24th Day of Thanks….

Well I truly did save my heart for last….His name is Aaron:

Simplicity Photo Challenge: Thankful-My husband….

They claim opposites attract and I can’t argue this point when it comes to my husband and I. I am the erratic one and I am thankful that he keeps me grounded. I am the shy one and I’m thankful that he pushes me out of my comfort zone and helps me in social events. I am the impatient, quick-tempered, spontaneous one and he pushes me back down a notch when needed. I don’t know what I would do with out my husband. He is the other half-the perfect fit to the puzzle. He is an awesome father and it shows. My two boys think he could rope the moon….and so do I. God knew what he was doing when he sent Aaron in the vet with his crazy dog, Harley….And I just so happened to be his receptionist. God knew what he was doing when Aaron moved to Georgia to finish up school and I so crazily followed….And I am so thankful that I did! On this 24th Day of my 25 Day Challenge-I dedicate it to my husband, Aaron.

***”And he bowed his head to Jesus and he stood for uncle Sam….He only loved one women, was always proud of what he had…He said his greatest contribution is the one you leave behind….Raised on the ways and gentle kindness of a small town southern man”***

This actually concludes my 25 Days of Thanks Challenge. I know I’m ending it a day short. I have other plans for my post tomorrow (Thanksgiving & My Birthday). I really enjoyed doing this challenge though. It really made me open my eyes to not only the obvious things but also the small daily things I am thankful for each day. 25 days is not near enough time to show thanks to everything in my life. My awesome siblings, in-laws, friends, house, etc. This was just a small glimpse. I thank Mallard Cove Mommy for putting this challenge together!

Shutter Love Tuesday & Day of Thanks

Trendy Treehouse is hosting their weekly Shutter Love Tuesday Photo Challenge and this week’s theme is Fall. This one was so difficult for me because with all of our leaf pictures I honestly had no clue which one to use. I finally decided on the one below of Keagan flying into the leaves. He is our little dare devil…The higher the better!

and then this picture just cracks me up! Talking about hitting the leaves head first!!

also I wanted to include my 23rd day of thanks in my 25 days of thanks challenge. On this 23rd day I wanted to show great thanks to my parents!

I moved in with my Dad and (2nd) Mom when I was….15??? What a lifestyle change that was for me. Through the good, bad, and I’m sure very tough and ugly they helped transform a very troubled young teenager into the woman who I am today. I would not be where I am if it wasn’t for their love & persistance. I know that they will always be there for me…even if not in person then in the advice I’m almost always looking for. I can call at the drop of a hat (and as a teenager could go straight to Linda) and talk and always know that I am getting an honest, unbiased opinon….which has always been right on. I know that no matter what the news is with my Dad-he is always going to bring out a heartfelt, gut wrenching laugh from me. They are one of a kind parents and I don’t know what I would do without them. With only 2 days left in this challenge, you know how the saying goes, “you save the best for last”…and they are certainly some of my best!

Macro Monday & other Misc…

I was getting this post ready for Monday and realized I didn’t do a day 21 “thanks” for my 25 day challenge. I certainly don’t have the energy to muster up something now but I must say today I would have to give thanks to my Mother in Law. She helps us oh so often in so many areas! Just today for example she’s taken Keagan to entertain so we could start & finish our Christmas shopping. Which I am SO happy to have done! And I’m also so excited on everything we got for the boys!!

Anyways, I thought I would just throw a few randoms up for today/tomorrow. As I mentioned I’m tired and I’m sure everyone knows how Christmas shopping in the crowds can zap you!

Micro Monday….

This is a tiny little dew drop on our cabbage plant and in the dew drop was an even smaller gnat….Pretty neat picture I thought.

Here are a few more randoms from our leaf adventures…Still more photos of that to come!

And on the 22nd day of my challenge I want to show thanks for my dog, Boodro. He is honestly the best dog we could ask for! He came from the shelter totally potty trained and kennel trained. He loves the boys. He has never snapped at either one of them when they pull his ears, pin him down, steal his food…He patiently waits for us to return home every day after work and can’t wait to sit in our laps when we’re settled for the night. He is the neighborhood dog and loves to go visit everyone yet knows where the love is when he comes home. We love Boodro and could not have chosen a better dog to fit our family!!

25 Days of Thanks: Day 20

 

***Eyes***

We’re 20 days into this 25 day challenge and how can I not show thanks for the baby of our family…The sweet, innocent soul that brings us to smiles every day. This little man, Easton, is special in so many ways. I remember when I was pregnant with him, crying, not understanding how it would be possible to love another child as much as I loved Keagan. I already thought it wasn’t fair for this 2nd child because I knew that it just wasn’t possible. I remember my older sister who is also one of my best friends tell me, “Jess, your heart doesn’t divide…It just grows larger. I promise you, you will love this child just as much!” She could not have been more right!!

Easton and I will always have a special bond with him being the baby. I love to hold him, rock him, listen to his sweet baby talk. I love watching him hit all his milestones. I love how much he looks up to his older brother and already wants to be just like him.

He truly is a completion to our family. I am so thankful God blessed us with another perfect little boy and on this 20th day of November I feel its time to show thanks.

