God is so Good!

Look who has some hair to work with now!!

Have you ever had a day where the words God is so good just ring in your heart and come right out of your mouth? This is how I have felt the past week. I have been full of joy not only for myself but for others as well. I started feeling like this when I decided to grow in my walk with the lord and it has continued from there. I have been doing pretty well with my quiet time, trying to spread the love of Jesus,and  not talking negatively about others or myself. I know that I have not posted about what I have done so far but I started a new job and things have been super crazy for me. The new job is awesome and I know that this is where God wants for me to be right now. Carter is adjusting well to spending the morning time with Ryan since I have to leave before him now and he is in charge of getting Carter to daycare. The drive is not much fun but I do get in a lot of quiet time during the morning drive.

Our house is STILL on the market and we continue to pray that the the lord will send someone to buy our house so we can start to focus on the new house we are building. Lets all pray hard about the house selling and moving in on schedule to the new house. This will make more time for Mommy and Carter.

Football season is here and that means Ryan is back at work all the time. We miss him but we know how much he loves his job so we will just hope December gets here quickly and they play well and win lots of games so he is in a good mood! :)

Enjoy your Monday! I am off to try and find some new recipes for our house. If you have any good ones or know of a good website let me know.

Kick off Day!

Kick off day is tomorrow! I am excited to start this journey but nervous about starting back to work and keeping up with everything. I think making time to do all the things on the must do everyday list is going to be the hardest for me. The fasting from certain things will be easier for me. However, not speaking negatively about things, people or myself will be a challenge. I am also going to try and redirect negative conversations so we will have to see people around me act towards that.

Today was a great day! Carter and I went to the water park with my mom and brother Tyler and my best friend Tiffany and her two boys. We had a blast! Carter loves the water park and going in the kid pool and lazy river. We both are sure going to miss being able to go all the time since I have to start my new job on Monday! After the water park Tiffany and I and the kids went to look for a daycare for her younger son that is closer to our new school. We had NO luck! She is really wanting a great pre-school type setting and just has not found the right one yet. I am really trying to be encouraging for her since she is getting very discouraged now that school is about to start.

To end the great day we all went and picked up Ryan from the house and we went to eat at one of our favorite restaurants Freebirds! It was great and Carter loved the beans which was a new food for him. We drove around for an hour looking for a coldstone creamery that has not closed down so I could have my last sweet for the next 60 days. It was yummy!

Hope everyone had a great Friday!

Fasting for me!

I decided to go on a spiritual fast to grow in my relationship with the Lord! I know that this might not be for everyone but this is what I think I need to do for me and since this is my blog I decided it was OK for me to blog about my experiences along the way. I am not going by any certain plan. I did read about some on the Internet but after reading about different ones I came to the conclusion that really it is about fasting from certain things, praying, and journal about your time fasting.
So I am giving up the following things...
1. Alcohol
2. Negative speaking- about others and about myself mainly because it causes no good outcomes and I feel bad after doing it
3.Sweets!

Here are some things that I decided to do everyday...........
1. Spend quiet time with God for at least 30 min
2. Make a positive comment about or to at least 3 people a day
3. Spread the word and love of God at least once a day
4. One Random act of Kindness a day

Everyday I am going to blog about how it went that day and if I was able to meet all the fasting requirements for that day. I am going to try my very hardest but I have never fasted before so I don't really know what I am in for. I do know that God and I are on this journey together and I am hoping that at the end of the 60 days I will have grown in my love of the Lord and he in his love for me. I am hoping you will want to join my on this adventure!

All my love,
 Jen

In need of a few things..............

1. A new look for my blog!
2. A new church home........... somewhere around Allen if you know any places to look let us know :)
3. someone to buy our home so we can continue our move to Allen
4. some new clothes......... bad!!!!! Mainly because all mine are big YEAH!!!!!!
5. some new things for my 6th grade classroom since I have taught 5th for the past 3 years
6. some mirrors to go in our bathrooms at the new house
7. RACHEL on big brother to go away

What do we have now?

This is what we look like all the time in the car now

Yesterday we went to see Aunt Lacey and go swimming! It was so much fun. Carter loved her community swimming pool and they had a splash park attached to it and that was fun too.

This morning we woke up with a slight fever and what I think might be an ear infection. Can you still get ear infections with tubes in your ears? He has been messing with his left ear and this seems all to familiar. So needless to say we are off to the doctor today at 4:30 to get him checked out. So today I am spending some time cleaning the house and then holding Carter a lot!!
We will see what the doctor says but hopefully he won't be to sick.

