30 Days about HIM: Day 7

Day 7: I love him because he knows me!! For example, one day I was upset with him. I was at a friend's house...he came to the house with a bag of Ruffles chips and a jar of French Onion dip!! I started crying and my friend thought I had lost it. But I had not... he knew me well enough to know that this is one of my all-time favorite snacks ... he brought it for me as a peace offering! 

I LOVE that he knows what gets me!! :)

(image borrowed from Google Images)

Embracing Asher

Link up with Emily HERE

Today is Embrace the Camera day... This week has been "All about Asher" week since he turned 5 years old!! SO, it's fitting that today's Embrace picture is of me and my little man, Asher!!

I love you, Asher Monroe! You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me- the COOLEST ASHER on the planet!!

Snuggling at CherryBerry!!

 

30 Days about HIM: Day 6

Day 6: I love him because we've been married for 10 years... and for 10 years, he has given me flowers once a month! Sometimes a single rose, other times a couple dozen... and those "broke" months, he still remembered and sent virtual flowers! He's pretty amazing!

Asher turned 5!!

Asher age 1

My middle son is 5 years old. It seems like just yesterday that Amanda and I were running errands ALL DAY with our 2 year olds (Xander & her daughter Abbey). After hours of running all over town in the cold, drizzling rain- carrying our kids in and out of stores- back and forth to the car, I was having uncontrollable contractions!! OUCH!!

Labor began on October 22nd around 4pm and went until 10am on the 23rd when he finally arrived... 18 hours later!! He was my only kid that I got to snuggle with immediately after being born, and from that moment on, he was known as our "Snugglebug!" He cuddled with everyone...and has always given the BEST hugs!

--------------------------------------------

Age 2

Dear Asher,

From the moment you were born, we've had a special bond! You have always been my sweet snugglebug! I love when you smile- your eyes light up so bright! I love talking with you- you are so smart and say the biggest words that sound so "grown up" for you! When you correct someone, you say, "Well, ACTUALLY...." you have such big words for such a little kiddo! When you were only a year old, you were humming music- ON KEY! When I would sing to you, you'd hum along- I think you are pretty amazing! 

 

You are such a shy little man.... just like your YaYa! She was the same way growing up, so she knows how you feel. You don't talk much to people you don't know...it takes a long time to warm up to new people, but once you do, you've got a best friend!  I wish EVERYONE could see what a bright and charming little man you are! You are an awesome kid!

Age 3

You LOVE watching Phineus and Ferb and Curious George! You play with Xander's Legos every chance you get... so NOW you have your very own to play with! You love Star Wars figurines... you like to line them up and "fight" with them! You play Mario Brothers games on the Nintendo 64 and on the computer as often as we'll allow! You are great at coloring pictures- almost always stay in the lines! You could probably eat hot dogs and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches for every meal, if I would let you! And, here's something new... You don't like milk!! Funny... you will only drink juice or water or pop (on special occasions), but no milk...even when I put chocolate syrup in it! I don't blame you though...I'm not a big milk drinker either! 

Age 4

You started school this fall... you tell me you LOVE school and your teachers, but you're having a little trouble getting used to all the kids. I think it's a little scary for you! BUT, after a couple of months, you're starting to adjust well- you come home singing the songs from class, you're excited about the craft projects you finish, and you've got a new best friend- Conner! ALSO, you have a "girl" friend, Sidney! She's pretty cute!! I'm glad you're having fun with school!!

I love you SO much, Asher! I can't imagine my life without you in it! You are the best little 5 year old I could ask for! You have blessed my life tremendously over the last 5 years, and I'm excited to see what the next 5 years has in store!

I love you always,

Mommy

5 YEARS OLD!!

30 Days about HIM- Day 5

Day 5: I love him because he works hard to provide for our family!

30 Days about HIM: Day 4

Day 4: I love him because, when I asked my 5 year old son what he wants to be when he grows up, he pointed at Tim and said,

 "I want to be a daddy like him!"

Asher's 20 questions

Last December, I started this with Jonathan and Bella- 20 questions to ask every birthday! It was fun to hear their answers... so I thought I'd do it for Asher too! 

