That boy and His Birthday! Alex is 6???

A root-beer float on his birthday 

Long standing tradition
 donuts on your birthday!

It can't be can it?  I can't have a six year old infant can I?   Where did the time go and what happened to my baby?  He grew up with out my permission I might add...
I try not to wish away the days and let him be little...he is my youngest and until we have a third (like that's ever going to happen) I need to enjoy every minute of every day.  That is very hard to do when he is now six and still having toilet training issues....grrrr but that's another blog page.
He had his birthday party on Sunday and it was so much fun....we had it at home...his idea.  He wanted balloons and streamers......ok...we can do that!
   I got all the decorations at the dollar tree.  Just $35. to really go over top on the house...that included all the cups plates, napkins and party favors.   I baked cupcakes.   Nathan iced...it helps he's a chef...but really anyone could do what we did...Alex wanted sprinkles.   Blue and white since sis has a red dye allergy...red dye is made from crushed red bugs...(ew) so we avoid it most days as a whole.  He's pretty sweet to think of her though.  I got banners and hanging signs and a table top thing...it was birthday city at our house.  The streamers are still up...
The games Catie and I thought up..and Alex approves...Powerade bowling, Straw and pipe-cleaner crown building, and straw balloon racing.  It was so much fun and the kid had a good time too!

Alex was less than a good sport at times...but most kids are his age...we are working on it...he seems to have picked up a few bad habits at school from a little boy that we think just is not a good influence... isn't that always the case(smh) well it just won't work in my house.   1.2.3 to your room man.

All Christians are not the same...please don't group us together!

I read something on facebook about Christians being angry about God not being in the classroom and that was the reason he allow the horrible act to happen in CT ???The thing I read was from an Atheist who was questioning why a Christian would question God's motives for letting such a violent act take place ...and responded right away...we should be troubled...that people see us Christians this way!!!!  I am not that Christian....

It concerned me that an atheist was bringing these things up...because I was at first a little bit bent outta shape that he was telling me how to think about my God then I was like wait a minute he has a point.   There have been a ton of posts over the last few days about God not being at our schools and that's reason this horrible event took place in the schools and that's why it keeps happening.   
I have great faith and I know with the core of my being and I am sad to the very tip of my toes that so many people have taken this view.   I pray everyday when my children walk out that door that God goes with them.   I ask my children regularly if they pray at lunch.   I know my children are children of faith and God is with them.  I believe that God was with every one of those children that  cold morning and comforted them and their parents.   I believe God was with the children who were scared and angry and crying.  I even believe that God was with the gunman.   
My faith is not based in this government view of what is and isn't ok in the schools and I don't believe that the schools are responsible for educating my children about religion.  That's entirely my responsibly.   After all I don't want anyone to tell my kids anything that doesn't fit our theological ideas.    God is in those classrooms and he doesn't need an invitation ...he never left.  Every time we send our children into the classroom we need to remind them that God is with them...and God's love is everywhere.   

Merry Christmas.... the photos

We celebrated Christmas at the club today...it went mostly ok...neither of the kids wanted to eat.   Both of the kids behaved fairly well.  Catie isn't feeling well this year.  So we waited till the very end to be the last ones to visit Santa...we didn't want to spread any germs.   It also made it easier to keep Alex at bay if he was going to act up given the fact that he knew Santa was a guy in a suit this year.  No problems though.  He went up and talked to the big guy and told him what he would like and it went really well.  Catie still isn't feeling well...but she has been to the doctor...just a virus.   It will pass and there isn't much we can do for her accept treat the symptoms.  So we will.   So here are the pictures...I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

nearly perfect...

Life feels so right right now...but something is still missing!
We have things moving all the right direction...Nathan is doing so right at work and I am doing really well at work.   We have been making the effort to get our debt paid off and paying for our purchases with cash instead of credit.   Life is moving forward here in Illinois so quickly...we are making great strides.  The kids are involved in sports and church and Nathan and I are involved in church as much as we can be,but something is still missing.   I feel like life is on hold and we are waiting.


We are waiting for that first call...we are waiting for the end of the year..we are just waiting...and I don't know why.  So many thoughts pass though my mind and I pray I am not letting something important pass me by.


The kids are ready for Christmas...I screwed up on Tuesday and told Alex that Santa isn't real :(  We were at a event where we were putting bags together for families that weren't going to have Christmas without this help and he was just not being very helpful.   I sat him down to explain to him that we needed to do this to make sure that these families got Christmas...he said "but what about Santa Claus?"  Next thing I know the words Santa is a Myth popped out of my mouth...    My goodness that put our whole life in reverse for a few days...we even had a little bit of a regression in potty training.   He really was broken hearted...I really wish I could have taken it back as soon as the words came out of my mouth...but now that I have told him...I feel better...we will see how it goes tomorrow when he actually goes to see Santa and tell him what he would like from Santa for Christmas.     He tells me he is going to go and sit on Santa's lap still...so will see.  
I did sit down with him this morning and explain to him that daddy and I are Santa to him and that he and Sissy get to be Santa to us forever...and Santa gets to live forever in us.   He seemed to like that idea and things turned around.