Investing in Us

Brian and I arrived home yesterday after a five day (early) anniversary getaway.

It was a special time for us as a couple.
Talking.
Laughing.
Holding hands.
Having adventures.
Discovering new places.
Catching up on much needed rest.
Getting dressed up for dinner.
Planning for our future.
Planning for our family's future.

I learned from my parents when I was a little girl that a couple needs to get away in order to reconnect in a way that normal life does not allow.

My parents did that regularly.

Time together, as a couple, is so important.

Because as much as we love our children, and many times for moms our worlds seem to revolve around them and their needs, one day they will grow up and leave our nest. (And believe me, if you leave them in hands you can trust, they will be just fine!)

Will we find ourselves with a stranger we said a few words to when we came up for air in the busy whirlwind of life, or with someone we have invested time in building memories and a relationship with?

Your husband is worth the investment of time.

Real Life Love Stories | Ours from Brian's Perspective

As we wrap up our Real Life Love Stories for this year (I think this is a series I will be bringing back yearly- so beware.... you may be asked to participate next year!), I decided it was time to comply with the emails, FB messages, and texts I received asking when you would read our Real Life Love Story.

But I thought I would do things a bit differently.

You have heard our story from my perspective many times..... our engagement, our wedding, and many moments in between.

And even though Brian has spontaneously shared his thoughts and feelings about us, I thought it would be fun to get his perspective on different aspects of our love story.

Here he is in his own words.....




When did you first notice Suzette?

The first time I saw you I noticed you. You were in the choir wearing that blue choir robe and your hair was curly (I had a spiral perm at the time).

When did you first notice Brian?

I knew you from Sunday school, and just knew you as Brian, my friend, the one guy I was comfortable with. It wasn't until 5 years later that I realized I looked forward to you walking into our Sunday school class, and started making sure the seat next to me was available for you to sit in .... if you wanted to.

When did you decide to date me?

I had thought about for a while but assumed you were out of reach. I actually decided to ask you when our pastor called me and gave me the push I needed.

I was constantly getting clues from people that I should pursue you- my Grandma and brother Ricky were always encouraging me to pursue you. But I had a crush on you long before anyone encouraged me to date you.

I mentioned it to a few of my friends from church while hanging out at my house one day, a year before we started dating. I was told that I had to talk to your dad first (which I already knew), and that your dad would have to come on our first date with us, and sit between us. I told them that I didn't mind because I really liked your dad a lot. (Suzette here: My dad and I didn't even know about the "rule" that my dad had to come with us. You have got to "love" rumors....)

Did you have to do anything special before you could take me on a first date?

I had to talk to your Dad. (2nd hardest thing I ever had to do. 1st hardest was actually asking you if you would want to go out with me.) I was nervous and anxious the whole time we talked, and I answered all of his questions honestly. I thought he would turn me down because our talk took an hour.

When did you ask my parents for permission to marry me?

You were at an overnight teacher's convention. I went to your parent's home for dinner and asked them for permission. They both gave their approval. We then headed to the Bill Gothard Seminar we were attending that week, and the whole drive there we brainstormed different ideas of how I could propose. (Fire drill was totally Brian's idea, though.)


Suzette's side from that night...

You always called me on your way home from work, but that day you were really quiet on the phone- totally unlike you. I asked if you were okay, and you, never being able to keep anything from me, told me you were going to ask my parents for permission marry me that night.

From that point on I was useless!

Faye and I went to dinner alone (the other teachers had already gone, which was a blessing). When we got back to the hotel, I had to wait to call my parents because you all had gone to the seminar. I finally called home at 10:30 p.m. and after playing phone tag a few times, Mom finally answered. I asked how everything had gone that night and Mom said, "Oh, it was nice!"

"How was Brian?" I asked.

"Oh, he was wonderful. You father and I just love him!"

"Did he say anything?"

"Oh..... that he loves you and that our house wasn't the same with you away tonight."

"Mom! Did he ask if he could marry me?!"

