I just posted an invitation to a Titus 2 Blog Party. I'm not real sure how this is going to work but I think it will be an interesting experience. This link will take you to another blog for the actual party. I think. this is to encourage and mentor other women. I think we as women need to be there for each other, helping, encouraging, soothing, etc. I know sometimes when you are raising your little ones it seems like you are all alone in this. BUT you are not. God is with you and we are with you. All you have to do is reach out to God and to us. I also know that it definitely gets overwhelming with everything that is expected of you with your husband, the kids and the home and you want to do your very best. Don't let it get you down. Keep on striving to do what God would want of you. He is your rock, your strength, from him you can draw.

Another birthday is about to decend upon me. I can't believe how fast they come around each year. I actually don't have one this as my birthday is February 29 but ... I do get a year older anyhow. This year Gary is taking me out of town for a surprise. I have no idea where we are going or what we are doing. He has only told me to bring a coat because we will be outside a lot on Saturday. He has never done anything like this before. This is really exciting. It's funny how our marriage has changed over the years. We have always been very much in love and have always enjoyed being together a lot. In fact, the first fifteen years of our marriage we worked together at my father's business. We don't work together now or at least not at the same location but we still "work" together. I think we are closer now than we have ever been and more in love than ever. How is that possible? I think the closer we draw to Jesus, the closer we draw to each other.
Can't wait to tell you where we went this weekend. hehe.

Just had to post this latest pic of Noah. Isn't he just the coolest?!

My First Blogger Award
Thanks to Shanna for this award. I never thought I would get any kind of award in this world of blogging. So I am passing this along to Jessica who is new to the blogging world.

This blogging is really interesting. I am meeting people all over the country that I never would have meet before and that is a fun thing. I sometimes go to links from one blog to another and find the same blog that I have found from an entirely different blog. What a small world we live in.

Do any of you like to travel. I do. I especially like the beach and to be specific, the Outer Banks beaches. They are the best I have been to. We are going there this summer and I am so excited. My entire family including little Noah are going with me. What a blessing for this to happen. It's not often that entire families after kids are grown even still live close much less go on a vacation together. Last year we went to Yellowstone National Park, Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore. What a fantastic trip that was. Gary says I plan too many trips. But there is so much to see! Also, Jenny is taking me to New York City soon. I can't wait for that trip either. I love being at home BUT I love seeing our great country.

Here are new pictures of our little Noah. He is growing up so fast, way too fast but we sure are enjoying him. He is a delight to all who are around him. He has lost his newborn look in just the last couple of weeks, so sad. I love newborns no matter how funny they may look at times, but I'm glad he is growing so strong. He is such a healthy and happy baby. Thank you Jesus for your many blessings in our lives.

As an older mother with my children grown, I would hope my experience could possibly help some of you younger mothers. As my children were growing up, I was always trying to have the perfect home, perfectly clean with dinner on the table for my husband at a precise time every day. STOP! Don't do this to yourself. Don't set such high expectations for yourself and your family. We are not June Cleaver. (I know, some of you don't have a clue as to who I am talking about. Just watch "Leave it to Beaver") All this does is make everyone around you miserable. And I know that is not what you want to do. At this point in my life, I wish I had been more forgiving of a cluttered house and not so intent on the kids rooms being at least picked up. After all, we weren't selling the house and no one saw their messy rooms mainly except them. So if they wanted to live in that, well... This is not to say that they shouldn't be taught responsiblity and cleaniness, that they should just be slobs. I did teach my kids from the time they were very young that we all lived in that house together and we all needed to help around the house. My kids received an allowance that progressively got larger in amount as they got older and took on more responsibilities. Each child had a certain chore that they were responsible for, depending on the age and by the time my kids were much older we could all together get the house cleaned in no time at all. There were times when we would "blitz", which is taking about 30 minutes to get the house straightened as if we were having company come. I think they all dreaded to hear me or Gary say the word. But with our extremely busy schedule of four kids in some kind of sport or activity year round, it was a necessary thing for us to do and keep our sanity. I think the main thing to remember here is that your children will grow up entirely too fast and some day later you can have that perfectly clean house. Make you house a home that is a sanctuary for them and your husband. That world out there can be pretty cruel sometimes and we all need a place of safety to come home to.

We kept our little Noah the other night all night. He is such a sweetie. I know everyone probably gets tired of reading that but...it's my blog and I guess I will say it as much as I want to. He is such a good baby and such a joy to all of us. I think we really needed him in our lives right about now. We have had so much loss in the past years that it's about time for such a joy as Noah. God knew when to bring him into our lives. God is and God is good. Oh what a fun time Mother and Daddy, Jimmie and Milton would have had with him. They loved their grandchildren so much, I can't imagine how much more they would have loved Noah.