Congratulations!

I am hoping that it is fine if I post this, but I just have to send out congratulations to JJ and Mike. They are engaged!!! Woo-hoo! We were so excited to hear the good news. Not only do the kids love JJ, but they have come to really like her fiance Mike. He is just a super nice guy that we have really enjoyed getting to know. One thing that I have always liked about Mike is that he really has made an effort to get to know us as JJ's friends. Obviously, he wouldn't have to do that because we only see them once or twice a year, but he made that effort and it left such a positive impression on me. Everyone deserves to be truly happy in life and I think that Mike and JJ make one another truly happy! So, best wishes to you both, JJ and Mike!!!

It happend...

Well, Chuck found out last night that he was going to be laid off. We don't have any idea for how long, but we were expecting it. That makes it a little easier to take. I guess it really makes it hit home how bad the economy is. In all of our married life we had never faced any real threats of a layoff before. I am still thankful because I know that there are so many people whose situations are much worse than ours. I guess you just have to look at these things like that. On the bright side, at least we'll have a "stay at home dad" now. I guess that means I will come home to a sparkling clean home with dinner in the oven and all of the laundry done....Just kidding, I think that may be a BIT much to hope for. Anyway, just wanted to give everyone an update.

Tuesday Tribute

My tribute today, as I'm sure you might have guessed, is to my sweet daughter McKenzie. She is our baby and we are so very proud of her. At just seven years old, she is already quite a special young lady. She makes us so proud every single day (well, except for when we have to clean under her bed - must get that from her dad...LOL!). Here are just a few of the reasons that I love our little girl:

*She loves to dance and works really hard at getting better each week.

*She has made some wonderful friends that we hope she keeps for life.
*She really tries to please her teachers and always does her best work at school.

*She is respectful of her parents and she obeys our rules.

*She loves her "grammies" and "grampies" and is always eager to spend time with them.

*She LOVES to sing in the car, especially Taylor Swift!

*She is a complete and total "Daddy's Girl!"

*She is a great little shopper...which I love.

*She cares about other people and she does good deeds "just because..."

*She has some really awesome cousins that she looks up to.

*She can put together one heck of a cute outfit!

*She loves JJ and talks about her all the time!

*She loves her big brother and looks up to him (which is so sweet).

*She wants to be a teacher like her mom when she grows up.

*She is the best daughter EVER...we couldn't ask for any better!!

Confessions of a Blogger...

Okay guys, I have become just a little (okay, a LOT) addicted to checking my blog. I totally can't wait to get home from school to check and see who might have been looking at my blog and if I have any comments. What is the big thrill with comments?!?! I really don't know, but I get SO excited when I see that I have comments!!! Do you other bloggers feel the same way? I have been making an effort to comment more on other blogs that I visit because I want to make other people feel that same happiness. That's totally normal, right?!?! Really, should my family be planning an intervention? I just want all of my blog friends to know how happy you make me with your comments...keep 'em coming! Actually, when I think about it, I am obsessive about all forms of communication...ask my family...I drive them nuts checking messages when we are away from home. I have no idea what I think I might be missing, but I feel compelled to check. Like, every. ten. minutes. I am serious. Even checking the mail in my mailbox is an obsession. I am so disappointed if Chuck (or the kids) get the mail before me. It's totally normal to race your children to the mailbox, right? Anyway, if you turn on A&E on some Monday night and you see my picture, you'll know that I'll soon be facing an intervention...(I am addicted to that show too...where do the addictions end?!?!). Anyway...no pressure (MOM), but feel free to leave me a comment (MOM!).

Tuesday Tribute

I chose to do my tribute today to Brock. He is our first born and he has had the job of "breaking us in" as parents. We had to learn all the ropes with Brock and, lucky for us, he has been a great kid. As I have said before, Brock is totally himself. He is a unique individual and Chuck and I can't wait to see where life takes him. I think that he is going to grow up to do great things. I thought that it might be better to list some of the things that I admire most about my boy:

*He knows his own mind and has an incredible sense of himself.

*He thinks for himself and doesn't always follow the crowd.

*He loves the Lord and isn't afraid to let others know about the promise of Jesus.

