Wordless Wednesday - Boo's First Christmas

Christmas morning should be interesting!!!

Sunday Snapshot - Thankful

As I sit here tonight, I am reminded of all that I have to be thankful for.

Given what has happened with our family, financially over the last 2 years, it could be very hard and it could be a daily struggle to stay thankful.

However, I am thankful for so many things.

I am thankful when I see my girls hold hands as they walk together to their friend's house.

I am thankful when the kids use good manners.

I am thankful for a beautiful 70 degree day in November...

and I am thankful for our struggles.

Yep, I said it!

I am thankful for all of the financial struggles that the past 2 years have brought.

Why, you might ask?

Well, without these struggles, we might never know to be thankful for hands that are held, well said "yes mam's" or a beautiful day.

It is funny how these struggles, these things that can make us so ungrateful, can make you so incredibly grateful, can totally change the way you look at life and what is important in your life and what the Lord tells you is important in your life.

Don't get me wrong, we are still so, so much better off than so many here in this country and certainly all over the world, yet these are our struggles and struggles they are but God has shown me how to be thankful and God has shown me so much of what I have to be thankful for.

I am thankful for this guy...

My dear sweet hubby who loves me for me, with all my craziness and "emotionalness" or should I say "emotional-mess!"  LOL!  He is having to say "no" to me right now on something that means the world to me and I know how much that is tearing him up inside and I know how much he wants to say "yes" because...

He LOVES me and I am thankful!

I am thankful for my eldest child, Christian

who just tonight told me that he had watched a documentary on teens who had no parents and how thankful he was to have us and how it "moved" him.  I was reminded again tonight what a good and kind heart my teenager has, what a responsible nature and deep, deep soul.  We had a long talk, a good talk and I am thankful!

I am thankful for my Charlie

who makes me smile just by being in the room and brightens my day, every day and who still (at 11 years old) will come to me for a hug and grab my hand as we walk along, who would rescue every single stray that his momma doesn't (heh).  Charlie knows when I need something and is always right there to give it and I am thankful!

I am thankful for my Caleb

who has a heart so large that it really takes my breath away sometimes.  Caleb who upon hearing that his oldest brother needed money to pay for something, gave him his last $12 and these days, around here, $12 might as well be $100!  Caleb who has also offered to give me all if his money to help bring another child home, "cause I know how expensive it is, Mom and we need to bring another sister home."  I am speechless and I am thankful.

I am thankful for my sweet Emmeline

who is the epitome of "be careful what you ask for!"  Hehe!  Em is part "pink loving" girly girl who wants so desperately to be a mommie and part "don't mess with me or I will hurt you" tomboy, with a heart of gold!  My sweet Em who at 3 years old wanted to bring home all the babies so that "they would all have mommies and daddies."  My sweet Em who can give her sister such grief but the minute Lizzie starts to struggle or cry, my girly tomboy will be right by her sister's side to try and make it all better and I am thankful!

I am thankful for my precious Lizzie

who has changed the course and purpose of my life.  My sweet Lizzie who tells me 10 times a day, "I love you Mommie," even when she is struggling.  My amazing daughter who inspires my heart and touches my soul every single day, who will, with joy in her heart, give away her last treasure, trusting that there will be more treasures to come.  My beautiful Lizzie who refuses to be defined by her fingers and toes but by her heart, makes me thankful!

So, you see, despite the struggles and even because of the struggles, I am incredibly blessed and so very, very thankful.  I am fabulously wealthy,  beyond what money can buy and I AM THANKFUL!

What are you thankful for?

To read more Sunday Snapshots go here,

Happy Thanksgiving!

What I am thankful for:

Five kids...

Five dogs...

a very big truck (although perhaps not quite big enough) and ...

headphones to keep my sweet hubby sane!  Hehe!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sunday Snapshot - Swimming

Ever heard of Christmas in July??

Well how about swimming in November???

Yes, it is the week before Thanksgiving and it was a brisk 80 something degrees here, so after a hot afternoon of soccer...

The girls figured it was time to go swimming...

in November

 

right before Thanksgiving

turkey who???

it was hot

and that was all it took

for a 20 minute quick trip back to summer

tomorrow may bring coats and scarfs but today

was all about bathing suits and swimming pools!! 

and where were the boys you might ask???

Not here!  Heh!

