Christmas Eve

I sit here with rollers in my hair, wet toe nails, all lotioned up, sipping a cup of coffee...getting ready for Christmas Eve church service. This is my favorite time of year. Watching my children get all excited for what tonight and tomorrow will bring, talking about "Jesus's birthday", preparing food for "Santa" and his reindeer, and celebrating Papa's (my wonderful dad) 55th birthday! This is a lot of excitement for one weekend! I am enjoying my down time now...that is while I have it. I love every moment of Christmas.

The hole in my heart this year is my best friend, my brother not being home for Christmas. He has a great reason, serving over seas and protecting our freedom, but still, I miss him terribly. Only he gets my sense of humor- and actually laughs at what I say, only because he is thinking the same thing! Nine more months is way too long. I feel like he should be home in nine more days...
**sigh**

Merry Christmas to you and your family! Give lots of hugs, lots of smiles, and lots of love this weekend. And remember why we celebrate.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

It is starting to look like Christmas!

Christmas. It is starting to look a lot like Christmas in our home. The tree is up. Presents are wrapped. Cards have been mailed. Snow is on the ground. And the official Christmas pajama pictures have been captured.

The kids always get excited when I pull out my backdrops and camera equipment. Of course, a 7:30 am photo session is the best way to go...that is when my kids are the happiest (Lord help me!!)

Yesterday was Ross' birthday. What a fun weekend we had celebrating! Happy 29th birthday honey! 

Other than that, not too much going on. I am staying pretty busy with all of the December birthdays in our house, plus getting everything ready for Christmas. I would say, considering all of the stress I have been under lately, I have stayed relatively healthy. I couldn't be happier for that! Knock on wood... 

We are planning a fun week with family and friends, celebrating the birth of our Savior. This is all after my root canal tomorrow of course! No fun in that!!
I pray that all of my friends and family ( especially the ones living away who I won't get to see...) have an amazing and wonderful Christmas.

...And a VERY merry Christmas to my brother who is now overseas, serving our country. I love you Matt!

Caleb turns 5???!

It has been awhile, I know. I have had so much on my plate lately, my blog has been pushed to the back burner. The most recent huge news is that my baby boy, Caleb, turned five last Thursday! Unbelievable that is has been five whole years since I gave birth to him. It really does seem like just yesterday...

5 years ago I was 36 weeks pregnant, preparing for my baby boy to arrive on January 9. He had a different plan for me! On December 9, 2005 I woke up at 5 am to a soaking wet bed; my water had broke. Being a first time mom, I had no clue. I had just thought I peed the bed. Seriously. At 8 months pregnant, it could happen! Moving to the couch, I realized that it was a little more than that. With a little urging from my husband, we headed out to the hospital to make sure. Good thing I did, I was 6 cm dilated and 100% effaced at arrival. I had never imagined it would happen so fast. Labor was well underway and could not be stopped at this point. At 12:34 pm, after only a few pushes, my beautiful baby boy, Caleb Ross, was born with no complications and completely healthy. I could not have asked for a more perfect delivery, or a more perfect baby boy. He was the most wonderful Christmas gift I have ever received. That little boy blesses me daily and fills my life with so much joy.

Fast forward 5 years. I just want to freeze time and keep him five forever now. He is growing way to quickly, right before my eyes. Caleb had school on his birthday, so we celebrated Thursday evening with a family dinner at Bravo, his request. The family birthday party was this past Sunday. We had a wonderful time celebrating with cupcakes, ice cream and lots of laughing (...and presents!)

Loved all the way from North Carolina!

WOW! Iron Man! Wowwwweeeee!

Even Addy got to join in the fun! A remote controled My Little Pony???!!

Has not set it down since! Hello new favorite toy!

Thank you Nana Sharon and Doc!

Grover all the way from New York? Thank you Uncle Logan!!

Cowboy boots. Real cowboy boots! Caleb slept in these for two straight nights!

Woody pajamas and a sled?! We will be using that sled a lot!

...And a Dairy Queen Blizzard maker??!

Thanks for the pillow pet sister!

Time for candles and cupcakes...

About to blow out candles, holding his prized whoopee cushion!

Monday came and my poor little (newly turned) five year old woke up sick, just like his daddy. He spent the day laying on the couch moaning and groaning... the stomach flu is no fun. We are all snowed in (major Ohio blizzard), so I guess the timing is okay, if I had to choose. I am sure he would much rather have spent the day sledding and building a snowman, like most kids did today (all the area schools have been cancelled), but we did enjoy a lot of Gatorade, ginger ale, naps, and movie time.  So far, and surprisingly, I have been the only one in the family who has managed to not get sick. Vitamin C, I swear by it.

