to enjoy the snow...homeschools can have snow days too...can't they?

10 Things I Love About My House

Being inside alot these days can cause discontent to fill my heart about my house...things I want to fix, purchase, decorate. So to combat against discontentment this winter, this post is about the things I love about my home. I am reminded of the first time we saw our house when we were out driving around looking for our first house. It was like the Lord spoke & said "that's the one!" We are blessed with great neighbors, a wonderful local swim club and lots of backyard for the kids. Of course the people living in my home are my favorite, but here are the things I like.