Adventures In Roller Skating

The other day we took the kids roller skating. The boys had been once when Ethan was 4 and Corbin was 2. Of course they were too young to remember this and Taya had never been so this was a whole new experience for the 3 of them.




Skating is a work out on it's own, then add in the pushing of the stroller and/or carrying a child and it's a marathon.



I read a sign while we were there that read "Skating for 2 hours is equal to walking 18 miles"!!! You kidding me? I believe it. That mess is exhausting. Plum exhausting.


The more the kids skated, the more they started having fun.



Ethan was being chased by the little girls.


Corbin was in it to win it.


Taya was just loving being raced around.


All in all, at the end of the day, it was an afternoon spent full of fun. Will we go back anytime soon? That's still up for discussion.

A Decade With Ethan

It’s hard to believe that just over 10 yrs ago I was just…me. I was someone’s wife, daughter and sister ,but still me. That all changed the day Ethan was born. I just became someone’s MOM. This little guy depended on me like no one else ever had. And would for the next 18 yrs. This was scary. And exciting all at the same time.

Today, that little baby turns 10!




I started telling Ethan 10 yrs ago on Mother’s Day that HE made me a mom. HE is why I have a Mother’s Day to celebrate. I still tell him that today. The smile he still gets on his face knowing that he alone made me so happy is priceless. It’s something I treasure. He was my first born, my first everything.

He was the first one I pee’d on a stick for. The first heartbeat I ever heard. The first movements in my belly. The first to put me in the most pain imaginable.

The first to hold. The first o kiss. The first to nurse(if only for a short time). The first to crawl. The first to talk. The first to walk. The first to tell me he loves me. To potty train. To ride a bike. To start school. The first to play sports. The first to make me laugh. The first to make me cry. The first to make me so mad I couldn’t see straight. The first to fill me with such love and pride…unlike anything I’d ever felt.

I’ve never in my life seen someone so stubborn, so determined, so rebeluos. Then, I look in the mirror and see myself. In some crazy way that brings me comfort, knowing he’s like me in some ways. He is sensitive, nurturing and has a huge heart(sometimes you have to look real deep inside him to see this, but it’s definitely there).
He’s so much like his dad too. The way he walks, the way he thinks, the way he looks. Mini Matt. The way he says “chwelve(12), chwenty(20) and chwice(twice)”…just like Matt. The way he has dreams bigger than life…like Matt.

He loves to sing. He loves to dance, skateboard, swim, climb trees, play chase, play football and loves making us proud. He simply loves being a little boy.



(Corbin got some shots too)


This little boy tests my patience and my sanity in ways I never knew possible. He makes me pray for the strength I need to parent him in a way God is proud of. He makes me cry out because this is not always an easy task. This little boy makes me look deep inside my faith to see that he is just that…a little boy. This little boy, that same little boy…yeah, he has my heart.

I look at pictures from the past and see a beautiful future. I remember all the great times and use the not so great as examples of how to improve our relationship. He has made my life full of joy. He alone, gave me purpose.

It’s terrifying knowing that one day he won’t need me anymore, but you can bet your buns, as long as he does, I will be there…heart and soul.

There’s a book I got back in elementary school(many, many moons ago) that sums it all up. It’s called "Love You Forever".

I’ll love you forever
I’ll like you for always
As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be

No matter how big or how old he gets, no matter how upset he makes me, no matter how far away he is, he will always and forever be my pride and joy. He will always be my baby. He will always be my first.

Here’s to a great decade with an awesome little boy. Here’s to an exciting future with my first.

Welcome Puppies

As a kid growing up I never got to experience the excitement of having puppies...real puppies, from birth. Never saw them be born. Nothing.

Our dog Maci, who is pretty much a puppy herself(turned 1 on 03/02), just had her first(and only) litter. 2 boys and 2 girls. I saw the 1st 2 being born...went to bed before the last 2 made their debut. It was so neat to see Maci react. It seems it came so easy and natural for her. On the down side, she is one protective momma. She won't even let our kids, who she has known since she was 5 weeks old, near the pups. I have to give them to the kiddos to hold in order for her not to growl. We are hoping as the pups get bigger, momma will chill out. Fingers crossed.

Meet Gracie, Roscoe, Marley and Herman.


Although I know it's not realistic to keep these little darlins', I already know it's gonna be harder than heck to give them up. We will cherish them and shower them with love as long as we can. Who knows, maybe these dogs are extra special and need to nurse longer than other dogs...

Baseball Ready

I never have been a big fan of baseball(or any sport). It seems so slow and drags on and on. Gets nowhere fast. Now that I'm in love with a baseball player, I really enjoy the game.


Last night was not only Corbin's first game of the season, it was his first baseball game ever. And he did awesome. The whole team did great. Won 11 to 4!


