prayer...

I usually keep my spiritual views to myself, but I had to share this. I recently bought a book titled Heaven is for Real. It is about a little boy who takes a short trip to heaven and discusses what he was witness to over the next few months and years. His dad is a pastor and wrote the book. This book is an amazing read. I found myself getting the chills and crying the whole way through it.

One thing that it discussed in the book is the love that Jesus has for the children. It also makes mention that God knows where he puts children in a family. That made me think back to when Kameron was just a baby my mom made mention that God knew I would need a well behaved child because he knew I would be doing a lot on my own. Everything happens for a reason. Everything. This is my personal experience that made me realize that God is real, miracles happen, and prayers are answered.

When I was 19 I found myself very scared and very pregnant. I had no idea what to do and where to begin. One of the first things I did was pray that everything would work out. I later found out that my sister had also said a prayer asking that I would get my life on the right track and that my uncle Mike would be able to have a baby of his own soon. My uncle Mike (my moms brother) had been married for years to a great wife, had a successful job, but no children. They had been hoping to adopt, but were having no such luck. Several family members had made suggestions to me that adopting my baby to Mike could be an option. Something told me no however. I love my uncle Mike and can't even imagine the struggles involved in failed adoptions, but there was no way I could give my child up for adoption, even if it was to Mike.

Shortly after having found out that I was expecting, my sister Carrie opened her home to me and I found myself working 2 jobs in the mall in Idaho Falls in an attempt to save money for my own place for Kam and I. One of the jobs was at a maternity store working for the absolute worst management team ever. It was a job though and I was in desperate need for the money so I stuck it out until the late part of my pregnancy.

One Sunday I got a phone call from the maternity store asking if I could cover a shift for the store manager. She was sick and in the hospital. I was reluctant seeing as how I was working usually 9 days in a row, sometimes more, and a day off was hard to come by. I decided I should take it up though, so I got ready and headed into work. After a few hours had passed by a girl came in with her daughter looking for some maternity clothes. We were making small talk about having babies (a common occurrence between two pregnant women) when she told me that she wasn't excited at all about having the baby. It would be her 3rd child and this one was in no way planned. Her plans were to adopt the baby to a loving family that she knew could provide for the child in a way that she wasn't capable of. In a leap of faith I made mention to her about my uncle. I remember saying "You are going to think I am crazy, but I might know of somebody. I understand if you say no, but here is an idea..." I briefly told her about my uncles struggles and that I turned down the suggested idea to give my baby to him. Next thing I know I have a complete strangers name and phone number written on a post it note and instructions to give it to him so they could get in touch.

I called my sister and my mom almost immediately to make sure I hadn't overstepped any boundaries by doing this and made sure I had the correct number for Mike so I could tell him what had happened. I made the phone call that night. They got in touch with one another and what happened?... She picked them. She picked THEM! After all these years a discussion about maternity pants led to my uncle and his wife getting their child. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and did the most selfless thing anyone can do. She made my uncle the dad that he had been waiting to be his whole life. I find it quite ironic that she was born early and it just so happens that she was born on my birthday.

Miracles are everywhere. Sometimes we just have to look at things a little differently to see them. If my boss hadn't been in the hospital I wouldn't have been at work that day when she walked in. I made mention that my sister had said a prayer for Mike and myself, I believe that was the reason I got called into work and got this strange and bold idea to tell this complete stranger about my uncle. I was getting my life on track for my baby, who I knew I couldn't give up for adoption, when a miracle happened. God gave us both children that are perfect for us.  Prayers are answered, even if it is months later in a maternity shop. Ask and you shall receive.

how coincidental....

My phone has an app on it just for quotes. There is hundreds of them and it has a new one on there every day. Today's quote was this,

"Your children need your presence more than your presents." -Jesse Jackson

Lately I have been reevaluating my job. I love working with people and making them feel good about themselves, my coworkers are great, and it is fun to be around one of my favortie things, CLOTHES! However, my favorite thing in the whole wide world is my son and retail hours makes it hard to spend time with family sometimes. I told myself last fall I was going to walk away from retail for good and where did I wind up just 6 months later?...in a department store!

