Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

It has been one of those days where you are just so thankful that you can't even put into words how thankful you really are. I have without a doubt the greatest, most amazing family in the world!!

The kids got up VERY early this morning! Shame on me for stalling them until my coffee was ready. And then it began....the madness of paper flying and voices shrieking! Happy yells and oohs and ahhs! It was awesome! Even at 7 a.m. in the morning! Have I said that my family is amazing! They really are!

We had a wonderful dinner prepared by both my husband and I! It's always great to spend the day in the kitchen together!!

Big Mac got everything he asked for......

Tom Brady Patriots Jersey!
Gears of War Game

XBox360 Live!! And he is wearing his XBox360 Headset he got!
His guitar case!


Bri wanted mostly games. So that is what she got. With a few other things thrown in here and there.







Tristan wanted Legos, UBFunKeys,and some other things.


The look of excitment!
More gifts!

Cube World!

Chris wanted Legos and oh more Legos. Wait and an awesome Ford F150 remote control truck from Nannie and Pappy.



Tom Brady Jersey!! YES!!
Legos!!
Remote Control Truck! Thank you Nannie & Pappy!

More Legos! Thank you Abuelita!

And just call Caitlyn Littlest Pet Shop......with a cool guitar from Nannie and Pappy too....




Her new friend Emma!

Her Guitar! Thank you Nannie and Pappy!Daddy got her some Hannah Montana picks today!!
Art Supplies! I just realized we didn't get any pics of all of the Pet Shop Stuff!!
**Edited to show her playing with a small portion of her LPS toys!! She is addicted!






Big Daddy a few things he asked for......PS3 Game, Blue Ray DVD, CD, Football Gear













Mama got her Paula Dean, Rachel Ray, the book I wanted and to prove that Big Daddy listens to me.....these Awesome boots !!! I also recieved a most beautiful bouquet of flowers made by my lil princess and a sculpture made by my lil man!






My Beautiful Bouquet
My Lovely Sculpture!

I would say everyone enjoyed their gifts, but more than that we enjoyed each other. It was so great for us to all be together. All seven of us! Our great big happy family! Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

All the kids are here. Christmas Eve Mass was great. Crowded, standing room only but great none the less! My best friend and her family are headed home after another wonderful Christmas Eve tradition! We spend Christmas Eve at my house just hanging out and being together. This year is a little more special than previous years because it is my God Daughter Allyson's First Christmas!! Yay!! And her first Christmas Eve with us! I am so blessed to have such great friends! I love them like my family. I got such beautiful and thoughtful gifts from Heidi & Holly. Gorgeous pictures of my two kiddos with my God Daughter and also gorgeous pictures of just Ally!! Such wonderful gifts! Now off to finish the last preparations for Christmas Morning....

Me with Ally
My husband with Ally



My AWESOME gifts from the greatest friends ever!! I have to find some super cute frames for the other pictures now! I can't wait to get them out on display!

A year!!

So it seems that when I started this blog it would be a wonderful idea and hopefully a great way to keep in contact with family and connect with new friends. However it seems to have fallen off the track and I haven't done a single thing with it in nearly a year!
And what a year it has been. I realize I have grown so much in a year. I have learned to let go of a lot of things. I learned to open my heart and be more thankful for all the things I have in my life. I have had an emotional rollercoaster of a year. But it all has brought me full circle and I am learning that life is short and I need to enjoy it to the fullest.
In a year I made the decision to finally extend my family and start trying for another baby. In a year I learned that I was not going to be a mother again. Pregnancy wasn't in my future without some type of intervention. I learned that intervention wasn't something I could afford at this time and wasn't sure I would ever be able to afford it.
In a year I put up a wall between my husband and I. I was self absorbed and angry that I wanted another child and couldn't seem to get pregnant. I spent so many months being sad and depressed and it seemed to just be like the flip of a switch....
Why am I spending so much time being mad and unhappy about what I do not have and the baby I so desperately want with my husband when I have a beautiful son and daughter who mean the world to me. I have no right to be mad. God has blessed me twice. There are so many people who will never have the joy of their own child, or have lost a child. In comparison to that I am more than blessed. So when I learned to be thankful for what I have and not what I do not have, it became easier to live with the thought that I wouldn't have any more babies.
In a year I became a Godmother. My best friend got pregnant right before I started really trying. and her daughter was born a month after we learned that we could not get pregnant on our own. Being her Godmother and having her in my life has brought me so much joy. She is an amazing and beautiful gift from God and I am so blessed to be a part of her life! I am so thankful to her mother for giving me such an honor and I hope my sweet God Daughter will someday think I am as awesome as I think she is right now! She is amazing!
In a year I am learning to know God and trying to deal with the struggles and pulls of the world. Having not grown up to know God, I still am not sure what it is all about. I feel something on the inside of me that I can not explain. And at the same time I feel something else pulling me in another direction. I want to know The Lord. I know that through him all things are possible. I want to be a better person. A better mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. I want to invite him into my heart and into my life, but I don't know how to do this. I read so many wonderful blogs and the faith of these women is nothing more than astounding! They are so strong in their faith and their love. And I want to get there. I don't even know if anyone will ever read this but if anyone does I would love a helping hand to lead me along the way.
So in a year I have changed. And I am hoping I don't wait a year to post again. BUt in the next weeks, months, and years I am hoping that I will continue to change and grow and become a better me.