1. Favorite Color: Blue
 

2. Favorite Toy: Star Wars and Legos
 

3. Favorite Fruit: Oranges
 

4.. Favorite TV Show: Phineus and Ferb
 

5. Favorite Lunch: Hot dogs
 

6. Favorite Clothes: Star Wars shirts
 

7. Favorite Game: Mario
 

8. Favorite Snack: Cheese
 

9. Favorite animal: Wolf
 

10. Favorite Song: Star Wars theme song
 

11. Favorite Book: Lego Comic books
 

12. Best friend: Conner
 

13. Favorite Cereal: Lucky Charms
 

14. Favorite thing to do outside: Play in the splash pad
 

15. Favorite drink: Root Beer and Juice (not together)
 

16. Favorite holiday: Halloween
 

17. Favorite thing to have in bed: Xander's bunny
 

18. Favorite breakfast: Lucky Charms
 

19. Favorite Dinner: Hot dogs
 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Daddy   (LOVE this answer)

30 Days about HIM: Day 3

Day 3:  I love him because going to a concert is one of his LEAST favorite things to do, but because he loves me so much, he goes with me... WITHOUT complaint

My friend, Shannon

Once upon a time, in a big town in Florida, there were two little girls (Rachel and Shannon) who played together every Sunday and Wednesday in the church nursery. As they got older, they started having sleep-overs. They were best friends from age 2 on! Shannon's daddy was "Brother Bill" and her mommy was "Miss Paulette." They were the pastor/wife of the church we attended. They welcomed Rachel into their home as though she was just another one of their kids! Rachel's mom loved Shannon as her own as well! 

After many years of friendship, Brother Bill and Miss Paulette moved their family out of town. Rachel and Shannon were crushed. Their entire lives were spent together...granted they were only in elementary school, so it wasn't THAT many years, but nonetheless, they were crushed!

THEN... silly pastor parents moved the family to Texas! Not only were they separated by different cities, now they were separated by states!! Once again, crushed little girls... BUT they made a promise to keep in touch by writing and calling. (this was before texts, email, and facebook). Even though weeks would pass between their conversations, they remained the bestest of friends. 

Years and years passed where Rachel and Shannon would never live in the same town again, but they maintained their friendship! Shannon got married in Florida- Rachel flew in from Colorado because she "wouldn't miss it for the world!" Rachel got married in Oklahoma- Shannon flew in as one of her bridesmaids- her dad flew in to officiate- because Rachel couldn't imagine getting married with any other minister!

The girls women, began their families. Shannon had 2 great kids... a boy and a girl. Rachel had 4 great kids... 3 boys and a girl. Shannon is still in Florida with her amazing husband and kids. Rachel is still in Oklahoma with her's!

Over the last 33 years (yes, they are OLD), they have managed to maintain a FANTASTIC friendship. When they talk on the phone, they pick up where they left off...as though it hadn't been weeks since they heard each other's voices. They still send letters and cards just to say "howdie, I love you!" God brought these girls together and they formed such a terrific relationship that even after all of these years, they're still the best of friends...

On this day, Friday, October 19, 2012, 

I wish 

MY BESTEST FRIEND, 

SHANNON ELAINE WALLINGFORD THOMPSON

the best birthday a girl could dream of!
You deserve it, Shannon... I love you!!!

30 Days about Him: Day 2

Day 2: I love him because before we hang up the phone, he always tells me he loves me!

One of our MANY engagement pictures!

30 Days about Him- Day 1

I found a few fellow bloggers out there doing something called 30 ways in 30 days... sharing 30 ways they love their hubbies! I thought that was an amazing idea! SO, now that I've completed my 30 days about ME, I'll focus 30 days on the love of my life!

Here is where our beautiful marriage begins.... 

Sure do love this man!!

Day One: I love him because he kisses me "good-night" every night before bed!

Embrace the Camera: 10-18-2012

Today is all about Embracing the Camera. What does Embrace the Camera mean? It means- instead of being BEHIND the camera, you get IN FRONT of it! You let the world see how YOU look...not just how your kiddos look! I read a great story from the Huffington Post (click HERE to read) ... I'll share a little glimpse into the article:
 

"we really need to make an effort to get in the picture. Our sons need to see how young and beautiful and human their mamas were. Our daughters need to see us vulnerable and open and just being ourselves -- women, mamas, people living lives. Avoiding the camera because we don't like to see our own pictures? How can that be okay? ....I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother...."

I like to link up with Emily over at The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera day. It's bloggers all over the world who get IN FRONT of the camera so their kiddos will be able to save those memories!!

So... now that I've bored you with the WHY of ETC, I'll show you the pics of ME and MY moms embracing the camera!!

ME... snuggling with my friend's newborn twin boys!

My 3 year old took this pic- it's blurry, but for a 3yo, I think he did pretty good!
This is me and my mommy!

While shopping with my mom and the kids, she had 2 kids and I had 2 with me.
We couldn't find her...walked around a corner and this is what I found- they were all hiding
Can you see my mom??

My MIL, Debbie, with Bella and my dog, Juno... having a deep conversation ;)

Happy Embrace Day! Now, go embrace your littles!