**Keagan’s “Day of Thanks” can be found here.

25 Days of Thanks: Day 19

On this 19th day of my 25 days of thanks challenge I dedicate it to…sick days at home with my little boy. I of course would much rather him not be sick but we have to make the best of what we have. Keagan had mentioned to me on Wednesday morning that he didn’t feel well. Having heard that time and time again on school mornings when he doesn’t want to go I pretty much just ignored his complaints and dropped him off at daycare with the understanding that if he continued to not feel any better he could have his teacher call me. Normally when I tell him that he gets to school, starts having fun, and forgets that he supposedly wasn’t feeling well….

Not this time. His teacher called me telling me he had a 102.1 temp so off I went to pick him up. Yesterday after a full day of him still not feeling well we heading off to the Dr. and it turns out he has strep throat. Poor little fella….

In this time though we have enjoyed lazy days….It’s not often that we hang out on the couch all day watching nothing but our favorites: Backyardigans, Diego, Dora, and Phineas and Ferb. Curled up in blankets, drinking hot tea (well for me at least), and not worrying about house work piling up or my regular work not getting done. I of course am ready for Keagan to start feeling better and I have a feeling after today with 24 hours of antibiotics he’ll start to but for the time being I’m going to cherish the cuddling time with my oldest.

25 Days of Thanks: Day 18….Our yard

Our yard right now reminds me of…..a bag of Skittles….or maybe a box of Crayons. Either way, I just love it! Our yard is pretty no matter what the season. Blooming with flowers in the spring, a sea of green in the summer, a gorgeous array of colors in the fall, and in the winter it provides the perfect play area for our family.

These pictures were taken today while I was home with my sick little Keagan. I thought our trees were turning a little late and maybe they are….but I’m still just as excited! I can’t wait until we can rake up the leaves and jump in them.

On this 18th day of November I am so thankful for our yard!!! It was such an important part of our search when we were looking for a home to buy and I don’t think we made a mistake in this choice.

25 Days of Thanks: Day 17….Talent

On this 17th day of November I give thanks for my talent. I am participating in a project along with several other awesome artist and photographers to help raise money for little Lucas as pictured above. Lucas has Down Syndrome and with our efforts we are piecing together a book that will help raise money for Lucas’ family and his medical expenses….Our small efforts will go a long way for this family and I feel so privileged to be a part of this awesome project! To read more about the great project that Faith has put together and to see more artist and photographers participating you can visit here: and click on the “Hugs for Henry Project.”

The holidays mixed with birthdays

The holidays are quickly approaching! I bought the first few gifts yesterday and it really got me into the spirit. One of our favorite activities come the first weekend in December is heading off to the tree farm to search for the perfect Christmas Tree.

With Christmas this year though comes a whole new holiday…My sweet baby Easton’s birthday. It’s hard to believe he’ll be one already! I’ve been thinking more and more about birthdays with mine just around the corner, Thanksgiving Day to be exact, and then Easton’s only 2 days after Santa makes his visit. Pictured above is Keagan at his last birthday party. We’ve always made it a point to make his birthdays very special for him. I remember on his first birthday party we had at least 30 guests there waiting to see the big boy smash into his first cake….I have no doubt Easton’s won’t be as big this year, at least in size-It will be just as big of a deal to us, of course, but I do want to do a little something special for him….

On this 16th day of November I am thankful for the holidays, birthdays, and celebrations that bring families together! This is such a fun time of year…Certainly my favorite!!

 

Nature in our own backyard….

An acorn….

A simple acorn that Keagan loves to complain about hurting his feet….Little did he know there was so much more involved in a little acorn. He learned today. It was really neat to watch the wheels in that little head turn….

“Look, Look, Look”, he says!! He even enjoyed digging his own up! We have so many in our yard…Its a wonder our backyard isn’t a forest already.

It is so amazing to me, to Aaron, to Keagan-that such a little nut can turn into such a gorgeous tree. Into a tree where we make family memories. Where we swing on our tire swing…we play in the shade and we watch in amazement each year as this tree continues to amaze us.

On this 15th day of November I give thanks to Nature. It is such an important part of our families lives…

25 Days of Thanks: Day 13

Today I am showing thanks towards my boys’ school (daycare). I would love nothing more in the world than to be able to stay home with my babies but in our family that is not practical. Our only other option is to find a place we can take them where I feel 100% confident that they are getting the love, safety, education, and social interaction that we want them to have.

When we moved to this area after buying our home both Aaron and I searched and searched. We even asked the boys Nana to get in on the search since she has years of experience teaching 4 year olds. I believe we went to every possible daycare around and at the end of the day still didn’t feel satisfied with our outcome.

Finally a decision had to be made and I picked the Sunshine House right up the road from us. Something about it made me have a sense of ease when I would leave there after visiting each time.

What a great decision I think we’ve made! The baby room is so loving to Easton. They have literally watched him from a itsy bitsy baby to the toddler he is quickly becoming. They’ve witnessed his milestones with me and get just as excited as I do when he hits one.

Keagan’s class is both educational and fun. He has learned so much since being there. Sometimes things come out of his mouth that I am completely shocked he knows and I give all that credit to his teacher and school. He has made great friends there and at the end of the day he comes home happy and excited to tell me about his day.

I feel like the school is one big family. All the teachers & directors know me and my family. They speak to us as we’re walking down the hall, they ask my opinion on dates of field trips, fundraisers, etc, and they take care of Keagan and Easton while both Aaron and I are at work during the day.

So on this 13th day of November I give thanks to the boys school.