We are exhausted!

How we all have changed this past year!



Talk about craziness! As sad as I am to see the holidays past us, I am so ready for a break before our baby girl, Willow arrives! We did so much over the past week and we still have more to do over this week, but it is always worth it. We were in the company of our closest family memebers and friends. The weather was warm and our hearts were warmer! We were blessed with so many thoughtful gifts. It reminded me how lucky we are to have everyone in our lives. I felt great joy in handing out gifts, many in which I had made by hand. To see the joy on everyones face brightens my days and helps me to look forward to the holiday season all through out the year. It was too bad that we didn't have ANY snow this year, but on the bright side the roads were safe and everyone got where they need to go without any issues! I will post later with pictures and more details on what we did for the holidays. I just wanted to check in and say I am wiped out! We are taking a relaxing break as a family this week.

Discovery.

Who I was is not who I am and who I am is not who I will be.

Quotes that I love

Who am I?

I am a MOM,
an imperfect mom, for sure.
a chaotic, crazy, disorganized mom, maybe.
but I am a fun and loving mom!
I am an awesome Autism mom,
A mom who cherishes each of her kids
strengths and weaknesses,
and a mom who loves her kids
for being just themselves.

I am a WIFE,
an imperfect wife, for sure.
certainly not the best cook or housekeeper for my husband,
but I love him with all of my heart
and I try to show him as much as I can.
I am the best wife I can be.
I am a wife who loves and cherishes her husband.
A wife who truly appreciates everything he does.

I am a CRAFTER,
My "works of Art" are often imperfect, for sure!
But I enjoy crafting, sewing, embroidering
and making things for others!
I am proud of the things that I make
and I truly enjoy that time!
Crafting is not just some thing I do,
it's part of who I am.

I am a Christan,
An imperfect Christan, for certain!
I make mistakes and stumble often,
probably too often.
But I try hard and I know God loves me for that.
I know my Heavenly Father is there and
recognizes how hard I try to be a better person.

I am not always sure who I am,
I do know that nothing I do is perfect.
I know that I often come short.
I know that I need to constantly be bettering myself.
But I also know that I love who I am and what I do.
My kids love me.
My husband loves me.
And my God loves me.
And to be honest that's all that really matters to me.

Christmas is such a joyous time to celebrate and enjoy our lives! I love Christmas music. It is so uplifting. Some of my most happiest moments are sitting in our dimly lit living room with the Christmas tree glowing and Christmas music blaring; all in the company of my wonderful husband and children. I encourage you to have a night in on these cold winter evenings just to enjoy your family and listen to some Christmas music. Isn't it just too easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the season???

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from my family to yours!

Counting my blessings for December 4th, 2011

My day started off great, first thing this morning! My husband let me lay in bed for a while and got up with the kids and the puppy, since I wasn't feeling well. My kids were wonderful today! With three kids, it's not some thing that happens everyday; all three of them completely well behaved. We even got a short break from the boys while my grandpa brought them to see a movie. It gave me the opportunity to do some blogging, check in with old friends and come up with new crafting ideas! I was thrilled to find an old wooden nightstand to turn into a little girls kitchen dream. I am so lucky to have a husband who is supportive of my creative outlets. Since I have been nesting, I have been a cleaning, sewing, crafting fanatic. It is a little bit disturbing! But I think I have come up with some great ideas for the holiday season and I am really enjoying myself.
The snow is wonderful outside! It is so beautiful. I was starting to get worried that we would have Christmas without snow. Although it isn't fun to drive in, it does encourage us to spend time at home as a family. The boys spent time drawing and creating works of art while I worked on my projects. Family time along with a warm blanket and some hot cocoa makes for the perfect winter recipe.

Now, I encourage you to look back on YOUR day and count the many blessings that you had. Even if they were few and far in between, no blessing is too small. Reflecting on the day can remind us of all the wonderful things we have to cherish.

Long time, No Rhyme

So much for keeping up on my blog and learning to live for today! Instead of learning how to live for today I quickly got lost in the day. All though it is an improvement over getting lost in the past or the future; I need to work on CHERISHING THE DAY!

I am constantly on a quest to improve myself as a person, a wife and a mother. I want to be the best that I can be for myself and my family. It hasn't been easy, but all of life's lessons are quickly teaching me who I am and who I want to be. Life sure has changed a lot, but one thing stays the same; my husband still kisses me good night every night. It is a special moment in each day that reminds me that I am appreciated for everything I am trying to do. It may seem simple to some, but I find great reward in simple moments like these.

My oldest son was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder. It has been a long road in a journey I thought I would never have to experience. Although it would be easy to sit back and feel sorry for myself, my son and our family, I have learned that life simply is never easy. I had made the decision from the beginning not to shed any tears or get lost in pity, but rather take it as another experience to make me a better person. Our family has grown stronger because of it. We have learned to rely on one another and work together even better. And trust me, we have to. We have weekly appointments, occupational therapy, physical therapy, special diets, medications, school and so much more to keep up on. Not only do we have to deal with autism daily we have 3 children and one more due in a month who need our love and attention. It has been a circus juggling all that needs to be done. The house is some times a mess, things don't always get done, phone calls get ignored, but we are taking it one day at a time and accomplishing things piece by piece. Can't bite off more you than you can chew! At one point in time I would have tried to do too much and some times I still do, but I am quickly learning (with the help of my loving husband!) what I can handle. I am blessed to have such an adoring, loving husband, an awesome son with Autism, a rumble-tumble-keep-you-on-your-toes kind of son, a pretty little princess of a daughter and a rollie-pollie-ollie baby girl on the way to make my days lively and totally worth it! I am learning that there are so many things in my life today to love!