I'm back!!

Well we had the best week with MomMom and Papa!!!! It really was one of the best (and fastest) visits yet!!

I am sorry that I haven't made comments on any blogs recently, that I haven't answered emails and that I even missed my dear friend Candy's birthday (you never told me your birthday was coming up!!!!!! What is the actual date!?!?! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!)

I am soo thankful that Christmas is Tuesday, because this was the hardest goodbye yet with MomMom & Papa. It gives me something to look forward to - and some extra reflection/family time. To focus my attention on Christ, His love, the peace he brought/brings and our little family and forming our own traditions will be just what I needed. It was soo hard to say bye to my parents this time because..... well because it's hard every time! But also because we won't be up in New Jersey until March and I just am homesick -- this is the first year that I won't be able to visit 'home' for Thanksgiving AND Christmas - every other year I've been able to go 'home' for at least one of those holidays.

But more than that - I just miss having my parents around. I wish they had more time with Raymond. They are soo good for him and vice versa! I loved having more people to just absolutely cover Raymond with love and to play and teach him in their own unique ways! It was just the best. All my relationships just seem to get stronger and better with age. My love for my parents increase every year - and the peace in my life increases every year. Life is good - God is so great ............as I always say on my totsites.

I'll post pics from the visit with MomMom & Papa soon.

Hope you all had as wonderful as a week as we did - and that you are OVERFLOWING with the peace and joy of the season.

MomMom and Papa are HERE!!! :)

MomMom and Papa are here (arrived yesterday)!!!!! I am glowing!!! :)

Tomorrow we celebrate Christmas - Brandon even took the day off!! I am sooo happy!

I LOVE my parents and LOVE watching Raymond and them interact - I love just being able to serve them, cook for them, and just love on each other! It is soo nice!

Actually tonight MomMom is cooking - I am cooking Christmas dinner tomororw but today is MomMom's day - she is making homemade pot roast mmmmm! :) I can't wait!

Life is so good - God is so great! :)

December 9th - 80 degrees!

It's December 9th and 80 degrees - that's all I really wanted to post! :) It doesn't feel like December at all! I can't believe how soon Christmas will be upon us!

We have all the windows open and have been playing outside all day - and we all went for a bike ride! Tonight after Raymond's nap we are going to the Chritmas parade downtown - I'm excited for that! We also went to our smaller town parade yesterday morning - it was cute! :)

We've had a fun weekend - and I hope you have too! :)

thoughts for today, Christmas specials and my little elves

I am sooo thankful that ABC again this year aired the Charlie Brown Christmas special. We didn't get to watch it when it was on - but we do have the DVD so Raymond and I watched that today together. It's sad that I'm surprised they played it again --- I am so thankful they did! See clip at bottom of entry

We went to the YMCA this morning so I could swim to get in my workout. I am proud of myself for how often I've been going - and after the new year it will be even more frequent. Raymond for the first time today didn't get upset at all when I left him! He was so playful today! He almost didn't want to go home when I came to get him! He plays in the children center with the rest of the kiddos. He is cutting his bottom 2 canines - and they are definitely the most brutal he's had so far....the amount of drool this time around is amazing. So that's why we were able to watch the Charlie Brown Chritmas - he's kinda in one of those,"just hold me please mommy" days.

We don't watch a lot of TV... actually we didn't have cable for a long time and we only had 1 little small tv, but I do love movies! and I LOVE old movies! and I LOVE Christmas specials.... so if you are looking for some Christmas specials on T.V. here's a link I was sent:

http://www.geocities.com/itsawonderfulchristmas/ChristmasTVSchedule.html

and if you want to see Raymond, and my nephews Hunter and "RiffRaff" as elves go here:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1118304060

Time goes by soo much faster ever since Raymond was born - so I am trying to celebrate Christmas as long as we can! The decorations are all hung, Christmas cards are sent, and we have been reading all the Christmas books we have together....the baking and Christmas dinner test runs are beginning! I LOVE this time of year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I will post pictures soon of the decorations around the house! :)

Smile even on rainy days!

I have much to be thankful for as always.... but my poor little Raymond is still sick though --- can you all lift him up in your prayers? We can't seem to kick this viral/nasal/cold/cough thing. I have cleaned everything, aired out the house (since it's 70's again outside!) and so I am hoping it will be ALL gone very soon. I know God has us in His hands, but we're all ready to be feeling 100%.

I was so excited when Raymond got the tubes in his ears that we would both be feeling 100% and could be together at our best for the first time in a long time... but then the day we got the tubes done, I came down with that nasty cold with flu symptoms and he was so happy and played and was so perky for a few days .. but couldn't play with me -- only Brandon got to play with him like that. Then I finally felt better and he got what I had. So we are just looking forward to BOTH being at our best and having a "normal" day again!


We have had days full of: whining, crying, nose blowing, falling because we don't have a lot of strength, acting bad because we're tired... and we're ready to move on from those!

