Baby Dedication

It happened that baby dedication Sunday was only 4 weeks after Titus was born. Even though I had seen the announcements about it coming up, I was thinking I would have just had my baby. But since little man came early we went ahead and participated. As with all of our kids it was a special day to celebrate the miracle God has blessed our family with. We feel incredibly blessed to have Titus join our family!! Gramy & Papa were able to join us so we have a few pictures. (although not the best quality)

Titus,

I love you so much little man. I continually thank God for blessing our family with you. Your dad and I take very seriously the commitment we made today to raise you to love Jesus. It is our daily prayer that you would love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When I began this blog I was thinking of your sisters and that they would enjoy reading my thoughts as a mom down the road. I hope that you and your future wife will also be blessed by my attempts to record our family's journey. (I know I love hearing Nana tell stories about raising your daddy) And hopefully in the future I can encourage your dad to write our story from his point of view more often so you will be able to hear his thoughts as a dad. We love you!!

Your Mama

Mexican Mess-Up

I heart Mexican food! I mean I really love it. We seriously have something "mexican" normally like once a week at our house. And don't get my husband started on how often I choose Mexican if we go out to eat (I have a serious love for white cheese dip & chips- oh, and I'm not a snob I love Taco Bell too.) All that to say we have not had Mexican food at our house since at least early fall. The second half of my pregnancy was not conducive to anything spicy. So, last week my husband made a request for enchiladas. They are one of his favorites and my kids LOVE them as well. So, everyone was looking forward to this family favorite when I made them on Saturday night.

Well, we sat down to dinner and began eating. The rice I had made was slightly spicy because all I had on hand was medium salsa. No biggie, my kids actually eat some pretty spicy food. But, when I started eating my enchilada I realized it was really spicy. I asked my husband what he thought...he thought they were amazing. (Did I mention my husband loves spicy food?) But, my kids soon confirmed for me the enchiladas were definitely hot, and not just hot out of the oven. Faith actually stuck her tongue out and said, "Mommy, kiss kiss!" She wanted me to kiss her tongue because it was hurting. (Maybe this is cruel but Jeremy and I were dying laughing- it was really funny) Upon investigation (a.k.a. digging through our trash) I confirmed my suspicion that I had accidentally bought the HOT sauce instead of our usual mild. Opps! Faith wanted to eat them so bad she kept taking bites and then saying ouchy tongue. Even while gulping down milk they were too hot for the kids to eat. So, they ended up eating crackers for supper...

In my defense the cans look exactly alike except for a small banner at the bottom reading mild or hot. It was an easy mistake to make, especially considering I probably had my "helpers" with me when said hot sauce was purchased. As soon as we stopped laughing Jeremy said, "That's going on the blog." I love that we have a place to capture our family's funny memories. (even if it involves me confessing to my cooking blunders) Hey, at least my kids aren't old enough to give me a hard time about it for the next 10 years. But, I'm guessing I can't guarantee the same thing for my husband.

Valentine's Day

My "men" -Aren't they cute?
Could there be a better Valentine than that?
My two sweethearts-I love you!
Well, this year we had a simple Valentine's day. Due to buget, new baby, etc. there were no fancy plans. But, we still had a great day together as a family. One of the things that is really important to me is for our kids to enjoy Valentine's day as a day to celebrate God's love and the love we share as a family instead of the romantic worldly love many associate with this holiday. I want them to realize love isn't flowers or candy one day a year, but the way their dad serves me, protects me, and is commited to our family 365 days a year.

Previously Jeremy has taken us out to lunch. We want our girls to learn how to "date" from going on dates with their daddy over the years. But, this year that just wasn't possible. So, instead we had Mama's McDonalds. (chicken nuggets and french fries in the oven with "homemade" chocolate milk) Our gift to the girls was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. As you can see from the pictures they were thrilled with this special treat. (and it didn't require me to get to a store to shop) It was a great day.

Below was Jeremy's gift to me:

A Declaration of Love

for Valentines

To: Love of My Life

From: Yours Truly

So before I start let me explain why I am writing on “her” blog. Well, its Valentines and we are short on budget and short on time to shop with 3 kids at home. I got the idea to blog for her. She has dreams of making her blog into a book and this could be a little chapter. Its totally up to her if she makes this public.

Professionally, spiritually, health, house, and vehicle have been........Well, lets be honest horrible. My dear, this year has probably been one of the top three worst years in my life. There have been days where I literally have sat in a corner saying God "No more...I can’t take one more thing." Yet God has seemed oblivious to my cries for mercy. There have been days in the last year where I have doubted my career, talents, gifts, and more.

I say all of this to highlight the whole point of my blog/valentine gift. Never once this past year on my darkest day have I ever doubted my love for you and your love for me. Every day my drive home from work is heavenly. I know as soon as I enter the house I will, see you cooking some amazing meal, be greeted with a kiss, and a question of how was my day. No matter if your day has been lousy or great there you are cooking something good or an experiment. Every meal is full of your secret ingrediant-love.

On my worst day I know you will listen and console me. I know you be honest and authentic. I know if you think I am right or wrong you will supportively tell me what you think. Its funny, you once talked about how you stopped calling your girlfriends when i was home all the time because your best friend was home. Here I am at work and whenever anything happens I reach for my phone and the first person I want to dial is my best friend too.

Nothing makes me happier then your touch. Even the simple time when your hand gently finds mine while driving down the road. When I lay and we talk and you stroke my hair. At church when I lean forward and you scratch my back. Your head how it perfectly fits on my shoulder. Your meer touch makes me happier.

Today, after 2,068.43 days of marriage I love you more at this moment then when you walked down the aisle. Happy Valentines.

Love,

your husband

So, that is pretty much the most priceless perfect gift. Jeremy doesn't like to write but he knows I LOVE any time he writes something for me. He makes me feel like the most blessed girl in the whole world. Not in a "floating on a cloud" kind of way, but in a cemented together by the hard stuff of life kind of way. He truly is my best friend and favorite person in the whole world to spend time with.