Devotional To Think About

A friend of mine posted this on facebook from her devotional a little while ago, and I just love it.  It is a good reminder that no matter what, take one day at a time.  Each day is a new day.

"To find joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries.  I [God] knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four hour segments.  I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time.  Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past.  There is abundant life in my presence today." Psalm 118:24, Philippians 3:13-14  

Psalm 118:24  This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. (New King James Version)

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not count myself apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (New King James Version)

Sleeping Funny

I had a conversation with Nate tonight while he was sleeping.

Lately, when I'm at work and I call to say goodnight to the kids, the kids will say, "XOXO" on the phone.  I've joked with Nate on whether or not he knows what XO means, because he hates kisses, but he knows what it means and says it anyway.  

So tonight, I go to check on the kids, and Nate is sideways in bed.  I pull his covers off, start to fix him and I whisper, "I love you, Nate.  XOXO" and he mumble-whispers back, "XOXO."

Then I straighten him better and asks, "What are you doing?"  So I say, "I'm fixing you because you were sleeping sideways in bed.  You're a crazy little boy, you know."

Nate says, "I kinda am."

Ha! He's still funny even while half asleep.

(I then whispered that I love him and all his craziness)

A New Funny

Grace had recently gone to Miami Seaquarium with a friend.  Last night, Ray and I took the kids to see their first basketball game.  Since we were heading to Miami, Grace kept asking questions about if we might be near the Seaquarium, if we'd be able to see it, etc., etc.  She kept talking about going to the Seaquarium, like what roads she was on, how she saw this on the way there, etc., etc.  After the game, we're on the way home, driving near the arena, and Grace starts talking about the Seaquarium again.  Nate says (something to the effect of), "Ok Grace.  We know.  Miami Seaquarium, Miami Seaquarium, blah, blah, blah."

He's only 6 years old and comes up with blah, blah, blah???  LOL

We all just started laughing.  It was hilarious.  Then of course, we told him to be nice to his sister, that she's been to Miami for one thing and thats all she knows in Miami, so she was excited to talk about it.

Funnies

Even though my kids are getting older, there are still times where they say completely hilarious things.

The other day, Nate and I were waiting for Grace to get out of school and for some reason we were talking about Indians.....not people from India, but Native American Indians. Nate stated that Indians can only talk with one hand because their other hand would clap back and forth over their mouth while they were talking (he demonstrated this for me but since I cannot, I had to explain it in words). So politically incorrect, but so funny. Of course I explained that people do not talk like that. :)

Grace and Ray were out shopping at Target the other day, and Ray was in the bedding section looking at sheets. He saw a set of sheets that he thought were nice and brought them to Grace's attention. He asked what she thought and she told him that while they were very nice, they were a little too "Masculine.'' I think she watches too much HGTV, lol.

Nate and I were talking about something, can't remember what exactly now, but I whatever I said, he didn't understand at first. Then as I tried to explain it to him, he got what I was saying, and said, "Oh, I get what you're saying now. I get it."

To funny, but also sad that they're growing up so fast!!

Happy Anniversary

to me. :)

This past Friday was my anniversary- 10 years married to Ray! I can't believe it. It doesn't seem like 10 years. It went by so fast! But it is so. I can't imagine being married to anyone else. I am so blessed by my husband. He is SUCH a great, caring, loving, kind guy.

Ray, I love you so much. Thanks for sticking by me all these years and for believing in me when I needed believing in. :) Here's to 50 more years!

The Attack of the Itis-es and a Spelling Bee

The first itis (eye-tis):

I went to the doctor, the first once since my health insurance kicked in. For the first time in nearly 10 years, I have insurance. So to the doctor I went- the first of many appointments I need to make for the various doctors I would like to see. This doctor- the podiatrist. For a while now I have been dealing with pain in my right foot. A while, I'd say like a year or two. I've tried not to complain and pretty much sucked it up. However, being on my feet for 12 hour shifts 3 times a week has been aggravating it something fierce. I've been icing it, taking prescription strength advil, etc., etc. and it has not been helping. So I went to the doctor.

A while ago, I had done my research, and I had figured I had Plantar Fasciitis. Now that I was actually going to the doctor, I was terrified of hearing that I have this because really what can I do? Resting? Not possible. The far extreme of surgery? Can't happen either, so I was really feeling hopeless that if I did indeed have plantar fasciitis, I would be stuck like chuck.

So what does he say?

Plantar Fasciitis.

Great.

He gives me a cortisone shot in the heel and recommends some shoe inserts with good support and then tells me to come back in 2 weeks. No resting or anything like that. The shot is supposed to start working in 2-3 days. So far, I don't really feel much difference and today has been day 3. I work tomorrow, so we'll see when the day is through how things feel. I hope better. I've read good things online about the shoe inserts I have, so I hope that holds true as well.

As for the second itis:

I have laryngitis. I am not sick. I do not feel badly. I just screamed my head off at the kid's school's basketball game Friday night and then more screaming at Grace's soccer game Saturday. Sunday morning I woke up with no voice. Sigh. I hope I have enough voice to talk to my patients/coworkers tomorrow.

Lastly, I wanted to announce to the world how proud of Nate I am! He won the school's kindergarten spelling bee today! There were 4 kindergarten classes who each had their own spelling bee within the class. Then they picked the top 10 people from each class and entered them in the spelling bee. There were 40 kids there today and Nate won first place!! How awesome! I am so proud :)

Reflecting.....

on 2011.