I REALLY do not mean to just complain - like I said -- we're STILL smiling and finding moments in the day to be HAPPY! We know we are so blessed and are healthy and strong, so I don't mean to be a complainer at all! I'm thankful for the good we have, but I am just ready to get rid of the bad! :)

As I always say at the ending on my totsites.com for Raymond journal entries.... Life is good, God is great! and I totally absolutely 100% believe that is true, even on days like this. and I know God is taking care of us and we are 100% healed... now we are just waiting for that healing to physically manifest itself!

Love "yall" as we say in the south (well I dont' say it....but everybody else does)


Smile from ME to YOU! :)

Thanksgiving

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving Day!

I have SO much to be thankful for. It's just unreal. I try to list all the things I need to thank God for... but I get overwhelmed because there's MILLIONS! Today, as usual, after I hung up the phone with mom, my hand dialed grandma's number...forgetting she's in heaven. But I wasn't sad like I thought I would be. I have to admit, I feel a lot of peace and almost joy about our situation now. I don't worry about her at all anymore. I don't fear for what the next month/year will bring for her. I am totally happy for her even though I miss her so much.

Many of the relatives we hung out with this weekend lost family members this year (Ding Dong and Donna's father too) and they did not take the holidays as well as I did. For many reasons I guess.... one being that I have missed grandma for 6 years. I have missed her physical presence since I had moved to North Carolina.. and in the last years, missed her as her mind prepared for heaven. The 2nd reason being that grandma and I were soo incredibly close and kindred spirits to the point where we really had nothing left unspoken. We absolutely loved and adored and cherished each other. We both knew how the other felt and we knew we would be together for eternity. Man I wish I could hug and kiss her this Thanksgiving but it's okay.

She is definitely one of the top 5 things in my life that I am most thankful for.

I will be writing a post soon about the true meaning and origin of Thanksgiving and how special that origin is to me.

Our Thanksgiving recap:
We drove up to my in laws about 2 1/2 hours away on Wednesday night. Thursday we went to Aunt Theresa's in Wilson and had lunch with them and then came back to the in laws and ate there around 4:30. A lot of the family was there - I got a picture of all 5 brothers on the couch which is amazing! It was funny to be in their new ranch style house rather than the big house on the reservior.

All the food was sooo good! It tastes better and better every year! Now that I've cooked big meals for us and have seen all my lady relatives serve soo many people at the holidays, it's not intimidating to me at all anymore like it used to be!!! I can't wait to throw more parties and cook for more people. I get soo excited to think that I will have my dream house some day and just be able to serve and do so much for people. I have a dream of having BOTH sides of our family in OUR house for Thanksgiving (or Christmas!)

I am really excited about having Christmas this year at home just Brandon Raymond (Lennox too) and I. Brandon sounded pretty down about not being able to be around the family but when I told him weeks and weeks ago I was going to make my biggest feast ever on Christmas, it perked him up. But I'm not completely serious.... he is happy to start our own traditions and it will be nice to not have to travel. And really all the traditions and everything we look forward to are great --- but we know the true and most important reason for the season.

Today we drove home this morning, Brandon did a half day at work this afternoon and then we went downtown to watch the Christmas tree lighting on the river. It was cute! Raymond had a great time! He still has a nasty cough/cold ....my poor baby, but I know he is healed and in God's hands and is okay! more than okay!

Tonight we decorated the tree and house for Christmas! I will be posting pictures soon!!

We're excited for a fun and relaxing weekend!

Hope everybody's start of the holiday season has been as incredible as mine.

clarification on my last post

Clarification from some thoughts from that last post:

I wrote, "Husband working 40+ hours a week spending more time with his coworkers than his wife. I just don't believe that's the way it should be... and I think most of my generation feels that in their gut too"

I just had to clarify.. that obviously some people need the traditional jobs. Some people are called to be doctors, educators, government officials, etc. etc. that are obviously very important jobs.. and I believe God calls people to those professions by giving them the passion, dreams and talent necessary to be successful in those areas. Then there are others who are called to be away from their families for even more hours... like the military. Again, I believe God calls people to those positions as well.

But then there's the rest of us... Some people are totally satisfied with a traditional job working so somebody else's visions and dreams could come true... and really that's okay too. You can be a blessing and a great example to others in any position.

But I believe that for us, my husband and I... working a job isn't what God intended. He gave Brandon and I both an entrepreneurial spirit and dreams to be able to be financially succesful and independent so we could help others. I have so many ministries and passions and people I want to help.. but they all take money to be successful. So that is why a typical above average income job just isn't good enough for us. I know God wouldn't place in my heart the dreams and passions I have unless He would help me get them. So I am patiently enjoying this down time with Raymond and working on myself so when my opportunity comes I will be prepared and ready - mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially.. etc. and God will be able to trust me when the time is right.

Gotta go - Raymond is calling... more later maybe.