Money talks. Unfortunately it cannot and will not buy happiness. After a a lot of thought and input from my family I decided to go back to my old job. It is more flexible, better hours and just a nickle, dime, and quarter less an hour. Worth it? I vote yes.

A Small Reminder

Lately I have been finding lots of things that make me smile. Just in case you wanted to know what those were, here they are.

• Spending time with my closest friends.
• Getting tickled by Kam.
• Finding 'the nook' after a long day and falling asleep. (For those of you who watch Sex and the City, you know exactly what the nook is and how important it is.)
• Craft nights with Jess.
• Bedtime phone calls to discuss absolutely nothing in particular, but to always say goodnight.
• Spending time at my parents house.
• The smell of a new book.
• Asking questions and getting an answer that takes a weight off my shoulders.
• Working out with LaChelle.
• Taking goodie plates to the neighbors.
• Watching my 2 favorite people on the seesaw together.
• Chit chat with Shay in the salon.
• Fresh fruit. The good stuff is finally in season and I couldn't be happier about that.
• Waking up a few minutes before my alarm.
• The much needed and anticipated long kiss.  :)

My Thoughts On Today

I had today off work and was able to spend it with Kam. It started at 7:20 when I wake up to Kam YELLING at the top of his lungs "Mom!!! I need you to come wipe me!....MOM! Wipe my butt!" I have no problem wiping my son's butt, but 1st thing in the morning. Really?! I haven't even had my coffee yet. As soon as I get in there to help him out he looks at me and says "we need to get ready to go to the zoo." My response, "Well Kam, we will get ready but we aren't going to the zoo for about 4 more hours."

Fast forward to noon. We are at the zoo with my friend LaChelle and her little boy Trindon. It is raining. For those of you who haven't ever pushed a stroller while holding an umbrella it is not an easy task. LaChelle and I were trying to figure out ways to stick our umbrellas down our shirts. Didn't work. The kids had so much fun though. Kam said his favorite part was the deer. Lachelle was extremely freaked out by the peacock. I tried teaching Kam the Katy Perry song but then decided it was somewhat inappropriate. Trindon was so excited about feeding the ducks he just sat right down in front of them on the soaking wet ground. Overall good trip. Pictures will be posted soon.

Snuggled up with Kam and took our Sunday afternoon nap when we got home. We did a lot of playing outside this afternoon. I made an extremely large amount of spaghetti for dinner and way too much garlic bread. It was also very yummy so I am OK with the amount of carbs I have sitting in my fridge waiting to be eaten as leftovers tomorrow. When I was cleaning out my fridge I found some hard boiled eggs from Easter. Made me wonder if they are still good to eat. As of right now I am still unsure so they are still in there taking up space.

Kam took a huge bubble bath and sang to himself the whole time. His song went something like this..."sitting on a fence post.....chewing on some....bubble gum....watching the....tractor in the field....oh oh oh..." When I asked him about it he claimed it was just him talking to himself. When I got him out of the tub and was getting him ready for bed, he pointed to his toy mailbox and informs me that he checks his mailbox everyday and there is never any mail in there. This comment made my heart break a little because we have had this mail box since he was around 18 months old. So for who knows how long he has been checking his mailbox only to be let down every time.

Sorry to cut you short, but I need to go write a love letter to Kam and stick it in the mail in hopes that it will reach him tomorrow.   :)

What's In a Name

So tonight I was able to come up to Malad and spend some time with my dad's family. My whole family including all my extended family, which doesn't happen all but once a year. Unfortunately the circumstances were not the best. We were all gathered for my aunt Sandy's viewing. While it is very hard and sad to see a family member go, it was also very bittersweet. We sat around for hours tonight telling stories, sharing memories, and talking about the "good ol' days". Most of the tears were happy tears from laughing when hearing the stories that were told.

After listening to the stories and memories I couldn't help but think to myself  how I am so damn proud to have my name and be a part of this family. I realized tonight that I come from a special group of women and I had no clue how many of their traits I have.

When I was born my babysitter told my mom "she was handpicked by Merle". My Grandma Merle is my dad's mother that I never had the chance to meet. Some of the stories that I have heard make her out to be quite the woman. I love hearing my dad talk about her.

