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.

Jeremy's Birthday

Jeremy's birthday this year was kind of a disaster. It was one of those days we will probably laugh about over the years- but we didn't think it was funny at the time. There were lots of challenges to making this day special. First of all we have a newborn baby & the flu had once again returned to our house. Faith was getting over having the flu and Grace got the flu that night. I still had yet to even cook a meal for us-we were still eating freezer meals while I recovered. But, I wanted Jeremy to know we at least tried to make his day special. So, I made a pot of chili and we made cupcakes. The girls had lots of fun decorating the cupcakes and making them "fancy." Jeremy left for work very early that morning so we were planning to celebrate when he got home from work. (which with his new job we are never quite sure when that will be) Well, at 5:30 the table was set and the girls were anxiously waiting but Jeremy was not even close to coming home. He didn't end up getting home till 7 p.m. We had a quick dinner because he still had work to do he had brought home. Oh, and I didn't even have a present for him to open because he got a "big" gift at Christmas instead. Needless to say it was a rough day. But, luckily the girls are young enough they were content to eat cupcakes and see their dad smile when they threw the special birthday confetti they made at him. The fact that he had a bad day pretty much went over their heads.

As I reflected on Jeremy's birthday I thought back to previous birthdays and special things I had done. A surprise party, a big homemade meal with his favorite foods, a get-a-way at a B & B, and gifts for each letter of his name. (Yes, most of these were birthdays when we were dating or BC-before children) I realized even though the day wasn't storybook perfect it still contained precious moments as I watched my children truly desire to make their dad's day. I enjoyed decorating cupcakes with the girls and especially watching as Grace attempted to decorate her cupcakes just like mine. I am thankful that I will (God willing) have 50 more birthdays to make special for my husband. Birthdays to be more romantic, do fancy things, or buy expensive gifts. And I totally plan on it because my husband is the most amazing man I know and I love attempting to make his birthday special! (even 3 kids later!)