This deserves its own post

After re-reading my earlier post I couldn't help but think that this praise deserves its very own post. We are forever grateful to all of you who have step up and helped contributed to us serving God. We are excited to pack small tokens for the kids and Jeremy is working on getting a whole bunch of balls ( he can take the air out for travel and fill them up when he arrives) for the kids to play with.

He is nervous but I keep encouraging him that it will be wonderful! Life changing!! yes, I am so very proud that he is listening to God's calling for him. I would be a wreck...wait I am wreck just thinking of him leaving.


THANK YOU! THANK YOU!


** THANK YOU! to everyone who gave what they could to help cover the cost of this missions trip. We are 360.00 away from reaching our goal. We know that God is faithful and will provide everything we need during this time. Thank you for everyone who has been praying for him and for us. We ask that you continue to pray for God's protection and wisdom as he shares God's Divine Love for them and for us. Once again...THANK YOU to every family member and friend who supported us. Much love!!

call me old

They taunt me...they make fun of me...even my best friend does for sporting this pink shower cap. They call me old..they tease me.
I love it!! I don't always have time to wash,dry and style my hair ( I need to BLOG!!) so I use a shower cap. My good friend Emily actually left this here and I am forever grateful she did and I am looking at finding a cooler one...Miss America thinks one with butterflies would be cool.

Liv loves to wear it because she hates her hair wet..it makes her "shibber' when she is done with her 1 hour bath...i try to tell her it is the hour old bath water that is no longer hot that makes her cold but when she gets in the tub there is no getting her out. Her Grammy has neat tub and that is one of her favorite things to do when she goes over there. She still has not caught on to the fact they have a hot tub, I am sure she will be packing the shower cap when she finds that out.

Last weekend I got away with the girls and when I was leaving I noticed they had a shower cap in the hotel , I took it home for Liv and to say she was excited was an understatement...She was jumping around and doing a dance! I know what I am looking for her birthday...a shower cap with Butterflies.

I can tell you have ALOT of kids...

Carter's idea of breaking into the bathroom to play with Olivia's toys...he throws everything in the toilet...there is no pee in there...just toilet paper from Carter John himself.

she hides herself in there with her friends so he won't bug her. She calls him little bother...if you watch the Olivia show you know where she got that.

She hides her clothes form Carter and all her treasures...this is classic for her. I have stashes of stuff everywhere.

Her secret playhouse...the bathroom...Good thing we have 3 bathrooms!!

I can Tell you have alot of kids

Yes, that was a statement form my best friend as she came over to crash my house yesterday. She noticed the pink scarf wrapped around the thermostat, the barbie horse on the mantle, the pencil stuck in my house plant, the Knick knacks arranged by a 3 year old, the mounting pile of shoes, the stickers on our light switch cover, barbie with out her legs, barbie legs sticking out of the printer and the pure chaos.

I can tell I have a lot of kids when I made out my Costco list and 8 gallons of milk was 2nd to 2 big boxes of goldfish crackers, 6 loafs of bread, and about 300.00 worth of food that does NOT include wal-mart and produce shopping. I can tell I have alot of kids when my dishwasher runs 3 times a day. I never have enough hot water when It comes to my shower...I can tell I have alot of kids when I must have detailed Christmas list for the fear of hurt feelings. I also get a ton of hugs, lots of slobbery kisses and 3 blessings that hopefully will never allow me to go a nursing home. The chances of one of them taking care of me is pretty good!!

Thursday's with Tiffiny

Wow!! Another week has flown by. I can't believe we are in May already. It seems just like we just had snow. Time goes by so fast. My days are long. VERY long...maybe it is because I have not left the house since Sunday....I am sure that is why my days run into each other. I am sure that is why I feel tired. Tired from what!?! That my friends is the million dollar question. I mean really, what do I do all day that makes it so I feel drained? Oh, well one day they will all move out and I will be wanting them to call me or come by and they will be busy and tired. So everyday I get to hug them...well not the older boys..they run and hide, until they want money.

So here it is..........Thursday's with me!


I am Thankful for...

My kids. I know...I know..I complain alot about the mundane tasks of taking care of them everyday...all day with very little me time. I could not imagine what it would be like to go through Mother's day and not have them. I could not imagine the pain I would feel if I could have not gotten pregnant. Many, many women out there are trying. Trying to bring a life into this world and they can't. They long for the love of a child. They long for chaos and the blessing that each child brings. Some mom's have lost their child while others maybe don't know where their child is. I could not imagine the grief they are going through. I have a heavy heart just thinking of those moms. My prayer's are for all those women who when Mother's day rolls around they don't have the same joy or blessing's that so many of us get.


I'm listening to... Carter yelling from his bed...he doesn't want ot have a morning nap. I really need him to. He is walking crabby teething disaster...He only has 4 teeth so I can see 2 more coming through along with back ones.

What's for Dinner Tonight... Taco's...every week..it is easy and cheap and I always have the stuff on hand.



Missing.... I am not missing anything right now...well maybe my mind!! Jeremy is leaving for his missions trip very soon. I am sure I will miss him along with the kids. 10 days is a very long time for a child and a mom! I am not sure how it will go with him gone. probably just fine. I worry. I worry about him and his safety. My mind wonders....He will be traveling for 20 hours!! I hope in all of his travels he finds that missing Boy Scout Shirt.

** THANK YOU! to everyone who gave what they could to help cover the cost of this missons trip. We are 360.00 away from reaching our goal. We know that God is faithful and will provide everything we need during this time. Thank you for everyone who has been praying for him and for us. We ask that you continue to pray for God's protection and wisdom as he shares God's Divine Love for them and for us. Once again...THANK YOU to every family member and friend who supported us. Much love!!

