My mom found this blog a few months ago and we both have come to enjoy reading, and listening, to it. From what I can tell it is a woman who loves the Lord with all that she has and her husband and family too. She has 7 gorgeous children. Yes, seven. I know. But reading her blog has been an inspiration to me. Did I mention she's an amazing photographer too? She isn't perfect, even if though I think they look perfect... physically. Her latest post I haven't finished reading, but plan to. It's long, but show her heart and her desires for herself and her family and her marriage. I wish that I could say I have the faith and spiritual wisdom that she has, but I don't. I feel like I have really fallen away in the last several years and am trying to get back. Moving as often as we have has made it a challenge to get plugged into a church and Bible studies, but that is something I'm trying to work on b/c it's going to be my life if we stay in the military. I just wanted to be honest about it. Maybe in hopes I will keep myself accountable that way. But I also thought some of you out there would love to find this blog as well.

I think that one of my favorite posts was about her daughters and princesses. Those of you who know me know how I feel about the whole "princess" thing the world has created. I have a sister, but neither of us were treated like a "princess." Don't get me wrong, we were definitely loved, but well, she was more into being a tomboy and I just wanted to be a mommy. Growing up I never liked watching "girly" movies b/c I knew that I would just want the fantasy of it all when I got married and I didn't want something that isn't true. Now that I'm married, I appreciate a good chick flick like the rest of you. It makes me love my husband and that I don't have to go through any of that, no matter how true or false it may have been.

Later, I worried about when I had children that I would have a daughter and she would want to be covered in crazy pinks, sparkling glitter and flashy tiaras and stand on the counter demanding everything be done right now! Yes, that is my idea of a princess. I know, it's not really like that, but I can't help but think it will be b/c we have come to want everything instantaneously, so why wouldn't our children feel the same way? Until I read her post about a princess party her daughters went to. I think we felt the same way about the whole princess thing, but both of us changed our perspective after this party. (I know, I didn't go, but it still did the trick!) If you have a daughter or two, I urge you to read about it. It's the kind of princess I hope to be and to teach my own daughter to be as well.

for listening to our prayers. Even if they are about silly little things like the weather. I want to praise you for the 75 degrees we are feeling today with less than 40% humidity. You knew I needed a perfect day outside with my kids so I could keep my cool with them. I know that whatever my request is, whether it's a small as finding money for a pedicure or cooler temps outside to as large as a family crisis or a career situation, you always answer us. You may not always answer them the way that we think they should be answered, but you always know what you are doing. I just need to be reminded of that too often. So, I thank you God for answering my little prayer for a sweat-free day!

I'm smiling b/c it's been a really good weekend here. The weather wasn't miserably hot, Brandon was finally home, I got to take a 2 1/2 nap and sleep in this morning. The house is a wreck, but I don't care. It was so nice to have my family together and having fun. It's been a crazy couple of weeks for us with Brandon's schedule and having to go out of town. Yesterday we played in the backyard, filled up the pool for the kids, took Brick to swim in the bay, let the kids swim in the bay, came home for lunch, took great naps, went to the commissary, watched the kids ride their bikes, gilled kabobs for supper, watched football, went to bed. Today we made muffins for breakfast, played Wii with Christopher, got ready for church, went to Sunday School, went to a reception at the church, Brandon and Christopher went straight to bed for naps, Sophie and I played with her baby doll and the laundry basket, Sophie went down for a nap, I relaxed on the couch, the boys woke up, we called the Newells about dinner, will soon go to dinner and then to their house to play afterwards. Don't you just love days that make you truly love your life?

That's what we are going to be for halloween this year. Yes, I've already gotten their costumes. We waited longer last year and couldn't find anything in Christopher's size, so I wanted to be prepared. Sophie's came first. I had no clue what to get her b/c your options for a girl out there are either a fairy, a princess, Dorothy or a witch. She knows nothing about any of those, so I decided to go with the fairy. It's adorable! And today i found the perfect goody bucket for her at Old Navy, a flower.

                   

Seriously, it's fall? Maybe everywhere else in the country, but not down here in the deep south. (Ok, I know FL isn't considered "southern" by the rest of the south, but I'm going to as long as I live here.) Do you want to know what the weather is going to be like this week here? Let's start with today, 88 degrees. Tomorrow 89 degrees. Thursday, 90 degrees. Friday, 88 degrees. (Whoa! We're cooling off that day!) And don't forget the humidity we have on top of all of that. Some days it's not as humid, but most days it is. It doesn't slow the kids down at all, but I feel like I need a shower at lunch and dinner and bedtime. Ok, I DO need a shower that often, but who has time? I just want one day, night, afternoon, any time to bring us a cold snap and kills all those "stinkin' bugs" as Christopher says. That's the worst part! My children look like they have scab covered chicken pox b/c they won't stay in the house and are eaten alive. I keep covering them with bandaids, but they just pull them off to scratch some more.

Saturday we planned to spend the day in Pensacola with our friends who's dad/husband is in TX with Brandon. Anyone who has had a spouse that has to work on weekends knows how incredibly long a weekend day is when they are gone. It rained here and there on the drive, but thankfully it stopped once we arrived at the mall. We shopped just a little and then went to Red Robin for lunch. After that we headed over to the Naval Air Museum for the afternoon. If you are ever at the beach and it's a rainy day, you have to go here. It's free and very cool!!! Now, I have to admit, normally this kind of thing would be an automatic no for me just from hearing about it. I'm picturing some boring museum with lots of things you have to read and yelling at the kids, "Don't touch! Get down! Stop running!" But our friends the Ramages have been several times and brag about this place, so when Melissa mentioned going to Pen. for the day, I told her we had to go here. It's totally worth the drive! There are all kinds of colorful planes there and they are on the floor, hanging from the ceiling, spinning over your head. They have a second level that is a loop above the first, b/c remember there are planes hanging from the ceiling, and they have probably 10-12 cockpits that you can climb into. They are just lined up along the walls and facing each other. It's really, really cool! Christopher can't wait to go back and I told him we would very soon. The older kids crashed as soon as we got in the car, while the younger ones took a little longer. It was a wonderful day to spend with the kids.

I huge thanks goes out to Lori for figuring out how to change my header!!! I send you a million, billion thanks my dear friend!!!! I can't tell you how many hours you have saved me b/c I know that's how long it would take me. Eating up nap times, yard work, dirty dishes, mother's day out and not to mention sleep that I would have misused trying to fix this. It was quite the challenge and nobody knows why. If I had an entire day or two without any interruptions from a child or spouse then I might have figured it out. But if I had one of those then I wouldn't have anything to talk about on here. So, again I thank you, Lori!!! You rock!!!

i'm trying to figure out how to replace the header on our blog with a photo. it won't work i tell you! and it's driving me crazy!!!! i doing everything that it says to do, and what people have told me to do, but my blog won't let me do it. it tells me that i can't. how can a computer tell you that you can't do something? well, mine does. if anyone has any tips on how to fix this little problem, please let me know. i can only seem to get the photo AND the header that's on there now to show up together. i only want the photo. i will give you everything you need if you want to do it for me.  : )  by that i mean my blog info so you can do it for me.

This is what Sophie's hair looks like if you straighten it. Yes, I straightened a 19 month old's hair, but I've been dying to see what she'd look like if she didn't have her curly hair. I must say, I don't like it. It's not her. It goes with her personality. It's her trademark. Everyone knows her by her curls. If she had straight hair we definitely would have had it cut by now. I adore a cute little bob haircut on little girls, with a bow of course. But I think for now I'll keep the curls. I mean seriously, who wants to give up that?