The summer of 2002 I did horse 4-H and the instructor told me that she couldn't believe how much I resembled my aunt Les on my horse. She said that I rode exactly like her. Les was always so friendly and always wanted to know how everyone was doing and cared about others well being so much. One memory I have of her is when I was 3 and had my surgery I remember her and my cousins coming to the hospital to see me and bringing me a toy to help cheer me up.

My aunt Sandy was always the life of the party. Such a social butterfly. Sound familiar?...thought so. :) Her home was always open to family and friends. Her motto was the more the merrier. I know that heaven just got a lot more lively with her up there running around making sure that everyone is having a good time.

Wendy is my dad's youngest sibling, and the one I think I have the most in common with. We are both very head strong and know what we want. She told me a story tonight about her and my dad. They got into a fight and he tried telling her what she should do. Her reply was I hope you are blessed with a daughter just like me to give you hell. Well here I am and havoc I have reeked.

I found it so amusing that Kam and I had a conversation that goes as follows on our way to Malad.

Me "OK Kam we have to hurry so fast when we get home to get our stuff ready to go to Malad."
Kam "Well I have a question really fast."
Me "Yes baby what is it?"
Kam "Is your name Mattie John?"
Me "Yes."
Kam "Why isn't it Mattie Mecham?" (That is his Dad's last name.)
Me "Well I didn't marry daddy so I still have my name. When I do get married I will get a different last name though. I like my name though so I don't mind."
Kam "Well I could marry you huh? But mom I want to marry Corona." (Corona is Tyson's pit bull.)
Me "Oh my heck Kam. Where did you come from?!?"
Kam "I thought I came from you!"

It is true Kam, you did come from me, and I came from a great family. I see so much of my dad's personality in Kam. The strong, stubborn, fun loving, proud, feisty, get it done attitude, and so much more. Watching Kam do little things like stick his tongue out when hes concentrating on something I can't help but think this is what Grandma Merle watched years ago.

I am so PROUD to be a John and be the woman I am.

What do ya know...another list. :)

I saw this on one of my friends friends' blogs. Loved it. Smiled when I read it. Thought about a lot while reading. You get the idea. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's okay to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistant is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up your future.
12. It's okay to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save if for a special occasion.

Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?"
27.Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39.If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone elses, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Facebook: A place where good habits go to die.

I made the decision to delete my facebook account the other day. I spent way too much time on there and got very tired of listening to everyone obsessively complaining about their life and the weather. I figured what is the big deal. I have a blog, an e-mail address, and that thing called a phone. Now I know that the ol' phone call is out dated, I almost forgot how to use the phone for its intended purposes because of the damn facebook app that I was severely addicted to. Really though time for a reality check.

Today marks 3 days no facebook. It has been weird not knowing what everyone is doing, eating, how their bowel movements are, where they are, and how pissed they are that it is windy outside. BUT, I have noticed how much more productive I am and when I went out with some friends last night I was able to have a conversation without annoying interruptions from my phone alerting me that someone sent me a farmville request.

Kam has my full attention now all the time. The main thing that made me consider deleting it was when I took Kam to play at the playground and realized I wasn't even playing I was talking to people on facebook! I was so mad at myself. that night I made my last post, gave my e-mail address and blog link to a few people and hit deactivate. It hurt so good! I can't wait to see what I can get done now!

sh*t my son says

Justin Halpern wrote a book about conversations with his father titled 'Shit my dad says'. It is absolutely, positively hilarious. It causes laughing until your cheeks hurt and you are crying. In other words it is a great read.

Justin inspired me to do this post. Kam says some of the most interesting things. Not a day goes by that I don't find myself staring at the ceiling trying to remain calm and not start hysterically laughing. I have started to write some of his comments, questions and our conversations down so I can refer to them when I need a good laugh. Here are some of my favorites....

