What a Year

Well it's the last day of 2010 and what a year it's been! We've had incredible highs and a few lows but God has carried us through and continued to bless us. Of course, our biggest blessing this year was my sweet Keaton :) After our ultrasound scares, he was born healthy and his kidneys are perfect! He is such a sweet boy. His brothers, especially Liam, adore him. It seems like I was just pregnant with him but here he is, crawling around the house babbling and squealing.

We had some financial setbacks when I lost my work at home job and a few other things but we're making it and I know God will provide! He provided for us when the presvhool called and asked me to come back last month. We are able to work it out so that Mike can be home with the boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays since Keaton is too young to go with me. Mike has done great in school and has maintained straight A's the whole time! I am so proud of him! He should finish clinicals in February and will graduate in May. We can't wait!! It's been rough having him gone so much. It's been especially hard on my sensitive Landon. He misses his daddy.


I continue to thank God for my children's good health, especially after my friend lost her daughter. It really opened my eyes to how fragile life is and to cherish every moment.
We've had a lot of fun time this year. We really enjoyed Mike's parents' visit as well as his brother and sister in law. We got to have his 14 year old niece stay with us for a month and it was great! Nice to have another girl around! We also enjoyed a trip to Florida to see Grandma and Grandpa and other family and friends. I just wish we could see them more.

Connor had a great football season and his team won the championship! He has maintained his straight A's and we are very proud. He has however hit the age of arguing! He will argue til he's blue in the face. He's a very responsible kid though and is a HUGE help with his little brothers. Landon had a great soccer season and they are really wanting him to join the competitive league next season. He really seems to have a knack for soccer. He's a loving little boy and has such a kind heart. He wants to be a cowboy/zookeeper when he grows up :) Liam is still my shy one. Hard to believe he's five. He is starting to read and loves to learn. I think he'll love kindergarten next year if he can get past his shyness. He adores Keaton and is the first to volunteer to help with him. Noah is still my wild child! He can drive me crazy and make me laugh! He gets into EVERYTHING! Climbing on the kitchen counters and pulling everything out of the cabinets, painting the bathroom with nail polish, "washing" a cup with half a bottle of dish detergent, and making (and eating!) a peanut butter and pepperoni sandwich at 6:00 in the morning are just a few of his exploits this year. But while he's given me quite a few gray hairs, he is an incredibly sweet boy. He is always giving compliments and loves to snuggle :) He is a total clown and loves to make people laugh.

Facebook had a feature that put a bunch of your status' together from January to December. It was really neat to read. It brought back some sad/hard memories but many more happy ones.
All in all it has been a great year. I'm excited to see what God has in store for 2011!

The Right Thing

We recently had a talk with Landon about making good choices and doing the right thing. When he got home from school yesterday, he told me,"Mommy, I'm trying hard not to do bad things". I asked him what he meant and he explained that his teacher told the class that anyone who got 100% on their spelling test could get a piece of candy from the treat box. He had missed one word. He actually picked a piece out of the box but then he said he thought about it and he knew it was wrong so he put it back. Anyone who knows Landon's love for food, esp candy knows this was a big thing for him. I told him how proud I was of him for doing the right thing. I just pray he remembers this lesson!

I Love Giveaways!

I blogged a while back about discovering blog giveaways. I have since won three times! The first was a sportbrella (a chair with an umbrella attachment that can be moved depending on where the sun is), a monkey costume for Noah from Animal Planet, and most recently, a Pillow Pet!
Now, my wonderful friend Kristen, is hosting her first review/giveaway. She is giving away a bag of Funk Rock from Rockin' Green. This company makes awesome laundry powder in some really neat sounding scents. I am so excited for her and hope this is just the beginning for her! Check out her blog and enter the giveaway here: http://cliffnkristensblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/rockin-green-giveaway.html