I am blessed!!

I couldn't have had a better Thanksgiving. All of the kids were here. My mother in law came over. We had a bounty of food. Hubby and I prepared our wonderful dinner for our family TOGETHER! So we spent a lot of time together. Just before dinner we had all the kids say what they were thankful for. It started with Briana who is or oldest girl and ended with Caity who is the youngest child. I got emotional hearing the kids say they were thankful to all be here with us this year. I am more than blessed. You see these children that were not born of my body are definately MINE in my heart! I love them all so very much. There really is no difference in love compared to my "own" children and my "step" children. They are all mine. God gave me this beautiful family and I am so very grateful. Here are a few pictures from our time together yesterday

Not Me Monday!

Yay for my favorite part of Monday!! Here are my list of Not Me's

I DID NOT hug and kiss my son because he got his report card today and he made all A's and B's.

I DID NOT tell him how wonderful and brilliant he was that he was in GT Math, Reading and Language Arts.

I DID NOT tell my daughter how adorably, irresistable she was in her brand new boots.
I DID NOT want to cry when I realized how grown up she looked.

I DID NOT look at myself and realize how much I have let myself go and that I have to stop being lazy and do something about it!

I DID NOT go to the gym for the first time EVER and realize that I am so out of shape!!!

My Husband DID NOT text me with an "I Love You Precious!" message for absolutely nothing and just when I needed it most. I DID NOT want to melt!

And lastly, I am NOT GOING to shower and go to bed early because that same wonderful husband who sent me that sweet message, woke me up wayyyyy to early snoring.

I AM NOT toast for the day because I got up tooo early and drug myself to the gym for the first time ever!!


Don't forget to stop over at My Charming Kids and read all the other Not Me posts!!

My kiddos!

So it is true...... My babies are growing up and there is nothing I can do about it! *Sigh* Here is Ms. Caitlyn Amanda and her 1st grade Fall School Picture for 2008! I can't believe my baby girl will be 7 in January!!

And here is my big guy....Christopher Dale and his 3rd grade Fall Picture for 2008! Yes I said 3rd GRADE!! I know I can't believe it. He is my ever helpful 8 year old !

Not Me Monday!!

Time again for Not Me Monday, hosted by MckMama over at My Charming Kids. Who by the way, gave birth to a precious miracle who is doing well. Please stop by and check her out! She is awesome!! So here goes. I DID NOT go outside at 7:30 Sunday morning in my nightgown to "politely" tell my neighbor he had woken me up by busting frames out of windows. I DID NOT even more politely ask him not to do this near my son's bedroom window. He DID NOT look at me like a freak. I also DID NOT come back inside and tip toe around my kitchen to make coffee because since I was up I wanted to have some time alone before the hubby and children go up. I was NOT bitter when I realized that the whole house was sleeping blissfully at 10. I was awake because of the neighbor. Any other morning everyone would have long since been awake. I DID NOT wake up with the worst PMS I have had in forever. I was NOT sad that we had not gotten pregnant this month. And finally I DID NOT e-mail my hubby who has been at work all day, while I have been home feeling sorry for myself, and ask him if he could do homework with the kids tonight. No that is just plain lazy and I wouldn't ask that of him. Not Me!!!See you next week!! Nope I did not do any of those things!!