It's getting close

Many of you know that my sweet husband is leaving the country for work for a while soon.  through the process of informing our friends and family, we have had some pretty amazing people say super sweet things and it has been very aware that we have amazing people in our life.   I have been blessed with so many amazing friends and family.

I don't want sympathy while he is around the globe, I am a big girl and can handle things as they come along... But I do want to ask for understanding.  While he is gone, I might just ask for you to come over and have a glass of wine after dinner (not for sympathy but because I need someone to talk to!), I might not be able to attend things like I do now (not because I don't want to but because there is simply only one of me), I might have to cancel (not because I want to but I imagine my kids will have bad days), the kids and I may have bad days (not because we are mean or because my kids are bad, but because we are used to seeing our husband/dad every day and we won't),  I won't want to hear about how much my husband is missing (not because I don't appreciate advice, but because we know and ultimately made this decision together solely for the benefit of our family in the long run), and I absolutely just want understanding for our life's just not being the same for just a bit (because, let's be honest.. It's just not!).

Some of you have husbands who are gone a lot longer than mine will be.  You are incredibly women and moms and I so look up to your abilities.  I pray for you and I pray that I am able to make our world go around just as amazing as you do.

I so love all of my friends and family for all of your awesomeness!

Armor

Being a stay at home in the summer is both amazing and stressful.  There are definitely plenty of days where I get them to bed a need a drink to unwind.  But there are also SO many days where I learn so much about my kids and I realize how amazing in love and blessed I am.

This summer, our bible verse we have decided to study is "put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the scenes of the devil". It's the sweetest thing in the world to watch your kids memorize scripture.  Corbin has to memorize for a grade at school but being able to teach it to them is so much more rewarding.  While teaching this to them (and learning plenty my self), our pastor spoke on the same scripture, and then in the bible study I'm personally doing right now (girls with swords... It's amazing!!) also speaks on the same thing.  I've been hit on all sides with the importance of this scripture, which has made it incredible.  After trying to focus on this, it became even more aware that I need to know Way more about scripture than I currently did in order to combat  satan on a daily basis. 

So, right now I'm in a phase of learning, growing and being a better me.  Gosh I have a long way to go and I will never in my life be perfect but daily I need to focus on becoming more and more like Him.

In our summer series at church we have learned about finding our purpose.  Between that and all of these moments I have had with my kids, I have realized how important it is to me that our next generation learn more and more how to be the hands and feet of Christ.  If my kids learn at a very early age how to put on the armor of God and be His hands and feet, the world is so much more likely to be a better place for him.  So I'm helping to start a ministry at our church for helping families find ways to volunteer together. (Part of the important part is them seeing me serve too!).  Tomorrow we are going to the food bank again.  Here are some pictures from the last time we went.  Corbin loved it and is really starting to get it.  

Being a mom and a role model these little people is such a blessing but also such a responsibility.   I love these little guys more than they will ever know and I hope at least one thing I do brings them some kind of happiness and peace in their life as they grow old. 

WOW! Let's see I remember how to do this!

Hey all!  This blog has been neglected for a very long time now.  But my life has turned crazy hectic with lots of new things happening and coming up with our life.. The blog helps me to release what I have on my mind, so I thought Id try and pic it back up.

For this first blog back, Ill just update a little on our crazy crew.  Corbin 6 and a half!  How in the world did that even happen?!  He is crazy strong, crazy handsome, crazy smart, crazy athletic, and just plain crazy.  Garrett is 4... He has had a couple of broken bones trying to keep up with his big brother and he has a smile that will absolutely light up your day.  These boys make my life worth living.

Clynt is still doing engineering.  He made senior engineer at his company last year and is working towards having his PE this year.  He is going to have to do a little more away work in another country bc he really needs it for his competency matrix at work since he had his promotion.  It kind of stinks, but the kids and I will figure it all out!  We are a strong little crew and it won't be for too long each time he goes (if he goes multiple times)!

I am a photographer still.. and I am BUSY.. Summer is my slow season but it hasn't been too slow this year.  I still really enjoy doing it and my clients are absolutely amazing!  Its been a really awesome journey so far and I can't wait to spend many more years being a work at home mom with this little business!  Getting to be with my boys as much as I am is amazing and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything.

Thats short 411 on our crew.  I hope to keep up with this as our little journey for life is changing so much!!

Sundays

I have been really bad about posting to my blog lately!   I do want to get back to it though, so here goes a quick post!

Sundays are a favorite day in my house.  It's the most consistent day of our week. We go to church, every Sunday, no matter what (well, short of being out of town). :). Even if one of us is sick, the rest of us go.  It's just refreshing to know that we will worship, learn about and praise Jesus every Sunday.  And our kids love it!   