• "Lets go buy a John Deere today."
• "Well we could just have brownies for dinner tonight"
• Me: "Kam what is the most important thing I have taught you?" Kam: " "The most important ting you have done to me is make me eat all my pancakes and to always tell you what I am doing in my bedroom."
• Kam: "Is it my birthday today?" Me: "No. Not for 9 months." Kam: "I could get a present today too though huh?! That sounds like fun."
• "We need to get the mail today. There might be some new coupons in there"
• Kam: "So there is a baby in your belly?" Jess: "Yup! Then when the baby gets big he will pop right out of my belly button!" Kam: (Pointing to her boobs) "So is there some babies in there too?"
• "My noodoos are neat. My bowl is neat. Everything is actually pretty neat Mom."
• Kam: "Are you sick?" Me: (Just finishing a 2 minute coughing session) "Yeah I am sick. I actually feel like crap." Kam: "Yeah I feel like manure."

mommyhood

Seeing as how it is  Mother's Day today and my blog is titled 'Mommy and Kam' I find it fitting to do a post about my experiences as a mother so far. Where to even begin? I guess I will tell the events that took place on Mother's Day 2011.

It started at 6:00 in the morning. Kam comes into my room in his underwear and socks holding 3 blankets and his Buzz Lightyear doll and says to me "Mommy I think I had an accident." OK let me back up a little bit. Let's go back to 10:45 the night before. Kam and I get home. He had been with Grandpa all day and I had been at work. We were both so exhausted by the time we got home, actually Kam had passed out 15 miles before even getting there. I grabbed my keys and my phone and heaved Kam into our house. Kam was so comatose that I couldn't even get him to sit up to take his sweatshirt off. I left his socks and underwear on and called it good. I went into my room layed down on my bed in my work clothes, shoes on, and contacts in. That was the end of it. I was so exhausted I left lights on and the front door unlocked. Next thing I know it is 6:07 in the morning and I am presented with a mess.

Happy Mother's Day I thought to myself. I get Kam cleaned up and in my bed and explained to him that it is still early and we need to go back to sleep. I was lucky enough that for once in the history of Kam's life he slept until 9:52. We woke up to my dad calling me and couldn't believe what time it was. Talk about a great Mother's day present...SLEEP! Can this day get any better... Yes. Yes it can. I did the usual glamorous things involved in being a mom, 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bath tub, did the dishes, vacuumed the house, went to the store, etc. Somewhere in the mix of the day Kam presented me with the 2nd part of his great gift. He wiped his own bum when he pooped. By this point I am thinking "How did I get so lucky? Kam let me sleep and wiped his own butt. Amazing. Just amazing. Can it be Mother's Day everyday?..."  I am still on cloud 9. So that was my experience as a single mom on Mother's day 2011.

I knew that Kam would give me hell within the first 30 minutes of having him home. He decided to pee in the middle of his first diaper change. It was everywhere. His little face, his 'coming home outfit', my clothes, and the wall. He just looked at me and had a funny face. I knew I was in for it with this little dude. This is what I have learned so far from mommyhood.

• As a mother you have to make a lot of sacrifices. Good sacrifices though. Sacrifices to ensure your child is happy and well taken care of. Just the other day I found myself holding my hand out the window with a half melted candy trying to get the cold air to make it edible. By the end of it my hand was ice, the candy was not so "melty", and Kam was happy as ever chowing down in the back seat. Every sacrifice big and small is worth it though.
• Sleep is for the weak. I usually get to bed after midnight and I am up between 7 and 8. Unless it is Mother's day I am up at 6:00. My coffee pot is always armed and ready when I go to bed at night so I can flip the on switch in the morning.
• Messes happen. Deal with it. I have found many interesting things waiting for me thanks to Kam's curiosity. One morning my whole entire spice drawer was filled to the brim with every spice, seasoning, bottle of vanilla extract and taco seasoning packet I had in the house. Kam didn't really have an explanation for that one. I didn't give him time to give me one he was sent to his room so fast.
• Kids are like sponges. Monkey see monkey do. When Kam was 2 I hear him in the kitchen playing. Next thing I hear is his sweet tiny little voice saying "damnit". I wanted to cry. I also wanted to kick my own butt for letting his ears hear that word.
• Boys will be boys. I will never forget the first time I witnessed Kam peeing outside. Pants down, facing a tree, and his little tiny butt cheeks getting some sun. When I asked him about it his response was that Daddy and Grandpa do it too.
• When they are sick, you are sick and your life shuts down for a few days. It will be back up and running just fine. Try to stay sane for this time frame.
• When Kam was born, I was born. The mother was born. Together, step by step we are learning.
• I would not change a thing. Kam is my life. I don't know what I would do or who I would be without him.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there. Especially mine! Without her, I wouldn't be the mom I am today!

