Things I would like to do.....

I thought that I would blog a little differently tonight!! I am going to list things that I would like to do in my lifetime, hopefully over the next couple of years!! AND these are in no particular order, just things I would like to do!!

1. Place more trust in God

2. Have more FAITH

3. Read the scriptures cover to cover ( I did in seminary but thats been too long ago)

4. Watch my children grow up healthy and happy

5. Be the best mother ever

6. Gain a stronger testimony

7. Take a cruise!!

8. Have FHE every week

9. Carve my body into a state of fabulous

10. Paint the rooms in my house

11. Get a new digital camera and take lots of pictures

12. Visit my family in Harkers Island more

13. Get a great tan every single summer

14. Do something to help terminally ill children and their families

15. Give to the needy

16. Spend a day just driving and spend the night wherever we end up

17. Go fishing

18. Plant a tree

19. Go white water rafting

20. Nurture self confidence and humility in my children

21. Take a ride in a plane (never been on an airplane, there is a hot pink plane that flies into Atlanta and thats the one I want to go on!! LOL)

22. Visit a foreign country

23. Take a trip to Hawaii

24. Learn to play the piano better

25. Be a better example to my family

26. Not take so many things for granted

27. Go to school!!!

28. Say I love you more

29. Go to a concert

30. Plant a garden

31. Run in a race

32. Have all of the kids pictures taken and framed and placed in my living room!!

33. Get a piano!!

34. Eat dinner every night at a reasonable time!!

35. Take a trip to the mountains!!

36. Make more friends, where I live

37. Blog weekly

38. Travel to Utah

39. Have a BIG Thanksgiving dinner at my house!!

40. Be more humble

Okay this is taking longer than I thought, I have to go and finish dinner, another late night of eating, get the kids in the shower and put on their pj's and get ready for a hopefully good nights sleep!!

OK so its been too long.............. not that anyone probably even reads this!!

Ok so I have waited way to long to post again. So much has happened. I was only 8 weeks pregnant the last time I posted and I am now 22 weeks along!!! We have found that this sweet little spirit that is joining our family is a little girl!! Her name is Mali Anna. I think Mali is such a cute name and LOVE IT!! It also is a Thai name, most of you know that John is 1/2 Thai, BUT I dont think we are pronouncing it the Thai way. It is pronounced like mallie or Tally the Thai way is pronounced more like Molly!! Anyway, then John and I decided on Anna, after my Nannie, Annie Lee!! So when we found out Michael said he had too many sisters, he didnt want another sister he wanted a brother!! I think he would have given her to anyone who would have taken her!! BUT now ALL the kids are excited and we all anxiously await her arrival. I have had complications throughout this pregnancy so we are hoping that her arrival wont be until the end of October like it should be. We are keeping our fingers crossed!!

Last week Grandma and Pa came for their 1st visit to our home here in Georgia. They got here on Monday and were supposed to leave on Friday, BUT Pa left all of his medication at home so there visit was short-lived. Maleah was baptized that Tuesday night by her Pa. They left the next morning for a trip to the Island, the kids were so excited to be able to spend time with their cousins!! I am ready for them to COME HOME!!! I am sure they are having a wonderful time. The first full day they were at Pa's and Grandma's there were 18 kids there!! I was telling Granny about it and she said I bet your Moms head hurts!! LOL!! Its just the way she loves it!! Hopefully they will be able to go out in the boat before they do come home.
Courtney and her boyfriend are down this way right now, they are at Six Flags today and are supposed to come and visit me tomorrow before they leave. Slowly but surely we are finally having family come and visit us!! We are hoping that when Mali is born that we will be fortunate enough to have family visit again!! Well I have been on here for long enough, I guess I should go get back in bed and try to take it easy. We want Mali right where she is for as long as possible!!

Well............

Well 4 days after my last post, the day before Johns 39th birthday, we found out we were having a baby!!! John and I and Marlee, Makenna, Maleah and Michael are so excited!!! Marlee and Makenna wants another baby brother so they can put make-up on him ;) Maleah wants a baby sister and Michael wants 2 baby brothers that he can teach how to play ball. I have an appointment on Thursday for my 1st ultrasound and John and I cant wait!! My due date is October 28, I will be 8 weeks tomorrow!!

