To You

To You

This morning I was toasted by a two year-old

Who raised her orange juice glass to mine and said,"To You!"

She brought the morning; she moved a mountain;

She brought flowers out of a barren land and sunlight from darkness.

What a way to start the day-affirm and celebrate!

So here's to you.

Familiar faces at my breakfast table.

Here's to smiles, sleepy kisses and theological questions at dawn!

Here's to unbrushed teeth, unmade beds, and unpicked-up clothes!

Here's to dirty tennis shoes with one blue sock and one brown.

Here's to last night's scores and news told before I read it!

Here's to my cold cup of coffee, to the lunch forgotten.

Here's to the little girl who wants ice cream with her eggs!

Here's to the daddy who thinks it's funny.

Here's to the man who loves us so and let's us know.

I cherish you who breakfast with me.

You are sun in my rain-sustenance and star.

By Ann Weems

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you didn't have to look far to find things to be thankful for. I know we didn't. Morgan & I experimented with a new pumpkin spice cake recipe and everyone loved it although it was almost to cute to cut into.
We spent the day here in town over at my Aunt's house. Most of my family came except my brother had to work. (ahh the life of a CHP) Ryanne did what she does best at this lovely age of three and did her time in time-out. Ugh, even Thanksgiving doesn't change the rebel in her!
When she wasn't in trouble she attacked her cousin Christopher who by the way is at the age where girls are "icky" and annoying so he was a little less than thrilled that I didn't call her off. :)
My mom and Aunt stopped cooking long enough to pose for a picture; well I kind of told them if they didn't turn around I would zoom in on thier butts and post them on my blog today!
After a great dinner my cousins (who I swear were just babies) and me and the girls all just hung out and visited. It was a really fun day! Thank you Tim and Donna for hosting, great job as usual! :)

Beside just Thanksgiving I was also celebrating my one year anniversary! For those of you who dont know me very well this was a huge day for me. Five years ago this next April I tested positive for Lupus and then Rheumatoid arthritis. I went from REALLY healthy and athletic to not being able to walk or dress myself on some days. I couldn't hold a pencil and was spending time experimenting with pills, shots and trips to the hospital for doses of Chemo to slow the disease. After nothing worked I decided to seek out a holistic Dr. who specialized in womens disease with a focus on food. I started treating my disease with food and improved in 72 hours! Very exciting! I did great up until about 2 weeks ago when the pain in my back and neck started to get unbarable. I found out from the Rheumatologist on Monday that indeed the disease has spread to my back, nech, collar bone etc. So unfortunatly I have agreed to VERY low doses of treatment once a week but am also continuing the food plan. No wheat, no dairy, no gluten, very little refined sugar and I have topped it off by going ALL organic in everything we buy and eat. None of us have been sick in a year excpet a few runny noses here and there. Im serious, no flew, no viruses, no nothing. It's been huge to see the love and support from Dan & the girls as they follow the same food plan with me. Over a year now! Isn't that a blessing!! Anyways, just wanted to share my exciting news as I have been counting down the days to my year mark. So as you can see I have tons to be thankful for this year! Blessed day!

In Honor Of Morgan & Ryanne

A little side note that has nothing to do with my post; the girls and I made sugar cookie Turkeys for Morgans class party the other night. Why do kids pick the messiest dessert to make? ugh! We had flour everywhere!!! It was fun though and the kids in her class thought the cookies were the BEST!
Morgan is rolling out the dough and as you can see by my three year olds face if it isnt about her, revolving around her or her turn she gets an attitude but......................
Look what happens when its all eyes on her! Ugh!! Hopefully I survive my second trip through the three's stage. Its never pretty in our house.

My post today was to say,"Happy National Apoption Month" I typed out the poem below to share with you all. It is hanging in our house. I dont know why you need a month to celebrate adoption when my husband swears every day is adoption day at our house. We are either bringing home pets, feeding homeless people or adopting the old couple down the road; he says he never knows what he will find when he comes home after a shift. :) I remind him daily that is what he loves about me, not sure hes buying it though. :) Have a blessed day.

Legacy of an adopted child

Once there were two women who never knew each other. one you do not remember, the other you call mother.

Two different lives, shaped to make yours one. One became your guiding star; the other became your sun.

The first gave you life and the second taught you to live it. the first gave you a need for love the other was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name. One gave you the seed of talent the other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotion; the other calmed your fears. One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One gave you up......it was all that she could do. The other prayed for a child and God brought her straight to you.

And now you ask me through your tears, The age old question through the years.

Heredity or environment...........which are you a product of?

Neither darling........ neither, just two different kinds of love.

