Recently I have been really into the country music from my elementary school years. Back when I had never even been to California, when I lived in my home state of Texas, and back when country music was so very different than it is now. I'm not talking about Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood. (Not that there is anything wrong with them.) I'm talking about the original Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, and Tim McGraw, to name a few. Listening to this music with an adult set of ears has really clued me in on what the meanings were behind the songs these artists sang.
There is one in particular that has really been hitting home. When I was younger I had no idea what Garth Brooks was talking about when he sang "Unanswered Prayers" I just thought it was a pretty song. Now that I've become an adult, been married, and had kids, it takes on a HUGE new meaning for me. I never thought before in my wildest dreams that I would say to myself, "Thank God he didn't answer that prayer when I wanted him to so badly." I just thought that when I prayed and it went unanswered I was just put on the back burner and he would get to answering it when he was done with the more important ones. Now I know of course that God doesn't look at our prayers as one more important than the other, he has a plan, already put into place and already on a roll. I know now that everything that I truly needed/wanted/hoped for was fulfilled.
The things I prayed for before kids were so trivial (if that's what you want to call it) "Jesus, please let me pass my driving test." "Jesus, please let John call me today." "Jesus, please help me get through this week of school without another girl yelling at me for something that wont matter to her in 4 years." "Jesus, I beg you to help me pass my driving test THIS time."
Then after I got pregnant they started to get a little more serious. "Jesus, please let me not lose my baby because of this bleeding." "Jesus, please show me it will be okay if my baby ends up having Down Syndrome." "Jesus, guide me through this pregnancy without a man there to help me." "Jesus, protect me during this C-section so I can live to be my sons mother." "Jesus, thank you so much for my beautiful baby boy, but now can you please show me the way to be a single mother."
Then I got even older, he guided me through the absolute hardest three years of my life and then I married Ryan and they changed even more. "Jesus, please give me the strength to keep working for my family while Ryan is trying to find a job, oh and can you go ahead and help him find one." "Jesus, I wasn't expecting this pregnancy but thank you, now can you seriously help Ryan find a job before I end up on bed rest." "Jesus, thank you for putting a job out there for Ryan, please don't let me lose this baby because of this bleeding...again." "Jesus, protect me through this C-section so I can continue to be a mother to my son and now a mother to my daughter." "Jesus, thank you so much for my beautiful baby girl, now can you please give me the patience to be a mother to two, a wife, and still keep my sanity." "Jesus, please let Gabriella sleep for a few hours so I can get the laundry done, the dishes washed, and spend some quality time with Max."
Now when I pray, I pray for people I don't know, I pray for people I love, I pray for my family, and I pray for the sake of PRAYING. "Jesus, you have blessed me so much now will you please bless my friend with a baby, her and her husband desperately want one and are having a really hard time." "Jesus, help my friend get through her husband being out of the country serving our country, hes a good man." "Jesus, show her what shes doing wrong and how she can fix it." "Jesus, bless her even though we don't get along." "Jesus, please help my girl get over her cold, shes so sad when shes sick." "Jesus, help Max sleep through the night without nightmares." "Jesus, keep your hand over my brother, he needs guidance right now." "Jesus, make sure my dad knows I love him too much for words." "Jesus, keep your hand under my friends flight to Korea to be with her husband." "Jesus, I know you're sick of hearing me for all these years but please please please keep my family healthy."
I don't know if I was just rambling on but I seriously have had these HUGE feelings inside of me that I wish I would have known the power of prayer when I was younger. I really wanted to share with you all that you should never stop praying. The prayers that have gone unanswered were just that because they weren't in the blueprints of your life. Youtube the song "Unanswered Prayers" if you haven't heard it and remind yourself that he is ALWAYS listening.
Talk to you soon,
J
1.05.2011
Happy New Year!
Welcome 2011!!
Well! Let us say thank you to the Good Lord for welcoming us into a new year!
This Holiday season was not as crazy as I suspected it would be. I did get behind a few days in the laundry but I made it all up in one day (thank goodness). Maximus ended up with a hair cut and Gabriella's room is officially filled with toys!
