First Family Vacation

Hey everyone. Well... it finally happened. Jaden is now four years old and we all finally took our first family vacation. YIPPE!!!! Well.... not really. Here's how it all went down.

Tuesday Morning (Dec 16th) we left for Sipapu NM around 7am for 2 days of playing in the snow and 1 day of skiing. Jaden drove us crazy the whole way. I don't think he stopped talking or making sound effects till we got there. He didn't want to sit in his car seat, then he didn't want to go on vacation, then he wanted to just play in the snow, then he wanted us to turn around and play with him etc etc.......... Okay, so now that our nerves are about fried 6 hrs into the drive, we are 1 hour away from the resort in a huge windy snow storm. So we pull up and I get out to go check in and........... I have chills. No, not from the cold, but chills to the bone that run from my toes to the last hair on my head.... and I feel fatiqued. Like I just ran a marathon and need to sleep for a week. I get inside and the lady says we can't check in till EXACTLY 3pm and it is only 1:20pm. We got there way too early. So I head out to the car and Jaden is throwing a fit to get out, our luggage is in the back of the truck getting snowed on, Joe is mad that I got our check in time right, and Jaden starts screaming he wants to play in the snow. So we decide to get out, put all of our luggage in the cab and wait in the lodge resturant till check in. Jaden just wanted out in the snow, but he didn't have any snow equipment (boots/Pants) on so we kept telling him to wait till we checked in and got changed. It seemed like 5 hours. I was really sick feeling now and it was all I could do to just sit in front of the lodge fire while Joe chased and corraled Jaden around the lodge. You can all imagine, Joe is now tired and frusturated, so is Jaden and I just want to curl up in our apartment bed and sleep all day.
When we get to the room it takes us like and hour and a half to get the logs lit with paper towels and boxes, and I think even Joe tried to light one on our gas stove ( ha ha). Then it hits me. Jaden's little luggage with his snow pants, snow boots, gloves, undies and long sleeve shirts is no where to be found. WE FORGOT IT!!!!!! Man did I feel like a looser. What kinda mom forgets her kids luggage?? Anyway, because his snow gear was so bulky, I had poked all his warm pj's in my bag, 1 pair of extra undies, 1 sweatshirt and 3 pairs of jeans. Thank God for that! So we just told Jaden that the sun was going down and we couldn't go outside till tommorrow when we bought him some gloves and boots and besides..... bears come out in the snow at night ( ?????). I seriously didnt move from in front of the fire all night long. I slept on the hard stinky fouton all night... but only slept for about 1 hour. I tossed with body aches all night. Oh yeah... we also didnt go into Taos to buy groceries and the lodge resturant closed early that day so we ate more junk food for dinner that we traveled with.

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! FUN VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the next day was okay. We went to Taos, ate an awesome breakfast, got some groceries and Jaden so snow gear and headed back to the resort. Jaden and Dad built a snowman and walked around till he had to come in and dry up some in front of the fire, then I went out with him and built a snow fort and played " Narnia" with him in the snow. It was fun. We did get about 10 minutes of video of all of us outside playing...... But then my chills and aches came back and I was miserable the rest of the day. Dad started feeling sick that evening and Jaden was crying that no one wanted to play with him and he as bored because we didn't bring his cousin for him to play with. He wanted to go home, Dad agreed and I was throwing up trying to finish cooking Chicken and Dumplings. We decided that night that we would get some sleep and leave for home (even though we had already paid for another day and night there) around 3 am the next morning. So we did. We all ate chicken and dumplings, went to bed around 8pm and packed up the car at 2:45am and left at 3am. I got home around 11am the next day and went to the doctor. I had strep throat. YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...... That is how our first family vacation will go down in the history books. Hopefully it isn't a sign for all future vacations! I am blessed though that we were able to squeeze a little bit of joy and fun out of it playing in the snow together and pretending we were all different animals in the apartment. It just makes me realize how much I love my family, and it doesn't matter if we are in a fancy resort in some far off place or at home..... it is just being with them, spending quality time together as a family that I cherish most. I pray you and your families have a great holiday and make wonderful memories together that will last a lifetime!!! Merry Christmas and God bless you all!!!!

Aging

So sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We have had some family drama going on. Alzhiemer's disease runs on my mom's side of the family and normally skips a generation. My great grandmother had it, my grandmother didn't, and we now think my mom is getting it. My father is in denial and not getting her the help she needs and she is acting more and more irrational and, for lack of a better word, weird. It has been really freaking me out. It has put strain on the relationship between them and Joe and I again and between Sara's family and my mom and dad. It is not fun. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. She is trying to convience Sara and I that, for many unusual and 'makebelieve' situations she percieves, that Jaden and Dagon would be better off if they no longer lived with us, but with her at her house. ??????? I made a apt. for her against her will, and my father's, for Monday. I don't understand why my father isn't trying to get her help. Joe and I have struggled with this thought all week, but we feel it is better that we step in to get her the medical help/treatments she needs if my dad is going to continue to ignore it. She can't even remember how to get around her neighborhood. So we just ask that you all keep us in your prayers and my parents. This is not a easy situation for my dad either. I know he must be overwhelmed with this all also. I pray God gives us the wisdom to help her and my dad. On another note. My pregnancy is now around 6 weeks and still no morning sickness. YIPPIE! I have already felt some stretching. Weird huh. I didn't feel anything like that till my 6th month with Jaden. Everyone keeps telling me that the 2nd and 3rd on happens much faster. If thats the case, I'm going to be HUGE!!!!! ha ha. Well, I love you and Jaden is sitting in my lap right now saying he loves everyone also. God bless you all!