From the background I heard my father chuckling, and then he shouted, "Tell her we said yes!" at which point I burst into tears! I wanted to run out into the hallway of the hotel and yell, "He asked and they said yes!" But I didn't.

How long did you date, and how long have you been married?

We dated for exactly one year. Our first date was Friday, July 11, 2003, and we were married Saturday, July 10, 2004. We will be celebrating 10 years of married life this July.

What has been you favorite part of married life?

Everything. Being able to live with my best friend.

Archives | Our First Dance

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4b- There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven- ...A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Do you have a photo that means a lot to you because it tells a very important part of your story? A photo that candidly captures a significant moment that you shared with your spouse and the photographer never knew how precious the photo would be? 

We do.

It is a photo of  Brian and me having our "first dance" at a friend's wedding.

The moment was so special to us because we had not gotten to have a first dance at our wedding. It was the only regret I have of our otherwise perfect day.

Because my father was a staff member at our church, the pastor did not think it would be appropriate for us to have any type of dancing at our reception, which was being held at an off site location.

In honor of his request, we did not dance at our reception, but I had always felt "cheated" out of that special moment with my husband and then my father (father/daughter dance).

In March of 2009, our friends Allison and Bruce were married, and Brian and I decided ahead of time that we would have our "first dance" at their reception.

I can't tell you how giddy I felt and how badly I wanted the meal to be over with so I could dance with my husband. When the couples dance came up, Brian and I went to the floor, and it was everything I dreamed it would be.

The photographer took an candid shot of us, and the couple sent it to us with their thank you card (they found out that it was "our first dance" and the bride mentioned that in her card, which I still have).

I love the moment that this picture captures.

It shows us just enjoying each others company.

So many times we flippantly say that God is a God of second chances, but we do not always realize that those chances are not only in fixing a past wrong in our lives, but they also include giving us a second shot at enjoying a missed moment.  

Lord, I will always be thankful for the second chance to have our first dance. 

You can find the original post from 2009 here.

Archives | Ten Years Ago

...on December 15, was one of the most wonderful days of my life.

Brian and I had begun dating each other on July 11, 2003 and by October he had asked my parents for permission to marry me. During our dating time, we saw each other several times during the week (okay, almost every day), and he would spend most of Saturday with me and pretty much all day on Sunday.

We also spent a lot of time with our families, hanging out with my family, his parents, and with all of us together. When we weren't with each other, we were on the phone. In fact, we spent so much time on the phone that my parents made me get my own phone line (people would ask my parents if something was wrong with their phone because they couldn't get a hold of them- oops!). Our telephone time did give us a great foundation in communication, and we reached the point early in our relationship where we would finish each other's sentences and knew what the other was thinking because our communication skills had been well sharpened.

I had a feeling that Brian might propose to me on Christmas Eve, so I bought a black velvet skirt and top with silver glitter to wear for that evening (everyone knows that diamonds look stunning against black velvet!).

I had it all planned out.

At the beginning of December, I sent home a note with my students asking their parents to send them to school on December 15th with a red, green, or white shirt/top because we were going to take a Christmas picture as a class. I decided that I would wear my Christmas Eve "proposal outfit" for our picture as well. I asked Dad to meet my class in the church sanctuary (I was teaching at our church's academy at the time and Dad was on the church staff) to take the picture.

Everything was set.

On the evening of December 14th, my mother asked me to paint her nails. We sat down in the breakfast nook, and I began taking her polish off and repainting her nails. As I was working on her nails, she began to smudge her nails on mine. She asked if I wanted her to fix my nails, but I was tired and decided that I would just clean off my nails and go to bed. If you didn't know my mother, she was persistent. She was not deterred and did everything she could to convince me to do my nails over. However, I decided to just go to bed.

Little did I know...

The next day, I took my black velvet outfit with me to work and made sure that everything was in order for our class Christmas picture. Our principal told us during our morning devotions that we would be having a fire drill that morning sometime between 9:00 and 10:00. No problem, I thought. I will be back from our picture in time for the drill, and I'll make sure that my students are wearing their jackets since it is cold outside.