So first off I have to say that we lost a great man. My Sister in Laws lost their daddy, Dennis Lee Goodwin, suddenly and tragically on December 20th. He raised his girls for a long time by himself after the loss of his wife and their mommy passed away when they were very young. He took care of them, he taught them, and most of all he loved them. To read his obiturary and learn a little more about him click this link.
The only bright side to this story is that we got to spend a lot of time with not only Sandra and Andrea (my Sister in Laws) but also with my brother, Hugo.
Christmas was a lot of fun! We woke up before Max (my late sleeper) and were able to brush our teeth, nurse baby and feed her breakfast, and then wake up Max. There aren't words to describe his shock and happiness when he saw that "Santa" had dropped of so many more presents! It took him MAYBE 30 minutes to tear through what took us at least 8 weeks to buy. Haahaha! Gabriella opened a few presents herself but she was much more interested in the things Max was opening and of course...the wrapping paper. My wonderful husband surprised me with a...brand new digital camera!!! I was not expecting it at all! It goes to show that even when you really don't think he's listening...he is! =) After we finished with our own little family we just jumped in the car in our Christmas jammies and headed to my moms house for about an hour so the kids could open her gifts. We then came back home to get into our Christmas outfits and head over to Ryan's Aunt Kathleen's house for Christmas lunch and a little gift opening for the kids. Finally we ended our day BACK at my moms with some more Christmas food and some game playing. I bought Ryan the Just Dance 2 game for the Wii (he LOVES dancing games) and we had a kind of tournament...where Ryan was whooped by Sandra! She ended up being the best at the game! By the time we got home I was exhausted as was the rest of my gang, so we just hit the sheets!
Gabreilla's birthday party went off without a hitch! I couldn't have imagined it coming out any better! Here are some pictures of the setup.
Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly Sandwhichs
Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting (YUM)
Fruit Salad with PINK Cool Whip
Magic Marshmallow Wands dipped in Vanilla flavored PINK candy
Pink colored Rice Krispy Treats
and...A Veggie Tray =)
The Candy Bar!
Strawberry flavored (My Daddy's favorite) With homemade buttercream frosting and purple sugar sprinkles!
The giant cupcake that Sandra and Andrea surprise us with!
And some mini cupcakes around it!
The Happy Birthday banner was made but a great friend and fellow blogger Lisa. She sent it all the way from Florida! I made the high chair skirt (easy peasy). This was where she ate her cake and we opened the presents!
The fun activity table! We had make your own tiaras, Make your own shields (for the boys), Pin the tiara on the Princess and Pin the Gem on the Crown (We actually didnt get around to those games but they were still there hahaha, the kids were way too busy with the other stuff!), also we had a pull string pinata, and FACE PAINTING!
Our door sign =)
Gabriella's First out fit! Well she was wearing a cardigan over it...I'll just post another picture of her LOL.
There ya go. =D
This was her second outfit! My Mother In Law, Melissa, bought and mailed this to us for this day! The front of it has this big silver Happy Birthday thing on the inside of the tulle. So perfect!
Here's Max after his face was painted. He got a fire face which was really appropriate because he was running a fever during the party =(.
We helped her blow out her candles!
It was so exciting and she was cracking us up!
Ryan, his brother Tyler, My brother Hugo and Matthew were all painted to look like the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Don't mind the hubbys hair, he was wearing a hat all day. =)
So I hope you enjoyed those thousands of pictures Hahahaaha!
New Years Eve we just spent the day and night with our family over at my moms and ended up in bed somewhere around 11:30, we waited until about 12:15 to actually fall asleep though.
My hopes for this new year are so simple. I hope to keep my family healthy and happy, I hope to be able to get my family to all the places we want to go this year, I hope to make my friendships and family relationships stronger than ever, and I hope to keep my faith in God and prayer growing. 2010 taught me quite a bit about patience, love, friendship, motherhood, family, and the future. I want to keep learning and keep growing into the person I know in my heart that I am.
Look forward to a lot more blog postings!
Talk to you soon,
J
Well! Let us say thank you to the Good Lord for welcoming us into a new year!
This Holiday season was not as crazy as I suspected it would be. I did get behind a few days in the laundry but I made it all up in one day (thank goodness). Maximus ended up with a hair cut and Gabriella's room is officially filled with toys!
