Life is good.

I'm happy today! I won't get into all of the reasons why, cuz' as you know, I can be wordy! I'll just summarize and say that God is sooooooo wonderful and faithful and good! He takes care of me. Always, and without fail. I am so far from where I want to be, and no where near perfect. And yet, somehow, My God sees fit to shower me with blessings. It completely amazes me. I don't know that His Mercy, Grace and Love are things that I will ever come to expect. I'm perpetually surprised by Him.

I gotta talk about my kids for a minute...

One of the many things I am so happy about is the fact that my kids got their report cards yesterday, and they are all doing so awesome! Gosh, I am so proud. Bre and Caleb came to live w/ me September 2008, when I received primary custody of them. Before that, I only saw them every other weekend during the school year, which was absolutely heart-breaking. Since that time, I have seen them grow and improve in so many ways. Nate has always been with me, of course. He and I prayed for so many years that all of us could be together a whole lot more. And even though the circumstances which have finally enabled that were less than positive, we are now together. Our prayers were answered. And everyone is just doing so well! My babies are so smart and sweet and wonderful. I am one very blessed and proud mama.

Yes, we have our tough moments. After all, they are kids. They do act up sometimes. And I am still learning how to do this single mom of three thing. It's pretty hard some days. But all in all, I'd say it's going incredibly well. They are such a joy to me. Life has not been a very easy one for them, sadly. Nor for me. But, having the opportunity to see my kids' academic, emotional and spiritual growth this past year has been such an honor, and one of things I am thankful for on this happy day.

I'm recognizing the way our God is taking care of us all. And I'm thankful.

My Weekend w/ the Kids

I am so blessed to have been raised in a Godly home. It's something I've often taken for granted. But this weekend was one of those times that re-reminded me of just how incredibly blessed I am to have the upbringing and the parents that I do.

Breauna's best friend stayed the night w/ us on Friday. She's a sweetheart! I want to adopt her! She thanked me profusely for all the stuff we'd done that evening. Stuff which was really just normal weekend stuff, but was so out of the ordinary and special for her to experience. She recited it all. She mentioned how cool it was that I picked them up from school, how I took them to the video store and let them pick out movies, how I'd ordered pizza, made them a pie, played board and card games with them, laughed with them, watched Disney movies with them, then said prayers with them, hugged them and tucked them in bed. It made me feel good to feel so appreciated!

Saturday morning, Bre's little friend was very quiet. Bre told me it was because she was sad that she'd have to go home, and that she wanted to live with us. Soooo... we decided to make Saturday the best day ever. And it was! I made them huge chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and chocolate milk for breakfast. I played games with them. I took them out to eat at In-n-Out for lunch. We went with some friends to see "A Christmas Carol" at the movie theater. Then I took them on a shopping spree at the Dollar Tree (kid heaven). We decided to let her stay another night. I made her the dinner of her choice (which was cheeseburger macaroni, green beans, garlic bread and cherry pie), rented another movie of their choice, and once again, said prayers and gave hugs when I tucked them in at bed time. I overheard her tell Bre that she had the nicest, coolest mom ever. Then I overheard Bre agree. It was the neatest feeling.

These things are normal to me because of how I was raised: praying at mealtime and bedtime, hugs and affection, praise words and positive talk in the home, activities done together as a family, going to church, talking regularly about God and what it means to be a Christian, and the list goes on and on. Not all homes involve these activies, and some families have such an absence of family values and love. I want to publicly praise my parents for raising me in such a positive way.

I wish I could adopt every child out there who's hurting. But I can't. What I CAN do is continue to shower my own children (and any friends they bring over) with love and affection, Godly values, and a peaceful home environment. I really feel honored and blessed to be a mom. And I am so very thankful for my wonderful parents, who taught how to be one.

My Bucket List

* Learn to snowboard.
* Take my kids to Disneyland.
* Lay on the beach on a tropical island.
* Explore Ireland.
* Visit a quaint, coastal town laid out on a hillside in Italy.
* Meet, fall in love with, then marry my best friend.......... Then grow old together.
* See my daughter get married.
* See my sons grow to be men of character and strength.
* Write a book of poetry and have it published.
* Own a house with a big yard & get a dog for my kids.
* Learn how to waterski.
* Visit New York.
* Go to an opera in an evening gown.
* Get re-certified and go scuba diving somewhere tropical.
* Write an auto-biography.
* Have another baby (after I meet, fall in love with and marry my best friend, of course).
* Go on a road trip on the back of a motorcycle.
* Own a gigantic trampoline
* Fly to Minnesota with my kids, so they can meet all the family they have out there.
* Walk through a forest full of butterflies.
* Go skydiving.

A song I'm workin' on....

Only always
I see Your face,
Revealed with Grace
In countless ways.

Verse:
All it takes is just
One small act of trust
To learn He'll find You're treasure
Beneath rust.
Polished and refined,
All it takes is time,
To see the beauty ashes
Tried to hide.

Chorus:
Only always
I see Your face,
Revealed with Grace
In countless ways.

Bridge:
So many times I didn't see
New forest for those old, burnt trees.
Too many times I couldn't see beyond...
me.