Oh, the conscientious teacher that I was!

We had two cameras at home. One worked, one didn't, and neither were digital. Faye insisted that she needed a camera that day as well, and I wasn't sure which camera I had been left with. As soon as all of my students were accounted for, I took them over to the sanctuary, and we took our pictures. Dad watched my students as I changed back into my school clothes from my black velvet, Christmas Eve proposal outfit.

I knew that the fire drill was coming, so I didn't begin any lessons with my students. I had them doing their seat work while wearing their jackets so we would be ready. Then at 9:30 a.m. I heard a fire engine siren, and then the fire alarm went off.

That is odd, I thought. Maybe the fire department hadn't been alerted that this was only a drill.

We made our way down the stairs and to my surprise, there was Dad video taping us. My analytical mind began working. Maybe he is taping us so that the teachers can see what areas we need improvement in during fire drills.

And then, as we walked outside, there were fire trucks in the parking lot.

In case of a real emergency, there would be fire trucks in the parking lot. This is great practice for us to learn to maneuver through the emergency vehicles.

After the alarms were turned off, all of the classes were called over for a fire safety presentation. This is the best fire drill we've ever had! I thought. A fire safety presentation after the fire drill. What better way to reinforce this to the kids! (me and my analytical mind)

One of the fire men asked where the 4th grade class was, and my students and I raised our hands. Wow! No one ever thinks of 4th graders! They either cater to the K5 group or the older kids! The fireman asked for my name and then asked the students if they wanted to see me dressed as a fire man. Of course, they said yes!
 

The fireman (who was not dressed in his gear) called over one of the firemen, who was in full gear, because he was closer to my size and asked him to take off his mask so I could put it on. His mask got stuck! So they took him behind me and turned me to face the students. The fireman beside me began asking the students some fire safety questions, and then it happened.

The fireman in full gear came around to my side. I looked at him and thought, "My word, he looks so familiar." I kid you not! It was one of those moments when someone is not where they are supposed to be (like work), at a strange time (fire drill), and they are dressed in a uniform that does not fit their job description (Brian is a telephone technician not a fireman) so you don't recognize them.

One of my students yelled out, "It's Mr. Ladouceur!" My mouth dropped open as I suddenly realized why he was there.

He got down on one knee, opened the ring box, looked up at me, and said, "Will you marry me?" I was in shock!

And the outfit I had planned to wear for my engagement was upstairs in my classroom!

It took me a second to shake myself out of the shock I was in, but I managed to say "Yes!"

And that is when we had our first hug (we saved our first kiss for our wedding). Suddenly my mother, Brian's parents, my aunt Elsa, and my cousin Lisa appeared out of nowhere. They had been hiding in one of the buildings waiting for the moment.

Out of complete nervousness, Brian put the ring on my right ring finger. He had held my left hand the entire time he was proposing, but when the moment came, he took my right hand and put the ring on. Because we were both so cold and the nerves were going, we couldn't get the ring off!

It was a good thing that my students were wearing their jackets because we ended up staying outside for a while after every one else went back to their classrooms.

It is such a wonderful memory.



No, the class picture never came out (I had the bad camera). No, we never did any of our lessons that day (my head was somewhere other than my classroom all day), but I did wear my outfit for Christmas Eve, and the ring looked beautiful against it.

Brian, thank you for asking me to marry you. I am so proud to call myself your wife.

Today, I Am Mom

Typically I have my blog posts done about a week ahead of time, and each day I work to keep myself ahead of the game. This has served me well this week as our entire family became sick with a virus.

Rather than keeping up with my blogging schedule, helping in Awana, keeping up with everything here at home, or rushing off to co-op, I was simply me, Suzette- a wife who had to care for her sick husband, a woman who had to call in reinforcements so I could sleep an entire day away in order to recuperate from fevers and chills as quickly as possible, and a mommy who sat with my two feverish little ones on the couch and cuddled while watching A Bug's Life, Cars 2, Doc McStuffins, and Little House on the Prairie.
 