Author Unknown

I love you Morgan & Ryanne with everything that is good in me. You have made me a better person. I am more open to Gods possibilites and blessings because of you. Because of you I am kinder, more gentle, more fun, & more aware of people around me that need someone. I desire to serve God daily so that you will never be short changed in the mom department. I know I will fall short of what you deserve but I will stand on Gods promise that he will give me the strength to be consistent, compassionate and grow as you grow. I pray for you daily that you will be women after Gods own heart; world changers for him. That you will hide his word in your heart and always remember that you were hand picked to be in our home. Love Mommy- Aka mamma

Saturday Fun

We finally had a Saturday where Dan was off and we didn't have any races or swim meets so we were so excited to head to San-Diego to hang out with Dan's Brother David, his wife Kim and the newest member of our family Tyelr (almost 4 months old)
Dan & Ryanne entertained themselves in the most bizarre ways (as usual)
While Morgan and Aunt Kim made us some YUMMY cookies.
Dan's sister Suzanne and her husband Doug also live down there so they came over and joined us for lunch and some lovin' on the kids. We poured over old family photo albums and laughed that deep belly laugh that just comes rolling out of you till' it hurts kind of laugh. It was great just getting to spend the day relaxing and being together. Tyler is amazing and we are crazy in love with him. The girls talked about how sad they were to leave him all the way home; very sweet.
Tyler getting loved on by Auntie Suzanne. Doug and Suzanne are expecting their first babies in March. Yup thats right twins! A boy & a girl. We are all laughing about how crazy its going to be this time next year when they are all on the move and running through whoevers house we are at. I can't wait! The more kid noise the more fun!!

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

Ok, so today Dan and Ryanne had a lazy, play around the house, lay low kind of day while I ran errands, worked in Morgan's class, visited a friend and her new baby, got the oil changed in the car, carpooled and took Morgan to swim practice...... whew!! Anyways, they were playing with these little polly pockets and Ryanne wanted to pretend they were in some kind of business; so Ryanne sat her little doll in the chair and Dan offered to give her a hair cut. Ryanne played along getting the hair cut payed him and then told him it was his dolls turn in the chair. Dan asked politely for a hair cut as well and in all her sweetness Ryanne turned to the doll and she said,"sorry buddy we dont give hair cuts we only do tattoos here!" Dan said he about died. It's funny becuase you really have to picture this sweet petite little girl with this head of blonde, bouncy, curly hair and blue eyes looking up at her daddy offering to give a tattoo. Dan couldn't wait till' I got home tonight to find out what I had been teaching her while he is gone!

This Just Never Gets Old For Me!

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

Psalm 24:1-2

(photo taken the other night off our patio)

Have a blessed day everyone. I hope you stop long enough today to enjoy the small things.

Fun Fall Days

The girls were so excited to find their friends had spent the morning raking up all the leaves into a huge pile & then waited for them for this very moment. What a fun fall day. It was clear, sunny, windy and just perfect. It is SOOO good to be a kid. I can tell you for a fact that these four did not let this fun pile of leaves got to waste!
Caleb and Morgan have been friends since they were 6 months old and Luke and Ryanne since birth. They just bought the house next door to us which makes our friendship even more fun and more of an adventure! Lucky kids! When I was 4 my best friend lived next door to me and I swear I was going to marry him so I better watch out for those boys huh? ;)
We can't forget the youngest of the group, sweet Lillie who is to young yet to run and play. Marianne says we need to have another to even things out; I say she should have thought that through before having another! :) I threw in the towel, she wins 3 to 2. I'm good with that really! :)

Morgans Meet

Go Flying Fish!! Morgan's meet was great and yes we had sunshine! Whew-hew!!
This is me & Morgan looking really tired before her next swim. We had to get up in the dark this morning to get her to Riverside for her meet. ugh!
Here she is doing the back stroke, she cut 2 seconds off of her time. That may not sound like allot but in swimming its huge! Last month she cut off a whole second so I told her she would be floating across the water at this rate! ;)

She did so good today that we thought her first tattoo was in order! They had Yucaipa Swim team Tattoo's made for the kids so of course they were all sporting their team colors. Fun!
I thought making this sephia tone would hide the dirt on her face but not so much! I swear she is the BIGGEST dirt magnet ever.
Loving on Daddy and cheering on sissy; all in a days work!

Halloween Fun

Here are the girls getting ready to go trick-or-treating for the first time ever. We have always gone to a carnival or down town state street so they were VERY excited. Me on the other hand, not such a huge fan of Halloween. Truth be told its because I am a big chicken and don't like people who I don't know and can barely see in the dark walking up to me in costumes and scaring the (you fill in the blank) out of me.
Our kids and my dear friends kids always come up with a movie theme and then pick a character that fits them best. This year it was Toy Story so Ryanne was Little Bo Peep and Morgan was Jessie the cow girl.
Here is Marianne with Luke who is Buzz Light Year, Lillie who is one of Ryannes lost sheep and sadly we are missing Woody (AKA Caleb) because he came down with the stomach flu earlier in the day and had to miss out. Bummer!!
Nope, couldn't get them to smile at all! Notice the pails with the liners I had sewn to go inside! Thanks for the idea Christy P. (if you want to see some great ideas click on her lick on myblog-to crafty!)
Happy Halloween from the Toy Story crew!!