Girl Time!

We are getting really close to our "One Year Anniversary Mom Squad Luncheon". I am so excited! It will be this Saturday at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick (11-1). It's been so long since I've done something like this, I know realize how long overdue it is! We have everything from entertainment, to food, prizes and some surprises. I just love the fact I can get together with other ladies and connect and just have fun. Oh and I almost forgot the goodie bags!! Kristi Thomas from Lunchology designed bags especially for the Mom Squad attendees and the perks inside are amazing! I feel like it's one of those backstage award-show baskets....the gifts are incredible! So thank you to Kristi for putting that together (check out her website at: www.lunchology.com). If you don't have your tickets yet you can get them here: http://wfhm.salemwebnetwork.com//subpage.asp?StationId=WFHM-FM&PageNo=667 I hope to see you there!

Pictures

Last night we had our Christmas family pictures taken. Getting Garrett to cooperate was no easy feat! I don't blame him, sitting and posing is no fun for an 18-month old on the go.:) That is why he is not in this photo with Grant and Gabriel, maybe next year. Still these two make quite the dapper duo! I have to sift through all the outtakes but I still should be way ahead of schedule in getting the Christmas cards out (wow, imagine that)!:)

By the way, thank you for the prayers and feedback regarding Garrett's asthma and allergies. I keep forgetting to update with the latest news! About a month ago I called a specialist to have him looked at and screened for allergies, etc. Our appointment is next week (finally). It took forever to get in but I hear it's worth the wait. The doctor we are seeing is supposed to be excellent so I am grateful to finally put the final pieces together so we can get him well. Aside from his lingering eczema, he's been fine the past few weeks. I don't know if that means he DOESN'T have asthma (no wheezing or raspy breathing) or if it only flares up during certain times. I guess we'll find all of that out in a few days.

That's about it. I should be napping but I just can't sleep. My uncle died last night. He had pancreatic cancer. Please pray for the family, and all those who suffer.

Tree Time!

We are officially decorated! The tree is up, the lights are on outside and the nativity scene is in place. We had to turn up 95.5 too with all the Christmas music to put us in the holiday spirit. Jim had fun making fun of me too, each year I get so weepy! I reminisce about the Christmas' we've had before, how fast it's gone, and how blessed we are again this year. You just never know what a year will bring. We never know when it will be our last with a loved one, or a spouse will be out of work, etc. I just get so overwhelmed, and even feel so unworthy that I lose it! Jim can predict it and just laughs (thanks dear)!:)

Friday we made a halfway attempt at shopping. We walked into Toys R Us about 10am and saw the lines were ALL THE WAY to the back end of the store, and promptly turned around and left! I just can't do it, maybe at some point when I'm excited about a certain item that is 70% off or something. We did a lot of our shopping online this year, several places are offering free shipping which is nice. The best thing for us is to get it over with and stay out of the stores! It's too tempting to get stuff we just don't need to buy. So the best solution for us it to stay away altogether. I am so bad at that. You walk into a store intending to buy 3 things and before you know it there are 10 more you "have" to get because it's on sale, or it's on a display, or you've been really wanting to get it for a long time. Whenever that happens I think "was my life missing this item before I walked into the store"? The answer is: almost never. So that is my therapy lesson for today!:) Hope you had a wonderful, happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for... by Nancie J. Carmody

...the mess to clean up after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by friends and family.

...the taxes I pay
because it means that I'm employed.

...the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.

...the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot

because it means I am capable of walking.

...all the complaining I hear about our government
because it means we have freedom of speech.

...that lady behind me in church who sings off key
because it means that I can hear.

...lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing
because it means I have a home.

...my huge heating bill
because it means that I am warm.

...weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means that I have been productive.

...the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means that I am alive.

Happy Thanksgiving. God bless you!

Toothgate

Oh what an ordeal!:) Gabriel's right, front tooth has been loose for months. We thought it would go this summer but no, it held on! Then we guessed it would be out by Halloween for sure (especially with all that hard candy)! Nope, it stayed put. Well, it's been hanging by a thread for a few weeks now and we finally had to take action. Thanks to our listeners with some valuable advice, it's finally out! Last night Jim took a napkin (to get a good grip) and did a quick twist and pull. I cringe just thinking about that and applaud him for doing it! For some reason I get squeamish with that sort of thing. It took a little more doing but thankfully he was able to go to bed with the tooth under his pillow last night!



