Six Blessings

My Friday Off started at 9:30 am. with a visit from Abby & Jack. Their mommy & daddy ran some errands and I watched them for a few hours. We started with the play doh, cutting out letters and shapes. Jack watched as he enjoyed a teething bisquit. Abby took a break from playing to snuggle with her brother. This was a long time coming to see this affection. She made it clear after her brother was born that she didn't like him. Of course, at age 2 and having all the attention, she really didn't want to share it. She is coming around.
Happy Jack Jack....see the tooth? He has a mouth full of teeth.
Abby making a snowman out of play doh...
Abby tucked in her favorite little rabbit. She would rather have a stuffed animal than any toy.
Look at Jack crawling! He does this Army crawl that is so funny. He is almost 9 months old.

Abby loves to ride "Moo" the horse. She named him last year when I bought him. She had to give Bear a ride too!
Jack likes Moo too!

So, later that day.....I make a trip to Steph's house to babysit while her and Jeff went out for the evening. Miss Ivy was a little under the weather and wanted to be held the entire time, which meant trusting the older boys to help out and be trusted to play nicely with one another. I am amazed by the maturity of these boys. Noah was my helper with Ivy by holding her while I went to the restroom and even helping hold her while I gave her some medicine. While rocking Ivy, I heard water running and asked Noah to check the upstairs to make sure the water was turned off, he came running back down the stairs and said "I fixed it Mimi, it was the toilet running, so I took the lid off the back and did what daddy does and it stopped running". And every now and then, Noah would come up to me and give me a kiss on the cheek. Gray, Noah and Carter would take turns playing Wii and then were in the play room building with Lego's. Carter would pass every now and then letting me know he was almost done building his invention. Finally at the end of the night, when it was way past bedtimes, Gray climbed up in my lap on my free side and fell fast asleep. I was just hoping and praying that Ivy didn't want to move.

It wasn't long before mommy & daddy would be home. Ivy on the left wrapped up in her "magic blanket", Gray on the right, dreaming of Star Wars Wii, Carter giving me a kiss on the left and Noah giving me a kiss on the right. A perfect ending to my Day Off!

And this is what Carter and Noah did most of the night...The best boys in the world!

I will end this long post with this:

I wouldn't trade this Day Off for anything in the world. My life is so full, so rich, and I owe it to these Six Blessings!

Sundays random thoughts

* This is our beautiful Lake Michigan a few months ago. Now it is partially iced over. I live about 7 min. away. I love to go visit and get lost in my thoughts.
* It was a great Sunday today. I went to church and held my sleeping granddaughter during the sermon. Hubby and I went to get groceries, I cooked and relaxed most of the day.
* I am really proud of myself for still having the desire and excitement to go work out at 6am. during the week at Curves. I am feeling so much better and have more energy.
* Due to the slow economy, I am working 4 days a week now. God has blessed me with a side job to make up for the lost income. God has always been there and taken care of our needs. I have to say that the time off is nice. I can spend time with family and have some Me time if I want.
* This past week has been filled with bad news for several of my dear friends concerning health issues. I pray daily for them and expect complete restoration to their bodies.
* I tried a new hairstylist since my regular lady is out of commission for now. I really like how she cut it. It's so hard to find someone when you have gone to someone for so many years.
* I have 6 grandchildren and each have a different birth month....Feb. March May July Sept. & Oct.
* That's all the random thoughts I have for now. Sorry I bored you. Time to go check my stuffed bell peppers cooking.

1 year and 3 days

My sister Diane, on the top, holding Evan 1 year ago on Jan. 15 and on the bottom, holding Aden 1 year ago and 3 days later, Jan. 18. She got a double blessing and will be one busy Mommal in weeks to come. My sister is a Super Women. She helps out her daughter, Dayna quite a bit since Dayna's husband has an offshore job and is out of town quite a bit. I've never seen her happier. She is a cancer survivor and we see why God spared her life. Enjoy rocking those grandbabies!