Health-wise this week has been rough.

As a family, this week has been beautiful.

I have seen my husband work just as hard as ever despite how sick he has felt because he did not want to let us or his customers down.

I have seen Addie watch out for and care for her little brother when I was unable to move.

I have seen my cousin reach out to lend a hand by watching my children for about 24 hours despite the risk of bringing the "bug" into her own home.

I have seen, for myself, how good removing everything from our schedule is and just cuddling two children who don't feel well.

I have seen our two year old learn empathy and caring as he sincerely asks every person who coughs or sneezes, "Are you okay?"

I have also learned that a bowl of strawberries and watermelon should not be the lunch of choice for a child who does not realize she is about to have an upset stomach.

Next week, I'll work on getting myself at least a week ahead of schedule on here, getting my laundry pile back down to a reasonable size, making all of the meals that were on my meal plan for this week, getting a couple of school days in, and.....

.....sitting back and enjoying Thanksgiving.

 This week has definitely taught me that it is okay to sit back and enjoy right now. 

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If you haven't, don't forget to enter to win the giveaway I posted about on Wednesday.

Our Time Away

This past weekend we had the joy of leaving town for a couple of days, and going to Georgia to visit a junior high/high school youth group friend of mine and her sweet family. It was such a wonderful time for us as a family.

I have put together a Smilebox of our time away. I have timed it so that everything should fall within the time frame of the accompanying song, which means that the pictures may change while you are reading the captions. You can pause the slideshow and go through it manually if you prefer.

As for the phrase "word of the year" that you will read in the caption of the last photo, here are a couple of examples of what that is referring to (this post, this post, and this post.)

Make your own free slideshow design

That Is When God Stepped In (Part One)

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Do you like taking tests?

Do you like having to take the same test over and over again to see if you will pass "this time"? It is kind of like the adult version of the SATs (which I remember hating when I was in high school).

Since I can remember, I have been taking the "Suzette, do you trust Me that I know what is best for you and nothing is too big for Me?" test.

When I was getting ready to attend college, the money was not there for me to attend. There were a few scholarships, but nothing to really make a huge dent in the cost. My father said that if he could not come up with the money, I would not be able to attend college because he did not want to go into debt (he never had been in debt and I don't blame him a bit).

That is when God stepped in.

After attending a wedding one Saturday afternoon, a gentleman from our church approached my father with an envelope. Inside was a check for the amount that was needed for me to attend college without needing a loan. That same gentleman later gave us his pick up truck so that we could sell it and use whatever we made from the sale towards my next college tuition bill. I graduated with my Bachelors in Music Education without a single student loan.

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Weddings can be expensive, and the dress is one thing no girl wants to scrimp on. But when you teach at a Christian school making half (maybe even less) of what teachers in the public school make, you can't be picky.

That is when God stepped in.

An uncle of mine approached my mother and said that because I was the first niece getting married, he wanted to purchase my dress for me- ignore the price tag. I had, what I believe, was the most beautiful dress for my wedding.

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I had wanted to play the piano when I was in junior high, but, since my father was in the ministry, the money for one was not there. As a 12 year old, I remember praying and asking God to let me play the piano, but I was unsure how that would happen.

That is when God stepped in.

My mother received a phone call from a woman in our church who told her that the school her daughter was attending had an old upright piano that they were giving away. Would we be interested? Absolutely! I began piano lessons with a cousin of mine and she couldn't believe my progress. Years later, in youth group, I asked for prayer because my piano was in really poor condition. One of the guys went home and told his parents. They then approached my parents and said that since none of their children were using their piano they would be willing for me to use it as long as we lived in the area. Exit, old piano. Enter beautiful piano. When we left that church, we returned the piano with grateful hearts.

I still have never purchased a piano. We have a piano, though. God used my in-laws to give us their piano when they moved into their new home. Now I am teaching Addie how to play.