What is up with my Cowboys????

The joys in my life

This morning Jaden walked into my bedroom holding his "babydoll" ( his glow worm he's had since he was born) and jumped on my bed. I could feel him, I could hear him, but I couldn't get my eyes open. He was just loving on dad and I. It is funny. He is hardly ever just Jaden, he is always something. He lives in pretend land from the moment he draws in that first morning breath as he stretches till he gives into sleep at night. So this little spider crawled up on our bed and told us about his dreams that he was a lady bug, I was butterfly and daddy was a catapiller in his best "spider voice". Now I was still too tired to get my eyes open or talk so I just listened. Daddy and Jadey went back and forth in this scene of spiders.....it was just precious. I can't do justice with words here, but it is those small tender moments when he is calm enough in the day to be still and talk that I truely get to see his tender heart. I get to see glimpses of what kind of man he will grow into: gentle, kind, sweet, caring, empathetic, and full of love. I love getting to hear him and his daddy pretending together. I am so blessesd to have such a gentle and kind husband, and for his godly example to both his son and me. God is truely amazing and I get the message of his love everytime I see my husband, hear my son and hold them both. I know I say this all the time, but what a blessing we have in our children and families. Thank Lord for your love.

HOW DO YOU........

Okay.... I am officially computer technologically "slow". I have found a template for this blog I have been trying and trying to add but for the life of me I can't get it to work. SOOOOO frustrating. Hopefully soon I will have that epiphany moment and you'll see the fruits of my labor. I had to make a Green Bay Packer cake today.... yeah... it hurt. It was made easier by our romp on them last week (tee hee hee). It was for a coworker.... so ya know. It was worth it. I have a really neat one I am challenging myself to do for Sunday. I'll post pics later. With all the chaos of cakes and life going on, it's great to know that God can still be heard through it all. Like a quiet whisper... he gently affirms, redirects, and shows his glory. My family. He speaks to me through them and I am so thankful for them. I can tell when he is telling me my focus is no longer on what he wants because he gently stears me the right way by having my son sweatly and lovingly "need" me to do things with and be with him, or have my husband make me slow down to rub his back aches away, or have him bring up a great bible discussion. I LOVE IT! It used to annoy me and I was totally oblivious to the sound of his voice, but I'm getting better at listening and submitting. Today I spent all day working on this cake, then it was nap time and Jaden was upset b/c he didn't get his "mommy and me" time. He didn't want to nap, but 2 hrs later I was ready. I kept telling him to go lay down and felt myself getting impatient....... then I heard it. It said, " I love you with all my heart mommy. I hope you make sweet dreams so when we wake up we can play." Yeah it was Jaden, but in the same moment it was God. Jaden really needed me, God was telling me I had spent too much time that day with my family on the back burner and it that it wouldn't hurt, even in nap time, to spend some quality time with Jaden. Daddy joined us and I tell you...... pillow talk is some of the best time to share as a family. That is just about the only time Jaden isn't in Character mode as "Anikan Skywalker", "Luke Skywalker", "Kitty Cat", "Optimus Prime". He is just Jaden. My precious baby boy who sees and interprets the world through such amazing eyes. Eyes I have long forgotten. It is uplifting and it truely touches my heart to "dream" outloud with him. His prayers are beautiful. I am so thankful God intrusted him to Joe and I. He makes me want to be a better wife, mom and person. Haaaa.... even now at 12:27 am..... Jaden just burst the living room door open walking like a robot half asleep saying he needed "booger help". After each attempt with the toilet paper he looks up at me sweetly and says, "Momma, I love you with all my heart." God's love is everywhere. I pray we all have the eyes and ears to see and hear it. God bless.

Don't know what I'm doing

So.... this seems like the thing to do. All of my friends are no longer really using their myspaces and I can't stand when I go to there blogspots and can't respond b/c I don't have one. So... here is my attempt. We'll see how it goes. I am pretty much compter stupid, ha ha, but I will give it a whirl. I just wanted to let everyone know how we are all doing. Jaden is just over 3 1/2 and is the joy of my life. God couldn't have blessed me with a better baby. He is smart, witty, off the charts crazy ( he gets that from his momma) and the sweetest little spirit ever! Joe is the best husband, friend and daddy we could ever have. This summer has been very rough on him and we are all looking forward to winter. We are hoping to get to take our first family vacation. We'll see how it all pans out. I am doing great. I have finally gotten used to not being a student and having to stay up studying all the time, but have replaced it with other activities: cake decorating, pre-school planning, crafts, and lately ma-jong solitare ( ha ha). I have been praying for more focus in my reading the word. I can't wait to see what this will blossom into and am so blessed to have many of you on here that I can catch up with now. Love ya all and talk to ya soon.