My job

I am a cook, a maid, an organizer of people's days. I am a teacher, a counselor, a singer, an actor, an artist and a dancer. I am a builder, a visionary, a scientist and a mathematician. Other random jobs that I do on a daily basis include entymology, story telling and song writing. I am an engineer, a nurse and a referee.
I am very busy. I think with all my jobs that I do - I am a great asset to society. I would think with all the different hats that I wear, people would think that I am more than fulfilled. I don't have a degree in any of these areas, but for some reason the Boss feels that I am qualified.
I often times am so busy with all my different jobs that I have so humbly been given that I don't have time to take a 30 minute shower or spend an hour getting ready (or even 5 minutes.) I've been told though, that after I have put some more time in on the job, those longer showers will come.
I get to work from home which is nice, that way I don't have to fight traffic. I have a lot of friends who are over achievers like me. We tend to bring our work with us to lunches and parks, but we mutually understand that work is demanding.
I'm HIGHLY paid too - although my checking account probably won't reflect it anytime soon. But I am paid in ways that money would never be able to compare to.
I am a mom. I am a mom from the time I wake up until the time I lay my head on my pillow for the 8th time in a night. I don't have a fancy degree from some prestigious university - but my kids think I'm the smartest person EVER. Designer jeans and high heels really aren't in my wardrobe - but jeans that I feel comfortable getting dirty in a sand box are...way better! We don't have the nicest house or the nicest car, we don't eat fancy steaks regularly or drink expensive wine. But our house is filled with love, our house is warm, our cars work, our tummies are full with good food, and milk is good for the bones.
To all those who ask on a regular basis if I can ACTUALLY be fulfilled being a stay at home mom - I am. I am mentally and physically challenged in a way that no "regular" job could ever challenge me.
To all those who ask how I am going to contribute to society - I'm pretty sure that every day when I teach my children responsibility and empathy, respect and love, kindness and independence that I am contributing to society in the greatest way of all.
To all those who ask when I am going to get a "Real" job - my job is pretty darn real. Let's trade for a few days and then you can talk to me about "real."
And finally, to all of those who ask if I want a nicer tv or a prettier house or a nicer mini van - NOPE. Stuff doesn't matter in the long run. I have never once heard someone who on their death bed say, "I wish I got that 73" tv." But I have heard of those who on their death bed say, "I wish I told my son/daughter that I loved them more."
I have CHOSEN this as my job - and I hope that all of you who haven't had the privilege of my career path will at some point get to partake.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies!

Choo Choo Guy

My son Luke is one of my four most favorite people in the entire world. He can smile and light up the room. He knows how to flirt with the girls already and make my heart melt so quick that I'm putty in his hands. He's focused and determined and full of energy.
He loves trains. He's obsessed. His name that we now all refer to him is "Choo Choo Guy." Besides Emma and Baby Eddy, Thomas is his best friend. There is an antagonist in the Thomas series named Diesel 10. He has a claw of sorts on top of him named Pinchy. I have decided I loathe Pinchy. Dave and I have to draw "bad Pinchy" chasing after "sad Thomas" 100 times a day, and that's not an exaggeration. We have been looking for Pinchy for 4 months now in all the stores and have had no luck.
But Dave took Luke today to K-Mart of all stores and found one. Luke is thrilled. Luke is in choo choo heaven. And Mommy and Daddy are in choo choo heaven too - because our focused son won't need us to draw pictures for him anytime soon of Pinchy.
The other night I was tucking him into bed and he said, "hug, kiss" So I gave him a hug and a kiss. Then he started saying, "heart, heart, my heart." And I asked him, "What about your heart Choo Choo Guy?" And he said, "Hug my heart, Mommy." I love my little boy's heart...