*He is a great big brother to Kenzie.

*He has a caring heart and a loving personality.

*He chooses to see the best in others, even when his parents don't.

*He has a forgiving spirit.

*He is a true friend.

*He is kind to his grandparents.

*He is respectful to his parents.

*He is charitable to others.

*He chooses his friends wisely.

*He loves his science!!!

*Generally speaking.....he ROCKS!!!!

Love ya, buddy! Keep on being exactly who you are and you will do fine in this world!

Valentine's Day, Brock's Way

If you know my Brock at all, then you know that he is his own person. He has his own ideas and he is not influenced by others. Brock marches to the beat of his own drummer and he is confident in that path. That is one of the things that I admire about my son. When he found out that they were going to have judging at school for Valentine's Day boxes, he wasn't that crazy about the idea. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do Valentine's Day his way. And so the adventure began. One of my most vivid memories about growing up is working with my dad to make my Valentine's boxes. You see, my dad is super artistic and he can do just about anything he puts his mind to. I always had really cool Valentine's boxes growing up and now, my dad is seeing to it that Brock follows in that tradition. Brock had the idea to do a serpent type creature (I know, just what comes to mind when you think of Valentine's Day!). He wasn't going to do the typical red and pink hearts; that would be WAY too typical. So, with his creative mind and his grandpa's artistic ability, they set out to make the ultimate Valentine's Serpent. If you look really closely you will see that there is one heart on this non-traditional Valentine's box. Can you find it? I think the box really ROCKS, but even more than that...seeing Brock and Grandpa spending quality time together over the past few nights...THAT was the ultimate Valentine's gift!!

Tuesday Tribute

Some of the blogs that I follow do something called "Tribute Tuesday" and I wanted to give it a try. It is a way to honor those in our lives that deserve to be recognized. I have decided that there is no one in my life who is more deserving of a tribute than my husband. I can't even think of where to begin...Chuck is my best friend. He is truly one of the most selfless people I know. He always puts the kids and me before himself. He helps out, not only with the kids, but also with all of the day to day work around the house. If laundry needs done, dishes are dirty or a toilet needs cleaned, he will not hesitate to pitch in and help out. He doesn't believe in "women's work." Everything at home is "our work." Chuck has coached many of the sports that the kids have been involved in and I know that our kids will always remember how involved their dad has been in their lives. He takes time to get to know our kids' friends and I have seen him on many a day in the front yard playing football, baseball, soccer or some other game with the kids (well, alright, he may be doing that for HIS enjoyment...but the kids enjoy it too!). One thing I really appreciate is all of the little things he does to make my life easier, like putting gas in my car so I don't have to mess with it (I can't remember the last time I had to pump my own gas), bringing me a coffee in the morning or making supper when he knows I'll be home late. All and all, I think I am pretty darn lucky, so today, I am sure glad to pay tribute to my great hubby. Love you, Chuck!!!! Check back next week to see who I pay tribute to next.

Our Funny Valentine

McKenzie and I had the idea to take some pics of her for her Valentine's Day cards. I have seen some adorable photo Valentine's on some of the blogs I visit and I wanted to try to get a cute picture for us to use. Now, I would have loved to have taken some of Brock, but apparently it isn't "cool" in fourth grade to have your mom take Valentine's photos for cards, sooo...I settled for what I could get. We had fun trying to get a cute picture inside and, I have to tell you, my daughter closes her eyes more than any child I have ever seen. I don't know whether we were going to laugh or cry taking these pictures. I must have taken fifty shots and, of those, maybe 15 had her eyes open! Isn't that CRAZY?!?! We had that same problem on the first day of school. I thought we were going to be late trying to get a picture of Kenzie with her eyes open!!! Anyway, we did get a couple that I was tickled with and even more importantly...we had FUN together doing it.

Too Funny!

Tonight Brock and Kenzie were sitting at the bar and we were talking about the super bowl. I asked Brock who he was rooting for and he said the Cardinals. After a minute he asked Kenzie who she was rooting for. She just shrugged her shoulders and never looked up from what she was doing and said, "Oh, I just wait for the game to be over and then I root for the winners." I thought that was too funny!!!