Things we have not said...

in 15 months....

honey, quit reading...your light is bothering me...

Let's crawl in bed and watch the 10 o'clock news

you can watch what you want out here and I will watch my show in the bedroom

can you flip the light on?

Until tonight my friends we have had a "bedroom guest" in our room. A cute, sweet loving little boy who pokes his head up every morning and yells "maaammama" !

Our bedroom guest is trying out being a guest with Miss America. Lets hope she isn't practicing her singing I meant screaming tonight.

Off to bed, where I will flip on my light and read.......no more crawling under the covers with a magazine and a flash light....don't laugh!! I really do that!

Paid!?!

A few months ago I was watching the news, Yes, I actually got to sit down and watch tv! Yipee for me! Anyways, They where going on about how much the stay at home mom should make if she was ever paid. I though it was quite intriguing. I mean really you can price all our skills!?!

Some moms will obviously make more then others. I mean I am not going to get paid for being a seamstress when I don't even own a a needle and thread. I can't be at top of the pay scale in the laundry attendant column, I don't own an iron. I am not a dog walker and quite frankly suck at the whole accounting bill paying thing...and well, because I let me children eat cold cereal at least 2 times aweek the pay for this chef will be at the bottom of the pay scale.

I have to say I have owned 2 businesses. managed a retail store along with 35 employees. The ones who call in sick every other day, whines to me because their co-worker looked at them wrong, I have had deadlines, quota's, hiring, firing and a very big to do list but nothing is as hard as staying home.

When I had a "job" I had to have dedication, self-discipline( for the days I felt like smacking the employee chump who got in a fist fight with a customer) humor, focused and many other skills...but nothing still can compete with what it is like to stay home not only are you to have all the same skills but everyday is different, everyday is well a new day.
I have to have all my skills ready at all times. I must always have a sense of humor and be prepared for just about anything. From diaper blow outs to 6th grade bullying to 3 year old melt downs.
I don't think you can ever really put a price on moms....I truly believe our job is priceless and if they think of firing you...they will never ever find anyone like mom...

And they could never afford to replace me!

This is the story of my life

Honor...

I wonder what it will be like when my kids get older? what will Mother's day bring? Will they all be living close or will they call from miles away? Will they miss me? Will they send a real card or will I get a an email? What will it really be like? I am excited just thinking of it...and all these mother's days I think the same thing...how is this family going to grow?

I was thinking last night that every mother's day I feel stretched to go and visit my mom, my mom in law, and do something for myself. It can be a very wearing weekend. I stopped thinking that last night. I want to honor my mom and my mother in law. They are to very important people in my life. They love me , they love my husband and they love my kids. They walked the floors many nights for us. They changed our diapers, disciplined us , loved us, comforted us and supported us and worry about us.

So as of right now I feel as though I don't NEED a fancy mother's day. I don't WANT a fancy mother's day. I get Mother's day all year long. I get my kids living with me and being with me everyday. What will happen when they leave?

What I want to do Is take the day and Honor the moms in my life and the moms in my kids life. They have put more years into this Job then I have. They have stayed awake worrying about us, praying for us, crying for us and laughing with us.

Yes, I am a mom. Yes, I work hard all year. I just think the biggest gift I can give my children to to honor your grandparents, our moms because you will never understand my love for you until you have kids of your own and I believe that this day is just as important to to them as it is to me and to think of it any other way is kinda selfish on my part.

Humor me...

Dad: Matthew get our feet off the blinds..you will break them

Matthew: I am just touching them...I won't hurt them

Dad: Matthew I mean it, if you break them I will be really upset

Matthew: I will pay for them

Dad: No, you won't

Matthew: I know, It sounded good.


**************************************************************************
Mom: Olivia Mother's day is coming up!!

Olivia: what do I get?

Mom: You get to go with dad and get mommy something.

Olivia: Like a pretty dress for me? or new shoes?

Mom: No Olivia, you must be a mom to get a gift

Olivia: That is not fair, someday I will be a mom

Mom: Yes, Olivia you will be...goodnight

Olivia: goodnight mom

3 seconds later...................yelling from bed

Olivia: DAD!!! mom said you have to buy me something for mother's day!

Learning gift giving...

When Jeremy and I started dating he was really into the gift giving...he has always been cheap and very, very, very practical. You know like if the gift can serve to purposes then he should but it.

Matthew's first Birthday we go the mall to get him a gift. We get to Target I head to the toy department ,he tells me he is going to see what he can find at Sears fro Matthew. I should have known that when we had to pull up through merchandise pick-up before leaving that my he had purchased something for himself..sure enough a brand new computer....12 years ago those things where EXPENSIVE! and Jeremy told me that he needed a smart son, nothing like starting him out early.

Christmas...Matthew and I get a 6 disc surround sound home theater contraption. After 12 years Matthew does have the speakers and receiver in his room.

Jeremy likes practical gift. If they do not serve a need then he won't buy them. He is very simple. We don't spend anything on Valentines day and on our birthday's we are content with hanging out with family. Christmas, I for the most part buy my own gifts a wrap them. Does this mean he loves me any less? I don't think so..Sometime I wish he would surprise me....and I am not talking about the time he bought me a necklace and I though it was real gold till it turned my neck green!! I was way to naive...another reason I would never want to repeat my 20's.

So Why am I blogging about gift giving? Well, I am trying really hard to teach my son how to give GOOD Practical gifts. Gifts from the heart that can be made or purchased. To really understand the recipient of the gift.

So Last night...Matthew comes to me to tell me that he has thought long and hard over what to get for me and he thinks my own room with an espresso maker would be a good thing...I did hug him and tell him that he was very thoughtful in his ideas...he really knows me and I love that.

Now, I told him I would settle for a decorated room and a mocha.