Corbin was the 3rd up to bat and the first to make a hit! Got on first base...no sweat. The second time he was up to bat, the ball FLEW up in the air...he took off running...straight thru first base. The only hick-up here was that he could have kept running. That ball was gone. He was so concerned with getting on first he didn't realize he hit a home run! By the time he realized he could keep going the other team got him out at second base. I think his best play of the game was when he was playing short stop and got a player out at second. He was so proud of himself...and he should have been.



On the drive home Taya told him "I so proud you!"

We have another game tomorrow night and every Monday and Friday night thru mid May. Shockingly enough, I can't wait!

Family Man

As I sit here writing, the most wonderful man I know is outside having a water fight with the kids for about the 20th time this week. This after a morning of baseball, around the world in basketball(which I kicked butt in, if I do say so myself), taking tot on a bike ride for the ump-teenth time, chasing the dog down the street(she is a fierce looking dog, all 5 months, 2 ft tall, 3 ft long part of her)and yard watering. The man never stops. He'll play til' it's time for dinner. Then relax with the kids, read Taya a story before bed, sing her all her favorite night-night songs, rub and sing to the boys when they go to bed, watch "my shows" with me til' I hit the sack, then after all that...do his schoolwork. Then tomorrow he'll wake up and do it all over again, this time adding actually going to school in the mix. He is my hero.

I heard a song a couple days ago that reminds me so much of Matt, it's as if he wrote it himself. I know this day and age good men are hard to come by. I know this cause I have so many friends who are sill searching. Luckily I found my guy at a young age...and the rest is history.

Enjoy the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx02b3GsXqM

To all the men out there that actually are family men(would rather be home with he kids and wife rather than out at bars or clubs or even with friends)...you are way more appreciated than you will ever know. I know mine is.

Gotta run, I hear some water guns calling my name...

Something To Be Proud Of

So as we were driving home from dinner last night, I decided to pop in my newest favorite CD...by Cori Lynn Ross. Seriously "family", if you haven't heard this yet, you are really missing out. I know almost all the words to all 6 songs. The kids nor Matt had heard the CD yet. Just you wait...

Anywho, I as a mother(and a person) know it's a great CD when 1) I hear my 8 yr old say "Okay, I want these on my Coby"(which is a sort of MP3 player). 2) Corbin and Taya are carrying on in the back seat and I hear my 10 yr old SUSHING them because he can't hear the music and finally 3) I turn around and hear and see my 3 yr old singing all the words to "Walking Through Walls". She has the chorus down. Oh yeah, there is a 4) Matt, of all people, says "This one stands out", referring to "No Apologies".

The boys now, at their age, love hip-hop, pop and some rap. They like Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Cosgrove, The Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Ethan's latest crush...Katy Perry. With all the different genres of music and the vast awray of people singing these songs that we hear in our homes, it brings a sense of comfort to me knowing that songs like the ones on the "Make It Easy For Me" CD can still somehow make it into the hearts and lives of these 3,8 and 10 yr old little darlins' and that folks...Cori Lynn, is something to be proud of:-)

Unexpected Inspiration

Today we were with some family and friends and had an unexpected thank you. We all go through things in life and especially in marriage that we are never prepared for. Whether it be little lives being created, the meshing of 2 lifestyles into one or the numerous financial whoas, you can never be prepared for what a marriage is going to be. All are different and all are difficult in one way or another. Marriage isn't always pretty. It isn't always a fairytale. It isn't always flowers and butterflies. The ugly truth is that it can be down right ugly. It can be spiders and snakes. Matt and I at a young age realized this. We still realize this more and more as the years, days in fact, continue to go by.

A young couple just starting out, one in school, the other working endlessly trying to make ends meet. They get married, high on life and love. Excited to see what God has in store for their future. They have some unexpected issues and start to question the choices they made. They know all along they are in love and this will last but sometimes just talking to someone who has been through the trials and tribulations is the reassurance they need for pressing on. Matt apparently had a talk with a young man a while back and told him not to give up and to stick beside his bride and their marriage. Well today, that same young man came up to Matt and told him thank you for the advice. He told him that Matt and I and our marriage are an inspiration to him. This warms my heart. Knowing you could help someone out so much by doing something so little is true gift from God. A lot of people see(and hear) about the bad times but are rarely ever around to see the many, many good times so when someone tells you they respect you for what you have gone through and overcome, it puts a sense of pride and accomplishment in you. I often think that we would be so much better off had we not been thru the sheer crap we have. The truth is we are better people for making it through it all. Matt is a better husband. I am a better wife and we are both better parents. I hate that marriages crumble without ever having a chance. If our life together and marriage, the good and the bad, can help just one other young couple conquer the devils need to have their marriage fail, then I feel like everything we have gone through in the past 12 years was absolutely worth it. Every tear and every smile. You take the good times despite the bad. You accept each others faults and love each others differences. That is what a marriage is. That is exactly what our marriage is. You add 3 screaming, demanding, loud, crazy kids to the mix and the greatness only multiplies.

Today we got an unexpected "Thank You". Today we got an unexpected start.