Great Find

As I'm clearing off my bookcase getting ready for the upcoming move, I came across an old ds card for my camera.  Most of my friends know that I'm an avid scrapbooker and though I'm not the best photographer, I enjoy the hands on craftiness of working with paper and glue.  Not to mention the fact that I'm preserving memories, stories and thoughts.  Eric would add this is not saving us any money because this hobby is EXPENSIVE! What a treasure and lucky find to come across a whole disk of 202 photos from the year 2009.  Memory lane as I take a look at a few of these photos.  

This is Kelson showing off his amazing spoon balancing act.  He looks so little...he's so grown up now! His hair is so light....it's now so dark!  His fingers still have the chubbs.....he is now super bony! 

Here I am the day I went in to be induced with Corbin.  38 weeks to the day pregnant with my fourth boy.  Pregnancy was never fun for me!  I was sick, lost lots of weight, worn out beyond belief and I felt pregnancy was never good on or for me.  Those birthing days are over for me and as this little one is about to turn 3, I finally feel like I get to raise my children, instead of having them.  

My last day with only 3 boys!  They were so looking forward to having another brother even though the older 2 cried when we told them we were adding a boy to the family and not a girl.  We have since adopted tons of YW to be the sisters and daughters in our family.  

Here are the boys on the car ride to see the new baby brother at the hospital.  

My little Corbin!  I'm just guessing that he is less than 2 weeks here.  He was always so strong and would pull his head up to look around.  He had really bad stomach issues and laying him like this over the Bobby pillow would relieve some of the pressure.  Check out the "hawk!"  That started on day 2 and he is still sporting it! 

Maybe I am a softy!  I look at this and I miss this stage.  Look at those little feet, butt up in the air and sweet complexion.  Even though I might miss parts of having a newborn, I sure don't miss the late night feedings, changing all those NASTY diapers and cleaning up milky puke.  Within the next few weeks, I have 5 friends and 1 sister all delivering babies.  I love that we get to help each other, hold others little ones, so that I can remember how blessed I am to have four....and how AWESOME this lady feels as I watch them grow, love each other and share the joy in this crazy journey.  

House, but not yet our home!

So we have been looking for weeks now at potential rentals up in the DC area.  We have been on every website, contacted realtors, and even called landlords and tenants.  A huge breakthrough happened early this week and this house fell in our laps.  It is a five bedroom with office, 4.5 baths, 4,700 sq feet beauty that we will be calling home for the next two-four years.  There is a Target only 0.8 miles down the road, a shopping center and the church is only 3.8 miles away! 

This is the backyard.  There are tons of trees behind us so lots of animal-searching for the boys and some privacy for laying out in the sun...my style! 

From upstairs, this is the front door and foyer area.  The living room is on the left, formal dining room on the right. 

From the formal dining room, here are the stairs heading up, the living room is on the right of the stairs and the hallway in the back of the picture is to the master bedroom. 

Here is the kitchen.  They have since put in a new fridge (black) and a new dishwasher.  More cabinets are behind the bar stools.  The family room is to the right and to the left of the fridge is an eat in kitchen area.  

The master bedroom. Behind us is the master bath with his and her vanity's and closets.  

Here is the family room.  Behind us is the hallway to the front door, a half bath for guests.  Kitchen is to the left and office to the right.  

Here is the office in between the master and family room.  Perfect for me to run my Pampered Chef business from.  Tons of light and I can watch the kids play in the backyard.  

Upstairs to the left are two bedrooms and a bathroom with double vanity. We will put Haden, Kelson and Corbin in these rooms.  

To the right of the stairs is a bedroom with a full bath.  Trenton will have his own room again.  I just wonder how many toys are going to be thrown over the balcony?

This is the basement that has tons of room for the toys, movie center, games and food storage.  Has a full bathroom and one bedroom as well as a storage room.    

Welcome to my new CRAFT ROOM!  Heck ya, I finally have a room back where I can set up tables and have a space for my crafts.  Can't wait to get that all set up and find some new friends to be crafty with.  

So that is the new house....waiting to become our new home! We will have space for friends to come and visit so please start making your vacation plans and join us up in DC for a super fun time with the five dudes and a lady! 

CHANGE AHEAD FOR THE LEE CREW

When your prayers are answered, do you jump up and down, shout with joy, thank your Heavenly Father and then share with friends?   I do…and so I’m sharing my joy with you!