I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was three years old. I remember it vividly. My Aunt Char sat with me in my room and I went down and told my mom that Jesus was in my heart and asked if He was in hers. And then, at fifteen, I gave my heart to Jesus. I decided that I would live my life for Him - to the best of my ability. Now, with that said, I have messed up. I have taken detours and tried to slam the door on God so many times in the last 12 years but He always was there. As Christians, we are not perfect and that's why we need God. We strive to be like God in our thoughts and actions, but we fall short - constantly, and need his forgiveness and mercy consistently.
I am now a wife and a mother to 3 almost 4 children. I have never considered myself to be political or a fanatic. I love my husband, my children and I love my Lord - all of which seems pretty normal to me. Yet recently, it seems that everything in which I stand for is coming under attack from being a stay at home mom to believing that marriage is between a man and a woman, from believing that abortion is wrong and equates to murder to the fact that our founders created this nation on the principle that God was in everything INCLUDING government and government was in as little as possible - especially in matters that pertained to God. I feel I have been normal for too long now - I feel it is time for my voice to be heard.
About ten years ago I heard a story about a pilot who was flying a plane about the distance from Seattle to Spokane. They encountered some horrible turbulence and instructed the crew to take their seats and stop all service of drinks and food. Over the loud speaker he announced, "Due to turbulence and shortness of time, we cannot provide service as usual." I feel that we, more than any recent time in history, are on the same metaphorical plane ride.
I went to church yesterday where the pastor preached about the "real Jesus." He preached on how Jesus is Christ AND Lord. Jesus isn't just the Jesus who let the little children come to him, but He is also the Lord who will be our judge on Judgment day. He said you can't have all Christ and no Lord - that's not an option. You can't have all Lord and no Christ - that's not an option. You either take the whole thing or you don't have the real thing. And that leads me to my point of this rant...
If we call ourselves "Christians" then that means we should as well consider ourselves as "Christ followers" since that is the meaning of Christian. Every choice we make should come from the inner core of who we are as Christ followers. Our choices in how we handle our relationships to the choices we make politically. Our choices in how we raise our children to our choices in when we use our voice to make a difference.
I don't understand how one can call themselves a Christian and then vote completely out of their pocket book. What about the principles in which we claim to live by? For change? Let me address change. Our country changed dramatically when prayer was taken out of schools because only 3 percent of the voting population voted to remove it and 97 percent of the voting population was silent. Let's look at the last 50 plus years of change. How's that working for you? Change is not always a good thing. Sometimes, change can be horribly crippling. I just don't know how well we will fare as "Christians" when we vote for "change" that is outspokenly opposed to who God is and what God stands for.
I am not a domestic terrorist threat because I believe that abortion has meant the mass murder of millions and millions of innocent lives. I am not a security threat because I go to a peaceful demonstration to say that I don't think Government should be this completely out of control. I am not a hate monger because I believe that the institution of marriage is something sacred between a man and a woman. And I am not closed minded because I don't believe or stand for everything and anything that is immoral and against Who and what I believe in. I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus my Christ AND Lord.
Please consider this - Jesus died for us so that we might live. Jesus was tortured because He loved us. Jesus took the ultimate stand and did not cower so that we could be forgiven of our horrible and quite frankly offensive sins. And yet, so often, we as Christians can't even muster up the courage to say, "No, I don't think its right..." Remember who created you. Remember in whom you have grace. Remember who will give you real change, and change you can ACTUALLY believe in. Don't stand idly by while everything as Christ followers we should believe in is undermined and threatened.

Letter to non-pregnant people - (from BabyCenter.com)

Dear Non-Pregnant Person, I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ass (including, “Did you plan this?”)

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.

4) The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance, and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

8) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking Nomeals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

9) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less. I hope this helps- it sure makes us feel better.

Signed, All Pregnant Women

20 weeks

So...here is a picture of me at 20 weeks with our baby BOY!!!
Excuse my appearance...since Emma was sick before Luke I haven't had more than 3 minutes to do anything for myself.
Anyway, here it is - and baby boy Sharon will be here in 19 more weeks!!!

Aunt Char comes to visit

I'm not sure, but Emmy really looks disturbed. I don't know...
Luke sensing that it was the end of Aunt Char's time. He assumed his position. He is in love with Aunt Chaw.
Sure, I will look at your hand - but not at the camera...I'm smarter than all of you.
Aunt Char loving on Lily...Lily with one of her favorite people doing her favorite thing...eating.
Her new hairdo.
Her rolls...she's healthy

Toddler craft time - Luke wanted the vest. Emmy just wanted to color it meticulously and didn't want me to destroy her artwork.

P.S. I will continue to try to load the video...it is really cute.

Sorry it's been awhile...

Emmy tried the helmet thing, but it didn't last.



Super Bowl Sunday...Luke's helmet.

Emmy the flower.
Luke the dinosaur.
Lily the duck all smiles...see her teeth?
Peek a boo!