Dis-service to your child

About 17 years ago, my friend (Stephanie) and I taught the 2-4 year old class at church. We were also taking sing language classes at the local junior college. Our professor also attended our church. We had a little girl with "issues" ... we'll call her "Jane". Jane wouldn't talk... when we'd talk to her, she wouldn't acknowledge us... when we would sneak up behind her and make loud noises, she wouldn't even flinch. SO, we talked with our sign language professor- who also had a little girl in the same class with Jane- and asked her if she'd come hang out in class with us one Sunday. It wasn't suspicious to other parents since she had a kid in our class...but she came and just observed Jane. She was very concerned and went to speak with Jane's parents of her concern. They were outraged that anyone would suggest that their little girl was less than perfect- that maybe she should be screened for hearing or processing issues. Jane's family left the church because they were so upset...refusing to believe something was wrong. 

**Broke my heart!

Now, as I am a mom, I see it happening all around me. Parents who refuse to admit that their kid may have issues... refusing to get them help. I look at Asher who is struggling with communication and anxiety issues. For over a year I struggled... I wanted to believe he was just a shy kid and it would all work itself out, but in the back of my head, I KNEW something wasn't right. I didn't seek help until more than a year of the "issues" had passed. I regret that now- I wish that I had talked with the doctor right away, but like many other parents, I didn't want to admit something was truly wrong. Now, there is such a sense of relief knowing that I am doing what is best for Asher- getting him the help and therapy he needs. It was hard to finally say that we needed help... but I realized (thinking about Jane) that NOT getting help does him a dis-service ... it hurts HIM to not get the help he needs!

After Xander's parent-teacher conference last night, I am faced with the decision to get him tutoring or to "tutor" him myself. I am no tutor... I am no teacher. BUT, part of me struggles with the decision because IF I put him in tutoring for his reading (he's in 2nd grade, but reading at a 1st grade level), I am admitting that he's not "perfect" ... I know that sounds silly, right? I want to believe he is the smartest little 7 year old on the planet... BUT the truth of the matter is...even though he is smart, and a "Great Student" (so says his teacher) he's having trouble keeping up with the kids in class because he's so behind on reading! If I don't put him in tutoring, am I doing a dis-service to him? Am I preventing him from having every possible opportunity to learn and develop his reading skills? 

I want to do the best I can as these kids' mother!

I want to make the best decisions for their little lives!

 I sure wish I had an instruction manual to help me with this journey!

Most amazing cookies ever!

I made THESE amazing cookies last week! They are called

 Salted Caramel Cookie Cups!

  I give credit where credit is due- easybaked.net had an amazing recipe here ... I found it on Pinterest (of course) and immediately went out and bought the stuff to make them 

 (no joke... I bought the stuff that same day! LOL)! 

SO, this blog will include the ingredients and directions with a few adjustments as I made them!  I shared a few of them, and every comment was great: 

 "This is the Sh**!!"

 "these are probably the best cookies I've ever had"

 

 "these are like the cookies you would buy in a gourmet sweets shop!"

So, while I was making them, I captured the steps in pictures! First thing's first though... a picture of the FINISHED product, so you can see that you will want to know how to make them!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of crushed pretzels
  *This is one place where I let the 4 kiddos help- they had a blast!! I gave them spoons so they could smoosh the pretzels into crumbs... YES, I did have to vacuum when I was done! LOL :)
  
•  
• 1 tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
•  
• 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
  
  *At Walmart, these are found with Cake Decorating stuff- usually with party supplies- NOT with baking stuff in grocery dept
•  
• 32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
  
  *I let the kids help here too! They LOVED unwrapping the caramels- especially since I let them have some when they were done!
  *I used 35 just to be rebellious!! LOL
  
•  
• 1/2c. butter
•  
• 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk 

 

DIRECTIONS:

• Using your hands, knead 1 cup of pretzel crumbs into cookie dough.

•  Form into 12 balls and place into a greased muffin tin.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and press centers into a cup using a mini-tart shaper or the end of a wooden spoon.

•  Allow these to cool completely. When cool, gently run a knife around edges and remove from pan.
  *Side note: One of the cookies broke at this point (darn, right?).... so my mom and I ate JUST a cookie- without any of the chocolate or caramel. Just the cookie alone was even awesome!!!
•  
  
• Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth.

•  Dip top edges of cup into melted chocolate and then into remaining crushed pretzels. Pipe any remaining chocolate into the bottom of each cup (save just a little bit to drizzle on the top!) Allow this to harden while you make your caramel. 

