Halloween Costume Craziness

Crying over wearing "The Scary Dinosaur" =(

Well this years costume situation was a bit different than last years! Last year our lil boy was 5 months old...so I picked out his cute lil turtle costume for him and he never cried..he just chilled in it lol! This year....not the same story. Of course, in true "our family" style, we procrastinated forever on choosing a costume. On Tuesday we made our way to the costume shops all over town and had to search through over picked costumes. If we found one..it wasnt in his size. Or vice versa...anyways on our last costume shop we were tired and hungry and done. Luke went up and grabbed one and it was his size and we took not a single moment to look at it and make a rational decision about it lol. The costume was red&orange and Luke tends to pick out red things and show a lot of interest in red. So I think that is why he grabbed it lol. Because when we took the costume out at home and really looked at it he started crying and freaking out lol. It was a dinsosaur triceratops. So now we know he hates dinosaurs obviously lol. I tried all week to "practice" letting him wear it and warm up to it. But he cries every time we take it out. Soo...feeling like the worst mom in the world I took him to walmart to find a cheap-its cute costume. ((Ps...the scary dinosaur- $34.00 no refunds or exchanges--nice)) So...i found all the costumes at walmart that were his size and laid them out for him to pick out. He carefully and very slowly went through every costume. At the very bottom was a WoW WoW Wubbzy costume. &&OMGoodness he went nuts over it. He was clapping and saying Wow Wow...it was cute. But being the momma I am, I tried to get him to look one more time at the "cuter" costumes that would make him look so adorable and like mamas lil baby still. BUT...in the end he wanted the Wow Wow and he got it. Makes me sad that he is slipping away from being my little baby more and more everyday. He is definitely a very independent and smart lil boy now. He is still as sweet as a lil baby tho =)...i sing to him "you'll always be my baby" by Sara Evans because it is so true. It was so hard to step back and let Luke make his own decisions when I thought there were better choices...but he was happy with his decision and that is what the real lesson is. He came home and went straight to his book shelf&pulled his WowWow Wubbzy book out and walked around the house with it and his costume! It was adorable...even if it wasnt my perfect costume lol. He makes the perfect Wow Wow Wubbzy ever ;)

T...

Most beautiful cancer patient getting chemo ever =)

Tamara

I have thought very hard about what I was going to say when i talked about my sister. The words will never be able to come out of my head and onto the keys. Hmm...Tamara started chemo yesterday. It was her first treatment. It was very bittersweet. We have been sitting on the knowledge that this day was coming- and it has brought on some anxiety. But, with the help of God sitting with Tamara...her first chemo session was good. Well as good as can be. She did have a reaction and her troat was closing but they fixed it up and she was good after that. Tamara has been completely exhausted&fatigue today though. I never in a million years thought i would be writing about my sister-my best friends chemotherapy. But this is where God has lead our family and so we will deal with it. Tamara has a faith that can move mountains and she has taught me so much over the past month. She is a tough girl with a heart that belongs to her Jesus. I pray that Tamara can continue to tackle these chemotherapies with such strength as she did yesterday! Luke called and talked to her for awhile&I can tell it lifted her spirits to hear his sweet voice! He loves his AuntTeeeee!

Tonight I pray for healing upon my sister. I know there is not a cure for her cancer-but I give it to God to protect her and heal her. God&I have been having some rather deep conversations lately and I trust Him completely. I know He is at work in my sisters life. Tamara has reached&touched so many people at such a young age. I wonder sometimes why does harsh diseases and incurable cancers take over a body of a young, healthy, beautiful&christian girl. I may never know the answer to that question until i stand before my Maker...but I am learning to have peace in my heart over it.

When you go through a loved one battling a disease like cancer it changes your views on life. I have completely weeded out all the bad&ugly character friends. I have no regrets from that decision. I want my life lived surrounded by people who have good hearts. I want to share my days with other mothers who love their children& people who want to make a positive change in this world. I have no more time for selfishness in my life. I am incredibly blessed to have such an amazing network of friends spread across the country who have loved, prayed&supported me&my family since day 1 of learning of tamara's cancer. My heart will forever be grateful for that. People text me, email me or call me everyday and say "i dont know what to do for you&your family so I prayed!" Believe me...that is ALL we need! I am serious. Your prayers life Tamara up! They bring he peace&hope&faith! I have seen how good God is in the eyes&hearts of those who are believers in Him! No one can ever take that away from us!

Everyone who knows Tamara- knows she is a lil miss fashionista! I think its awesome that she goes to her doctors appt's with her best outfits on, heels, nails done&the best attitude ever! She makes me so proud! Well...round 1 of chemotherapy is down! I will keep everyone updated as we go!

**I am so happy that Luke&I are going to see Tamara in dallas on monday! We are going to spend the week with her! ((Best part of being a stay-at-home momma again! I do it all for the ones I love the most!))

Luke's Chair!

Today, Lucas decided that he was going to make the blue chair in our living room his! He takes Justin&my hand and pulls us out of his chair if we sit in it lol! He was just chillaxin' in "his" chair watching CMT today! Silly boy =)

Romans

I have been spending a lot of my bible study time studying Romans. I love this book! It has given me so much peace and knowledge. I encourage anyone who is looking for a promising book to read Romans.

Life is always going to give us challenges. There will always be people in our life who challenge our spirits. I have been holding onto a couple of grudges with friends who have hurt me or taken advantage of my friendship. I started to read Romans 2:1-11 and I was immediately on the same page as God. I knew I had to let those grudges go and just be a good person. God is the only one who has the authority to judge people's actions. I just have to focus on living my life and making my life what it needs to be for God. I have the personality where I like to help people&save them. Or help them make decisions when they are going the wrong direction. And I cannot do that anymore. My job is to focus on me, my family&my relationship with God.

I took a huge step outside of my comfort box and decided to forgive&forget. I felt a huge lift off my shoulders and immediately i felt at peace. Life is to short to hold grudges or let anyone bring you down. Romans 5:1-5 was my confirmation that the choices I made were good and exactly where God needed me to be in our walk. So I said a little prayer for one specific person that I struggle with. I forgave her and took her lunch as a way to show closure for that friendship. I have walked away with no ties and knowing that friendship is in Gods hands not mine. And I am completely at peace with that. The biggest lesson i learned from that friendship was...I can not ever take responsibility for a life that is not mine. And I learned that I am not God and i will never be able to save that person from the mistakes they make...all I can do is be a role model for what life is like when God is at the steering wheel! ;)

Punkin Patch

Last Friday we took Lucas to the pumpkin patch!...or as he calls it "punkinsss"!

We were on our way to take Luke to New Mexico to stay with his nana&papa for the weekend. We wanted to do something for family time before he left us for the weekend so we decided to let Luke pick out a pumpkin! It was a great choice because he had a blast! He loved running through all the pumpkins&occasionally would stop and try to pick one up! He laughed a lot&was just really happy! I love "family outings!" He picked out a cute medium sized pumpkin that is sitting on our front porch!

Birthdays

Our weekends have been super busy with birthday parties lately! I love that part of being a mom...buying lil gifts for Luke's friends&then having fun filled afternoons playing&eating and watching Luke interact with his friends! I have a wonderful group of mommies to have girl talk with while our munchkins play! Our family had a blast at Ava's corn maze birthday party! It was costumed theme and Luke went as a caveman! The kids snacked on yummy wheat crackers&spinach dip and lots of veggies&fruit! (Hilary is the most healthy eating momma i have ever met lol) And Kadence had a fun filled Texas Tech party at the Jumpin Jungle! Me&Justin had just as much fun as Luke i think lol!