I simply cannot believe it...

Saturday we went to Aubrei's wedding... I was just so shocked being there and seeing my old group of girlfriends... all the way back to sixth grade!! WHAT!? Chesney, Genajuade, Dani, Aubrei, and myself had such a great time seeing each other. I cannot believe that we are all married now... well almost all of us... I have a kid... and soon they will too. It seems like we were just reading notes in the bathroom during lunch. Talking about boys. Copying each others homework. Laughing at the silliest things.
But mostly I found it fun to be able to show off my wonderful smokin hott husband and adorable son. Braeden was quite the talk of night!

It is so fun to think about where we all were, and although we do not talk too much, or hang out at all. It is still great to see everyone and remember how much we loved having them in our lives, and what they meant to us. Those girls were (and are) amazing. I have never laughed so hard, cried so much, and simply just enjoyed the little things, as I did with them. I remember staying at Aubrei or Chesneys house all the time. I see the wedding starting new fun times that we can add to our list of memories! Good times... Good times..

Montana Trip!

So if there is one place we love in this world.. it is MONTANA!! We had such a blast just relaxing, not worrying about bills, money, food, where were going... anything... it was just so great. And it was our first trip as the family! I feel like it was such a recharge for Nate and I... to be carefree, to be able to just talk about nothing, but everything all at the same time. We have been sooooo stressed out about money these last few months, that it can really pay a toll on everything. The Lord really blessed us. My parents have a sweet motorhome... so mom and dad took Braeden in there, while Nate and I tented it (which we love)... that meant we BOTH got to sleep in as late as we wanted, and with no distractions... of course me kicking nate off the bed, stealing the covers, or punching him for snoring might have woken him up... but other than that... nothing!! hehe... As you can see, Braeden is NOT a huge fan of water... it was so funny! We even got the water warm for him, but we think the wind was too much. It was fun to watch him hate it so much tho... hehe... oh I love Montana.

Proud Sister

Sooooo... Josh is doing amazing for the Fielders. For those of you who dont know he is playing independent baseball out in Illinois. He just got done playing the the ALLSTAR team!! I am so proud of this kid. He is doing so well... he is #2 in homers #3 in RBI's... I they really see this kids love of the game. He has worked so hard for where he is at... and you can follow him and listen to his games at fieldersbaseball.com

How do them southerners do it?

So Im sure, like most Washingtonians, we don't have AC here... well it was Braedens first day and night in heat like this, and let me tell you he is not happy! I have never seen him in such a state that he could not be calmed down. All day he was crabby, but still a little smiley... then the night came. It took him a while to go to sleep (it was about 83 in here)... then 2 am came.... I got up with him crying his sweet little eyes out... we were up until just after 4 am this morning... which he doesnt even stay up that long during the day. The only thing that seemed to calm him down was taking a walk outside (oh how it was so much cooler)... Every time he ate, he threw it up, every time I laid him down he screamed bloody murder... I put cold rags on him, took his temp, I tried everything I could think of... that little boy was not happy... Finally, I walked around outside long enough that I could feel him cooling down, so I gave him a cold bottle of just water, and put him in the crib (normally, I would not give him a bottle in the crib, but I was desperate for him to find comfort in there.) He fell asleep shortly after... then woke again at 7...

Luckily my parents have a portable AC unit that I will be stealing from them today, so I see sleeping through the night in our future today.

The blessing I see out of this is.... the Lord has blessed me with patience with my son (nobody else though, people still drive me nuts) I was able to keep me composer and really care for him all night. I also have been learning so much about taking care of little ones, and how the same thing does not work on every baby. Braeden is very picky, yet easy, and he does NOT want to be hot, and if he is hot, he does not want to be alone, he needs some sort of satisfaction in the place he is to be happy. I just thank the good Lord for being with me last night, as I could have lost it at any moment... I was so tired before I went to bed, let alone waking up that early for that long.... and then again at 7 this morning. He has really helped me to push through the hard times, lean on Him, and come out praising Him for the small things. I am truly blessed with this precious son of mine... thank you Lord for him and for always being there with me while I raise your son that you gave to me...

Land of the free because of the BRAVE!

I am such a sucker for this time of year. I think so often we take for granted this country that we live in. I mean, I know I do sometimes. My father and brother (Jeremy) were both Marines who served this country. My dad was in Nam, and here we are, decades later, and you can still see his eyes well up with tears to think about those days. He cries for his buddies lost, and his men he led. They were all family to him.
And Jeremy lost one of his best friends to a road side bomb in Iraq. Seeing the look on his face every time Allen's name is mentioned shows just how close they were.

I say all this to say this... We have men and women over seas fighting for us daily... they risk not only their lives, but also the lives of their friends. Losing a friend over there is just as bad as losing a family member here.

For me, it is so important to say "thanks" to every man and woman serving that I see. How hard is it to just say "thanks" as they walk by? This is the time of year we are reminded just how lucky we are, but for men and women who serve, this time of year is spent thinking about their loved ones lost. So please, take time to write a letter, to say "thanks" and send a prayer out to those loved and lost, and those living through what they saw over there.

I am so thankful to my dear friends and family serving, you are truly courageous! I hope you all know just how appreciated you are.

GOD BLESS THIS COUNTRY!!!