Would you like a cup of coffee with me?

It has been a very long two weeks for me. My mind feels like it is on constant alert and I am just exhausted.

If you were here with me to enjoy a cup of coffee {with cream and sugar} or a cup of tea {with milk and sugar} I would tell you ...

That Little Miss is not a good sleeper. She goes down easily but then wakes up 30 minutes later screaming. She does nap better than she sleeps at night but we are both tired and irritable. {She does look quite happy here though}

 

She is standing up all the time now! She loves this activity table and would play with it all day if I let her. The only down side of her standing is that she cannot sit down from this position and screams until you help her sit down. 

 Our town has been declared in a state of emergency due to flooding. Fortunately, we are safe, the power has remained on, and there has been no flooding in our house.Some people are not as fortunate! The National Guard has been here taking families out of their homes by boat.

 We tried to go on a walk but there were very few roads we could walk down. Little Miss was happy that we were out of the house. She is definitely an outside kind of baby. We have been trying to walk 2 to 3 times a day but the last two days we have stayed inside due to all the rain.

 

I applied for a teaching position at a home school university. I went in for the initial interview, observed the class for a few hours, and then taught a history lesson. I just got word that I didn't get the job but that there are some substitute opportunities and possibly a Kindergarten/First grade position open. This job would have been the perfect fit for my family but God has other plans for me.

My husband is also struggling with his job. The company he works for used to be a wonderful company. They put family first and had several benefits. Now ... the benefits are very few and my husband is burnt out. I feel like God is trying to get us to take a step of faith because He will provide for us.

There is an opportunity to watch two boys for the summer. I am praying that this will be right for my family and would make our finances a little better.

Also, I have started going to the women's bible study at church. The study is on James by Beth Moore. I have loved meeting new friends and I really look forward to going on Wednesday mornings. 

Then, my husband and I are taking a parenting class to get Little Miss dedicated on Mother's Day. {Last year's Mother's Day I was graduating from college} We ran late last week so hopefully this week we will be on time. {I can't stand being late but it happens so often}

In August my sister in law is getting married in Port Aransas, Texas so we are planning a family road trip. {18 hours in the car with 3 kids ... doesn't that just spell F-U-N} We have saved some money but we will need more in order to make this a family vacation. Pray that we can get the funds we need so we can be there for her and her soon to be husband. 

So if you were hear today sharing a coffee or a tea with me... That is what I would tell you. I would lay my heart out on the table. I would ask for prayers for everything that is going on.  If I shared coffee with you what would you share?

The Great Drive of 2009

Well ... I am officially home, unpacked, and clothes cleaned. The house is still kind of a disaster but I am working on it. Since we left at 9 p.m. within 2 hours both of the boys looked like this.
Ha Ha Do you think they will not appreciate the fact that I posted these pictures when they get older? The drive was super long but they did awesome. (Both going there and coming home.)

The boys loved swimming in the hotel pool. Jacob strengthened his swimming skills and Christian learned to swim without floaties. I am so proud of both of them.

The only problem with them loving the swimming pool as much as the did was that the sunscreen didn't stay on their skin. We all got very red.

Jacob was calling us the red family. (FYI- we are all pealing and I don't like it one bit. It grosses me out.)

The night before the wedding Brandon and Kim had a beautiful rehearsal dinner for everyone.

This is Brandon and Kim ... aren't they the cutest?


This is my whole family. (From left to right and top to bottom: Me, Mom, Dan, Mark, Michael, Vicky, Jacob, Christian, and Matthew)

Brandon and Kim had the cutest rehearsal dinner cake. Since Brandon is a pilot this cake was specifically designed with him in mind.


Brandon and Kim's wedding took place on top of Bogus Basin. It was so beautiful there. The sunset was killer.







Brandon and Kim had such a beautiful wedding.



This is Landon and the flower girls. He is such a cutie and he loves Jacob. He gives me kisses when I drop of Jacob and head off to work.

This is Landon's mom, Tanya. She is just so beautiful. Tanya and I are only a year apart and we basically grew up together. I am so thankful to have her be apart of my family.

This is my Aunt Tammie and Uncle Brian. (Brandon's mom and dad)

Here is Brandon (the groom), Andrew (my cousin and best man), Michael (my brother), and Mark (my brother). They are all very close. We are so lucky to have grown up together.

The bride and groom. Isn't this a beautiful view?



This is Dan and me. Dan was such a trooper the whole trip. He drove the most, took care of the boys while I was at the bridal shower, and made sure we had great lunches and dinners.
Boy do I love him.

How did you like that for a post with pictures? What did you guys do this past week?

Brandon & Kim are Married!

What an exhausting week this has been. We have driven a long way to be a part of Brandon and Kim's wedding. They did not disappoint. The atmosphere and surroundings were stunning. I swear I could see heaven from as high up as we were. I will definitely post pictures when I get home. The sunrise was spectacular. We are leaving in a couple hours to drive home. Please pray for us to have safe travels. Specifically pray for Dan since I am not much help in the driving department. I can only drive about 4 hours at a time. I am going to take a dip in the pool now. I will catch you all up with the festivities tomorrow night.

PS- we are all sun burnt. Jacob has been calling us the red family.

We are here!

After 24 hours in the car with Dan, Mark (my brother), Jacob, Christian, and myself ... we are finally here! Both little boys are sleeping. Dan, Mark, and myself have showered and are now enjoying an ice cold beer and pizza. Thank you for your prayers. They helped us through some terrible rain in Iowa and Nebraska. I am so tired. I will update more tomorrow.

Road Trip

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying a nice start to there week.

As the title indicates, in July I will be going on a road trip. An unexpected road trip to be exact. See I knew I needed to be in Idaho July 11th because my cousin Brandon and his beautiful fiance, Kim, will be getting married. What I didn't know was that the cost of airfare for me, Jacob, my boyfriend Dan, and his son Christian would equal a new living room set.

Since times are tough and finances are dwindling we decided last night to drive the 23 hour and 24 minute drive to Idaho instead of flying to save some cash. We also then wouldn't have to rent a vehicle when we got there.

I know I should be excited about saving this much dough but I am scared. Two 6 year old boys in the car for close to 24 hours doesn't not sound pleasant for the most patient of people. (FYI - I am not patient. At. All.)

We did figure that if we leave at 7 pm the boys would sleep for half of the car ride but what are we going to do for the remaining 12 hour journey?

We figured we would bring our laptops so the boys could watch movies. I will stop by our local Wal-Mart and buy some very inexpensive coloring books and small toys for them to play with as a treat as well. But seriously, after the coloring, movies, and toys we will still have about 10 hours left.

I am nervous and excited. I am scared about all the whining. How many times could they possibly say, "are we there yet?" or "when are we going to be there?" or "what does 12 more hours mean?".

When I drop Jacob off at my mom's house in the morning the 12 minute car ride at least evokes 2 or 3 "are we there yets?" I don't know if I am emotionally ready for this.

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to survive road trips? What would you bring to keep two 6 year old boys occupied? Anyone want to pray for me so that I don't loose all my marbles on this trip?