So first off I have to say that we lost a great man. My Sister in Laws lost their daddy, Dennis Lee Goodwin, suddenly and tragically on December 20th. He raised his girls for a long time by himself after the loss of his wife and their mommy passed away when they were very young. He took care of them, he taught them, and most of all he loved them. To read his obiturary and learn a little more about him click this link.
The only bright side to this story is that we got to spend a lot of time with not only Sandra and Andrea (my Sister in Laws) but also with my brother, Hugo.
Christmas was a lot of fun! We woke up before Max (my late sleeper) and were able to brush our teeth, nurse baby and feed her breakfast, and then wake up Max. There aren't words to describe his shock and happiness when he saw that "Santa" had dropped of so many more presents! It took him MAYBE 30 minutes to tear through what took us at least 8 weeks to buy. Haahaha! Gabriella opened a few presents herself but she was much more interested in the things Max was opening and of course...the wrapping paper. My wonderful husband surprised me with a...brand new digital camera!!! I was not expecting it at all! It goes to show that even when you really don't think he's listening...he is! =) After we finished with our own little family we just jumped in the car in our Christmas jammies and headed to my moms house for about an hour so the kids could open her gifts. We then came back home to get into our Christmas outfits and head over to Ryan's Aunt Kathleen's house for Christmas lunch and a little gift opening for the kids. Finally we ended our day BACK at my moms with some more Christmas food and some game playing. I bought Ryan the Just Dance 2 game for the Wii (he LOVES dancing games) and we had a kind of tournament...where Ryan was whooped by Sandra! She ended up being the best at the game! By the time we got home I was exhausted as was the rest of my gang, so we just hit the sheets!
Gabreilla's birthday party went off without a hitch! I couldn't have imagined it coming out any better! Here are some pictures of the setup.
Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly Sandwhichs
Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting (YUM)
Fruit Salad with PINK Cool Whip
Magic Marshmallow Wands dipped in Vanilla flavored PINK candy
Pink colored Rice Krispy Treats
and...A Veggie Tray =)
(Probably my favorite part!)
And some mini cupcakes around it!
This was her second outfit! My Mother In Law, Melissa, bought and mailed this to us for this day! The front of it has this big silver Happy Birthday thing on the inside of the tulle. So perfect!
Here's Max after his face was painted. He got a fire face which was really appropriate because he was running a fever during the party =(.
We helped her blow out her candles!
It was so exciting and she was cracking us up!
Ryan, his brother Tyler, My brother Hugo and Matthew were all painted to look like the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Don't mind the hubbys hair, he was wearing a hat all day. =)
So I hope you enjoyed those thousands of pictures Hahahaaha!
New Years Eve we just spent the day and night with our family over at my moms and ended up in bed somewhere around 11:30, we waited until about 12:15 to actually fall asleep though.
My hopes for this new year are so simple. I hope to keep my family healthy and happy, I hope to be able to get my family to all the places we want to go this year, I hope to make my friendships and family relationships stronger than ever, and I hope to keep my faith in God and prayer growing. 2010 taught me quite a bit about patience, love, friendship, motherhood, family, and the future. I want to keep learning and keep growing into the person I know in my heart that I am.
Look forward to a lot more blog postings!
Talk to you soon,
J
12.05.2010
Happy Holidays!
I have been so out of the blogging loop!!
Life has been so crazy with a WALKING 10-11 month old, a preschooler, and a husband! There is hardly enough time in the day to get my daily chores done, so my blog unfortunately has been slacking. Today though I figured while Gabriella is napping I'll post one of our holiday pictures for everyone! I wont have ANY time until January to blog again but I promise you, when the next blog comes it will be JAM PACKED with our fun from Christmas and Gabriella's 1st birthday party!
Until then, I bid you ado.
Happy Holidays from the Hills!
Talk to you soon!
J
Life has been so crazy with a WALKING 10-11 month old, a preschooler, and a husband! There is hardly enough time in the day to get my daily chores done, so my blog unfortunately has been slacking. Today though I figured while Gabriella is napping I'll post one of our holiday pictures for everyone! I wont have ANY time until January to blog again but I promise you, when the next blog comes it will be JAM PACKED with our fun from Christmas and Gabriella's 1st birthday party!
Until then, I bid you ado.
Happy Holidays from the Hills!
Talk to you soon!