So that was the big event of the weekend. Jim is working on the basement and we are excited to see the final product. I'm also excited for the short, holiday week! We are having family come over and it should be great, I am so grateful for the company and togetherness. Next year I think we are going to try deep frying the turkey. Everyone keeps saying it's fantastic and I especially love the quick cooking time! Although it sounds pretty dangerous too, that's nothing to mess around with apparently! This year it will be the old faithful, traditional fresh butterball though...mmmm I can smell it already! Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

TV and Treadmill

We finally broke down and did it! After being married 7 and a half years and saying "we really need a treadmill" (every year) we actually got one, at last! I was really worried about falling into the trap of paying the money, then letting it sit and collect dust. I know it will get used though, I am not worried about that anymore. With our schedule and lifestyle it just makes sense, and I am dedicated to running and now finally have an outlet to continue in the winter. This treadmill decision comes at the heels of a big project we opted to undertake. Well...let me re-phrase, that Jim decided to undertake!:) He and some of the neighbors are going to finish our basement and create a play room/workout area. We usually go to the YMCA in the winter time but we decided to cancel that and invest in our home. So needless to say that is our Christmas present to each other! Besides, we had originally planned a trip to Disney and now we will be using that money to make a lasting impact in our home. I am excited because I KNOW the boys will love it! I have no doubt that we'll get great use out of that area. With 3 boys it's almost a necessity!:)

We visited the great people at Good Company today. Every year we go on to talk about "Operation Families First". Our radio station teams up with the USO to help provide Christmas gifts for military families who are dealing with deployments. Once again I am blaming the "bad lighting" for how I look. ha ha.:) I'm never happy. Sheesh. Here is the link! http://www.wkyc.com/video/player_goodcompany.aspx?aid=48048&bw=

More Good Music

Today we had Phil Wickham in studio with us. One of my favorite parts of working in radio is being up-close to hear the artists and watch them sing. I am so NOT musically gifted but I can sure appreciate those who are! We had him in about 2 years ago when he was touring with Mercy Me and he blew us away then. So we knew he would rock and sure enough he DID! Check out the clip on our new You Tube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_1Du7ISCHA

My Buddy n' Me!

The pictures are here! About a month ago we had a photo shoot with Praise-apella (an amazing local group) and I brought Grant with me. It was a treat to be together, just the two of us traveling to the studio and doing something special. A big thank you to Terry at Studio South Photography who took the pictures. Here are a few:




My little buddy is getting so big! He'll be 4 on Valentine's Day and seeing those pictures really makes me emotional. Anyway, the final product is OUT and we are thrilled to be a part of the Praise-apella Christmas album. You can hear a sample and order it here: http://wfhm.salemwebnetwork.com/subpage.asp?StationId=WFHM-FM&PageNo=659. Now I'm really starting to get into the Christmas mode!.

Deck the Wall Calendar

It's not even Thanksgiving yet and I'm already feeling stressed. Our calendar is so full right now and it looks like it will be through mid-December (at least). It's all fun stuff really: events at Gabe's school, a wedding, concerts, various appointments, etc. My attempt to become more organized has been paying off and I have learned that the more prepared I am, the more confident and relaxed I feel. That is a no-brainer of course, it's just taken me a while to get it together!:) I'm still not quite into the holiday mode yet, I can't believe Thanksgiving is this month! Now that's we've moved our clocks back I'm sure I'll start to feel it, it gets dark so early and that puts my body into winter mode.

Garrett is getting his stitches out this week. He his healing so well, it's amazing how fast babies and kids recover! He's such a trooper. Here is a photo the day after he got his stitches. Thankfully he's been all smiles, I think he forgot about it!:)

My Poor Beautiful Boy

It has been a traumatic week, Garrett had to get stitches! My mom was babysitting and he fell and really busted his lip. He has a little chair that he stands on when he helps dry dishes, etc. I'm fine with that because he doesn't "climb" on the chair, he just uses it as a booster to get him high enough so he can see and help. Someone is always there right next to him, so no biggie, right? Well in this case he was trying to get a piece of candy Grant had left on the counter and he slipped off. Thankfully I was pulling in the driveway when it happened so I was right there and able to rush him to the ER. It is the most heartbreaking thing to see your child get stitches! I thought I would either pass out or throw up, I was physically hurting for him! The process of sewing up a baby is so traumatic, they have to constrict the body and of course all Garrett knew is that he was scared and couldn't move. The doctor was excellent, but to hear my baby cry so hard and for him to not understand what was going on....ugh, tough.
After the dust settled my guilt began to set in, if I had just been home 2 minutes earlier, it wouldn't have happened! My mom feels awful too but it was an accident and those things happen. What is going on this year?! Garrett has gotten hurt twice (although the cat fiasco was a total freak thing). I feel like our kids are always getting hurt! We DO have 3 boys but sheesh, my heart can only take so much!:) They are active (not wild) and I feel Jim and I are attentive but depsite all efforts, there are bound to be falls, bangs, and accidents along the way. Ahhh the joys of little boys.:)
Here is a photo of us at the ER. I don't know why I was smiling, I was actually pretty distraught. Garrett finally fell asleep in my arms and Jim took the picture, I must have gone into automatic smile mode.