In March, my fervent prayers have been for either me to accept the way that things are in a certain area of my personal life or to please remove me from it.  The answer came about a week ago that I’m being removed from it.  I was elated, thrilled, ecstatic, jubilant…get the picture?

The Lee family is MOVING!  And not just in a few months, but a few days/weeks!  Eric got a full time position with the Air National Guard up in the Washington DC area with a start date of July 16^th.  We will be packing up(Air Force will pack and move all our things for us) and then heading up to Eric’s parents for about a month while in transition to hang out with them.

**I’m excited for CHANGE!  For a new start!  For an even bigger chance to make a difference in a new SUPER HUGE area!

**It’s time for my children to have a really good education again with amazing funding, schools and organized but fun schedules.  Not to knock GA education but those of us who have lived in other areas know what I’m talking about.

**I’m ready for all the history, the field trips, family vacations and a SWEET old house to fix up!

**Thrilled to serve and be in a ward where your leaders are also your leaders in the community, local government and even congress!

** They have a huge Food Bank and I will get to transfer my volunteer efforts from Macon, over to a new area and to learn a new system with them.

**We will be close to family…two of my sisters, two of Eric’s brothers, two aunts and uncles and tons of cousins.

**There will be a new PTA and Officers Spouses Club to help along with a huge list of other organizations that I can dip my toes into.

**The chance to reorganize and unpack and purge through all my things again.  I love that we get to do that every few years!

After adding up all the homes that we have lived in…our count is up to 11!  11 homes in only 14 years of marriage.  Wow…good thing we like moving!

Things I’m going to miss:

**My TRUE friends!  As I type this, all I think about is what a HUGE difference you have made in my life.  I’m thankful for you and good thing for current technology, we will be able to stay in touch and still share our thoughts and fun stories with each other.

**My AMAZING parents and siblings!  One thing I loved so much about living here in GA was the opportunity after being away from my family with the military, was being so close again to “home.”  My mom and dad are two of the most influential people in my life.  It will be the hardest not meeting them for a meal, getting a hug when I need one and watching them play with my kids.   Kirsten and Garrett were so young when I left the house and got married that we never really had a “friendship” just a “put up with you because you are my sibling” kind of relationship.  I’m so happy that that is not the case anymore.  I now know them and I love them and would do anything for them!  It’s a good thing that they will have a great year as well with changes and I’m proud of them.

**My Pampered Chef GA TEAM, my hosts, and my customers who have supported me!  It’s amazing the people that are put into your life through a business.  We will for sure stay in touch and you can always still call, host a show and place an order with me even though I won’t be local! I’m thankful for EACH of you! 

**I will miss the thunderstorms, golf balls hitting my back window, deer in my backyard, road kill for the taking, swimming with the Aquanauts, scouting with a great troop #244 for my boys and the people of WALMART at 2am (GA really does have the best weird people)!

If you are interested in getting together for lunch, movie, games or even froyo before I leave, please send me a message and I will squeeze you into my crazy, but most excited life of moving!

I’m thankful for the power of prayer! Our Heavenly Father really does know each of us! He won’t give us more than we can handle or allow us to be put in situations that can’t be worked out.  Through the tender mercies of the Lord……I’m not forgotten!  

STICKS and STONES

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.  

I call bull crapsters on that statement.

For the first time as an adult, this past year I have had my character, my integrity, who I AM questioned, talked, gossiped, lied and rumored about.  The words do hurt…they sting!  They eventually break you down to the point where you close yourself off from everyone….even from those that make you whole!

Your words HURT!  Not just to me, but to my family!  I LOVE the lesson of before you speak…THINK!  It is True?  Is it Helpful?  Is it Inspiring?  Is it Necessary?  Is it Kind?  

If you answered “no”to any of the questions….keep your piehole closed! 

And then you wake up one day and realize that the people who are taking away from your life and not adding to it, aren’t worth keeping around or thinking about anyway.  

I have my family, my true friends and the gospel (which is true and amazing even when people make mistakes!) 

True friends in life are the ones who sense the sorrow behind my smile, 

the love behind my anger and the meaning behind my silence.

To my true friends…I’m eternally grateful (said in my Toy Story voice!) 

The world needs more of you!

It's Summa Summa Time!

