Thanksgiving week...

What a whirlwind!!!! Thursday was lunch at La Casa de Cox. I made a sweet potatoe casserole, banana pudding (ALL homemade, of course), and a candy bar cake. Lee made the ham, and let me just say that it was ummm, ummm, good!!! Friday was an all day shopping spree that began at 2:00 am and didn't end until 6:00 that evening. It's a tradition that I share with my mom every year...what can I say??? We did take a few hours in the afternoon for a well earned nap:)! Saturday (today) was up and early for family pictures at Portrait Innovations, followed by a day of celebrations for Robbie Dobbie's birthday. He's eight years old today...I just cannnot believe it!!! Tomorrow is church first thing in the morning, followed by more cooking for the Parnell family gathering at 3:00 in the afternoon. Whew!!! If only Monday could be a day of rest for me:)!! With all that's been going on, I could certainly find lots to complain about, but I refuse. Instead, I am taking a few moments to reflect on all that I have and all that I hold dear.

God has been so good to myself and my family. I am blessed, truely blessed, with a wonderful and supportive husband. I have a beautiful and energetic son, a witty and engaging Godson, and a mother whose love is boundless. I have family members that are kind and generous with their time and resources. Why on Friday my mother-in-law baby sat Joshua to allow my mom and I to spend the day together shopping and bonding! I have friends that are always there for me, and I know that they will be there for me no matter the time of day or distance...that is, of course, if they have thier phone with them and answer it...but I'm not calling any names:). God has blessed us with a beautiful home. He has seen Lee through a difficult education and provided him with a new job in his career field. We have our health. We have our right minds. We have a merciful and graceful God that has provided a path to salvation. Both my family and myself are truely blessed. I thank God for having a family to cook for. I thank Him for giving me another year with my mother; to be able to spend time with her and create memories. I thank God for the financial blessings He has provided us to be able to go shopping. I thank Him for a family to be able to take pictures with. I thank him for the blessing of a wonderful Godson to be able to celebrate a birthday with. There is just so much to be thankful for, and I couldn't think of a better time to celebrate the many gifts in my life.

Corporate America...here Lee comes!!!

After two years of hard work, dedication, and countless sacrifices Lee is finishing his final semester of classes AND he has been offered a job as an accountant!!! I couldn't be more proud of him. He has worked so hard and persevered through so much to be here. He has made many, many sacrifices, and now his dreams are beginning to come to fruition. No more closing the store at nights and getting home after Joshua has gone to bed only to sit at the kitchen table and work on homework until 1, 2, or even later in the morning hours. No more burning the midnight oil and waking up at 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning to head out to school. No more working six to eight Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shifts in a row. It is so surreal to know that there will now be time for family dinners and quality time in the evenings, spending weekends together, and so much more.

The icing on the cake, the cream in the dough nut, the warm pie filling ... you get the picture;} ... the company that Lee is going to work for is sooo supportive of church, family, and all the values that we hold dear. A good portion of his first interview with the CEO and COO was spent talking about church, raising children, Christian schools, and other faith related topics. Knowing how rare that is in our society today, particularly for a successful corporation shows me how awesome God is. It was Lee's first call back for an interview, and his first job offer...WOW!!! A peace came over us when he interviewed for this position; a peace that only God could have provided.

Anyway, I just wanted to rave about my AWESOME hubby to everyone out there. I am sooo very proud of him. He has worked so hard to get to this point in his life, and his perseverance is just so amazing to me. He has remained dedicated to work, school, family, and faith throughout this entire process. We have certainly been tested at times, but the result of those trials is truly amazing!!

Just wanted to a add a cute pic of my boys getting ready for corporate America...lol...:)!!

Baby blues

Well, not really blues. There was just undeniable confirmation this morning that there is no bun in my currently self-cleaning oven :) !! We'll try to keep everyone informed during the process, but as of now we are frequently trying to conceive.

2 year-olds are amazing!!!

So I've been teaching Joshua to cover his mouth when he coughs. I don't want him to cought into his hands because of germs, so I teach him to cought into his elbow. Thanks to the Wiggles (Song "elbow to elbow..."), he knows quite well how to curl his little arm up and get his elbow close to his mouth. Well, anyway, after nap this afternoon I had him on the changing table checking his diapers. My elbow was close to his head. He gently took my arm, placed my elbow to his mouth and coughed on it!!! I thought I would pee my pants I laughed so hard!!!! He said, "I tuse (use) your elbow, Mommy. Tank-chew!!" The mind and action of 2 year olds are just so dang amazing to me:)!!

Like father, like son

Joshua loves his daddy. Did I say love? Let me clarify...he adores his daddy. He talks about his daddy all the time, pretends to call him on the cell phone whenever Lee's at work, and refuses to do things with mommy that are strictly daddy and Joshua activities...like bath time, for instance! There is nothing more beautiful to me than to see my darling son curl his little head into his daddy's chest and say "My Daddy". It just melts my heart and is a mental snapshot I hope I never forget!!!

Aunt Flow has issues

WARNING>>> what follows is way TMI for lots of people. Continue reading AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Okay, so Lee and I are trying to conceive (TTC) our second child. This is the first month that we have been trying. This upcoming week is when Aunt "Ruby Flow" is scheduled for her monthly visit. Early today I had GOOD REASON to believe that Aunt Flow was dropping by early and was CONVINCED that I was not pregnant. Well, 3 hours later I go to check on Aunt Flow and SHE"S GONE!!! I'm good with being pregnant. I'm good with not being pregnant. What I'm not good with is mixed signals. Hence my overwhelming issues with control:)!! So, despite a brief visit from my dear old Auntie, I don't have any idea whether or not I'm knocked up at this point. Arghhhh!!!!!

Generations

Just wanted to share this picture with everyone. Joshua, mom, grandma, and myself had these pictures made on October 31, just before Joshua's second birthday. There's one of all four of us, and then pictures of him in his costume:)!!

Spending the night at Meme's

Before I vent...isn't this a cute picture of JLee??? His Meme Debby took this back in October (2008). It was the first night that he spent at Meme and Papa's house. That's his daddy's blanky that he's wrapped up with ... that's just so precious to me!!!

Here goes...

Okay, so in an effort to keep everyone informed (even you anti-facebookers), I am trying my hand at this blogging thing. I'm already a bit overwhelmed by it, but we'll see how it goes. For those of you that don't know...Now that Joshua is 2 Lee and I are trying for baby #2. No news yet, but you'll know when we do :)!