Happy Birthday Reesie!!!!

My beautiful little niece has a birthday today.... HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!
We love you!!! Hope you have the most amazing birthday ever!!

Love, Grammie, Auntie Suz, Uncle Danny, Mat, Jon, Chloe, Lexi, and Gabbi!!

Snuggles and licks from George, Diane, Sinatra, LilliAnne and the babies!!!

Things to be thankful for...

We have a home, it is ours, and I can paint it any color I like.
Our home is warm, we have only turned on the furnace once this year... the fireplace everyday.
We have water when we turn the faucet, and electricity when we flip a switch.
I am able to go to school, and my children are also getting an education.
We have clothes and shoes to wear.
We have warm, comfy beds and snuggly pj's to wear.
We are able to eat well balanced meals at least once a day.
We have amazing family and friends. (something that no one should be without)
Matthew is safe and spends his days becoming a better man.
Jonathan is growing up and learning some hard lessons, but he is learning. (don't ever forget your goals Jon)
Lexi has come to be with us and our family is complete. I no longer mourn the loss of my uterus.
Chloe is becoming the most amazing, talented, smart, couragous young woman... we all knew that you had it in you sweetheart.
Gabrielle is thoughtful and kind, and on her way to being outstanding.
My HUSBAND..... You are my love, my life, my everything.... without you, I would be nothing. Thank you for all you do for me and our children.
My mother, your daily strength makes me want to strive to be more like you.
Our freedoms.... given to us by the men and women who defend this amazing country of ours.
Thank you for our government and let us all pray that the right decisions are made and we continue to enjoy the opportunities that we all have today.

None of this would be possible without God, our eternal Lord and savior. Thank you for my faith and your faith in me.

There are so many things that I have not listed.... it would take all night. In these hard times I think that it is yet another thing to be thankful for to have the opportunity to see what all we do have, instead of just dwelling on the things that we lack.

Thank you to all of you for listening.

Gabbi's Birthday

We went on a shopping trip for Gabbi's birthday, so the girls were told to take a picture documentary of the trip, so there are pics of in the truck... lots of them, at the piercing and tattoo parlor, in the mall, at the Meijer store and Golden Corral. So this about sums up the birthday trip... in case you were ever thinking that a shopping trip with 3 teenaged girls might be fun..... it kind of , um , well , isn't....

LilliAnne Marie Pregnant and the babies...

Pictures from Mat's Visit

Gabbi's Birthday Hair

Gabbi's piercing video

Mat made it to New York...

Mat called tonight and he made it to where he was supposed to be. He was unaware of what to expect and so he really didn't take the stuff that he was going to need. I am not aware of his address at this time but when I get it if I could get help from all of you I would really appreciate it more than you would ever know. He has a studio type, dorm room-ish that he is living in. Had he known he would have taken the things that he had in his apartment before he joined, but as it is he went there with only a few changes of clothes. He has a bed, desk and mini kitchenette in his room but does not have ANYTHING. He is using a hoodie as a pillow and blanket at this point. Mom and I are making him a fleece blanket and I am knitting him a pair of slippers but he needs simple things like a matress pad, sheets, pillows, towels, silverware, soap, laundry baskets, pots and pans, dish rags, well, you get the idea. The poor boy doesn't make enough money at this point to get all of this stuff and I will make sure to get his address so that we can all help him out. I am going to have him try and find a computer to use somewhere and post a wishlist on Walmart.com and that way I know what he needs. I will post that here too when I get it. I am sure that any little thing, used or otherwise would be greatly appreciated.

Done....lol.

Okay, new classes start tomorrow and I made it through another round of finals. I turned in my Human Resources final and less than an hour later my instructor had posted my grade.... 100% A+!!!! WOOT WOOT!! The only thing about that is I am pretty sure that he didn't have time to even read my 4500 word, 20 page presentation with a 5 page PowerPoint.... so do I just take the grade and forget it, or do I wonder if he just saw that the length was appropriate and gave me the grade. I know that I earned it so all is good. Now to wait until next Sunday for the grade in Med Term. I know that she will read it......blah. Love ya!!

One assignment left..

The two classes that I am currently taking end on Sunday....I have completely finished my final in Medical Term. and I only have one assignment left to do in Human Resources and these two are behind me. Next classes start on Monday morning and I will be taking Health and Diseases, and Medical Law and Ethics.... I really think I might like the Med law one.... we will have to wait and see. Each class is one step closer to a degree.... can you even believe it... me?? degree?? LOL. It's about damn time.

Mat's Pics

I guess he's been busy...

So, we have a new president elect... but that is not what this blog post is about,lol. Mat has been running around trying to cram as much as he can into the days that he has here. I did get him for about an hour and a half today and I took him to Sears to get his photos taken. I can't wait to show... He walked out of the bathroom in his uniform and it was instant waterworks. He looked so amazing... It was one of those moments where every minute of your childs life hits you at the same time. I will be sharing soon!!

Day One

Well, he called me at just after 7 to let me know that he had made it to Indianapolis and Lucy was there to pick him up. He was exhausted because the bus wasn't as easy to sleep on as he had wanted. He decided that he was going to sleep at his dad's for a while before he came over. I waited most of the day before going out to vote and stop by the grocery. I did call Jonathan while at the store to ask what he wanted for dinner and Mat was here. Of course he was... so I asked him what he wanted for dinner and we ended up having fajitas. We had both steak and chicken so that everyone would eat. Mat stayed until just before 10 and he looked really good. He has stopped smoking which is GREAT, he put on some weight and looks healthy, but he still left to go back to Monticello. I would be lying if I said that it didn't hurt my feelings. But as far as the big picture, things are going well so far. I am pretty sure that he did some things last night that I won't know about and maybe that is for the best. I did ask mom last night to borrow the camera, and I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I have them.

My son is coming home for a visit!!!!!

Because I know that he will never read this, and that the people who will....well, might understand, I felt the need to say a few things before Mat gets home in the morning. So here goes...(Deep Breath)....I want to be proud of him, I want to believe that all of the bad behaviors have been starved, beaten, and sleep deprived out of my son. I am having trouble trusting.... he is really good at telling me what I want to hear, which means he knows.... he knows what he should be doing, how he should be acting and behaving..... but is he really doing it? I think that with him having been in GA, and very limited contact, I believed what he was telling me because I WANTED to, but now he is coming home and I am so afraid that he will act just like he did before he left that I almost don't want him to come.... What if it was all a lie? I don't think that I could live with the disappointment. I want him to do well so bad, but to find out that he has been having discussions with his father this whole time.... the one that didn't want to ever speak to him.... (Yes, he pulled that crap AGAIN) He is such a terrible influence... the drinking, the stealing, the drugs, the random sex partners.... all of this was allowed by his father. When he left here it really was to save his life, because he wouldn't have survived on the path he was on. But did it really change him? Who will he be when he comes in my front door tomorrow?? He used to make me laugh, he used to make me proud, he used to make me want to be a better mother.... but it has been so long, I HAVE TO GET PAST THIS AND I DON'T KNOW HOW!! I can not let him leave and not forgive him for all of the pain that he put this family through, because I would rather he be the person that he was before he left.... then never have the opportunity to tell him how much he means to me and how much I love him.