Merry Christmas 2012

                                                                 

            Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~

The most precious gift

I was blessed today and I just had to share. 

My sister, Jackie attends F.I.T. boot camp classes throughout the week and the day after Thanksgiving I went with her to one of the boot camp classes.  I knew a few of the women in the class and I knew of the instructor, Erica but just as an acquaintance.  All the other women in the class were strangers to me. 

Some of the women were aware of Joe's deployment and in the days to follow the Thanksgiving workout Erica came up with the idea to bless me this Christmas. 

(Erica is in the pink standing next to the lady wearing yellow)

 

 

 

 

Today I opened my front door to presents that were left for me from the class.  There were the most precious cards/letters that made me cry.  Reading the words of these women (most of who were strangers to me) on the cards they wrote was touching.  These women are thankful to me for the sacrifices I am making during this deployment. The sacrifices that is allowing them to be with their families this Christmas.  Erica put together with the help of all the women in the class a gift bag for me including hand weights, hair ties to wear while working out, leg workout DVD (which is great because I want my legs to look like Carrie Underwoods), chai tea that I love and a couple hair bows for my girls. 

Thank you Erica for coming up with this idea to bless us this Christmas.  You will never know just how much it warmed my heart.  Thank you everyone else who took the time to write cards and gave money towards my presents.  Being the spouse of a deployed member is hard and trying but days like today make it worth it.  Just to know that people are thankful for ME really means a lot.  You girls made my day- My week- My month.  Thank you again for blessing me and I will be sure to pay it forward-

Please contact Erica if you would like to join her boot camp class.  Let me tell you, its an awesome workout.  This summer I will be joining and I can't wait.  She knows her stuff and she even offers mens F.I.T. boot camp classes now. 





Enjoy your family~

I could keep this short and sweet and just say: This sucks.

Or I could say this sucks because:

We are treading on new territory and I had no idea what to except.  I thought that Christmas was going to be easy but Oh my word, it's not. I freaking miss you and it's making my heart hurt.  My heart literally has a piece missing and that piece is you.  This home, the couch we sit on, the table we sit at, the living room floor you lay on to play with the girls, our bed you lay in, the drivers side of the car is empty.  Everything is empty. 

Explaining it is hard, my emotions are all over the place and I just want you to know that I am okay.  This is just a rough patch for me.  Christmas screams family and part of my family is gone.  I want it to be over with so I can put all the decorations back in the attic and get back to normal life.  Watching my girls still love everything about Christmas this year makes my heart happy.  I know the Lord has everything to do with that. As a whole they have been doing amazing.  He has comforted them, given them strength and covered them in his blanket of love. He has done the same for me but sometimes I cant hold it together 100% of the time.  I try to be strong for them because I have noticed that the few times I have broken down in front of them, they cry and get sad also.  I don't want them to cry or be sad so I try to not be emotional with them. When the day to day life of dishes, laundry, sweeping, homework, stress, making lunches, refereeing our two ultimate fighters and keeping the house picked up catches up with me sometimes I just break down.  I need my tag-team partner to come into the ring and rescue me.

Looking forward to a new year and seeing you sooner rather than later.... I love you. 




Enjoy your family~

Christmas Themed Dinner

Traditions mean a lot to me.  I love starting them and continuing them.  Christmas is a great time to have traditions. The last several years we have taken Ava Christmas caroling.  She loves going house to house singing for our friends and handing out their goodie box.  The first year we took her she was so little and I loved seeing her face light up, she was singing and smiling at the same time.  Every year after that we have gone caroling.  We do the normal traditions of making gingerbread houses, decorating cookies and this year we added in our elf on the shelf, Si.  The girls love looking for him each morning.  Christmas morning is spent just the four of us, in our home.  After presents we eat a big breakfast then we head out and make our Christmas stops.  Joe and I love getting everything set out the night before and I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve because I am so excited for the next morning.  Having kids and watching Christmas thru their eyes is amazing. Last week the girls and I started a new tradition.  It was our Christmas themed dinner. 

The menu: Snowman Pizza

(he was a smidgen browned... lost track of time)

 

 

(Christmas Tree Brownies)

 

(Grinch Punch)

(Lime Sherbet, Sprite, little green food coloring.  Blended up)

 

 

While we were drinking our Grinch punch we watched (of course) How the Grinch stole Christmas. 

The girls had a fantastic time, we turned on Christmas music while making the pizza and I can honestly say it was one of the best nights I have had with them.  Cant wait to do it again next year.... WITH DADDY!!!  The traditions continue....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~

Happy Birthday Mom

I wrote this about my mom and it still rings true.

I love you Mom with my entire heart and I hope you have a fantastic birthday today.  You are beautiful inside and out.  If I know my mom at all I am sure I'll be getting a call today asking why I posted so many pictures of her on my blog.  "But my hair looked bad" "I was blinking" "I look so old"

Dearest Mom, If I look 1/4 of how good you look when I am your age I will count myself lucky. You are getting more beautiful as the years pass and I truly mean that.  I wanted to show you off a bit.... :)

(Old Picture. No, Jackie is NOT pregnant now.  She was weeks away from giving birth to O man in this picture)

( Mom and 'old school' EJ)

 

 

(Nini with her 4th and last grandchild)

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                   

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                          

 

This past Friday me and the girls went to Christmas Train. It is affiliated with our church: Church on the Move. If you haven't gone its a great place to visit at least once.  There are puppet shows for the kids, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, restaurants to eat, free wagon rides, go carts, ropes course, bumper cars, carousal, salt water taffy and homemade fudge shops, arcades, amazing cinnamon rolls with hot chocolates or coffee plus a lot more... Lets not forget about the train.  It tells the story of Christmas.  While riding on the train it starts with the beginning where God created the heavens and the earth, the birth of Jesus and eventually the crucifixion of Jesus and His Resurrection.  If you have small children be warned that the scene with Jesus on the cross may scare them. Ava always shuts her eyes in that part. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christmas train has became a tradition for my family.  We missed daddy being around with us this year but we cant wait until next year and he will be walking around with us again and making memories.  Side Note: Emma actually sat on Santa's lap this year for the first time.  (without crying)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your family~