I am...

I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a lover of the geriatric world.

I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a little bit self conscious at times.

I believe in the power of the Lord. I believe in the power of prayer.

I believe in the human soul, and it's will to survive.

I am a optimist, most of the time. I am sad to be growing older.

I am madly in love with my husband, and believe I am in the minority these days.

I love Sunday afternoon naps with the boys nestled in beside of me.

I also love to tuck them in at nights after a long bath.

I love to travel. I love the beach. I love to take photos of my precious boys.

I love baseball, football and basketball. And, even Nascar!

I am both a boy's girl and girl's girl. I love people in general.

I am faithful to my friends. I am true to my inner instinct. I do hold grudges however!

I am proud to live in WV...even though I dream of big cities sometimes.

I am glad for my heritage and the hard work of my parents.

Lastly, I love this crazy life I lead. And wouldn't change it for the world.

Family Time

Today is Memorial Day, a time to reflect on those that have lost this battle we call life on the battlefield. I am truly grateful for the many who have fought and still fight for our freedom. They truly are the heroes of our generation. I read the book The Greatest Generation, and have to say that 'our generation' truly can not compare. The book discusses the fight of both the men and women of the WWII era and the sacrifices they all made for our often misguided freedoms. In reading it, I have to admit we truly aren't worthy and even capable of completing what those folks did. They truly held the spirit of the USA to their heart and did whatever needed to succeed at home and in the war front. I hate to sound like my dad, but 'our generation' really just doesn't get it. For anyone who reads, I highly recommend it...you might have a different view of our county and the freedoms it possesses!

Anyhoo, our family has had a great weekend with friends and family! I truly do enjoy having people in my home and 'entertaining'. We had some great fun in the neighborhood last night. Fire pit and all...we extinguished our fire around 2am. You know we are all too old for that stuff. I am paying for it today. But, I love me some Huff and Raines Family, and of course Mr. Withrow. I don't know if our 'other neighbors' appreciated it, but we did have a blast.

I am very blessed beyond belief to be surrounded by people who truly love me for who I am. And, they also love my kids like they were their own. So, today I say to all of you enjoy your fam and friends...they are what makes this crazy life worth living!

Pressure...

Today Brett has his first round of WESTEST testing at school. I really can't believe he is old enough for formal testing. I can kind of remember my testing in elementary school. I have to say there is much more pressure on these kids today. Brett is saying that he has to do well because it determines funding for the school. I didn't even know or care how we were funded in my younger years!! Brett is usually not a kid who gets too upset or stressed about things, but he is a little concerned about this testing! It makes me wonder of the pressure we are putting on our kids...

Both of the boys are now playing organized sports and they love it!!! But, I have to say they both feel the pressure of it also. Blake was 'yelled at' by his dad last week and he wasn't real happy about it. He wasn't having a great game, and he 'needed it' per se! He did straighten up and played better, but really it was killing me that he was yelled at!!

They both love their perspective sports and will learn to deal with the pressure of the game, but sometimes I wonder if we started them too early! They are both good athletes and I am glad for the opportunity to watch them. But...wouldn't it be nice to enjoy the weekends and not having them worried about winning the next game.

Anyhoo, just a ramble by a psycho mom of 2 great boy athletes!! I love it really, and hope they continue to use the skills they are learning on the field, off of the field. I am a believer that they will be better kids and adults with sports in their life! Have a great day all!!

Mother's Day!

Today I celebrated my 9th mother's day! WOW, where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday Mr. Brett was placed in my arms for the first time. Today, I also have to think about my two beautiful grandmothers who are not with us. They have been gone for a while but I think about them so much! I know without their love and prayers I would never have become the person I am today.

I hope my children know how much they are loved, especially my their special mama...my mom! Her eyes just light up when she sees each one of them, and I have the say the feeling is mutual. Brett and I saw an older grandma at the Dr. last week and her daughter was helping her gently out the door. Brett looked at them and had the biggest smile on his face. I asked what he was looking at, and he said..."she is cute". I asked him if he would help mama when she neede it, and he said, "of course, it's mama...I'll do anything for mama!" I hope I have instilled in him a service heart and he does really help his mama when she needs it.

Today on Mother's Day, I celebrated by absolutely doing nothing! TJ gave me the opportunity to veg out and take a huge nap. I greatly appreciated it! Now, I am uploading pictures and taking a moment to write. I hope everyone enjoyed today, and also celebrated their Mother today. Mom's hold a very special place in all our hearts. They have given us all life, which we should be eternally grateful. I will say not all moms are as wonderful as mine, and I am sorry for that.

I hope we all remember that celebrating and cherishing our Mothers is a God given directive and privilege!! Tell your Mom you love her, and more importantly be ready to serve her when she needs it. I am sure she will appreciate it and also welcome the assistance!!!

Love the baby!

I had the opportunity to visit our newest member of our neighborhood, and also a good friend's baby yesterday. Ms. Landri is just so darn cute. My boys are so in love with her they can barely stand it. Blake loved that he put her to sleep yesterday evening. Brett could have stayed there all night. As my babies have grown up I have forgotten how precious and little newborns are. Her little hands, wrists, feet, legs, and her little smile is just so precious to me! All I can say is she is true gift from God.

My boys are now 9 and 6; I can't believe how quickly this time has gone by! It just seems like yesterday they were newborns themselves. I feel so blessed to have the life I live. Our boys are great young men, and I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband. I never dreamed I would have such a fantastic life. I know that God is in the center of my life and in control of what happens. I am so glad to have him in my life!!!

That's all for now, see ya soon on Morris Mania:) It never stops...

I am so proud of myself...

I can't believe I am figuring out this blogging thing. Just changed the background, woohoo!! See y'all tomorrow.

The Sandlot of SaddleDowns

Today started, of course, with a trip to the ballfield. Blake's game was cancelled but we still made the trip to look at the fields for later. They were a mess, but somehow those crazy coaches got one of the fields ready for gametime! We then had a busy day at the STE Carnival. The kids had a blast. But, I have to wonder how some parents think such an event is accomplished. I mean, we had to beg for parents/volunteers and then you see all of these people just walking around with their kids. My poor kids were on their own. I just have to question the commitment of some of these parents. They all loved their free tickets, and loved that 'everyone else' was doing the work! Oh well, it's the 80/20 principle right??

Then we were back in 'the hood' for the usual day of boys playing wildly in our yard. These kids just love to be outdoors. By dinner time there were about 10 hungry, little boys ready to devour the 2 pizzas I got them. They went through them in about five minutes flat. I think I am going to have to get a part time job to feed them.

I have to say I love being the go to house in the neighborhood. It reminds me of my childhood and life at home. My parents always provided for the whole neighborhood and we always had a house full. I hope my kids always want to be around me and TJ, and also hope the whole neighborhood wants to be here too. I love these times and hope they last forever. It is the busiest time, but the best as well. I love to get them in from the day and put them in the tub! They have used our tub more than we have.

Anyhoo, tomorrow holds its own set of fun times and experiences. It's off to church and then who knows what. The Sandlot of SaddleDowns is always open, so come on over!!!