J
9.30.2010
Thankful Thursday- 9
I know its been a while since I've clued everyone in on the things I am thankful for, but I'm back and ready to type. =)
So this week I am thankful for...
So this week I am thankful for...
81. That the new seasons of all my favorite shows have started finally!
82. For a brand new computer! (Thanks Ryan!)
83. Gabriella's appetite.
84. A friend that will stay at my house with my sleeping boy until five in the morning, while I take my baby girl to the ER. (Thanks Allison!)
85. My mom that never fails to try and calm me when things are not going the way I planned.
86. A very very understanding husband.
87. Max's song and dance routines he does for me.
88. My ability to plan for the future.
89. That I ended up with a son and a daughter, if we never have any more kids it'll be okay.
90. That Ryan and I have known each other long enough and have accepted each others differences. I love the peace that we have with each other.
So what are thankful for this week? Don't forget to link up over at The Tarr Pit!!
Talk to you soon,
J
82. For a brand new computer! (Thanks Ryan!)
83. Gabriella's appetite.
84. A friend that will stay at my house with my sleeping boy until five in the morning, while I take my baby girl to the ER. (Thanks Allison!)
85. My mom that never fails to try and calm me when things are not going the way I planned.
86. A very very understanding husband.
87. Max's song and dance routines he does for me.
88. My ability to plan for the future.
89. That I ended up with a son and a daughter, if we never have any more kids it'll be okay.
90. That Ryan and I have known each other long enough and have accepted each others differences. I love the peace that we have with each other.
So what are thankful for this week? Don't forget to link up over at The Tarr Pit!!
Talk to you soon,
J
9.29.2010
Guess Who's Back!
So I think it's been at least a month since I last blogged. I wish I could say I've been non stop busy but really...I haven't. I have just been lapping up the little time that I get with my husband (who works so so hard for his family), and really enjoying being a stay at home mommy. When Ryan has a day off we are out and about, shopping, playing at the parks, and just spending time with our kids. And when he is at work the kids and I hang out and just play together.
So some updates on the kiddies!
Maximus is doing amazing in school. He had a rough start with a slight kick to the face on accident by a little girl and ended up with a black eye. Then the next day he bonked his head on the jungle gym, and the next day a little boy threw a toy dinosaur at him. My poor guy, hes just so accident prone...except for that mean little boy, that was no accident. =/ He is learning more and more everyday and I couldn't be prouder. I feel like I say that quite often but I mean it...every time I feel proud its even more than the time before! Also he is officially out of the T sized clothes! I hadn't thought much about the size of the jeans he already had because I always buy clothes at the end of seasons when they go on sale, but I guess at the end of last winter when I was buying I must have under-estimated the size he would be by the time school started...because the 5T's were too short for him. Sooo our little buddy Chace got a bunch of jeans for himself and Max got some new size 6's from the little boys section of the store!
Gabriella is also doing really well!! She is about 15lbs and 26 inches according to her 9 month check up a few days ago. She is soooo full of personality! She stands completely on her own, with no help from us or the couches or anything! She has taken two steps only BUT I know shes going to be walking any day now! She says Dada, Baba, and occasionally Mama. She only drinks from cups with straws and will not drink from a bottle. Overall shes great. She keeps us laughing right along with her best friend...Max! She follows him everywhere he goes!! I love that they get along soooo good =) and Max has so much patience with her, its amazing.
As for Ryan and I, we are still as happy as ever. We are saving up money to make our way to Jamaica! Ryan is working a lot of overtime to make it even easier for us to get there! He just bought me a new desktop computer (which I'm writing this blog from as we speak)!! I've been asking for one for a while now and he finally got it!! I have been watching new shows when I have time. I watched every season of Desperate Housewives and LOVED it! And I recently started watching Glee!
So now that you're all caught up with us I'll leave you with a picture!!
Talk to you soon,
J
So some updates on the kiddies!