When we leave church, we have lunch. Sometimes at home, sometimes out.  Doesn't matter to us! We just have to eat.

Then, every Sunday afternoon is long run day for me.  It's amazing to start the week feeling like I can conquer the world.  It makes me feel good physically, and it is also always with a friend, so I get my girl talk in for the week. 

Then at night it's all about small group.  Meeting with lots of friends and talking about Jesus some more.  It just starts the week spiritually refreshed.  

Sunday is just a day of the week that we get emotionally, physically and spiritually ready for the week.  It's amazing to start the week feeling refreshed.  The kids benefit, our marraige benefits, and we benefit.  

Love love love!

Momma friends

When you make a decision to stay at home, you also make the decision to give up on your daily adult conversation.  So, becoming a part of a group of other mom quickly becomes your life line.  I have been blessed to meet  dozens and dozens of amazing women who I now call my friends.  Any day that the boys and I are bored, we can quickly have something fun to do with several other moms.   I tell every mom I know that decides to stay home that it needs t be your first thing to do, join a group.   These mom are people that I share my life with and who love my kids unconditionally.  

I'm sure I have talked about my moms group 100x but some weeks, and some months, God simply reminds me how blessed I really am.   And Corbin reminds me daily of his love for so many of his friends, who happen to be the kids of my friends!  

So this is just a really short shout out to all of you mommy friends of mine!  You make my life so much fun and you keep me sane on even the most insane days!

Life!

I have realized recently that we have something going on every.single.weekend for the next 2 months.  How is that even possible?  We have runs, vacations; parties, and so on...  This time of year gets crazy!

This weekend is the Texans run.  We get to run through the bull at the end of the run.  Our boys are joining us in the stroller and are so very much looking forward to it!  (This picture is from last weekend, when clynt and I got to go to the texans v. Titans game.  What a fabulous game to have been at!)

We also are heading to Shreveport for the duck dynasty run next month.  Our boys got beards/hats to join on that red neck run.  Corbin even wore hit to dinner last night.  The boy loves duck dynasty.  Every day he amazes me in how much he is like his dad.

Also in the next few weeks is my sisters baby shower that I'm planning.  I can't believe we will have a girl around soon!

That's just some of my weekends.  I love being busy and getting to do so many fun things with our boys, but I do look forward to a quiet weekend at home at some point as well.   

Our guys are now 2 and 4 (and almost 5).  Corbin is doing absolutely amazing in school.  He is a really smart little dude and really enjoys learning.  He amazes me every day in his abilities.  I cannot wait to see him in 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 years.  Every month he is a completely different child.  When he was 2.5 and completely rambunctious and I was pulling my hair out, my friend told me to not worry about it because a few months later things would be totally different.  Then, I didn't listen well and I totally did not embrace the madness, but now, I realize how right she was.  While Corbin can still be lively at times, he also holds doors for girls, listens to teachers, sits and reads, smiles at people when he knows it will make them feel better, hugs his brother (in between the sibling fighting) more than I could imagine, tells me he loves me 100x a day, and can just be one of the most love little boys ever.  He is still ALL boy but man has he transformed from his terrible twos days..

And Garrett.  I'm not sure anyone but me has ever seen his terrible twos side.  If he does something wrong, he most definitely still has a way to steal your heart.  He is potty training now (I forgot how much I loved that! :/ ). He can carry on full conversations and knows more every day.  He also knows how to get his way from people.  He is always available for a good laugh.  I'm loving wtching him grow and cannot believe that I will soon be applying him for prek 3 for next year! 

Life lately is fun.  Trying to embrace this phase of our lives has been a challenge, as we are always thinking about a year from now.. However, I know I will miss the innocence of our boys when they are 15!

PreK 4

Corbin started prek 4 this Wednesday.  Letting go is very hard for me and this was no different.  I cried and cried, but we made it through and he did great.

He is going to Lutheran South Academy 3 days a week.  It is a very nice private school with a fantastic program for prek3 all the way through high school.  Without getting on a soap box and too political because that is not my intentions of the blog:  I think it is sad that kids need preschool to begin with.  However since the government pays for for some to go to preschool, and not others, it seems (to me) that the others need it, in an attempt to not get behind.   I personally feel like preschool should either be provided to everyone or no one.   It doesn't seem fair that middle class America can't get the same early education as others.  Corbin's preschool is very expensive and we are making sacrifices to pay for it, but it just doesn't seem fair.

Anyways, I'm well aware that life's not fair and I am not saying preschool is right or not, I just wish that if its provided for some, it should be provided for all...

Back to corbin!! He did great and he looks so cute in his school uniform!  We are thinking the school will be a great fit for him this year! :). Here are a couple first day of school pictures... This year he said he wants to be a daddy when he grows up! So cute!  Last year was spiderman.  It'll be so fun to watch this through the years. :)