Disney World gone mad!!!!!!!!

WOW!!! We had a great time in Disney World and are finally back home. I was hoping to be able to post while we were gone but did not have Internet connection. Carter did way better then I had expected. He was awesome on the long 20 hour car ride both ways. Driving at night was what really saved us. He was able to sleep most of the way which saved us from having to entertain him for such a long ride. His very first ride was Haunted Mansion! He never cried on any of the rides and loved them all but his favorite was by far It's A Small World. He laughed and clapped the whole time we were on that ride. If the line had not been forever long we would have taken him on it again. Ryan and I enjoyed this trip more than any other time we have been to Disney mainly because we were able to see his little face light up throughout the whole trip. We know that he won't remember this time but we will and we will have lots and lots of pictures to prove how excited he was.

Here are some pictures of Carter's first time to Disney!

Eating at rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney

Taking in the wonders that are Disney!

Look Mommy I am sitting in my own seat like a big boy!

Is it time to go in the pool yet?

I LOVE THE SLIDE!!!

Silly boys!

Having a Blast

We love Disney!

This picture says it all!

Day oh Fun!

Today was a Day of Fun for Mommy and Carter! Grandma Necie came with us and we all went shopping!!! I know that I won't be able to lug him around and shop with me forever so it was fun to do it today. We went to get a new dress for the wedding rehersal tomorrow and my mom got a new dress for the wedding. Then we just went to look around and Carter was great the whole time. After we dropped off Grandma Necie, to finish cleaning out my younger brothers room before he gets back from church camp, we went to visit one of Carter's fav people. CRYSTAL!!! She is so great and her kids miss Carter so much that they played very well with him the whole time Ryan and I got our hair done. Ryan got his hair cut for the wedding and I got my color back!! It was fun to try something new for a few months but I just did not feel like myself so I went back dark.

I tried so hard to find my dress I got for the rehersal online and show you a picutre but I could not find it. I will take a picture in it tomorrow and post it. Still no clue what I will do with my hair but I know that most of it will be down. I am hoping to find a really great picture and bring it with me. I love weddings they make me want to renew my vows right away. There are so many great ideas that I have now that I am already married. Maybe I should just plan other peoples weddings in all the spare time that I seem to have. My friend Lacey who is getting married this weekend really does help plan peoples weddings on the side while her real job is teaching Kindergarten. She seems to love it! I know that she has prob. gotten tons of wedding ideas for her wedding! I can't wait to show you pictures from this weekend. I know that it will be a great wedding!

Wishing you a great FRIDAY!
JEN

On the other side of the rainbow

YEAH! Each day is getting better and Carter and I are able to get out and go play this week. Yesterday was a crazy busy day for us and I missed my blogging for the day. I was really bummed when we got home at 11pm last night and just had to go to bed.
We started our day by going and playing at Tiffany's house with her two little boys.Carter really enjoyed his time playing there even though we had to cut it short. It was so cute to see him play with the big boys. Then we were off to see Mason and play in the play in the water. He had a great time and Mason played so well with him. It is going to be so much fun with him getting to grow up with his cousins near by to play with. We went to Allen to hang out last night and have such a great time. By the time we got home Carter was out and had a great day playing and hanging out with mommy and friends.

I am still getting ready for the wedding I am in this weekend. I have not found a hair style that I just think would look great yet but I am still looking.
Tonight Ryan is going to make me a special hamburger that we saw on Man VS food. I have been waiting to have it since the surgery and now that I can eat better not great but better he is going to make it for me. It was on one of the episodes and has cheese cooked inside the burger so when you eat it the cheese flows out. We will see how it goes. I will let you know!

Any special hamburger recipies you love?

Summer is here!!!

Summer is here and this is Carter's Favorite place to hang out!!

Cater and I have started our summer finally! I am not 100% back to normal and from what the Dr. and others who have had this surgery have told me it might take up to 2 months to feel normal again but I am feeling much better! I am able to eat a little more each day. My throat is begining to unswell and the pain is still there but nothing like it has been the past two weeks. Carter and I are going to have fun today just playing around the house and we are going to stop by and visit one of Carter's fav people Mrs. Crystal after nap time.

Here is the little monkey at the water park the day before my surgery.

getting better every day!

