Just a Simple Thought....

One of my friends sent this to me and the link is at the end of this post.  As I listened to it I really felt the Spirit, it melted my heart. It helped me reflect on all that others have done for our family. It helped remind me how blessed Brian and I are, and how blessed we have been. Everyone has hard times....... Everyones struggles are different. Everyone handles things different. Not only did this remind me of the financial struggles that we may have had, or have, (we HAVE been in  school it kind of comes with the territory). It helped me to reflect on the times when we have been blessed by a knock at the door, a phone call, or even just a simple smile, or hello. These simple little things warm the heart and can go a long way. It helped remind me that I need to be more giving of myself, time, and all that I've been blessed with. 

We are all going through some hard times as friends and families. I hope that we can all be a little more understanding, and a little more sensitive to others needs. At times like this Satan enjoys seeing the struggles, the hurt, and the pain. Hopefully we can all take a look at our own lives and situations and see where we can give a little more in the simplest ways. Thank you all..... For you have all touched, or reached out to our family, just by being a part of our life. We can not thank you enough.   

Take a moment to follow this link and listen to this song, and message. 

http://www.youtube.com/bonnieegbert

Our Weekend Trip to Michigan

A couple of weekends ago we were able to go visit Brianne and Nate and their cute little family. They were blessing their new baby, "Claire".  We had a good time. It was a really quick trip though. We left Friday after work and came home Sunday afternoon. 

Here are some of the highlights of our trip: ( I really need to learn how to do a slide show, anyone?)

  You all know what a comedian Brianne is.  This was the funniest thing. My dad brought my brothers trumpet for Taylor to learn how to play. Brianne pulls it out of its case and just starts playing away. She did pretty good, (for a trombone player). It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Boy did we all have a good laugh!

Jackson and Dylan eating. They are so cute together. It's so much fun having cousins the same age.

Now there is a story about this little turtle. Brianne tried sending it home with my kids. My kids have really been wanting a pet. Brianne had the turtle all ready for a long car ride to Chicago, container, dirt, and all. To our kids disappointment we refused to take it. I even heard my kids talking about sneaking it in the van. Didn't work! I was watching the kids like a hawk. So we get this call from Brianne on our way home about the turtle. Its missing.......  

Dad likes to treat us to dinner, especially when Brianne's kitchen is "broken". We had a good time. Between Cassie peeing on the floor, and me thinking it was spilt water, (at first), and my dad being  the funny guy he is, he forgot to give Olive Garden back their pager when we decided we didn't want to wait over an hour to get in. So we are at the other restaurant and the pager to Olive Garden keeps going off. We had to put it in the car it was so loud. After dinner we took it back to Olive Garden. One of those stories that you probably had to be there for.

Grandma entertaining the grand kids.

My Mom and Dad getting lunch ready while McKenzie and I are just loving the moments of holding this sweet little baby. Loving every moment of it.

My handsome brother-in-law in his proudest shirt.  
Oh, and my handsome man suffering from in-law syndrome.

This was a fun trip. We all enjoyed ourselves. Brian and my Dad even got to go to Detroit to the Chrysler, and Ford museums.  Brian was in heaven. You all know how he loves cars. They had a great time. They always do.  

The baby blessing went really well. The spirit was felt so strong. I was really touched by the things Claire was blessed with. She is named after my Grandma who is very inspiring person. Claire is a special little baby, but aren't they all. 

My parents came back to Kenosha with us. We had a fun week. My kids were in heaven. They always get so spoiled when grandma and grandpa come into town. Grandma cooks all our favorite food, and mends my pile of items needing mending. She always gets a kick out of the items in the pile when she comes to my house. This time she had a limbless doll, a decapitated lamb, a strap to a backpack, and a few other random items. The list usually goes on , and on. I REALLY don't like to mend. 

We had fun! My mom spoiled us all. We even got a few additions to our little family.... YES.... we have three little pets. Two Leopard Geckos, and a stinky Hermit Crab. You all know how I really don't like pets. The maintenance to these things is crazy. I have made more trips to Pet-Co in the last week then I have in my whole life. The lady at the store says that they really shouldn't be that hard to take care of. She also informed me that the smell to the Crab will not go away, and cleaning it every three days won't help. I'm definitely in for it.... what have we allowed.   

Mom also made me some blankets for the baby. It was a lot of fun picking out fabric and watching her do all the work. She does a great job. 

We will miss my parents, they do so much for all us kids. They always take time from their busy schedules to help us out when we need them. They usually get out this way a few times a year. It's fun! We will see them again in a few weeks. 

I really need to post more often so my posts aren't so long. Sorry!