It's a date!

So, I'm sure you can commisserate if you have small children, that it is extremely difficult to get out of the house with your spouse on a regular basis.  Jared and I have the best of intentions.  We have even purchased restaurant gift certificates at a discount to use for our date nights.  We currently have $75 worth of gift certificates for food at two different restaurants and two free movie passes (which we've had for over a year).  My mom and dad are going to keep the two older boys next weekend, so I excitedly began planning a date night to be held on that Friday.  When I shared my plans with Jared, he reminded me of the scout campout he is to attend that weekend.  Bummer!  So much for my date night plans. 
Instead of wallowing, I decided to do something about it. Jared left yesterday for a church meeting and while he was gone (about 3 hours), I fed, bathed, and readied the boys for bed.  I put them to bed early and waited for Jared to come home.  We had an in-house date night.  We ate grilled cheese sandwiches and salad by candlelight and watched a movie on Netflix.  It was low-budget, but it was amazing.  I just love that guy. 
No excuses people, go on a "date" with your spouse.  You won't regret it.

Magical

Entering the Magic Kingdom.  It is January and we look like we are there are on a hot summer day.  I love being a Floridian.

Saturday, Norb took us to the Magic Kingdom for the first time.  One of the many perks of retiring from Disney, includes getting your family in for free fun.  We had such a great time.  My mom and dad joined us for the day, which made it that much more enjoyable.  For once the boys were outnumbered and everyone was able to enjoy themselves.  We were exhausted that night and the next day, but during our visit we were all stress-free.  It was fabulous.  Mom and I kept reminiscing about our trips here when we were younger.  It was simply magical. Here are some photos.

We caught Donald Duck ready for some Frontier fun in "Frontierland"  Ethan was soooooooooo excited to meet him. 

Flying Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride.  This was his face most of the day.  During the parade, he leans over with this face and says, "Mom, I love you." 

Grayson stuck to his best friend, Papa, most of the day.  He was pretty overwhelmed with everything, but he didn't complain unless characters tried to get too close to him.  Landon had a blast.  He was smiling and clapping most of the day.  His favorite was It's a Small World.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos in there.

Enjoying the parade and showing off his tummy.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  They were the perfect host and hostess. 

Blessings Part 2

A couple of months ago I was struggling with patience and recognizing my blessings.  I really made a concerted effort to be more mindful of the wonderful things in my life and not to focus on the things I wish were different.  I have to report that this exercise is going extremely well and that additional blessings have been added to our life.  Namely, Jared started a new job last week with Symantec.  He was not unhappy at L-3 and wasn't really looking for something new either; however, we both were hoping that he could earn a little more so that we could move towards living off of one income. 
In this day and age, it is no small feat to raise a family on one income.  I admit, we do this by having no extras, dollar-store Christmases, cloth diapering, and parents that occassionally slip us some extra cash (bless them) and provide free-of-charge babysitting. Taking this job with Symantec puts us in a position to do just that.  We are so excited about this.  Our goal for 2012 is to eliminate our debt (minus student loans, I think they'll be with us for many years to come) and it is finally doable with this job. 
Feeling very blessed lately.  Blessings are all around us.  Take the time out of your day today and write down five of yours.  It'll put a smile on your face; I promise.

Thirty, Flirty and Fun!

My baby sister, Stacey, is turning 30 this month.  I love this girl.  We have been best friends our whole lives.  What a blessing for me.  Hopefully it has been a blessing for her as well. In celebration, I have composed a blog post dedicated to how awesome Stacey is.  I'm sure after reading it, you will agree with me about the degree of her awesomeness.

1. I'm pretty confident that Stacey is one of the most loyal people I know.  She would be the first to kick someone's booty if they crossed any one of "her" people.
2. She will never judge me for any choice I make; whether that is to gain a new faith or indulge in watching The Vampire Diaries.
3. She has always been my TV pal.  We really do love the same shows: Party of 5, Buffy, Angel, Alias, Gilmore Girls, Lost, Friday Night Lights...
4. Stacey always seems to call exactly when I need her to.
5. She has seen me through every single difficult experience in my life.
6. She always gives the best book recommendations.
7. That girl can BAKE! (Probably better than she even realizes.)
8. Stacey can do some amazingly accurate impressions.  Her work stories are the best.
9. She has a heart of gold.
10. I love how much she loves my children.  They adore her.
11. She is a wonderful mother.  Lyla and Logan are truly blessed to be her children.
12. I love the way Stacey sings.  The best is when I catch her singing songs to the children.  It always makes me smile.
13. Stacey has gorgeous hair. In high school she may not have believed that was possible.  Thank goodness for the straight iron.
14. She puts up with me.  She's been doing it all her life.  From Tara and I picking on her as girls to my "over-the-top morning person-ness" in high school.  Bless her heart.
15.  That girl's got gumption.  Tara's Playground is bound to be a great chapter in her life.
16. I love her smile.  It has changed a little bit over the last couple of years, but it still brightens my day every time I see it.
17. Stacey knows how to work the pout.  She's been perfecting it for years.  It is the perfect combination of "I'm cute and you better not mess with me, so give me what I want."
18. I "like" that she married Joe, a man that can do a mean rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
19. Stacey has, to quote Jared, "word dominance."  She just has a way with her words and I love that she is passing that on to her children.  Tell me what two-year old uses words like "sanitary" and "nocturnal" in conversation?
20. One word: Integrity.
21. I love her simple, carefree fashion sense.  Too bad the days of me being able to borrow her clothes are long gone.
22. Stacey is very level-headed.  If there's a crisis, I want her around.
23. She is modest.  I love this about Stacey.  In a world where modesty is in short-supply, it is simply refreshing.
24. Stacey's classy.  I think she is well on her way to becoming like our Nana.  That is the highest compliment anyone could ever receive from me. 
25. Stacey is always ahead of the curve.  For example, the wedding ring she chose nearly 6 years ago has become one of the most popular styles in the last year.
26. Anyone who calls Stacey their friend is truly blessed.  She always gives her whole heart in her relationships.  This cannot be said about many people.
27. Did I mention that she is soooooooooooo pretty?
28. She is charitable. Stacey is always looking to help others. She is always the first one ready to serve others, from washing the dinner dishes to taking the kids outside so I can have a break. She's always looking out.
29. So many memories that I look upon fondly are of Stacey, Tony, and I just hanging out: playing baseball in the yard, riding bikes in the neighborhood, roller skating in the garage, going to high school sports and choral events, summers in Hiawassee, and simply just sitting in the same room together doing different things and knowing you wouldn't rather be anywhere else.
30. Put simply, Stacey is my best friend.  I don't know what I'd do without her. I really think we chose to be sisters before we got to this earth. 

Aforementioned pout.

Mom, Stacey, and me at Stacey's shower for Lyla.

Unwanted hug.

Opening the best wedding present, ever.  (Note: This is the clown I was talking about in Tony's post back in November.)