Kissed By An Angel!!

I have always loved freckles, since I was a little girl and my sister had them but I didn't. I cried wanting them so my mom drew some on me with brown eye liner. Too bad they washed off. Everyone always called them beauty marks and I wanted beauty marks too. But fortunatly I was blessed to have a nice complexion that tans easily. Colton has the same complexion as me. But Emma has been blessed with fair complexion and sandy blonde hair, like her daddy. She freckles and she burns.

I love her freckles. She only has them on her face. I think they are so cute. I hope she always likes them too. She used to always tell people they're not freckles, they're beauty marks. Then one day a lady told her they were called angel kisses. Now she calls them angel kisses.

I Love Her Angel Kisses!!

Christmas Has Come and Gone!

We had a really great Christmas! We enjoyed spending time with family and lots of great food. Too much good food! We recieved really nice gifts. The kids got way too much, of course. But they seemed to be very greatful and have been content playing with their new toys and their Nintendo DS that Santa brought them. I think they are starting to get bored and are ready to go back to school. I am ready too.

I have really enjoyed the holidays, but now I'm ready for things to get back to normal. The kids are out of school this week too and Travis is off of work all week. I may be ready to pull my hair out by the end of the week. I'm going to try to stay positive and enjoy this time with my wonderful husband and my precious children! Hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoy this last week of 2009!!!

Merry Christmas

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I'm About To Lose My Mind!

I really am a homebody at heart. I love being at home and I love being here with my kids. But I have not been anywhere since Thursday. Usually I would be fine with that, except I have five kids here today. Only two of which are my own. I get a few kids off the bus everyday and I have them on days when school is closed too. So they we're here Friday, Monday and today and will be here again tomorrow and all next week.

I'm about to go crazy. They are so loud and all boys except poor little Emma. She is so left out. They all brought their snow clothes and boots to play outside all day. They were out for about 20 minutes and came inside because it was too cold. What big babies. They just wanted to come inside and drive me up the wall. Please wish me luck on keeping my sanity for the next few days and being able to feed them. I don't know how people with lots of kids do it. These kids eat more than grown men. I just wonder what I get myself into sometimes!!! They really are good kids though, I just have to remember they are kids and boys will be boys!!!!

More Snow Pics!!

I couldn't upload all the pictures that I wanted too in one post. Here are a few more random things!

I caught Cody and Chi-Chi sitting in the middle of the road this morning. I guess it was the only place that was packed down.

My hubby was "working" hard to shovel the driveway. Am I the only one that likes a man in coveralls:)

This is our snow covered grill!!

This is how the floor beside the front door looks after a day of snowy fun!!!! By the way its still there. I have no energy to tackle it tonight!!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!!!!

We are part of the huge snow storm that slammed the East. We were expected to get up to 24 inches by tonight. I think the total we got here was around 19 inches. Thats a lot of snow. People were stranded all over the interstate for hours. Travis left work at midnight last night and made it home at four a.m. It took him four hours to drive home it normally only takes one hour. But he made it home safe and sound and didn't attempt to go today. Hopefully he will be able to make it okay tomorrow.

The chickens aren't fans of snow. I don't think they like cold feet!

Colton was tired from walking up the hill three times to sled. He had to take a break.

My little snow angel!!!


I think someone has been eating snow!!



The snowman building didn't work too good so she just jumped on it!

We didn't get to do much sledding, because it was so deep and it was hard to walk up the big hill. Our two four wheelers wouldn't go, even in four wheel drive they just spun. My parents were going to come down to ride tubes behind the four wheelers but it was just too deep for that. The kids still had fun running and jumping in the snow.

I had fun taking pictures with my new camera. It was my early Christmas present from my in-laws and I love it. It's a Nikon Coolpix S230. It's the kind that Ashton Kutcher advertises with the touch screen on the back. It's really cool and the selling point for me, its my favorite color, purple!!! Thanks Lloyd and Becky I love it.

Have We Forgotten The True Meaning Of Christmas?

It has took me a long time to get into the Christmas spirit this year. It seems like just yesterday the kids were just returning to school and now in just over a week its going to be Christmas.

We have never been ones to buy for our kids all the time. Of course they have so much and have never been without anything, but it seems the older they get the more expensive the gifts get. In the past we have only spent $100 a piece on them for Christmas and $50 for birthdays. This has always seemed like a reasonable amount. Sometimes we might spend just a little more on one than the other but they always have the same amount of gifts to open.

This year we went way over. We ended up spending around $225 a piece. I have felt so bad because they aren't going to have many presents to open and I wish we could buy them more. Then after reading different blogs tonight on handmade gifts or only spending $20 for each kid. It really made me think. Why do I stress so much about trying to get them the newest gadget that all of their friends have. I want them to know the true meaning of Christmas.

They know about the birth of Jesus. But do they truly understand the sacrifice that God made for us. He sent this baby to Earth for us. He knew that this child was perfect and only through him could we go to heaven. This child was going to go through a terrible death for you and me.

Do my kids really get it? Do I really get it?

I was so disappointed in Emma when she made out her Christmas list for "Santa". She wanted a real pony (ha, ha), a nintendo ds with girl games, a computer, an ipod, new shoes, new snow boots and gold earrings. She is only six years old. Of course I know every little girl wants a pony and I would love her to have one. But come on a computer and ipod. What made me so upset about this letter was she wrote on the bottom I want all of these things for Christmas. When I told her she couldn't get all these things for Christmas she said well Santa will bring me everything that I want. I think its time to have the "Santa" talk.