• To make caramel sauce: place unwrapped caramels, butter and sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan and heat until completely melted. Stir this constantly to prevent scorching. (about 6-8 minutes).
  *exhausting process! LOL
  

  *NOTE: This sauce recipe makes TONS. I even doubled the cookie recipe (because who JUST wants 12 amazing cookies??), but even with double the cookies, I had SO MUCH left over! Great for dipping apples in or pouring over ice cream!

• Spoon caramel into hardened cups.
• Drizzle with more melted chocolate if desired.
• ENJOY!!!

Now, I know you want to go out and buy the supplies, right?? Like I said, I made double the cookies- NOT double the caramel! These were, in my opinion, the best cookies I've ever made and the best cookies I have ever had in my life! 

LOVE

LOVE

LOVE

Much thanks to Pinterest AND to easybaked.net for this recipe that is DEFINITELY a keeper! 

My only BOO on this recipe is that it IS time-consuming! Next time I make them, I think I'll crush the pretzels the night before...and unwrap the caramels the night before too!!

30 Days about ME- Day 30 !!!

I will miss these posts- they've put me "in touch" with myself!
I have loved this 30 Days journey and am a little bummed that it's over!

 List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for:

1: My smile- I try to give it to everyone I meet!!

2: Being a good mom- I love my kids with all my heart- they are my world!! I have my moments when I feel like the worst mom ever, but I hope that all of my GOOD moments outshine my occasional faux pas! 

3: Being a good wife- I love Tim with my whole being! I love him always and forever, and hope I will always be remembered for our relationship.

4: My friendship- When I meet someone new, I invest myself into them. I guess some may say I'm nosey, but I sincerely LOVE learning new things about new people. I am interested in their lives... where they come from...what's their story... who they are!! When I am a friend- I am a complete, all-weather friend! I don't give up on people- I am always there!

5: My BIG heart- I am empathetic...almost to a fault! My heart breaks when other people are heart-broken. I am excited when others are excited! I sometimes think I care TOO much for others (is that possible?) I would give my last dollar to help someone in need! I love people!!

6: My faith- I LOVE GOD! I am so glad that when I fall short, HE is there to pick me up, dust me off and send me on my way! God is my guide in everything!

**I know the "rules" say to list 10 things, but these 6 things are who I am. I can't, right now, think of anything else important enough for y'all to remember about me! If you can think of anything you'll always remember about me, feel free to comment below!!

10 on 10 - October 2012

"What is 10 on 10?" you ask??

My friend over at Not My Own  blog was doing this super fun blog post ... she's a little behind though (hint hint)... anyways, on the 10th of the month, she took 10 pictures in 10 hours! I LOVED this idea, so I set a repeating reminder in my phone's calendar to remind me to do it on the 10th of each month!

So...without further ado... here's my 10 pics in 10 hours on the 10th of October:

8 am: Today is "Wear Purple Day" in our town to support one of our high school seniors who is on her FOURTH battle with cancer! She is a Christian girl fully convinced she will overcome this battle like she has the previous three... and our town is standing behind her! Check out her FB page HERE

9 am: Jonathan, Bella and I met my mom for breakfast this morning.
My SWEET princess was being a "pill" and refused to sit... or look at the camera!

10 am: At Wally World- J & B insisted on pushing the cart rather than riding IN it!!

11 am: The sky when I went to pick up Asher from school! It looked SO cool!

NOON: There are NO Trader Joe's in Oklahoma. Now, I've never been there before, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing! BUT, my friend at Not My Own is doing a Trader Joe's giveaway on her blog HERE so I thought I'd head over to their website and see what all they have... WOW, I want a TJs in Tulsa now!! I SURE HOPE I WIN THE GIVEAWAY!!!

1 pm: This is not at all a great picture, but Bella REALLY wanted to take a picture of me and Jonathan REALLY wanted to be in the picture! So...this is the result! Even though the quality isn't great, I think we're pretty cute!!  ;)

2 pm: The BEGINNING of Xander's "Drug Free" poster for school! He is supposed to do a majority of the work, so this is all I've done for him... he gets to do the rest- maybe my final photo today will be the completed poster!!??

3 pm: My friend, Rebecca and her daughter "Brooke" ...
She's 32 weeks pregnant with her little princess and I am in awe of how adorable her belly is!!

4:30 pm: "I BELIEVE I can ACHIEVE all of my goals and SUCCEED. I am Xander and I am DRUG FREE!"
Then he drew a guy going up a mountain with a word bubble that says, "I can do anything when I am drug free!"

6 pm: Out to dinner for my friend's birthday at HuHot Restaurant.
The food and company was great- the service was horrible! Hoping IF I go back that we get a different server!!

What did YOU do today??