Riches

There is this little lady named Ethel who comes in Curves to work out and is very timid. She is the cutest little thing. Petite, adorable short silver haircut. She sports the special T-shirt she was awarded for the number of workouts. Since I started going I have never gotten to really talk to her and know her. This morning she came in after me and started a few machines behind me. One of the other ladies were talking about AGE and I was surprised that this person was older than I was because she looked great for 60. In a small voice I hear "I'm older than all of you ladies". It was little Ethel. So, this opened the door to the start of our conversation. She said she was "82". I told her I hoped to look as good as her when I am that age. I got a smile from her precious face, which I had never seen before. She said her mom lived to be "92" but she didn't want to live that long. I asked her Why? She said her husband died 5 years ago and she doesn't have children, so there is really nothing to live for. I wanted to cry. She said she had 2 miscarriages and was never able to have children. I was at a loss for words...what do you say?
I asked if she had a dog or cat to keep her company. She said no, in a very sad voice. I asked if she had extended family and she said they all live out of state.
I was trying to find the words to encourage her. I told her that she looked great and she has a lot of life left to live. I told her that she inspires younger women, like myself when we see how good of shape she is in for her age.
I started to see a sparkle in her eyes that I had never seen before.
It really hit me at that moment that I am so Rich. I have my husband, children, grandchildren, lots of extended family and friends around me. I have so much to live for. I wanted to share some of my riches with Ethel. I wanted her to feel the feeling of being loved and needed.
I hope to get to know her better and let her know how special she really is.
I don't want to take my life for granted. I want to appreciate what I do have. Riches for me is not about money.
Thank you Ethel for inspiring me to keep on going!

Meet "Aden William Ardoin"

Aden William was born shortly after Noon today weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz. My niece Dayna was in labor a short time. He has a big brother, Evan Reed (Bubbie). Congrats Rob & Dayna on such a precious little man.

Aden's BIRTH day

This is my niece, Dayna and her hubby Rob, 1 year and 3 days ago, awaiting the arrival of their son Evan who was born Jan. 15, 09. Today, they are awaiting the arrival of their 2nd son, Aden. Dayna went in the hospital early today to be induced. Hopefully Aden will come fast. Having boys 1 year apart is almost like having twins. I can see these boys being best buds, like my Noah and Carter are. God is truly blessing this family as they await his arrival. They are building a brand new home on a beautiful piece of land about 5 miles from my sister. So, mommal Diane will not have far to travel to be with her boys. My prayer today is for Dayna to have a safe, fast delivery and God's protection over her and baby Aden. Picture's will follow of my new Great Nephew...Stay tuned!

Happy 1st Birthday Evan Reed

My Great Nephew, Evan (Bubbie) is 1 year old today! Isn't he the cutest little cowboy you ever saw? He is my sister's (his mommal's) pride and joy. Evan will be a big brother in a few days. My niece is going in the hospital to have "Aden" on Monday the 18th if she doesn't go before on her own. So, lots of exciting celebrations.
Have a very Happy Birthday Evan! Hugs and kisses...

Queen Sophia, Princess Abigail & Prince Jackson

My granddaughter dog, Sophia loves to sit in the Hello Kitty chair. Her eyes are really not electric blue. Sophie does think she's a kid. She is the most gentle and loving dog around her sister Abby and brother Jack.

Abby loves to dress up and be a Princess or Cinderella. She LOVES books. She wants to wear dresses every day. Her mom says it is a constant battle every morning as to what the attire for the day will be. She is only 2 and loves stylish clothes and insists on picking out what she will wear. I have found a lot of pretty dresses at Once Upon a Child that are priced very reasonable and she Beams with delight when I give them to her.
I'm off to the ball!

Trying to get a picture of the princess and prince was a chore. This is the best I could get. Jack is saying "oh no, not again, would you stop with the pictures already".....
Happy Jack Jack.....

I think I will call Mimi....oh wait...she's here.
Hey guys, I started crawling this week! Princess Abigail makes my heart melt....

Happy 33rd Birthday Steph!

33 years ago today at 5:17 pm a Beautiful baby girl was born, weighing in at 7lbs. 1oz. 21 inches long and had a head full of beautiful black hair. Her name is Stephanie Ruth, named after my mom. I knew and felt that I gave birth to a very gifted person and that she is. She was a very good baby and made it very easy and enjoyable to be a first mom. And now, look at her. She is an exceptional mom.
Happy Birthday Steph! Love you, Mom

Steph's early birthday celebration

Steph's birthday is Jan. 8, but we decided to celebrate early since today worked out better. We went to one of every ones favorite places, Texas Corral. Noah and Carter love the peanuts and you are allowed to throw the shells on the floor. We had a very enjoyable lunch, as you can tell by Miss Ivy's face. Instead of Birthday Cake, I made Steph's favorite, lemon bars. It was nice to have most of our family together to celebrate such a precious gift, my daughter. Isn't she beautiful?

It's tradition that Gray falls asleep on Grampa....He did wake up when the food arrived.

Noah is the happiest little guy. He filled up on the freshly baked rolls and honey butter.
Carter, Poppal and Mommal are having a good time. Carter loves the camera, can you tell?

After lunch Steph and I took the boys to see this adorable movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. I looked over and the boys were dancing in their seats. I loved the music. It was such an enjoyable day. Happy Early Birthday Steph!