Quiz!

You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous. You tend to be successful at anything you try. A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd. You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Ok, thought these results were rather funny...I'm great at entertaining a crowd?!? Yeah right!

I have been tagged!

I have been tagged by my friend, Kristen at http://christiancrafter.blogspot.com/, to write a 6 word memoir. Not an easy task!

"My God Does Not Make Junk"

I chose these words for my memoir because being a mom is what I've always wanted to be. After suffering two miscarriages, God chose me to be the mom of a very special boy (Austin, above at 6 weeks old, 2002). I truly believe God doesn't make junk and He has a special plan for Austin that I may never comprehend.

Here are the rules for the tag:

1. Right your own 6 word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want to

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post

4. Tag 5 more blogs with links

5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blog with an invitation to play

The 5 people I'm tagging are...

1. Cindy http://les-heureux.blogspot.com/

2. Myssie http://pillersfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

3. Jessica http://newkindofnormal.blogspot.com/

4. April http://www.supermommyape.blogspot.com/

5. Tena http://www.thisisournormal.blogspot.com/

27 days and counting!

To our vacation in Hawaii!!!
Long story short, my brother-in-law's family own a condo in Hawaii and it was offered to us at no expense for a week. This includes a car to drive, free groceries and scuba gear, and free souveniers at any of the 6 gift shops they own. All we have to do is pay for our plane tickets! A trip of a lifetime. Better yet...the kids aren't coming! *hehe*

Oh of course, it's in the back of my mind how difficult it will be to leave the boys for so long. We've left Austin with my parents for 2 nights in a row but Andrew is another story. He'll get his first chance away from mom and dad overnight next weekend! My husband, myself, and Austin will be traveling to Baltimore, MD for the weekened to attend the annual North East Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome Reunion. All of the families that can make it to Baltimore gather together to catch up, compare, and just have fun. It's soo interesting seeing a room full of special needs kids that look so alike! Andrew will be staying with my sister to make the trip more affordable and easier (it's a 7 hour drive for us).

A full week the end of April without the kids, laundry, phones, white sand, warm temperatures...I can't wait! Oh and here's some interesting information, flying from northern NY to Hawaii on a plane takes 16 hours with our layovers...eeek!

Easter 2008

Andrew (20 months) opening his present from his Auntie and Uncle

Austin getting help from his Papa opening his presents

Our yearly family Easter picture taken at church

Great Expectations

I just finished reading over Austin's progress report on his ISP for school. I never look forward to going to these meetings because it's the same old hat. He's waaaay behind his peers, yadda yadda yadda. According to his scores, he's functioning at the same age level as his little brother, Andrew (20 months). I'm not really concerned or anything but I know he understands way more than his brain can communicate. I just wish it would be reflected in his scores. After all, the scores say he's not even 2 yet and he's nearly 6. Lord willing, some day a light will go off and he'll be able to show us just what he really knows!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about it. I've learned over the years to grow thick skin and that the "scores" aren't truly accurate. I'm just longing for Austin to grow out of "...delays are impeding his performance in the classroom and are having a negative effect on his ability to be successful in this environment." (a quote taken from his report)

What a relief!

I'm having such a great day! I just HAD to tell someone about it! LOL As usual, I had a hard time rolling out of bed this morning (I'm NOT a morning person). I was in a dead sleep. But from then on, things went smoothly!

1)I had to wake Austin for school at 7:30am (which means he got a good nights sleep and will be in a good mood)
2)We were able to wait for the bus outside since it wasn't freezing cold out (fresh air!)
3)Andrew slept til 8:30am (which means a half hour to myself to eat breakfast and wake up!)
4)After eating breakfast, Andrew played BY HIMSELF for 45 minutes!!! I went from room to room cleaning up with only a grin from Andrew who continued playing. (unheard of for him)
5)Andrew helped me do laundry (which is just plain cute)
6)He sat down long enough for me to read an Easter book to him (never happens!)
7)He ate his entire snack and lunch (hasn't happened in a week since he's teething and is refusing to eat)
8)Andrew was an ANGEL during Austin's ISP (school progress updating) meeting at noon (which is in the middle of his nap time...I was very worried for his behavior). He hammed it up during the meeting and was very cooperative.
9)He's now taking a nap and Mommy is on cloud 9 =)

Side note: God also has a way of reminding you that though you may praise him in the good days...remember to praise and thank Him in the bad days as well.

overwhelmed

Do you ever have the feeling that you just cannot accomplish everything on your "to-do" list no matter how hard you try? That's where I've been for the last week or so. It's so frustrating! I roughly have 11 things on my current "to do" list (that doesn't include normal housework...ugh) and I've only crossed off 2 in the last week. Yes, some of them are fairly easy to do but once I'm done taking care of the kids, the errands, the emails, housework, I have nothing left to offer. I was able to cross off "purchase super strength sunscreen online" this morning, only to add several more things to the list since Easter is around the the corner and I've yet to buy the kids dress clothes, purchase food to help w/ Easter dinner, and buy Austin a small Easter gift. What I wouldn't give for another set of arms right now! (oh yeah and the energy of a two year old as well!)

He is his mother's son

Here's a picture of Andrew playing with wooden blocks my dad made him for Christmas last year. Andrew is VERY particular with how they should be lined up. When he's playing with them, he'll line them up straight and all the blocks MUST be facing up so the picture is displayed. One day I went behind him and turned a couple of the blocks to face the wrong way and he got SO mad at me! HaHa!

A Great Lesson

I received this great book in the mail from MOPS for answering a survey (MOPS is Mother's of Preschoolers) and I've been reading a chapter a night. I definately recommend it!!! The chapters are short and SOO applicable. If anyone is interested it's Mom to Mom: Confessions of a "Mother Inferior" by Elisa Morgan. Anyway, here are some great lessons I read that I wanted to share with everyone.

"...until we understand our neediness, we can't experience fulfillment. Until we look boldly at our emptiness, we can't be filled. As long as we think we can handle it, we will. Unless we grasp what we can't do, we won't hve a clue to what God can do."

"...when we experience our needs and then bring them to God, he can meet them. And when he meets them, we can be whole."

I got a lot out of those fragments of the chapter! Here's a bit from my chapter I read last night...

"God never asked us to meet all by ourselves every need we face. There simply isn't enough of us to do so. But God is enough. And in his enough, we're enough. And for me, that's good enough."

AMEN!

That's soooo true! I'm always finding myself on the verge (or WAY past it) of complaining about all I have to do or get done. I love that I can know that God doesn't expect me to get EVERYTHING done. He is my everything.