I walked into his room, his door was shut. Emmy was reading a Clifford book to Luke (one of his favorite series as of late.) Luke looked at me and said, "Blow away Mommy." I asked him, did you say "Go away?" He said, "No, BLOW AWAY." Fine, I get the point.


This picture is just for you Char.
Spaghetti mouth. Isn't she pretty?

Lily learning how to eat herself. I have given up on bibs officially. I just do the laundry ALL the time.

Lils new hair. It's getting in her eyes now, but baretts don't really stay in yet - and she doesn't stay still long enough for me to do pig tails.
Ya, she's a chunk.

So, to be an excuse queen - I'm pregnant people and that's why I'm being so far and few between with my posts. Anyway, as for me...I'm supposedly 13 weeks along. Whatever, I'm not holding my breath on that date - either should you.
Luke, Emmy, and Lily are all doing well. Luke and Emmy are becoming more and more fun, and more and more of a handful each day. Their little personalities are coming out.
Emma has definitely taken the roll of oldest child. She parents Luke and Lily constantly, repeating what I say and what I'm assuming is the tone I use (holy cow, if I sound like that, I wouldn't listen to me either!) She is talking so well now, and often says full sentences that actually make sense. "I love you Mom/Dad" and "Get out of my room, Luke!" are her two new most used sentences.
Luke is all boy and loves to jump off everything and climb on everything. He is in love with Daddy and is such a sweet, compassionate boy (when he thinks about it.) Today, Lily sneezed and Luke looked at her and said, "Bless you." I was very proud of him! On Wednesday night last week, Luke and his girlfriend Elizabeth were giving each other a hug and Luke went in for the (normal) kiss, and Elizabeth put her hand up and said, "NO! My daddy said I can't kiss boys." Luke looked at her like she was nuts so he went back in for the kiss, and Elizabeth put her hand up once again, and said, "NO! My daddy said no!" Luke looked at me a little confused, but he was okay with it. It was pretty hilarious.
Lily is a handful. She definitely holds her own. She is VERY stubborn, VERY loud, VERY funny and she knows it. She loves to eat like the twins did when they were her age. My friends Honey and Billi who have girls within 2 and 3 weeks of Lily wrote how much the girls weighed. They were 20.5 and 21 pounds. Lily is a good, solid 28 pounds. I guess we don't grow them small! Anyway...I really need to get some naked pics of all her rolls. It's quite hilarious.
Dave and I are doing well. Dave is braving the lay off storm and how it is affecting his job. He's pulling through though, and his store is actually growing again (thanks to taxes and everyone wanting new tv's)
Well, enjoy the pictures.

Puggles

Tonight was Puggles. It is Awana's for 2 year olds. Luke and Emmy love it.
As we have talked about before Luke has a little girlfriend named Elizabeth. She is the blonde one with the bright pink shirt. The boy sitting in between her and Luke is named James.
So, tonight James had the coveted choo choo. Luke loves this choo choo and believes that it is his. And really, everyone who even remotely works with kids in our church pretty much feels the same way. But tonight, James had it. James is not a big fan of Luke, and now I think it's because of his "relationship" with Elizabeth. Anyway, Luke kept asking James for the choo choo. And James kept telling Luke, "No, it's mine!" Which of course made Luke furious. Anyway, Elizabeth sees this and walks over to James who is sitting on the floor. She starts tousling James' hair, and says, "James, you need to give me that choo choo, please." She continued playing with his hair for a couple of seconds when James looked up at Elizabeth and promptly handed her the choo choo. As soon as he handed her the choo choo, Elizabeth looked at me and said, "I got it for him." Then she pushed it around for a second and handed it to Luke. It was hilarious. Elizabeth knows the way to Luke's heart!

Luke and Emmy's New Easel

Grandma bought Emmy an easel for Christmas. It came today right before bed time. They were very excited. Thanks Grandma!

PIzza Making and other things

Choo Choo Guy going off to work to make some money, which he calls "candy mandy." I don't know, but he thinks it's great. He came to me yesterday and told me "Choo Choo Guy is a busy guy." I asked him if he said what I thought he said. He looked at me very seriously and said, "yes."
Lily loves her some apples. She steals them away from the twins. And she will eat the entire thing...seeds and all.
Emmy is doing this new thing where she smiles, but doesn't look at the camera...like she is posing or something. I have no idea where she gets it! I told her yesterday she was beautiful, and she responded with, "of course."