Happy 5th Birthday Emma Jo

9:27am on June 23, 2008 I became a mom for the second time.  I birthed the most beautiful 7lb 7oz baby girl.  She was red, wrinkled, squishy, uber soft and smelled so sweet. She was everything a newborn baby should look like.  She was our Emma.  I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her and I actually loved her long before that.  I started loving her November 1, 2007 when I found out she was in my womb.  Happy Birthday to my Emma Jo. 

Five things to know about the birthday girl. 

1.  She loves her daddy.
2.  She loves eating popcorn.  And basically any other food on the planet.
3.  She loves to color and draw.
4.  She is moody.  Some days are 'good' days and some days make me dread teenage years.
5.  She is my blond haired beauty queen who has the best smile and gives the best kisses. 

This year Emma decided she wanted an Ariel party.  We had a great time at Cherry Berry with family and friends. 

Miss Emma with her school friend, Ava

 

 

 

My favorite part of the day was when Joe read one of Emma's birthday books to the girls at bedtime. 

 

I love you my sweet Emma.  Hope you have a GREAT birthday!!!!! 

Enjoy your family~

Wordless Wednesday

Hear Mama Bear Roar

Sometimes life hands you lemons, right?  What are you to do?  Make lemonade? Sometimes I would rather just squeeze the lemon in my open wound, cringe in pain, but take the pain.  That's what I am doing: Taking the pain.  Taking what life has handed me and run with it.  I am rolling with the punches.  Playing the card I was dealt. 

Lately, one hand my life has been perfect.  I have my husband back safe and sound from his deployment.  We are spending awesome family time together, talking, playing games, playing outside, traveling, eating good meals, laughing and just enjoying being a family of four again.  Is it crazy that I am already looking forward to Joe's retirement years when he will be home with me?

Then on another hand, my heart has been dealing with being broken lately. During my latter school years I was always talked about, gossiped about, back-stabbed or made fun of and  (Not giving too many details).  I find myself somewhat in the same boat at this stage in my life.  The difference about then and now, well, everyday I had to see the idiots who felt the need to belittle me.  We were in the same class, the same hallways or lunch room. Now, I can choose who to be around.  Who to share my life with.  Who Joe and I choose to let into our daughters life.  I want to protect them and protect our family and the unity of our marriage. Protect the peacefulness of our marriage, the fun of our marriage. My husband is my husband and I will be there for him and with him every step of the way now and forever.  We are stronger than we have ever been before and for that I am thankful.  Being disappointed, hurt, angry is not how I want to live my life. I know who my Creator is and I know the way He created me was no accident.  He made me the way I am and for that I will not apologize.  I will stand firm.  We will stand firm.  We deserve to be surrounded by people who love, respect and accept us and show us that through their actions and their words.  If you are unable to do that, then we get to choose who we share our life with. 

I love my husband.  I love my daughters. They are the three most important people in my world.  They are my world.  I need to protect them. Whatever bridges we need to burn in the process we will do if that's what it takes to protect our family. Mama bear will guard her family with her life.  That's a guarantee. 



Enjoy your family~

Sweaty Sweaty

I still remember the day I moved into this house.  After work on Halloween day I drove to the bank and closed on my home.  My first home.   My friend, Andrea was with me and I remember her taking a picture of me pulling my Saturn into the garage for the first time.  She took a picture of the first spider that was in my brand new garage.  Walking into my home was strange, the smell, the newness, outside were fields to my left and right. My home looked so big and I loved it from the get go.  Fast forward 10 years and this is the home where I got engaged in while eating breakfast on a Saturday morning.  The home where I walked out of the door one hot day in August as a girlfriend and came home as a wife.  I walked out the door one day in February pregnant and came home a new mom.  There are many memories in this home. There were many nights of walking laps around the kitchen island when infant Ava was screaming.  I look in the living room and I see the spot where Ava took her first step.  It's the home where I brought home our second daughter.  Emma slept in her car seat on top of the kitchen table when we got home from the hospital.  My bedroom was the place Emma had her first smile.  The street in front of our house was where Ava learned how to ride a bike.  Many visits from Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny.  Looking around this house it didn't turn into a home until I started raising my daughters here. I love this home.

But....

This home faces the HOT Oklahoma summer west sun.  Dumb move... Dumb move when I picked out this lot.  Do you know what happens to ten year old homes?  A.C. units start going out.  We've known it was on the last leg for at least a couple summers now but that still didn't soften the blow of a brand new units price.  We were really hoping to make it one more summer with the old unit since moving out of this house was on our very near horizon but no such luck.  The little engine that could just couldn't anymore and he gave out.  After 8 days we finally got a new unit and I tell ya, I am freezing.  When 75 feels cold you know you have issues.  We have all become professionals on how to sleep in 81 degrees and most nights the girls just went to sleep in their panties. 

Good news:  We have air conditioning.

Bad news: We spent some of our "new home" fund so we will be staying in Ole' Faithful awhile longer. My mom said something on a recent walk we were on together and even though I know this saying "Everything happens for a reason" it hit me a different way when I heard her say it.  There was a day or two that I was very upset about the situation.  My heart was set on selling our home and getting something bigger and with the current situation I knew that wouldn't be the case.  She said "everything happens for a reason, nothing is by accident". I know there are a lot of unanswered questions but once they are answered, we will know where "Franco party of 4" will be located. God knows where we will be living and God knows when we are meant to sell this home.  Until he lets us know, here's to another HOT Oklahoma summer! 





Enjoy your family~

Quality Time with my Family

Over the Memorial Day holiday, my family, 9 out of the 10 of us, headed to Kansas City for the weekend.  Friday evening Joe and Ava went to watch the Angels and Albert Pujols put a hurting on the Royals.  She enjoyed being there with her daddy as well as her pappy, aunt, uncle and cousin Will.  The next morning I asked Ava what was her favorite part of the game to which she replied "The fireworks." The legacy lives on because dad took me to Royals games when I was younger and I too didn't have a lot of fun- pure boredom in fact but I went with my dad because he loved it. 

 

                                                Albert Pujols

 Afternoons were spent go-carting and eating junk while the evenings were spent swimming in the hotel pool.  We had a great weekend and although the weekend was tiring it was worth it. 

 

 

On the way home I decided to carry on the tradition of taking pictures by state signs.  There are several pictures of when I was younger of my mom, sister and I standing next to state signs on our road trips.  Thankfully Joe was a good sport (like he normally is)  and pulled off the side of the road to take our picture.  I love making memories with my girls and Joe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~