Thanksgiving wishes

Thanksgiving...

I am thankful for my family & friends

My mom is truly one of my best friends. I know I can count on her and depend on her for anything. I am thankful for the bond that we share that has grown from mother and daughter to more like friends. I love our long conversations on the phone...sometimes about nothing at all.

Julie...
I love the friendship that we have developed too. I depend on her for a lot and she fills the Aunt roll very well.
We don't always see eye to eye but that's what makes our bond unique (and exciting)

Jill...
My best friend! We laugh about everything even if it's not funny. I always know that even from across the country she is there for me with advice or just an ear to listen to my rants.

Grandma...
I am thankful for the relationship we have too. I look forward to our visits and conversations. She makes me think and I appreciate that.

Dad...
I'm thankful for his insight. We're both guilty of allowing time and distances come between us. I've got to work on that.

My beautiful niece and handsome nephew...
AKA Alexis and Ryan.
I don't see them nearly as much as I would like but I love the fact that when I do they know who I am and love me. (For the most part :) )
I love that I can talk to them on the phone and actually have a conversation that's not forced. Even if Lex likes to talk baby talk to me.

Minda & Larry..
I'm grateful to say I don't have any terrible in-law stories to share. I have great in-laws who have always made me feel welcomed and loved.

Jessica...
One of my best friends from high school. I love that she "gets" who I am. I love that our friendship is more than just an occasional phone call. I love that her and her husband Kevin are Ella's godparents and fit and fill that role more than I could have ever imagined.

Sheila,
I'm so thankful for her. She has helped me in my journey to become a better Christian. She supports and encourages things in me that I otherwise would have over looked.

I'm thankful for so many people...I would be here all day if I wrote about them all.

Thanksgiving....

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

I am thankful for my faith in God. It has carried me through the happiest times and the hardest times in my life. The knowledge of the word brings comfort to me and I know and feel its truth. I'm thankful to live in a country that allows me to express my faith with no worries of repercussions.
I'm thankful that my children have felt the presence of the Lord that they have allowed Him into their hearts and made Him apart of who they are.


Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32

Thanksgiving...

My kids.
That just about sums it up. I am so thankful for my three blessings, each of them bring a different gift to the table and help make our family what it is.

Alyssa is helpful and caring. She has always been one that wants to please everyone.
She is a great big sister too. It's been a blessing to watch her grow and mature into the wonderful young lady she is today.

Brandon is my boy. He's always saying and doing funny things.
Like his sister, he likes to please everyone too. (most of the time)
He's a great brother and loves both of his sisters very much.

Gabriella is an angel. She has the ability to undo 8 hours of a crappy work day in a matter of seconds. Watching her grow and learn new things has been such a blessing to me. I am so thankful for her.

Thanksgiving...

This is my favorite time of year...
I love the fall and I especially love Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for this year, so I thought I would take the time every day to highlight something special to me.

We'll start with Jeff...

Ahhhh, my husband. One of my greatest joys and biggest pains all rolled into one.
He is very special to me...of course. He is always there to support me and encourage me. He's brutally honest (both a good and a not so good quality about him)
He makes me laugh.
He's a great daddy who has always put the kids first.
He's a crappy housekeeper and though that often leaves me steaming hot mad I appreciate that he is doing his best.
I love that he makes silly mistakes...(IE: dressing Gabriella :) )

I am very thankful for the life we share. Both good and bad times, I love you!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."
-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Pictures

I am so proud of this boy!






One of his pins!

Pictures

Setting up for a take down...look at the fire in his eyes!

1st place

Warming up..are those shorts?!

1st place

Brandon and Jeff are in Utah today for a wrestling tournament. We were all supposed to go but Alyssa had Nutcracker rehearsal this morning. With the show so close we decided it would be best if us girls stayed back and took care of those obligations.
Instead, Jeff and Brandon took off yesterday with the rest of the team and the girls and I and my mom headed out for some shopping. Thanks Grandma! :) We had a lot of fun...
Now, the most important and the name sake of this post.....
Brandon won 1st place for his weight category in this tournament...complete with 2 pins! I'm sad I missed it but I'm sure Jeff has plenty of pictures. (I'll post those when he gets home later tonight)
Looks like he's proving himself worthy of being called a GATOR!

Happy Girl

I LOVE you Ella!!

Santa Clause is coming...

Yes, it's early...but Santa is here. On Friday my mom and I took the kids to Town Square and celebrated the arrival of Santa. The parade was lame but Santa looked great and the fake snow was pretty cool.
Here are a few pictures of the night.