Castle In The Sky

Recently Kameron's great grandma Ricker passed. (This was his dad's grandmother) Before going to the funeral I didn't really tell Kam too much about why he was going. Death for me is a touchy subject and seeing as how it was a loss on his dad's side of the family I wanted them to tell him about it. When my grandmother passed Kam was only 16 months old so I didn't need to worry about the explanation of why she was "sleeping" or why everyone was so sad.

When Kam came back from his visit to Idaho Falls for the services, I really didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how they explained it to him or what terms they used so a 3 year old could comprehend. Little did I know I had nothing to worry about.

On the way home Kam said to me "Mommy can you hold my hand please?" I reached into the backseat while driving and grabbed onto his tiny little hand. The way he squeezed a little tighter than normal I knew he needed some mommy time. So I began to ask him questions about the trip. I didn't say a word about Grandma Ricker, I just kept it simple asking the basic "what did you do? did you have fun?" type of questions. Instantly Kam started jabbering about Grandma Ricker and her 'castle'. After a few minutes of him explaining what he learned this is what I gathered.

Grandma Ricker got very sick and fell asleep. She is sleeping good now and can't play anymore. There was a lot of people there when she went into the ground, BUT she is in a castle now.

The castle comments really sparked my interest. I started asking questions about it and he replied with a sweet "Well mommy she is just in a big big big castle so she be OK." Simple as that. I was floored and also very teary eyed. It gets better. Kam then says "Grandpa Mark (my dad) won't go to a castle though. He won't get sick. If he does I will just be missing him a lot so he won't. You won't get sick will you mommy?" By now I am a mess. Tears are falling and nose is running. I squeezed his hand very tight and told him "Grandpa Mark won't get sick anytime soon and I especially won't. I still have way too many things to do and see before that happens. I don't want you to ever worry about that Kam. Ever" "OK I won't. We better wash our hands a lot so we don't get sick."

Overall I couldn't believe at how well he did with understanding something so scary, confusing, and complex. I mean, even I cannot talk about it. Maybe I should just start putting things into his perspective. I guess after all it is just a little trip to a castle in the sky.

Pinching my Pennies

Currently gas is $3.66 a gallon. Everytime I fill my tank up I feel as if I am selling my soul. My head hurts, things start to go dark, and just when I feel like it is the 'end' the nozzle makes that loud CLICK, I hold my breath and slowly open my eyes expecting to see the fiery gates of hell but instead see 'TOTAL $43.76'. After reading the total it is usually followed by some gasping, groaning, and muttering curse words under my breath. Once I get back into my car I slump down in the drivers seat and conjure up ideas on how to get myself and Kam from Tremonton to Logan on a pedal bike. Since that is highly unreasonable (although I know everyone that reads this is picturing me pedaling my butt 27 miles one way with a happy-go-lucky 3 year old on the handlebars holding my purse...) I have found some other ways to save money. Well I guess just one way. One really big, really awesome way to save money....COUPONS!

I love it. I love them. I love checking my mail to see if I got any new ones. I love filing them. I love printing them with my shiny new printer I bought just for them. I love coupons.

Now that we got my ranting and raving out of the way, lets discuss this coupon business, or as some like to call it '"couponing". My friend told me about her coupon experiences in January. She told me she saved over 50% (at least) on her groceries a month. I didn't believe it. I mean really though, using a coupon and getting things for free because of that coupon?! I needed an explination on a few things.
1. How in the heck does that happen?
2. Is it legal?
3. Why in the hell am I just NOW finding out about this?!?
The answers to those questions are as follows...You stack a coupon on top of rock bottom prices and get it for next to nothing, or nothing. Yes it is legal. I have been running around with the wrong crowd. (OK mom you were right. All these years. There I said it.) The crowd that doesn't save money.

After lots and lots of explaining, a filing system for the coupons, a new printer, and a handy little thing to take my coupons to the store in I can officialy say "I am a crazy coupon lady!" The money I save is ridiculous. The quantities of items I get is unheard of, and I just can't get enough of it. Sometimes the deals are so good I grab a bunch of extras and give them to my family. It is my way of making sure my name is at the top of everyones Christmas lists. :) Here are some examples of the great deals......