The throat is getting better each and every day! I am so glad because I have been sooooo bored in the house and have planned some great things for Carter and I this week. We are going to the splash park with Tiffany and her kids.... the zoo with Aunt Leslie and the cousins.... the water park and Carter will get to spend the night with Grandma Niece on Friday night while Mommy and Daddy go to the wedding rehersal for Lacey and Rodney's wedding this weekend. I can't wait! The dress we are wearing is AWESOME!!!! I am not sure how I am going to get my hair done for the wedding yet but I am getting it back to it's normal color this week sometime. I have enjoyed the change and have loved getting to see what it would be like to have lighter hair again but I have grown into the darker hair and it is just way more me so I am going back! I am thinking I will have it down for the wedding with maybe a little in the front up. I really don't know so if any of you have any suggestions just let me know.

I have misplaced my cord that uploads all my pictures so I am going to work on finding that tomorrow. I have lots of Pictures to upload. I want to do a post on how much Carter has grown since he has turned 1. Today he is 14months old!!! My baby is getting older every day.

Tomorrow will start my summer even though it really started 2 weeks ago. The surgery was rough but I feel like I am on the home stretch now.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!!!

one week down.........

and I literaly mean down! I have not left the house since last Tuesday when I went to have my tonsils out. This is the longest hardest recovery that I have ever had to go through. Everyone told me how hard it would be and to expect to be in pain but this is way worse. The first few days were rough but once I hit day 5 it felt like nothing I had felt before. I can hardly swallow but have to drink at least 5 of the huge cups they gave me of water each day. Otherwise I will have to go to the ER. It is hard to stay awake but it is hard to sleep as well. SO.......... I am ready to have this over with and be back to eating. I miss playing with Carter and I do try and play with him for a little while each day. Ryan has been here most of the time. He had to work yesterday and half a day for the rest of the week.
Please pray for me to get better soon!

Another thing must come out

SO after way to many throat issues the Tonsils are coming out. Tomorrow morning is the big day so please please say some prayers for me. I am very nervous about this surgery. Out of all the ones I have had this is the one I am most nervous about. Everyone that I talk with about it says it is way bad!!!!! Prayers are needed!

Carter will be going to my Mom's so Ryan can just take care of me. Poor Ryan. He is not looking forward to this either.

Any tips that you have are great!!!!

End of the year.........

The end of the year is quickly coming to an end at school and things are sure moving along. I have started packing up my classroom a little every day after school so that I won't have to do it all at once. I am dreading having to move all my things. I did not know how much I had gotten over the past 5 years.

Carter and I went to the splash park with Tiffany and one of her little boys on Friday after work and he had the best time! I can not wait until we can go to the water park every day!! He loved the water and did not want to leave when it was time to go home.

Busy as a bee.....

This should be my new saying since it is the end of the school year for me and things just don't slow down. The closer that it gets to the last day of school the busier my days get. I am so excited to say that I have a new job for next year........... I will be teaching in Allen ISD 6th grade!!! God is moving in our lives and we are along for the ride.................

Carter turned 1!!!! He is so much fun these days. He has totally gotten his little personality going on now and I am thinking he is a good combonation of both of us. Laid back like Ryan but loud like me. He is walking and pretty much running now and he is a little follower where ever we go. He has really started playing with his toys now and it is so cute to watch him.
Today I am going to upload pictures and will post them later tonight.
How are things with you?

Cruise 2010

And now back to blogging!

Here are some pictures of our wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!

PS! Guess who is turning 1 tomorrow

It's might be a CRAZY life but it's our life................

So.......... Crazy as it might have been the past few weeks I have written posts and just never finished them. Here is a little down low on what has been going on.

1. Packing for our 7 day cruise
2. getting Carter ready to be away from us for a whole week. (more getting mommy ready)
3. Getting my students benchmarked and ready for Spring Break
4. Got my hair dyed
5. Got a chemical burn
6. Got looked at really funny for a few days while waiting to get my hair fixed
7. Got my hair fixed and loved it
8. Leaving on Friday to go on a curise with my wonderful husband!!!

Well....... that is the past few weeks in a post.
What have you been up to?

Is it March yet?

• I would like to start this blog out by stating and asking….. WHERE OH WHERE DID THE SPELL CHECK ON BLOGGER GO???? There are a lot of things I would say I am good at but spelling NOT my forte.(see I don’t even know if I spelled that word correctly) Can anyone tell me where it went? How do I get it back? Anyone ….. Anyone…….

So on to the real post. Since Valentine’s Day is NOT our holiday I have been eagerly waiting for March to come because March is Spring Break month. A year ago this March we booked our first soon to be parents only vacation. We booked it so far in advance that we got a 7 day cruise for under 1,000. Carter was not born yet but we knew by the next March we would need a parent’s only vacation and could not think of a better way to go. So I am ready for March 14th to come really soon so we can kiss Carter boy goodbye leaving him with 3 wonderful sets of Grandparents who will shuttle him to and from each other’s house and embark out into the Caribbean. First off to Montego Bay then sail into Grand Cayman and last Cozumel.