We also have opened our own business!! A to Z Vacuums and Shampooers. Michael dropped out of Pre-K to help Daddy run the shop. He says he doesnt like that they never have a day off!! LOL But he loves to go to work with Daddy instead of going to Pre-K. I am still working at the furniture store with hopes of retiring soon. Marlee, Michael and Maleah have birthdays next week. Marlee is having a sleepover/spa party on Friday night, she is inviting 11 girls so it should be fun!! Next week is also there Spring Break and I have taken most of the week off, hopefully I will be able to get some spring cleaning done!!

John and Michael are off to work and I need to be getting ready!! So I guess I will keep this one short and brief and update again after my appt on Thursday!!

By-the-way, the picture down below of the hotel we took Macy and her kids in, got quite a bit of damage during the tornadoes this weekend!! Needless to say, we couldnt ride that elevator right now!!

Long time coming!!!

Time sure does pass fast!!! I cant believe that it has been almost 2 months since I have blogged!! You know we moved here the 1st week of May 2007 and the only person to visit us was Brookie!!! We LOVE you Brookie!! Well FINALLY someone else came to visit!! Macy and her 4 kids!!! We had a great time visiting with them!! We took them to Noahs Ark!!! This is a must for anyone visiting us!!! It is an animal shelter/ foster home for kids!! They have two new tigers that they rescued from North Carolina, just a couple of months ago!! They have deer and llama just walking freely around the zoo. The kids and the BIGGEST kid, JOHN, got in trouble for roaring at the lion!! BUT the animals that I love most there are the monkeys!!! A first for all of us was going to downtown and going to the Westin. This is a 72 story hotel that has a glass elevator on the outside of it!!! It has the best view of Atlanta that you could ever see. It is pretty amazing!!

We first took them to Underground Atlanta, where we were followed in by a homeless man, who knew quite well what he was doing, trying to act all nice and helpful, then asking for money!! And he got some!!! Then we made the what seemed like 50 block walk to the Westin for the incredible view. This was an entertaining walk!! This was the same day as the primary Presidential elections in Georgia!! As we were walking this truck with like a 10 foot bed drives by full of people clapping and chanting OBAMA OBAMA!! Michael asked his Daddy, why are they saying YO MAMA YO MAMA?!! funny Anyway we had a good time and a LONG walk back with 3 adults and 8 kids, 5 of which were 4 and under!!!! We had a fun time and hope they can come back again!!!

John and I (and the kids) are opening our own business this weekend!! A to Z Vacuums. We repair vacuums, sell reconditioned ones and have parts and supplies (bags, belts, etc.) for them!! I have to work on Saturday but John and the kids will be having the grand opening that day!! The kids have all of next week off for their mid-winter break!! Everyone has been sick with colds and such over the past few weeks, SO hopefully they will be well and be able to enjoy their break!!! Hopefully I will be able to blog more and keep anyone who does read this more up to date with what is going on in our crazy lives down here in the south!!!

The past year!!

What a wonderful past year!! There have been so many things happen in the past year!! It started off with meeting John. What a wonderful man he is and what a blessing he has been in the lives of me and my kids. We met him the first time in January and he and I knew right away, even before we actually met face to face, that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with eachother!! We drove many many miles to see and be with eachother and each time was well worth it!!
In February, John turned 38!!!! Yes he is getting old. And his health keeps showing that. We have nicknamed Old Man, amongst other things!! In March, Marlee turned 11. What a beautiful girl and what a help she has always been to her mama!! She is one of my best friends, I have always talked to her about everything. She is such a smart girl and shows that all the time!!That same day, Michael turned 4. He is a mama's boy!! I cant imagine my life without him. He is not the typical little boy. He is such a joy to all of us. And brings many tears to mine and Johns eyes, by the sweet things he says and does. He is so sweet and has one of the biggest hearts that I know!! My sweet little Maleah, she turned 7 the next day!! She can be quite the handful!! She is sugar and spice and everything nice and the little devil all wrapped in one!! She makes life quite interesting and keeps us on our toes!! But shes the sweetest little girl in the world when shes sweet!! Lexi turned 14 in May. Everybody loves their big sister!! She brings so much laughter to our house when she comes and visits. The kids have the best time with her . In May, we also made the move from Harkers Island to Griffin. What a BIG change this has been for all of us!! Being away from our family has been hard on us all but we do love where we are!! The kids finished out school here, the last 3 weeks and have all adjusted very well. In June I turned 31. I remember when I thought that someone 31 was OLD. But now that doesnt see so old anymore!! In July, John and I got married!!! It was just he and I and the kids. We had a quick ceremony and said our "I do's" We plan on honeymooning one day!! In August the kids started school again and have made many many friends. In September Makenna turned 10, double digits now. My other baby is growing up too!! She is also so very smart and beautiful and such a big help to us!! Makenna is one of the sweetest little girls that any could ever meet, with the prettiest smile in the world!! And now we are at the very end of the year!! Like I said, many changes have happened over this past year. We have lost several loved ones and also gained some new sweet spirits in our family. We are truly blessed with all that we have and hope that the New Year to come brings us just as many blessings as this past year.