 

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And still with all of these acts of His kindness, mercy, and provision for us, I still doubt when the next test is handed to me with a freshly sharpened number 2 pencil.

I go into panic mode.

I forget about all of the previous study sessions I have had.

I try figuring out ways to sneak out of the testing room.

But when God is proctoring the test..... well, there is no sneaking out.

Wednesday morning, as we were homeschooling in the office, I stepped onto a wet spot in the carpet. Truth be told, I thought Ian's diaper was leaking until Addie who was sitting in her desk chair yelped as her foot hit a cold, wet spot.

Oh no! Not again! was my first thought.

Two months ago we paid close to $300 dollars to be told that our air conditioner was leaking and that we would need to replace it within the year for anywhere between $2,500 to $6,000.

I called Brian who would be working until 8:15 p.m. in Clearwater (ETA home would be 9:30 p.m.). Not that there was anything that he could do, but I didn't want to worry alone.

I proceeded through my day, and decided to take the kids to the library before getting my hair cut. As I turned the key in the ignition...... nothing happened.

I laughed!

Really, God???? No, Seriously???? I thought. I wouldn't say it out loud because my children are too young to understand that I was not being disrespectful- just trying to figure out what He was up to.

I called Brian and told him our latest disaster.

"Stop! I can't take anymore!" he said in pure frustration.

I called my father-in-law to make sure that it was nothing more than a dead battery. He assured me that my description sounded that way to him. I got the kids out of the car and got ready to text my sister-in-law that I would not be able to get my hair cut.

And this is where God stepped in.

As I was texting, my mom-in-law called me. "We've been texting back and forth and you never mentioned that your battery died. Bob just called to see what I was doing to see if I could take you to get your hair cut."

Mom came over, we got the kids in the car and went for my hair cut. She entertained the kids way better than an iPhone ever could... and she brought M&Ms!!! After my hair cut, I asked my sister-in-law how much I owed her.

And God stepped in again.

"Nothing! Are you kidding me?" After tearing up and kissing her on the cheek, we headed to an auto store to get a battery. They didn't have one in stock so they ordered it for me and said it would be there in the early evening.

Mom dropped us off at home, and I was left to think about my dead car battery and my leaky air conditioner.... even though God had already shown me twice that He was in control of the situation and He had His eye on my no matter what I thought.

My dad called to check on the weather in our area (he lives about 5 minutes away from me but works an hour away) and to see if we were going to go to Awana. I told him that I couldn't leave the house because my battery was dead.

And that is when God stepped in for the third time that day.

"I'll be over after I change. I'll boost your car and then drive it to the store myself so you don't have to take the kids out."

The car battery situation was done by the time Brian came home from work with little damage to the bank account, but there was still the air conditioner to deal with.

On Monday, you will hear the end of our story and see whether or not we passed our test.

Lost!

In front of our county courthouse

Our county is a pretty fair size. Our particular area has three different "town" names, each giving the hearer an understanding of where in our county you actually live- "B" being the rural, original area of development with large properties of land and cattle ranches, "S" being the center of everything with shops, restaurants, and lots of churches, and "W" being the outskirts of "S" and a little more rural yet not as rural as "B" (hope that makes sense).

One of these three, "B", actually played a small role during the Civil War and has an historic past- not one that you will read about in the history books, but those in our community who actually care about it make a huge deal of it.

The historic part of "B" and the center of the town where our court house is measures maybe 1 square mile. And it is in this 1 square mile area that my children and I were lost for an hour and a half while trying to get to our Valentine's party.

One of the crafts we made on Valentine's Day

For the party, each child was to bring a Valentine treat for all of the other children at the party. We had our candy labeled and ready to go. I had volunteered to bring a box of juices and cupcakes as well. When we purchased our cupcakes, Addie was in such an all fired hurry to help me put everything on the check out counter that when she picked up the cupcakes I heard a noise. The cupcakes came out of their holder, the perfectly placed icing was smeared all over the clear plastic cover, and sprinkles were dancing everywhere inside the container. That should have been a sign to me of how this whole thing would go.