For this I shall need some new summer dresses to where while we are gone. Any suggestions on where to go? Cheap is what I am looking for but still cute! I am thinking of doing Mystic Tanning before we leave as well so I don’t get burnt while sunbathing or scare off the others passengers. Compared to Ryan I look as white as the snow we had last week.



I can hardly wait to even start packing this is how excited I am. Don’t get me wrong I am going to cry probably at least once a day when I think of Carter but Ryan has promised he will buy me a calling card each time we dock to call and check in. I know he will be in great hands which is the real reason I am ok with still going. You see I did not know when we booked this cruise before Carter was born how attached I would be to him. I knew I would love him but I can honestly say I fall in love more each day with him.
He just makes my heart smile!!!!!!

Another one bites the dust

Ok........... I know you guys are all wondering what happen on 2010 Valentine's Day.......

I HAD THE DREADED STOMACHE BUG!!!!!!!!!!

Yep thats right another V-day came and went and we never really even saw each other because I was in the bathroom or the bed all day and poor Ryan was out in the living room with Carter. Lucky for him our friend Amy is staying with us right now and helped out when he needed to come and check on me. It was horrible! He even called my mom over because I could not even hold down water. We thought we were in the clear at about 8pm last night I was feeling a little better(it had been a long 24 hours) and he washed the sheets and lysoled the room.

But NO we were not! Ryan started getting sick at midnight last night so he stayed home from work today which he never does and he laid up in bed while Carter and I are playing in the living room.

Maybe Next year!

Show us your life.... Valentines Day

Over at Kelly's Korner it is Show us your life Valentines Day! Posting about Valentines Day for me is funny! This year will be Ryan and I's 4th Valentines Day together and let me just tell you blog world..... Valentines Day is NOT our holiday. So instead of telling you all about the mushy things we do for Valentines I will tell you why it is NOT our holiday.

• V-Day 2007: Our very first Valentines Day. How did we spend it you might ask. With Ryan laid up in his bed at his grandmothers house with Pneumonia . What started out as a missed diagnosed case of bronchitis turned into pneumonia. So after being taking to the hospital and getting some medicine that pretty much made him not remember the rest of the week or where he was this was how we spent our very first Valentines Day. ( side note: 1 month later on March 14th Ryan asked me to marry him)
• V- Day 2008: Our second Valentines Day. I really was looking forward to recreating our first Valentine’s day and making it great. But Cupid was nowhere in site this year either. The day before the big day I spent the whole day in the doctor’s office with what else but BRONCHITIS! Strike number 2
• V-Day 2009:Three strikes and you’re out! 7 months pregnant….. morning sickness everyday of the pregnancy……Gallbladder stopped working at the 4 month mark and was removed 8 weeks after delivery = Valentine’s Day is not our holiday!
• V-Day 2010: I am sure you are wondering if we are even attempting to do anything. Our plan right now is to go to PF-Changs for dinner with our 9 month old. We have never been there and did not want to plan on doing anything huge since we knew it would not work out. I will fill you in later on if that works out.
  
  
  
  
  On a good note Birthdays and Anniversaries are in the cards for us! Saving that for another blog day! Come back to hear all about it.
  
  

Snowed in!

For the first time ever in Dallas we had 14 inches of snow in 24 hours! This is the most snow I have ever seen in my life! Who would have thought that Carter would have his First Christmas be a white one and then at almost 10 months old see more snow then his mommy ever has. We got the day off from School/Work today so we put 3 layers of clothes on Mr. Carter and went out to see what he thought of the snow. He did really well for the first 5 minutes or so and then he was done. Who can blame him I mean he was born in Texas where the most snow we ever get does not usually even stick to the ground. I made my very first snow angle ever today. Here are all the places I have been in my life where I should have seen this much snow but of course when I was there NOTHING! NO SNOW really fell: Alaska, New York more than one time, Chicago, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Yep all the places I have gone and the snow man did not want to come out and play while I was in town.

After the photo shoot in the snow I was on a roll and went through all my pictures on my computer and organized them into months since Carter was born. I think I will do this until he is about 2 then just organize them by year. What do you think? I am on the hunt for a new camera as well. Mine is good but it takes FOREVER to take the picture and he is usually not smiling anymore. I want a Cannon that you just push and it takes. Any suggestions?