...Now I should go get some sleep. Santa has more shopping to do this week. Christmas is coming fast!

PS. I am feeling great right now! The antibiotics did their job and I am cough and fever free, and pray it stays that way though the holidays! Thank you for all of your prayers!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

What I woke up to this morning!

Addy playing in the "little" bit we had yesterday! Now we have three times as much!

Addy

My sweetheart. I was doing a photo shoot for my cousin and Addy jumped in! I couldn't pass up the chance...she was sitting so still, and smiling!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am exhausted and will add more pictures later!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This was the first year that Ross and I hosted...for 29 people!! Needless to say, for a mama on IVs right now, that is a lot of work. I am pooped...and off to bed. No crazy black Friday shopping for me tomorrow...

I am so incredibly thankful for all of my family that was here and the family that was not. I enjoyed getting to talk to my brother today on skype...brought tears to my eyes, I miss him so much!

10 wonderful years!

10 years ago I had just started my first year at Malone College. I was young and enjoying all the freedoms that came with living on a college campus, away from home for the first time.

 I remember sitting in a required communications speaking class, bored as can be, and scoping out all the  guys that surrounded me. One caught my eye. A tall, handsome, brown eyed, dark hair, boy....barely a man, with the most sexy smile. He made my heart flutter, and gave me reason to wake up for that dreadful 8 am class, three days a week. Seeing him across the room, and watching him give his weekly "presentations"...made me giddy, even though we had never spoken a word at that point. I knew for sure that he was the guy I wanted to marry, the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I know this sounds corny, and almost unbelievable, but couldn't be more true.

Week after week I would nonchalantly glance in his direction. I was shy, and had almost no experience with boys and dating. This went on through mid-October. One night I had plans with a friend of mine to hang out, and he had asked if his other friend could tag along with us. To my very pleasant surprise, this crush of mine was that friend. I was  formally introduced to Ross and it was love at first sight, and if not love, it was like-a-lot at first sight! Through this mutual friend of ours, we began spending more and more time together. I was not quite sure how Ross felt about me, but took a chance one night in the freshman guys dorm lobby and asked him out to see a movie. He said yes, and we spent almost every night hanging out and talking on the phone for the following weeks. This boy made my heart thump a million beats a minute and I couldn't get him off my mind...just ask my mom, I couldn't stop talking about him. I am sure all my friends and family were pretty sick of hearing about this Ross guy and even more sick of my girlie giggles and squeals at the mention of his name. I was in love. Head over heels in love.

 I had never told Ross about me having CF, we weren't even officially dating yet, and were definitely not exclusive. Sometime at the beginning of November I started getting sick, and was put into the hospital. At this point I had no other option than to let him get to know me, the real me, all about me. CF was not an issue for him and to make a long story short, he loved me for me. On November 15, 2000 he asked me if I would officially be his girlfriend. We have been together ever since. He purposed to me on October 1, 2002, and we were married on June 26, 2004. On December 9, 2005 we welcomed our first child, Caleb Ross into the world and 2 years later on June 12, 2008, our daughter, Adalyn Judith was born. We have built a wonderful life filled with love and joy together.

Ross still makes me giddy, and the very thought of him still makes my heart thump a million beats a minute. I look forward to him coming home every night from work, and I count the days until our next "date night". He is my best friend, the love of my life, and soul mate. I am never happier than when I am spending time with him and the most precious children that we brought into this world together. I appreciate everything about Ross. He is not perfect, but he is imperfectly perfect for me, and because of him I do believe in happily ever afters. Ross is my prince charming. I am more and more in love with him every day and cannot wait to spend the next 10 years of my life with him.

10 absolutely wonderful years together. 10 beautiful years. Gosh, I sure do love this man. I sometimes wonder what I have ever done to be so blessed.

How do I choose?!

This past week has been kind of crazy as most of you have been reading, but the exciting news is that we purchased some much needed new living room couches.

My living room is so empty right now. The old ones sold and the new ones will not arrive until Monday. I have a clean slate to work with as far as decor and accents, and for anyone that knows me...well let's just say, I LOVE to shop and I LOVE to decorate! I tend to have very expensive taste, on a little bit of a budget.

I came across an online store that offers just that on some of the most gorgeous and affordable coffee tables.

I am in love.

The possibilities are endless.

The yellow one may just be my favorite!