At home, I went onto Google maps and put in the destination I needed to get to. It spit out some directions for me, and at 1:00 p.m., we headed out. I put all of our stuff on the floor of the back seat on Ian's side of the car since I knew it would be safe there and would make for easier maneuvering for me once we arrived at the party.

The directions from Google sent me onto some obscure road (where I saw some of the most beautiful homes), so I called my husband to see if he could help me out. He was in the middle of a difficult and intense job at the time, so I called my father (I do not have a smart phone yet, so I could not find the directions for myself. This incident changed all of that, and I will be getting one, Lord willing, when my phone contract is up in June. At least something good came out of all of this :) My dad did his best, but his phone could only give him a general location and not anything specific.

Brian called back a little while later and told me to call his office to see if the secretary could help me out. He then mentioned, "I think it is the church up on the hill."

Hill? What hill? The only hill that I know of in town is the hill that the traffic light is at the top of, and there is no church there.

Addie named her "Val" because of the Doc McStuffins show

The secretary gave me great directions..... but here's the thing. I was mentally stuck within the confines of the "main part of town" limits. I wasn't letting myself think outside that traffic light at the top of the hill that leads outside of town.

I eventually came across a fire/police department (after Addie asked me if we were still in Florida), and I decided to go inside. I unbuckled the kids and had Addie climb over Ian's chair to come out the same door I was at since it had started raining.

And then I heard it. The sound of a plastic cupcake container being crushed by a size 10 shoe. Addie had stepped right on the cupcakes. Was I mad? Absolutely not! I started to laugh! Oh well. These cupcakes were meant to get to their destination smooshed and imperfect.

The police officer was absolutely sweet as anything and gave the kids candy, and his secretary was a doll. A woman, who also worked there, walked in and saw the address of the location of the party and said, "That's the big church at the top of the hill. I can't believe you missed it!"

What hill is everyone talking about?!

I left with my printed directions and followed them to the T...... and there, outside of town, up on a hill was a big (HUGE, ENORMOUS) church where the party was being held.

We got out of the car and into the church just in time for the group picture. Our leader is super sweet and made an announcement for all of the kids to be sure to give Addie a treat for her box and then to take one of her treats for their box too. I was so glad because I knew she was looking forward to that..... and I had spent an hour the night before writing "My friend" and "Addie" on each of those 60 little candy packets!

Ian's feet, Addie's hands

Throughout our entire adventure, my kids were troopers! No one fussed, not even my little guy who is still rear facing in his car seat. Sometimes, Ian would say "Mum? Mum? Mummum?" and Addie would say in her "little mommy" voice, "Shhh, Ian. Don't talk to Mommy right now. She's trying to find the party."

We got home (in 20 minutes!), but when we found out that Brian would be getting home late I took the kids back out to pick up their McDonald's happy meal and fries. I went through the drive through since it is easier that way and placed my order. I passed the Happy Meal back to Addie and drove off. When we were almost home, Addie let me know that there were no chicken nuggets in her Happy Meal.

After the day we had had......that sounded about right.

This will definitely be a Valentine's for the books.

Who?????

Just before the Superbowl (a few weeks ago), I was asked if I knew who Beyonce', the singer for the half time show, was.

I answered, "I can name and sing every Veggie Tales song ever written and I can sing word for word almost every show on Disney Jr's theme song. Besides that, I'm a little out of the loop."

After seeing who and "how" she is..... I'll stick with my singing veggies.

The Date

Date nights are very special and important to us. They are a time for us to connect without having to be "Mommy and Daddy" at the same time. We can talk about important matters that affect our home without having to split our attention between each other and the kids.

 

 

This weekend, Brian and I were able to go off for a few hours for dinner and a movie (and I got to stop in at Barnes & Noble to talk with an expert about my tablet. So happy!).

 

My sister Faye and her husband Jim offered to babysit the munchies, which got us out of our county (because we soooo needed a change of scenery!) and told us they would watch the kids up until 1:00 a.m. (not that we actually took advantage of that, but what a nice relief that we didn't have to worry about time.)