A lot of changes. Our family left our old school after MANY years once the school year was through. A lot of changes at that school since last December, too. I graduated from college. Kids started a new school. I started an ER Nurse training program. We lost a grandmother. We gained a niece. Another college graduate. A sister moved to yet ANOTHER island. Another sister moved to the Pacific Northwest. A brother off to Afghanistan. The kids started soccer. Grace joined Brownies (girl scouts). Ray and I got health insurance (ok, well that technically is in 2012, but it was like 1 second after 2011, so, there). We got a puppy. Ok, so that didn't really happen.

There will be a lot of changes in 2012, too.

I look back a year ago and look at where I am now. Last year, I had just completed the hardest nursing course of my entire program, the course where consistently 30% of the class fails. Every. Single. Term. I was so relieved to know I was moving forward towards graduation. It was hard to believe it was so close. Now here I am about to begin my job in the ER. Next year, I will be amazed at all that I know, laughing at how silly I was for being nervous.

I see my kids- how far they've come. Just over the summer, Nate has blossomed with reading and math. Grace has grown so much, too. I wonder where we'll be in a year.

While I wish time stood still, or slowed down, I do look forward to what tomorrow brings.

Good-bye, 2011. Hello, 2012. Happy New Year, everyone.

Nate Turns 6

Where did the time go? I'm not exactly sure, but I really wish real life had a "slow" button. I'm not exactly ready for my youngest child to be 6. It doesn't seem that it was really 6 years ago that he was born.

But it was, none-the-less. And since it is his birthday, and he is indeed 6, I want to take this time to give my not-so-little peanut a little shout out.

Nate- not a day has gone by that you haven't brought sunshine to our lives. I love you from here to the moon, to outer space and back a million times. We love you and are so blessed to have you as a son. Happy 6th Birthday, Peanut!

3 months old

1 year old

remember the hair?

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

5 1/2 years old

almost 6!

Coldplay

Coldplay is hands down my favorite musical artist. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to concert ever since I saw one of their European concerts on TV once when Grace was a baby. The concert was soooo good it made me want to go, and usually I'm not really interested in concerts.

Anyway, I've been looking to see if they had any concert dates any time soon. I recently looked a week or two ago, and there were no US tour dates on the schedule. I wondered if they'd ever come back to the US. Then the other night, I saw a commercial for a presale that started today! I quickly looked online and sure enough there were US tour dates added. So today, we bought tickets to a Coldplay concert! I haven't been to a concert in over 10 years! I am so excited! I cannot wait.

The downside?

The concert is June 29th! A little over 6 months away. Oh well, I can wait. At least they're coming to America. :)

Speak To The Devil

The other day Ray had said the phrase, "Speak of the devil" while he and I were talking, and Nate wondered what that meant. So Ray explained it to him.

Today, we hear Nate try to explain to Grace what "Speak to the devil" means using the same explanation for "Speak of the devil."

We obviously corrected, after laughing of course.

Gotta love kids! I'm sure going to miss days like these when they're gone.

Unconcentrate

Nate: (quietly thinking about something)

Daddy: "Hey, Nate."

Nate: "Wait, Daddy. You made me unconcentrate."

So cute. I will certainly miss these days where my kids say the funniest things.

-

So Proud

of both my kiddos.

Like I mentioned previously, Grace was chosen to be on the math team at school. Well Nate is now going to first grade for math. Basically, he stays with his kindergarten class for everything else, but during math time he goes to the first grace classroom. He and another boy from his class are really good at math and they go together.

Not only that, but the math classes are split up into a slower paced, regular paced and faster paced groups within each grade level. Nate and his classmate are in the regular paced group. I had just assumed it was slower paced since they were coming from Kindergarten.

Ray and I feel so blessed and confident that we made the right decision when switching schools. The kids have been given such wonderful opportunities so far. Grace went on her very first field trip EVER this week!

But anyway, back to the topic of my blog......I am proud of my little math whizzes.

Wow

I think I am the world's ABSOLUTE worst blogger. Ever.

Usually I post a blog on Grace's and Nate's birthdays, at the very least, and I didn't do that for Grace this year. It is a month and a half after and I am finally posting a blog.

Better late than never.

This year Grace turned 9. It is her very last year in single digits. I canNOT believe its been sooooo long. Time goes by WAY too fast. I don't know if it's normal or not to be sad about your kids getting older, but I am. Whenever I think about it, it makes me sad, so I really try not to. At the same time I marvel at how much my kids have grown. How much they have learned. How smart they are. How beautiful they are. How kind they are.

Grace has such a beautiful, caring heart. I know that she can have her moments, but really, she is a good kid. She's so smart (she was chosen to be on the competitive math team at her school, which out of 45-50 third graders, she was one of only 8 or 9 chosen).

Grace, I can't imagine life without you. Your eyes light up the world, and my heart. I pray as you continue to grow, you will be just as kind and caring as you are today. The world needs more Graces in it. I love you pumpkin.

Robot

The other day, Nate had a homework assignment. He read about a robot and had to answer some questions afterward. One of the questions asked for him to draw something he would like a robot to do for him. He drew a robot doing something and wrote the word "Homework" beside it.

Clever little guy.

We Remember

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear,though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah" 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her,she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah" 8Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah"

We will NEVER forget.

9.11.01