School's been out for a few weeks for us "southern" folks and with only two months of true summer (school starts back August 2nd), we made a list of things we wanted to do this summer.  I hate hearing the dreaded words, "I'm bored!  There is nothing to do!"  Really, I have 3 toilets you can clean, 17 windows that need windexed and a kitchen floor that needs mopped again thanks to another knocked over bowl of cereal. So....here is our list!  I will mark them off and date them once we get them done! 

On your mark, get set.....don't be bored! 

WATER BALLOON FIGHT

FAMILY CAMPOUT

STAR GAZING

MOVIE 6/8-Lorax with the Bair Family

FRISBEE MATCH

SWIM PARTY 6/26

BUG HUNT

BUILD FORT

ROOT BEER FLOATS 6/9- Yummylicous! 

PICNIC AT THE PARK

CAMPFIRE DINNER

GO ON A HIKE

LEARN A NEW GAME 6/26

FLY A KITE

GO BLUEBERRY PICKING

HAVE A FIREWORK PARTY

SWIM IN THE OCEAN

READ A CHAPTER BOOK

CATCH A FISH AND EAT HIM

MAKE PLAY DOUGH

MAKE TREATS AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS

VISIT THE LIBRARY

LIVING ROOM SLEEP OVER

DANCE PARTY

WATER PARK

PLANT FLOWERS

DESSERT WAFFLES

WRITE A LETTER

SONIC HAPPY HOUR 6/20

WATERMELON NIGHT

PAINT WITH PUDDING

BLOW BUBBLES

EAT SNOW CONES 6/18

PIZZA PARTY

VISIT A ZOO

MAKE TIE-TIED SHIRTS

WRITE A STORY

PJ DAY 6/10

MINI GOLF

LASER TAG

What items are on your summer bucket list?

Boys are Joys!

I often get asked, “How do you do it with four boys?” 

I ask myself, would my life be that different if I had four girls instead? 

My boys are EVERYWHERE!  Underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to.  They are rough and tough with a pinch of compassion, determination, forgiving, responsible and obedient. 

 

We use the “F” word tons in our home……FART!

We get to skip the “pink” toy aisles at a store! 

I don’t have to play doll or dress up, both of which I never did as a child!

I get to save money by not having to buy all the fun accessories like tights, shoes and 

hair bows (okay I do…but they are for ME) 

We get to go mud wrestling, capture frogs, go fishing and never hear a complaint 

about how dirty we are getting. 

To sum it up…..I LOVE being a mom to four boys!  I would never change that!  This is a journey, filled with learning and love with many stops along the way.  At every stop, I have the chance to help them form good characters, develop strong virtues and gain a testimony of the Gospel.  

Yes....I'm a Mormon...so what does that mean?

I BELONG TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. ONE OF OUR APOSTLES, M. RUSSELL BALLARD, DESCRIBED OUR BELIEFS BEST IN HIS OCT. '07 CONFERENCE ADDRESS:

*“MORMON” IS A NICKNAME FOR THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. MEMBERS ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS “MORMONS,” “LATTER-DAY SAINTS,” OR “LDS.” THE TERM “SAINT” MEANS “MEMBER.” 

•THE CHURCH WAS RESTORED IN 1830 IN UPSTATE NEW YORK WITH JOSEPH SMITH AS ITS FIRST PROPHET AND PRESIDENT. TODAY IT IS HEADQUARTERED IN SALT LAKE CITY, WITH PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON AS THE PRESENT PROPHET. 

•THERE ARE NOW OVER 13 MILLION MEMBERS IN 176 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES. ABOUT 6 MILLION OF THESE ARE IN THE UNITED STATES, MAKING US THE FOURTH LARGEST CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION IN AMERICA. AS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CHRISTIAN FAITHS IN THE WORLD, WE COMPLETE A NEW CHAPEL EVERY WORKING DAY. MEMBERS PAY A TITHE, WHICH IS 10 PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME, MAKING THIS AND OTHER PROGRAMS POSSIBLE.

•LOCAL CONGREGATIONS ARE LED BY VOLUNTEER, UNPAID MEMBERS. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN SERVE IN ASSIGNED LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. 

•MORMONS ARE WELL REPRESENTED IN POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT. (IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE 16 MEMBERS IN CONGRESS, FROM BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES.) MEMBERS ALSO SERVE IN HIGH AND TRUSTED POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN BUSINESS, MEDICINE, LAW, EDUCATION, MEDIA, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT. 