RIP Cotton

Today Alyssa's guinea pig died.
Cotton was a good pig guinea (Yes, I did that on purpose). He was gentle and allowed the kids to play with him and handle him however they saw fitting.
We got Cotton and Bean (Brandon's guinea pig) about 2 years ago. We had a hamster before, but after Jeff cleaned the kids’ bathroom we found the thing dead in his ball. I'm thinking from the fumes of the cleaners...
I may also note that is the only documented time Jeff has cleaned.
Afterwards, riddled with guilt Jeff took Alyssa and Brandon to the pet store where he made up for it by allowing them to each get a guinea pig. To add to this excitement Jeff built a cage for them that would rival Trump towers. It takes up a lot of space.
The kids, for the most part, have been good guinea pig parents. This morning, when I woke the kids up I made the discovery. Imagine the drama...
We laid him to rest in a wipe box.
Good by Cotton...RIP.

Really?!

This is nuts! Click the title to read this ridiculous story.
We are entering the holiday season in a time where many families are struggling and trying to get by. Many are seeking God, looking for reassurance and comfort in a time where nothing seems stable and the idiots of the world are throwing this at us!

At one point in the article this idiot Fred Edwords says..."Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."

Well...DUH...people! Christmas is about Christ! If you don't like that then don't celebrate it! BOTTOM LINE!
I'm tired of these giant corporations who are so darn worried about making a buck that they have let go of the meaning. Don't feed me your crappy "happy holidays" line. I want to hear Merry Christmas!
Now, don't get me wrong. A stupid ad like this does nothing to sway my beliefs. But still, it makes me steaming hot mad!!

Support my wrestler...

I realize I talk about this a lot. But we all know whatever it is our kids are involved with it pretty much just takes over your life. Wrestling is no different.
This year Brandon is on a better, more driven team. They have some fantastic stats to back up all the hard work that the coaches and kids put into the program. On a state level we are known...now, it's time to tackle the national level.
They have several tournaments planned that are out of state, two of them are really big important ones. One is in Oklahoma and one is in Idaho. So, with this comes travel and with travel comes expenses and with expenses comes fundraising! YIPPY!
I won't sell you cookie dough or another roll of wrapping paper...what I will sell is an opportunity to sponsor Brandon. For every pin, take down and other wrestling "move" he makes you agree to a $$ donation. Anything helps and for everything that Brandon brings in 50% will go directly to him.
Wrestling has been great for Brandon. He has built confidence, learned respect and teamwork. Even his school teacher has noted the change in him. If you know Brandon you know this is so much more than just something he does on the side in his spare time. Just like Alyssa is always dancing, Brandon is always running drills. Help him excel!

Just because

Dinner guest

This is old news, but thought I would share anyways...

Last weekend we had some extended family in town so we had a lunch get together at my grandma's. We all had a nice time visiting family that we have not seen in years.
During the lunch we were surprised by an uninvited guest....



I have lived in Vegas for 18 years and never once have I seen one of these. Jeff scooped him up on a paper plate and we delivered him safely to the desert.

Football is over...

now wrestling can officially take over our lives (not that it hasn't already!)

Brandon's last game was Saturday morning. It was an ok season. The kids had fun and that's all that matters. Brandon was a pretty good defensive player, he may be one of the smallest kids on his team but he wasn't afraid to get in there and do his thing. We're pretty proud of our little man.

Elections

I'm glad it's over! No more annoying phone calls and commercials.
I'll admit it; I was disappointed with the results. But, today I will pick myself up and dust myself off and pray that Obama will bring about the "change" that he promised without breaking this country down more than she already is. I won't hold my breath.

Fall

I want to live here...

Priceless

My kids have a TON of toys. We have toys in every corner of this house, it's crazy.
However, Gabriella is obsessed with the bars of soap I keep under the sink in our bathroom and now...she has found the gigantic box of tampons (sorry people) she loves to empty them on the floor.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween...another one come and gone.
I'm not a huge fan of the holiday...but the kids had fun so that's all that matters.
Alyssa was a 50's girl, Brandon was a ninja and Gabriella was a black kitty cat.
Jeff took Alyssa and Brandon out trick or treating and Ella and I stayed home and passed out candy. She was very interested in everyone that came to the door. The kids got a ton of candy, as usual. It was a good night!

Pumpkins

I'm thankful to have such a hands on husband. Today, while I was at work Jeff and the kids took on the task of carving the pumpkins. We usually do it all together as a family but this year we have been so busy we just never could find the time. Brandon's pumpkin in the flaming skull and Alyssa's is the cat. I thought they turned out very well. And just a side note...Alyssa carved her pumpkin by herself!