Our Anniversary

I really have the best kids and husband. I’m so blessed by my family. :) I awoke to a breakfast prepared by my kiddos. I had gone to the store the day before and got frozen waffles, french toast, muffins, coffee cake, and bacon. I figured the kids could decide what to bring. Little did I know, they were planning on bringing me all of those!!! AND a cup of coffee! I discovered that my kids do not know that when something is frozen you have to hit the frozen setting on the toaster or it won’t cook all the way through. Hrmf. I did eat the bacon, coffee cake, and some of the others. French toast that is not heated all the way through is just plain nasty!! I loved their thoughtfulness and although I was awake the whole time they were downstairs preparing my breakfast, I pretended to be asleep when they came in my room. Jasmine made me the sweetest card too!

Then.....I went downstairs to find my “spa” awaiting me. I had a mini-pedicure. Haely and J.T. washed my feet and then all five of them painted two toenails each. After my toenails dried, I was treated to an 8 minute massage. Gabe and J.T. were over the massage pretty early on, but my other 3 darlings kept with it. It was a definite treat!

After my spa, it was my turn to treat the kids. :) We went to the bank and traded our change jar in for cash---we had $63! Then we headed to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and games. I was the reigning champ on the highest amount of tickets collected. I traded my 150 tickets in for 5 mini tootsie roll lollipops, and 5 tootsie rolls. The kids had fun and to tell the truth, so did I! It’s fun getting to be a kid again.

We got home and later in the evening, I had a package arrive from my husband. He sent me chocolate dipped apples and strawberries. I was so excited to open it up. My excitement dropped when I opened the box only to see the chocolate was melted and it looked like someone had just thrown this all over the place. It was disappointing. I’m not one to call customer service and complain, but in this case I did---it paid off too! Tomorrow I should have another box arriving. I hope this one turns out better. Brad comes home for a long weekend Thursday night---we should be able to enjoy the fruit together.

Happy Anniversary Baby

Bradley. My Love. Next to Jesus, you and you alone are the best thing that has happened to me. Thank you for calling me that fateful April Saturday. Thank you for taking me in all my faults and loving me just the same. Thank you for this journey you are taking me on. Eight years ago I pledged my heart to you and you will always be the keeper of my love. We have a beautiful family and I am blessed and honored to be called your wife. We’ve got something special Baby. I love you.

L-O-V-E

I love this picture. And I love my man. Love him. And I miss him terribly. He really is such an amazing man. I’m not just saying that either, I feel it so deeply. I can hardly believe that in 2 weeks we will celebrate our 8 year anniversary. 8 years. It has been 8 full years. 8 years of milestones, sadness, and joy. I was trying to remember what we have done on all our anniversaries and this is what I’ve come up with:

Year 1- Dinner at Steinhibler’s in Virginia Beach. I was 6 1/2 months pregnant with J.T. We went here on our first date too. :)

Year 2- Prince Charming surprised me and planned our anniversary. We went to this little town a couple hours away and went horseback riding. It meant the world that he did that for us.

Year 3- Steak dinner at home to replicate the first date...and then we had a mini celebration at Cold Stone’s with Boo who was just a wee one at 1 1/2 months old!

Year 4- ummm....I’ll remember and update this year later

Year 5- We got overnight sitters for the kids and went to St. Elmo’s for dinner then we got a hotel room downtown.

Year 6- guess I gotta update this one later too

Year 7- Night in with yummy dessert and sparkling grape juice

What does year 8 hold?? Hopefully it will hold an offer or contract on our house so we can be together as a family again. I love you Schnookems! :)

You're as pretty as....

I love my kiddos. And I love the things that they say to me. Sometimes I scratch my head after and give a little, "Eh?" Last night I had one of those moments. I was in the school room/dining room writing on the board when Justin came in. Here's the conversation:

Justin: Mommy?

Me: Yes?

Justin: You're as pretty as a toilet.

Me: What???

Justin: (laughing) You're as pretty as a toilet.

I then go into the kitchen and tell Brad that Justin told me I was as pretty as a toilet. He started laughing. And I mean laughing. Then the conversation goes like this:

Brad: Benjamin, tell Mommy what I told you to tell her.

Benjamin: MOMMY! You're as pretty as a toooilet!

Brad is then laughing pretty hard and he says, "I told them to say that you were as pretty as a TULIP!!!!"

So there you have it folks. I'm as pretty as a tulip....or as my boys would say...a toilet. Lucky me. :)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

September 14^th,

Brad had to leave for work early this morning. He got up and got ready and then came and climbed back in bed with me and started singing, “You are so beautiful to me….” There I am laying in a tank top, make up all smeared because I didn’t take it off the night before and probably had drool running down my face and he is singing, “You are so beautiful to me…” Either he’s really in love or smoking crack! =)