To read more Sunday Snapshots go here,

Lost but NOT found - by us!

Can you believe it????

This adorable yet really dirty little kitten was found at one of our soccer games this season

and guess what???

He did NOT come home with us!!!!

Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Note relieved laughter!

Another kind hearted family gave this little one a home!

Thank goodness!

Sometimes in doggie and kitty rescue, you feel like you are the only one who does crazy stuff like take in lost little kittens or abandoned doggies.

It does my heart good everytime I hear of another sweet soul getting rescued...

especially by a family other than ours!!!

Hehe!

Thanksgiving - Really???

OK so WOW!

It is almost Thanksgiving!!!

How did that happen???

Wasn't it just Halloween???

I am the kids are still eating their Halloween candy!

How can it almost be Thanksgiving??

Sigh!

Time marches on!

So, just as I put up the Halloween lights and I am the kids are finishing up the remnants of their Halloween candy, the girls have their Thanksgiving Day program at school!

Em was a Native American...

Princess, if you ask her!  Heh!

and Lizzie....

Well my precious little Lizzie was a

TURKEY

and happy to be one, I must say!  Hehe!

I was so thankful for my princess and my turkey and so proud of both of them but...

The one thing that truly made me thankful was finding out that my little turkey is more than likely going to be released from the school's Special Ed program!!!

Yep, that little turkey has gone and done so well at school and at life, that her Special Ed teachers and her Kindergarten teachers think she would be better served spending her entire day, every day with her mainstream kindergarten class.

Oh boy is my little turkey going to gobble this up!!  (sorry - heh)

She hated being pulled from her mainstream class to go to her Special Ed classes - but shhhhhh!

It is not quite official yet and you don't want to spoil the surprise!!!

Way to go my little turkey lurkey! 

I knew those broken wings would eventually heal and you would soar!

I know, I know, turkeys don't fly...

but apparently this one does, with a little help from her turkey day twin!!!

Love my girls!

Sunday Snapshot - Room #6

So Thursday started out to be like any other day.

I sent the girls off to school.

I drove the older boys to school.

I got Caleb started on his Math test...

and then...

I answered my phone...

I should have known when I saw the number...

I KNEW when I heard her voice...

"Mrs. Hamlin, this is L--- H---, I am here with Emmeline - in the nurse's office...

"in the nurse's office"

Never a good thing!

At this point you know that you are either going to be dealing with a vomiting child or a bleeding child and with my kids, with the exception of one who tends to vomit when he just thinks he might have a fever, if you chose bleeding...

you would be right!!!

Now, here is the toughie!

Can you guess which child tried to get out of school by bleeding profusely from the head???

No peaking!!

If you have read my blog for a while, you might just be able to guess which child had a fight with his/her desk

and lost!

Which child might, how shall I say this, be a bit more inclined to end up at the nurse's office bleeding so badly that his/her Mom (that would be I) had to be called away from her perfectly peaceful morning routine??

Well, here is a hint.

It is not this one, believe it or not,

but it might as well have been!

Got it now???

Well, if you guessed this one...

You would be right!!!!

Yes, little Miss Emmeline decided that she just had to follow in the foot steps of her brothers, her "twin" brother to be exact!

So, off we go to the local urgent care, who honestly should know us by name and have a dedicated wing just for our kids!  Heh!

Dear Miss Em ended up in the same exact bed, the same exact room, room #6, as did her "twin" when he decided to wipe up the road with his face!

Ah yes, room #6, I remember it well.  What memories!! 

We were treated to popcorn and soda and chips and prizes and...

stitches!

Yep, Miss Em decided that even though her injuries didn't require a CT scan or an MRI as did her "twin's," she figured she would "out stitch" him by 3 whole stitches!

but with all the chips and popcorn and prizes and soda that you can handle, who cares about 5 little stitches!

I am surprised we didn't end up back at the local urgent care later that night with tummy aches!

My kids spent the rest of the day banging their heads up against the wall trying to get me to take them back!!

I am on to you, urgent care place!!!

So that was out little stroll down memory lane in room #6.

I spent the rest of the day trying to keep her quiet!

Yeah right!

Once again, Miss Em has proven that she is...

JUST LIKE HER BROTHERS!

Sigh!!!  Hehe!

To read more Sunday Snapshots, go here