 

 

Do you see the remote in Ian's hands? Yeah, he has Aunt Faye and Uncle Jim wrapped around his chubby little finger because there is no way he would have gotten away with that at home.

 

 

She was so excited to be at her best friend's house. Can you see Taffy?

 

 

We love our Aunt Faye Uncle Jim!

 

 

Now..... getting back to the actual post. Those two are distractingly adorable!

 

I have begun reading the e-book One Bite At A Time by Tsh Oxenreider author of The Simple Mom blog (one of my favorite places to "hang out" online). The book gives 52 simple steps to take to help one live a simple and intentional life with their family.

 

I went into the date having a few conversations I wanted to have with Brian concerning some of the things I had read. I brought out my tablet before our dinner came out and introduced two of the items I wanted to work on.

 

Achieving a goal is much easier when your spouse is in agreement and on board with you.

 

I introduced the idea of a morning and evening schedule for us (as in for him and me) and asked if he would be willing to try it.

 

He is so awesome!

 

I then showed him the "Family Purpose Statement". We were both really excited about working on this together. We don't want our family to just exist and have no direction, goal, or focus. We want our family to have a purpose that not only keeps us living intentionally here, but also keeps us focused on the Lord and our future with Him. 

 

I want to fly through this book and just read everything she writes, but then I want to stop and work on what she teaches in each chapter. I think I'll do both!

Thankful | Family Time

I am thankful for family time.

 

Time when the four of us can be an island unto ourselves, get away, and connect with each other.

 

 

Family time is a time when we just hang out at home, go to a local park, or go have an adventure.

 

However we choose to spend it, it is always a time filled with smiles, laughter, and making memories that we will look back on fondly.

 

Although I loved the baby stage of my children, I am really enjoying that everyone can now participate actively... even if we're not quite sure what is going on.

 

Family time is not always perfect. Mommy and Daddy have a plan an know what direction to go in. The kids are definitely the variable that keeps things light and spontaneous.

 

But family time for us is perfect..... always. And I am so thankful for our little family.

Love Bugs and Spiders and Scorpions! Oh, My!

Here is our little neck of the woods (literally!), we encounter lots of different types of creatures.

There are love bugs which, rumor has it, are a science experiment gone wrong. I'm inclined to believe it because I see no other purpose for these annoying little black bugs with tiny red heads which fly as a pair and get smeared across your windshield and hood (and their acidic insides can completely ruin the paint job on your vehicle) or fly into your front porch and make a graveyard for themselves. Unfortunately, love bug season comes twice a year (May and September).

We also have spiders. Big, leggy, crawly spiders that live outside, of course. We have seen two really big, ugly ones at our front door. Thankfully, my hero was right there both times to kill them and protect his damsel in distress.... and, yes, I was stressing!

And lastly, we have scorpions.  Not the big poisonous ones from the dessert. Little ones that live among the pine trees, but these can sting, and their sting can pack a punch.

And this is where today's story lies......

We have lived in our home for 6 years and Brian was the first to be stung by a scorpion back in April of this year (he had also been stung many times as a child, for the record). He happened to step on one in his bare feet out on the driveway, and danced around for five minutes because of the pain. He said it felt like a red ant bite times 10.

Oh, did I ever mention the red ants?

Last Friday, Ian had his one year appointment complete with shots. Because he had a really hard time staying asleep (and woke Addie up from his fussing), Brian decided to bring our mattress out of our room and lay it on the floor in the living room between the two couches, and we had a family camp out (the kids slept great......). We decided to leave the mattress there the following evening as well, but only Brian and I camped out.

Around three o'clock in the morning, Addie came out of her room, walked to the side of the bed where my head was and asked if she could camp out again. I was too tired to send her back to bed so I moved over, and in she crawled. After she finished getting comfortable, I put my arm up over my head, and my hand brushed the back edge of the mattress.....

.......and I sat up immediately holding my burning hand.