I don't want them to think that Santa will bring everything to them. I don't want them to expect everything even when they get older. I want them to be grateful for what they do have and to remember those kids that don't have anything this year. I want them to remember the kids that have a parent fighting in the war or kids that don't have any family at all. Remember all the people that have lost their homes in this bad economy. The kids that don't know where their next meal will come from or the ones that dream of a warm bed to sleep in at night.

We need to stress the true meaning of Christmas to our children. I don't want spoiled brats that expect everything. I want them to be kind, caring and giving kids that grow up to be kind, caring, giving adults. I no longer feel bad for them only having a few presents to open, I now feel ashamed for spending too much money just to keep up with everyone else.

I think next year we should have a $50 limit for Christmas and let the kids buy gifts to donate for charity, or do something for others to give back. I want them to know the true meaning of Christmas!!!!

P.S. Don't get me wrong I have great kids that don't get new stuff a lot and don't ask a lot. I do love buying for them, but I just think we all need to take a step back and remember the real reason for the season!!!!

Finally Put The Tree Up!

Emma and I finally put the Christmas tree up today! Now I don't feel like such a scrooge. I have all of the kids Christmas presents pretty much taken care of and only a few more people to buy for. So I'm getting a little more of the Christmas spirit.

My little helper. She was really into decorating the Christmas tree this year!

This is my most special ornament. It was my dad's mothers and its really old and very fragile. I always put it close to the top of my tree and guard it with my life all Christmas. The kids aren't allowed anywhere near it. Emma thinks its really special and I told her when she gets married I will give it to her for her first tree. She said she hopes it doesn't get broke. Me too!

My beautiful Charlie Brown tree!!

The angel on the top was made by husbands grandmother!

I have no theme when it comes to decorating my tree. I just put all of the ornaments that I have on there. Most of them have been given to us since we got married and alot of them are ones that the kids have made or that have been given to them. Its so fun unwrapping ornaments and finding ones that I have forgotten about. Emma loved helping this year and you can tell she puts alot of ornaments in one area. I don't care about it being perfect anyway!

Am I the only one????

Please tell me that I'm not the only one that hasn't even started Christmas shopping. I'm sooooo bad. I really hate to shop. Well I don't hate to shop if I have lots of money and if I was say a size four and buying clothes for myself. But since I don't have lots of money and I'm a little larger than a size four I really hate to shop. Especially for Christmas.

I love my family. I have the best kids in the world (most of the time), an absolutely wonderful husband that I adore, the best parents and in laws, a fantastic sister and the sweetest, most gorgeous niece. That being said, I have no idea what to get any of these wonderful people.

I do know what we are getting the kids. But this one thing that each of them are getting cost more than we usually spend on them for Christmas. I will let you know what it is after the day, don't want to let the cat out of the bag. But since that is so high we will be spending more on them this year because I want them to have more than one little present to open. But I have no idea what else to get them. Emma is really easy to buy for. She likes anything girly and pink. Colton on the other hand is so hard to buy for and we just got finished with his birthday. He has no idea what he wants either. Everytime I ask him he says "I don't know." He told my mom he wants french toast sticks or a ham. Last year he told everyone he wanted a new mattress. People are going to think I starve my kids and make them sleep on a hard floor.

All the other people that I buy for always get what they want or need when they want or need it. What do you get people that have everything? I always feel like I never get good gifts. You know there are some people that just know the right gift to get. My aunt Wanda is like that. She always gets the coolest gifts for everyone. I have always loved getting gifts from her. I can still remember the Fashion Plates game she bought me when I was a kid. I had so much fun with it. I wish I could be more like that. Its like she puts so much thought into the gifts she gets.

I always say I'm never going to wait to the last minute again. I want to enjoy the holidays and not feel stressed. But every year I seem to wait later and later before I even start. I really need to stop doing this to myself. I always dread the holidays so bad, because of the shopping. I need to get a better attitude about and be thankful that I have wonderful people in my life to shop for. I just wish they were a little easier to shop for though!! I better start searching the web for gift ideas, I just hope I'm not too late.

Sometimes I'm Not Very Bright!

We still have about 4 inches of snow on the ground and its still really cold. It hasn't melted much at all. I went outside to do all of my wonderful farm chores such as feeding the chickens, guineas and goat and getting in firewood. Having a little mini farm is not too fun when its cold and snow on the ground.

Well my guineas and chickens were acting crazy when I went in to feed and water them. So I decided maybe they would like to get out and play in the snow for a little bit before dark. The kids were playing outside in the snow and one of them ran in and said the neighbors dog was chasing a guinea. I ran outside with bb gun in hand and seen the dog chasing the guinea through the field. There were three others up on the top of barn having a fit. I shot at him a couple times with the bb gun but it didn't do any good. He still killed one of my white guineas.

This is a different dog than the one that killed the guinea the first time I let them out. This is some sort of lab mutt. I think it might have a bit of bird dog in him too! I went to put the rest up and got all the chickens except one up and there is still three guineas out. I hope he doesn't come back but I don't think I can get the guineas or the chicken up now. I hope they don't freeze to death tonight.

Happy White Birthday Colton!!

"Hey Emma, Let's Play Snow Tackle!"

"Wee, the swings are so much funner in the snow!"

"Yum, Just don't eat the yellow snow, Colton!"


"Happy Birthday to my big nine year old"



"Do you see what I see?"

Wow I can't believe my baby boy is nine years old today! It doesn't seem possible at all. He was so upset this morning because I was going to take him and his friend to the movies and out to eat for his birthday, but couldn't go because of the snow. I told him most kids love to wake up and see snow outside especially on their birthday but he was still upset. Emma was mad too because she was going to stay with Grandma today.

They got really happy when I agreed to let them play outside for a little bit. When they came inside frozen like little ice cubes we all enjoyed a delicious cup of homemade hot cocoa. A perfect treat on a beautiful snowy winter day!