Ok, it has been too long!!

Wow, it has been almost a month since I have blogged!! What a stressful, emotional time of year. I am sitting here over 500 miles away from my family, with the exception of John and the kids. My baby sister is having her 2nd child in the morning. Her name is going to be Kenly Dawn. I really wish that I could be there to see this beautiful addition to our family. I try not to think too much about it because I think I could get emotional about this very very easily. I just pray that things go well and that Mariah will recover quickly. Then theres Christmas!! I dont know when I will be ready for that this year. Usually I have most of my shopping done if not finished by now and I havent even started. Then there is the question of when will we get to the Island? Who knows? John's schedule is so busy and the last time I went there without him and didnt think that I could get back home to him quick enough.
I have started substitute teaching and have stayed pretty busy doing that. I still work for his brother too at the office!! Then being a mom, wife and housekeeper on top of that. I stay busy most of the time and could sleep at the drop of a hat. Our Thanksgiving was nice. Mine and Johns and our little family's first Thanksgiving together. We ate lunch and dinner at Granny's (Johns mom) Johns sister Elizabeth has invited us over to his parents house for Christmas Eve. Opening gifts, having a family home evening and desserts. Sounds like fun, I hope that we can go. It's the closest thing to my Harkers Island family. Being at his Dad's makes me feel like I do at the Island when everyone gets together, and it being a big Mormon family with Mormon values makes it even better.
I dont know whats up, but I have been so happy the past few days, not that I'm usually not, but just overly happy. John loves me SOOOO much and I have been so blessed to be with him. But this week things have started looking up for us financially. (we are getting our heads back above water, after him being out of work so long) I LOVE HIM!!!! And just to let everyone know he is so good to me and the kids. He loves us all and that is something we never have to doubt and thank goodness.
Well, I have so much more to say and could go on and on and on BUT the Dallas Cowboys are playing and I have got to go finish watching the game!! GO COWBOYS!!!

Novermber ALREADY!!!

I can't believe that it is NOVEMBER already!!! Only 2.5 weeks til Thanksgiving........ that means Christmas will be here before we know it. Where has the time gone. I think the older you get, the quicker time goes by.
We have been enjoying some really nice weather here. It has been in the low to mid 60's almost everyday for the past week and it gets down into the low 40's at night!! It feels SOOO good outside. Marlee and Makenna both had a friend stay the night last night. They all had the best time. Marlee went home with her friend then they called and said they were coming back because they were to bored there. When they got here we all (me, mar, kenna, leah, michael and rebecca) ventured outside into our backyard that is woods!! We are building a club in the woods!! They had the best time. As it was getting dark, we were building a fence out of some tree limbs and branches. They are so excited!! And John cant wait to get home in the morning so that he can check out this new club.
John got back to work this past week and thank goodness he switches back to day shift this coming week!!! We really enjoyed the time we were able to spend together while we were selling Kirby's for his brother. I am so glad that he is my husband and my very best friend!!
We got a phone call tonight with some pretty exciting news!! COMPANY for Thanksgiving!! We are all so excited!! Besides Brooke, they will be the 1st people to come and visit us!! Well its late and church is in the morning at 10 and I need some sleep. To all my family who live in Carteret County and anywhere else that is reading this, although we may be far apart you are always in our hearts, thoughts and prayers and we love each and every one of you, from Kenly who hasnt made her grand appearance yet to Mema and everyone in between. Lots of love from Georgia to you!!!!!