Happy Anniversary

It's hard to believe it has been 8 years since Michael and I said our 'I will's.  This is the first anniversary we have ever been apart but I will hold on to the fact that I did technically see him this morning before he left for work... yes, it was 4am but it was TODAY!

We celebrated last night by going out to a movie.  We saw Inception and we really liked it.  Then Michael surprised me by taking me to the mall and buying me two purses that I have been dying for.  He's the best!!

Alice in Very Berry Paisley & Bowler in Night and Day

We went to dinner at Longhorn and had a great time together.  But we were home by 9pm because he had to go to bed early.

While today hasn't been the ideal anniversary I must say that Michael has been the ideal husband.  He is so wonderful and kind and I am so blessed to have him.  I thank the Lord for giving me such a wonderful husband and knowing just what I needed.

I love you Michael!  Happy 8 years!!

We bought a HOUSE!

We are home owners.... again!  :-)  The kids and I went down to Kentucky to do some house shopping. We had a great time together and the kids were excited to see Daddy but I don't think I would take kids house hunting again.  They were quite the distraction.  We got in on Friday and met up with the realtor, Miss Saundra.  She showed us a few houses and we were going to look at more on Saturday.  The boys were a bit rambunctious through the houses.  There were some they had to stay in the car with Miss Saundra so I could actually look at the home without the worry of them breaking something.

We had it down to two houses, sort of on Friday.  We went and looked at both on Saturday with Michael.  We weren't in love with either.  They would both due, but it wasn't really what we were looking for.  So we headed back to the realtor's office and she pulled up a few more houses.  The first one we went to was in a new development.  I was going inside and asked Michael if he wanted to go in and he said he already saw it and while he liked it, he didn't think I would because it was only 3 bedrooms and an unfinished basement... I walked in and KNEW it was our HOME! I came out and said, let's get this house!  He laughs and said this was the first house he saw and wanted to put a bid on it that day and had teased me about it.  It just felt like home.  It isn't outrageously huge, but it has room for us to grow into it.  We will have a full basement to finish later but this winter it will give the kids a place to ride their bikes inside.

We are so excited and are hoping to close the middle of August.  The boys are supposed to start school August 4th but we know we will not make that deadline.  They are just going to be a little late.

Dining Room

Dining Room Window

Front Door

Coat Closet

Kitchen and YES, that IS a dishwasher!!

Kitchen

Living Room

Living Room from the stairs

Breakfast Nook

Kitchen

We are so very excited about moving to Kentucky.  Michael is definitely tired of commuting and we are tired of not having him home every night.  I hope we close quickly!

Kentucky Bound

Well, Michael left for Kentucky on Monday and started his new job today!!

Today the kids and I went out to cool off in the sprinkler!  They had a lot of fun!  But really, it is in the mid 90s and that is too hot to stay out too long.  So now we are all cooling off indoors.  I still haven't heard how his first day went, but I will soon enough.

There is so much going on in my head right now.  I don't even know where to begin...

Happy Birthday Sam and Ethan!

It's hard to believe my little guys are already 5 years old!  It seems like yesterday you were born.

Sammy, the first born

Ethan, 2 minutes later

The first time we held the boys, one week old.  Michael has Sam and I have Ethan.

We had a surprisingly easy time deciding on a theme... the boys wanted a Mickey Mouse party... Easy enough!!  :-)  We invited our friends to come over and play, the Ernsts, the Priscos, and the Picklesimers.  Of course we had our family, Grandma C, Grandma and Grandpa R, Aunt Tracey, Uncle Jim and Aunt Tracy, Aunt Chrissy, cousin Michael, Great Aunt Margaret, and cousin Sarah.  We made hot diggity dogs and served lots of extras.  I took my first stab at making birthday cakes... they didn't turn out fantastic, but they sure did taste good!!

Happy Mother's Day

It is the little things that count
And give a mother pleasure - 
The things her children bring to her
Which they so richly treasure...
The picture that is smudged a bit
With tiny fingerprints,
The colored rock, the lightning bugs,
The sticky peppermints;
The ragged, bright bouquet of flowers
A child brings, roots and all - 
These things delight a mother's heart
Although they seem quite small.
A mother can see beauty
In the very smallest thing
For there's a little bit of heaven
In a small child's offering.

Field Day!

Drew had Field Day today at school.  I normally volunteer on every Thursday so I happen to be at the school.  I didn't realize it was an event that parents were allowed to get involved in and called Michael to bring me my camera since I didn't have one with me.  I got a lot of great pictures and Drew's friends had a lot of fun taking pictures!!  I had two cameras going up and down the line and the kids all taking turns.  Drew did three events, the 25 yard dash, the tennis ball throw, and tug of war!  He did great!  What moved me even more was the support he got from his class!  When he was up, his class would yell and scream, "YAY DREW!  GO DREW!"  When he was done, he was always so happy and proud of himself and his classmates all high fived him or told him great job.  It was great to see what nice kids are in his class.  We took a lot of group pictures today and I told them when they are seniors in high school, look for these pictures!  I'll be sharing them again!

When his friends were cheering for him!

The beginning...

I cannot believe that school is almost over. We are planning school picnics for the last day of school, planning our summer activities, and STILL looking for a job!

The Lord has been good to us! There is no doubt. Through all the ups and downs of unemployment, the Lord has provided. Michael has a definite job interview on Tuesday and we are prayerful!

This weekend, we are starting something new and exciting for our family too. There is a meeting run by Focus on the Family about adoption in Ohio. Most know that we want to adopt. Ok, it was definitely me from the beginning but Michael has absolutely jumped on board. We are hoping to adopt a little girl in the next few years. (I don't want to get my hopes up as to how fast or slow it will be, I am just giving it to the Lord for his perfect timing!)

This Friday, the boys are all going to go and stay the night with my mom. They will have a blast with that! They love their grandma and they love sleep overs at her home! The meeting is Saturday from 1 to 5, so a long time, but I am hoping we will learn a lot. We are open to adopting a sibling set, preferably, I would want them both to be girls. We are going to shift all the rooms around again when this happens. Drew will have Michael's old room, the twins will have our current room, we will go into Drew's room, and the little girl(s) will go into the twins room. We would DEFINITELY move everything well before our daughter would be here so the boys just know they are getting to get new rooms. Complete with painting and decorating! We have to put drop ceilings in two rooms, but I am sure we will be able to get help for that.

I am really praying that the Lord will let this happen. I love my boys, do not get me wrong, but I long for a relationship with a daughter. I think it is good for them to know that other women are someone else's little sister too. It will be good for them to have someone to take care of. Well, I suppose that would only work if she is under 5. We are open to a child as old as Drew or younger. I think Drew would love to have a sister his age. Most of his friends (well my friends with kids Drew's age) are girls. I hope to be able to share our journey into adoption here on this blog too. I am so excited for Saturday! The beginning!!

Here are some cute pictures of the boys!