I got all this for $13.23

(most of those body washes were FREE!)

2 bottles of detergent. Before coupons $9.00 after $4.00

The razor alone would have normally been $12.89 before tax...

because of coupons all of it was $15.79!

So the moral of the story is, if you are looking to save money and don't want to ride a bike 56 miles a day start couponing! It is becoming more of a hobby to me and I absolutely cannot get enough of it. I can't believe I used to pay full price for things. Sometimes I do have to bite the bullet and buy things at regular price though and it almost hurts as bad as filling up the car with gas.

The Health Mission

I have been really trying to be healthier and take better care of myself this year. This is what I like to call the Health Mission. It is my mission to look for more organic items, drink more soy and almond milk, cut out processed foods, drink 8 glasses of water a day, and cook dinner instead of ordering dinner or getting it out of a box.
So far it is going OK. I say OK because I am a candyholic. Other than that it is fabulous. Kam and I make our breakfast from scratch in the morning and the mornings we are in a hurry it is still something along the lines of fresh fruit and yogurt. I have made a huge effort to take lunches to work vs hitting a drive thru window. I know that a frozen pasta isn't always the best but I am sure it beats a deep fried piece of processed chicken that is cut into pieces that are shaped like the BK crown. Dinner is so much fun now. Tuna helper you can kiss my butt. The butt that you helped morph into a size bigger than I was 2 years ago. I am more adventurous and want to try to make things from scratch. When we don't cook we still keep it healthy.
For example last night Kam decided that he wanted pizza. I pulled out my file for restaurant coupons and found a pretty good one for Papa Murphy's take and bake. I asked Kam which one he wanted and he points to the vegetarian. This one is actually my favorite, I didn't know, however, how Kam would like it since it doesn't have red sauce or meat. He was persistent though so off I went, with my fingers crossed he would eat dinner that night, to pick up a pile of vegetables and cheese.
We get home, cook the pizza which looked amazing, (my mouth was watering the whole time it was baking and I was pacing the floor like a worried dog) and dish up. Kam was soooo excited to eat it. I was still worried that excitement would drain out of his little being the minute he tasted an artichoke heart. I sat him down at the table and gave him his piece that he picked out all by himself and asked what he would like to drink. "So do you want ice water, milk, Gatorade or orange juice?" In a very cheerful tone he replies "I want SOY MILK!"
That was the moment. The moment I knew my goal of raising a kid with his health in mind was being achieved. I was so impressed with my little man. I was even more impressed when he ate his ENTIRE piece of vegetarian pizza and washed it down with a cup of soy milk.

Mission accomplished. :)

This is the good life

As you may know I am a very optimistic person. I always try to make the absolute best of every situation and enjoy every aspect of my crazy little life. Here are some prime examples of what makes my life so gosh dang great. . .

• Being a mommy. Not only being a mommy but, being a mommy to the best little boy in the world.
• Having so many people in heaven watching over me.
• My amazing family. Especially my sister. She always listens to my stories and offers advice.
• I have a roof over my head, a vehicle that gets me from here to there and back, food to eat, a bed to climb into every night, and love from all those around me to hold it all together.
• Vodka. Yes you read that right. Vodka makes my life better in many ways. Stress reliever in a bottle. Don't get the wrong idea, I am in no way an alcoholic, I am just a dang good time. :)
• Music. It always has a way of making you just...you know...ahhh...EXACTLY!
• My ability to laugh.
• Best friends. Without them I would be soooo lost. Shaylise Bowen, Jessica Gledhill, and LaChelle Enright I wouldn't know what to do without you.
• My health. I am sure I am not the healthiest person alive (refer to the vodka mention above) but I can get out of bed just fine, use my legs to get me places, my arms to pick up my little boy, my lungs to breathe, my eyes to see the beautiful things all around me, my mouth to eat delicious foods, the list goes on and on.
• Comfortable couches. Better yet MY comfortable white chair.
• Crafting. Creating things with my hands.
• Bedtime stories with Kam. Reading Mars Needs Moms never ever ever gets old.

Those are just some of the many reasons I love life.

A little something I love....

Such a great phrase to live by!