•WE BELIEVE IN THE ETERNITY OF THE SOUL, THAT GOD IS THE FATHER OF OUR SPIRITS, AND THAT WE CAN RETURN TO HIM AFTER DEATH. 

•WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR, AND WE TRY TO MODEL OUR LIVES AFTER HIM AND HIS TEACHINGS. WE COMMEMORATE CHRIST’S ATONING SACRIFICE IN OUR SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES, SIMILAR TO TAKING COMMUNION IN OTHER CHURCHES. WE ACCEPT AS FELLOW CHRISTIANS ALL WHO BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST TO BE THE SON OF GOD AND THE SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND.  MANY CHRISTIANS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE MUCH COMMON GROUND WITH THEM. JOSEPH SMITH TAUGHT THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE CORE OF OUR BELIEF, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS AN APPENDAGE TO IT (SEE ELDERS’ JOURNAL, JULY 1838, 44). THE NAME OF THE CHURCH IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

•WE BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL CHURCH THAT JESUS ESTABLISHED WAS LOST AND HAS BEEN RESTORED AGAIN IN OUR DAY. THE PRIESTHOOD, THE AUTHORITY GIVEN TO MAN TO ACT IN THE NAME OF GOD, WITH APOSTLES AND A PROPHET TO LEAD US, HAS BEEN RESTORED AS HAVE ALL NECESSARY ORDINANCES OF SALVATION. 

•WE BELIEVE IN AND WE USE THE HOLY BIBLE, BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. 

•WE BELIEVE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON AND OTHER BOOKS OF SCRIPTURE WHICH SUPPORT AND AUTHENTICATE THE BIBLE AND TESTIFY OF THE MINISTRY AND DIVINITY OF CHRIST AND OF GOD’S ONGOING REVELATION TO MAN. INDEED, THE BOOK OF MORMON IS “ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST.” 

•MORMONS PLACE PARTICULARLY STRONG EMPHASIS ON FAMILY AS THE BASIC UNIT OF THE CHURCH AND OF SOCIETY. WE HAVE A DEEP COMMITMENT TO MARRIAGE (DEFINED AS A UNION BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN). POLYGAMY, A LIMITED PRACTICE IN THE EARLY PIONEER DAYS OF THE CHURCH, WAS DISCONTINUED IN 1890, SOME 120 YEARS AGO. 

•FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, WHETHER MEMBERS OF OUR FAITH OR NOT, CAN ATTEND SUNDAY SERVICES IN OUR CHAPELS. HERE WE WORSHIP TOGETHER, INSTRUCTING ONE ANOTHER FROM THE SCRIPTURES.

•LATTER-DAY SAINT FAMILIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO HOLD FAMILY HOME EVENINGS WEEKLY, USUALLY ON MONDAY NIGHTS. THIS PROVIDES A REGULAR AND PREDICTABLE TIME FOR PARENTS TO TEACH VALUES TO THEIR CHILDREN AND TO HAVE FUN TOGETHER. WE INVITE THOSE NOT OF OUR FAITH TO ADOPT THIS PRACTICE WITH THEIR OWN FAMILIES.

•THE CHURCH HAS AUXILIARY PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN, YOUTH, AND CHILDREN AS A SUPPORT TO THE FAMILY. THESE PROGRAMS PROVIDE SUCH THINGS AS RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE, SPORTS, DRAMA, MUSIC, AND SCOUTING.

•THERE IS ALSO MUCH FOCUS ON EXTENDED FAMILY, GENEALOGY, AND PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY, PROVIDING YOUNG AND OLD WITH A STRONGER SENSE OF ROOTS, IDENTITY, AND BELONGING. THE HIGHEST AND MOST SACRED ORDINANCES OF OUR FAITH RELATE TO OUR FAMILIES, BOTH LIVING AND DEAD, AND SOME OF THESE ORDINANCES TAKE PLACE IN OUR TEMPLES. 

Have any questions?  Please let me know if you do! 

BLOGLAND...THE BEGINNING

This is my first post on my new blog and I really have NO idea what I'm doing.  My journal skills have been lacking and since tons of my friends have blogs and put EVERYTHING in it, I figured why not do one as well and keep some things off Facebook.  I'm technologically challenged and this will take months to figure out just how to work this, how to add photos, how to add contests and how to change the background color and text.  Join me for the ride as I backtrack all the fun stories and memories. As well as add all the future fun that we will have as a large family with 5 dudes and myself....the lady( with no tramp)!  ;)