I quietly and gently shook Brian and said, "I was just stung by a scorpion."

It usually takes him a few minutes to really wake up, so I don't hold his next comment against him.

"Are you sure? If you had been stung, you'd be screaming right now."

This is the part where I chuckled (partially out loud and partially to myself) while still holding my burning hand.

I have delivered two babies, gone through contractions without medication for hours (with Ian it was close to 40 hours), gone through the recovery of 2 c-sections, and nursed one of my children for a year.

Yes, a scorpion sting hurts, but it's not that bad.

Brian got up, began looking for the little creature and found it on the side of our mattress, not too far from where Addie had been moments before.

And then he beat the living daylights out of that thing.

One look at my hand proved that I had been stung.

And Brian just kept saying, "I can't believe you're not screaming."

Our Trip to Tropicana Field

Earlier this summer, Addie and I began reading our way to Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. We completed our 24 hour required amount and sent in our ticket form. Because one of the dates was on Ian's actual birth date, September 21, and because Brian always takes off on our birthdays, we decided to make Ian's birth date our day to go to the Rays game.

 

For Father's Day this year, I had purchased through Groupon a gift certificate for Brian to receive a sports massage (he does a lot of driving, and his back and shoulders are often in pain because of it). Because the location of the spa was in St. Pete (where Trop Field is) we scheduled his appointment for earlier in the afternoon. While he was getting his sports massage, we all went shopping at a nearby shopping center.

 

 

After picking him up, we headed to Applebees for dinner. We were given a huge corner booth. Despite all of the room we had, Addie had to sit as close to Daddy as possible! Don't know if you can tell, but she is giddy happy about the entire day!

 

 

Then we went to the Pier of St. Pete. It was beautiful just to walking and around the Pier, see the pelicans, watch the boats on the water, and just watch the many people coming in and out.

 

 

 Ian loved seeing the birds. He would point and make noise until we all acknowledged that we had the bird or plane, too.

 

 

And then we took pictures.......

 

It's not really sitting on Addie's head..... it just looks that way.

 

We went inside for ice cream and smoothies. This boy can eat! He tasted every one's smoothie and Addie's ice cream, but he loved Daddy's mango smoothie best of all..... until he finished off Addie's ice cream.

 

Then we headed to the game. Of course, you know I had to let everyone know that it was my boy's birthday and that big sister had gotten us to the game. Ian wore a nice, tall, pointy birthday hat. Sigh..... so cute! And he got lots of attention because of his hat.

 

Both Ian and Addie were given buttons that said that this was their first Rays game (in the scrapbooks already) and Ian got one that said it was his birthday. All of us received a t-shirt which was the fan giveaway that evening. 

 

One of Addie prizes for reaching one of the goals was a cow bell (a Tropicana Field tradition). We brought the cow bell, and Addie had fun ringing it when the rest of the crowd rang theirs. She was really great about ringing it at the appropriate times and not overdoing it.

 

I am so thankful for photos. Ian will probably never remember this evening down the road, but he can always look at the photos and see what big sister did to get here and that mommy totally embarrassed him with a big birthday party hat when he was one. 

 

My cousin Belinda had come to spend a few days with us and was able to join us on our day's adventure.

 

I am so exceedingly thankful for the little family that God has blessed me with.

 

Because we had been out all day, Addie hadn't gotten any rest during the day, and we were gearing up for a big birthday party the next day, we thought the better of staying until the end of the game and left early (we were winning 12-0 when we left and ultimately won 12-1). At the entrance of the stadium, there is a little floor tile field. Brian and Addie "ran the bases" there together since she would not be able to run the real bases later on.

 

The kids' first trip to the Trop was a huge success. I look forward to future adventures in Tampa Bay baseball with our little ones.

Recovering......

We have had quite a wonderful weekend celebrating Ian's actual birthdate out as a family, and then celebrating with friends and family at his farm themed birthday party. I'll have more on those in the coming days, but for today, I just needed a little break. I'll be back with a "real" post tomorrow.