Maximus is doing amazing in school. He had a rough start with a slight kick to the face on accident by a little girl and ended up with a black eye. Then the next day he bonked his head on the jungle gym, and the next day a little boy threw a toy dinosaur at him. My poor guy, hes just so accident prone...except for that mean little boy, that was no accident. =/ He is learning more and more everyday and I couldn't be prouder. I feel like I say that quite often but I mean it...every time I feel proud its even more than the time before! Also he is officially out of the T sized clothes! I hadn't thought much about the size of the jeans he already had because I always buy clothes at the end of seasons when they go on sale, but I guess at the end of last winter when I was buying I must have under-estimated the size he would be by the time school started...because the 5T's were too short for him. Sooo our little buddy Chace got a bunch of jeans for himself and Max got some new size 6's from the little boys section of the store!
Gabriella is also doing really well!! She is about 15lbs and 26 inches according to her 9 month check up a few days ago. She is soooo full of personality! She stands completely on her own, with no help from us or the couches or anything! She has taken two steps only BUT I know shes going to be walking any day now! She says Dada, Baba, and occasionally Mama. She only drinks from cups with straws and will not drink from a bottle. Overall shes great. She keeps us laughing right along with her best friend...Max! She follows him everywhere he goes!! I love that they get along soooo good =) and Max has so much patience with her, its amazing.
As for Ryan and I, we are still as happy as ever. We are saving up money to make our way to Jamaica! Ryan is working a lot of overtime to make it even easier for us to get there! He just bought me a new desktop computer (which I'm writing this blog from as we speak)!! I've been asking for one for a while now and he finally got it!! I have been watching new shows when I have time. I watched every season of Desperate Housewives and LOVED it! And I recently started watching Glee!
So now that you're all caught up with us I'll leave you with a picture!!
Talk to you soon,
J
9.03.2010
One Week Down...Don't Know How Many To Go.
Max's first week of school is officially over!
AND it was a success!!
The first day was a little rocky...due to my inability to let someone else take control, but by the third day I caved in. The second day he scraped his elbow on the playground and the fourth day he sang me some songs he's learned. Today he brought home a picture he colored...of an alien and a meteor. Overall the three hours that he is gone may not seem like very much but there is a big difference in the house when we're all here and he isn't. I can't imagine what it will feel like when both of the kids are gone all morning and it's just Ryan and I here!
I love this program BUT I have one complaint. Now I understand why they have this rule but it really broke my heart. We cannot bring home made treats for the kids for birthday parties or the holiday parties. Everything has to be store bought. I have always always always looked forward to baking heart shaped cupcakes for Valentines Day and cupcakes with all the kids names on them for Max's birthday and other neat treats for the parties. So naturally when I learned of this I almost cried. I am really hoping when he starts kindergarten at a different school that they'll have different rules and I'll be able to do everything I have been waiting to do!!
Just wanted to update you all!
Talk to you soon,
J
AND it was a success!!
The first day was a little rocky...due to my inability to let someone else take control, but by the third day I caved in. The second day he scraped his elbow on the playground and the fourth day he sang me some songs he's learned. Today he brought home a picture he colored...of an alien and a meteor. Overall the three hours that he is gone may not seem like very much but there is a big difference in the house when we're all here and he isn't. I can't imagine what it will feel like when both of the kids are gone all morning and it's just Ryan and I here!
I love this program BUT I have one complaint. Now I understand why they have this rule but it really broke my heart. We cannot bring home made treats for the kids for birthday parties or the holiday parties. Everything has to be store bought. I have always always always looked forward to baking heart shaped cupcakes for Valentines Day and cupcakes with all the kids names on them for Max's birthday and other neat treats for the parties. So naturally when I learned of this I almost cried. I am really hoping when he starts kindergarten at a different school that they'll have different rules and I'll be able to do everything I have been waiting to do!!
Just wanted to update you all!
Talk to you soon,
J
9.02.2010
Thankful Thursdays-8
I am thankful...
71. That Max LOVES his school.
72. That I didn't have a mental break down when I left him at the school for the first time.
73. That my husband doesn't mind if I skip cleaning for one day. =)
74. That one of my best friends (Allison) has come back, I really missed her.
75. That Gabriella has started trying to talk, we've gotten DaDa and baba clearly but other words are slightly jumbled in that wonderful baby talk.
76. That I have never had to really buy Max clothes. There is ALWAYS someone buying him some. =)
77. That my kids have inspired wonderful change in my life. I am forever grateful to them.
78. For parents that teach their kids manners.
79. That safety rules for kids in the car have changed...for the better.
80. For the rare times when Max falls asleep in my arms.
What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J
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