Make a will

If you have not made out a will, go make a will. It will help your loved ones in a especially hard time.
Heard the oddest news today. My great grandmother is making a will. (not odd, she is getting close to 90) She and her husband (my great grandfather) bought the house that she still lives in back many moons ago. (It is a wonderful love story that I should share another day.) He passed away roughly 40 yrs ago of a sudden heart attack. Anyway I get a call from my aunt about my great grandmothers house, since it is in my great grandfather's name and he passed with no will, the state of Kentucky says it should go to his children and since his son (my grandfather) has passed, it would go to his children, and since my dad has passed it would go to us 3 kids and my dad's last wife (why she would be involved in anything of an inheritance of our family is beyond me, especially since she got everything of my dads and gave nothing to us kids - not upset just stating another fact why you should make a will)
The lawyer is sending us all papers, 11 people in all. We have to sign the papers if we want to give my great grandmother permission to give the house to who she wants to in her will. Ok I understand laws are there to protect us, i will give them that. But my great grandmother should be able to make her will and give her house to whoever she wants (she wants to give it to her 3 remaining children) and not have to ask permission. All the people she has to ask permission from never had the pleasure and honor of knowing her husband.

I just wish this was easier for her, none of us want a claim to what is hers. We just want her to live another lifetime and bless us with her stories, her unending love, give a thousand more of those soft kisses, and to watch her eyes sparkle when she tells us about her dad coming over on the boat from Germany or how she loved one man in her life and sometimes at night still wakes up thinking he is beside her even though he has been gone now longer than they were married. I love my Grannie and I can honestly say that everyone that has ever met her would say "Oh I love Miss Harmon too".

God listens

We had a friend that was moving and gave us a ton of stuff. It was such a blessing to us. We had been talking about what we wanted to get the girls for Christmas and what was important and what were just wants. We left her house with everything we had talked about wanting and more. I'm not talking small things either, things like a car seat for Abby, a kid table and chairs, a wagon we could never afford, play-doh tools, art supplies, art easel, toys, the list goes on and on. I love it when God listens to you in what you feel is the small stuff and shows you his love is abundant.

So we (or i should say i) have been trying to get organized lately. Kris has been shaking his head alot when I tell him how I want to organize but he always helps :-) The kid toys were taking over the dining room. So we split them and put some upstairs in the office. Which makes it easier for me. So when i am upstairs cleaning or putting away laundry (which is too often) they have somewhere to play safely. Instead of going thru the bathroom trash like Abby crawled and knocked over the day. It freed up a closet that has holding alot of toys that I would switch in and out. It's silly but I love when everything has a place.

Our Rufus

We had to put our puppy Rufus to sleep. It was the hardest decision ever but he had multiple health issues but the huge cancer mass was the driving force. He was almost 15. Kris got him when he was in high school. Kris and I have never cried so hard. It was the worse thing I have ever experienced. I was there when my dad died, but i had no control over it, didn't know when it would happen, and had prepared myself for months that it was going to happen. This time I had control, knew the exact moment, and had not prepared myself mentally. I just wanted him to die peacefully in his sleep but that's what everyone wants right? I cleaned up all his stuff today, put it in the garage, and threw away his bed (almost cried when the garbage men took it) I thought that would help Kris if everything was gone when he got home but I think it made it worse. Adyson didn't ask about Rufus all day until dinner, then she called for him. Then when we came home from Walmart she was looking for him. I know she doesn't understand, we keep telling her that Ru is in heaven. She told us at dinner that Rufus died and we told her she was right. I want to find a stuffed choc lab puppy for her that looks like him. I don't think we will get another dog for a few yrs, it would be like cheating on him. We are just dealing with guilt right now not that there was anything we could have done to stop it.
Being a grownup sucks sometimes. Now I understand what my parents have had to do over the years. But I wouldn't trade having him even when he annoyed me :-)

Trying to catch up on blogging

It's been awhile since our last blog and tons of stuff has happened. My kids are growing leaps and bounds. Adyson just finished swimming lessons. Abby is cooing and it won't be long till she starts to crawl, which is a happy sad thing. It's going by so quick.

Sitting here thinking of everything that I haven't blogged about the last few months and all I can think about is how happy I am as a stay at home mom. It's funny bc I always wanted to do it but we just thought it wouldn't work out with the budget. Funny how life throws you a curve ball and what seems like a bad thing like losing your job turns out into the best thing ever. I am more productive, happy, content, and a better mom and wife since I stopped working.

I am volunteering at church (which I always wanted to do but was so physically and emotionally tired after work that I just couldn't muster anything up to give to anyone) Kris has taken on the Jr High Youth Director position, which he loves. It is the greatest thing to see him light up again. Our relationship has changed too. I used to come home and complain and vent to him about all the drama and stress of work. He was a great husband and would listen, give his advice, and ask how much more I could take. It's so different now, we talk about God, politics, current events, everything under the sun. Kris said to me about a month after losing my job that he was so glad to talk to me about other things than work. I realized that I let it consume me even though I tried really hard not too. It's not healthy. I have talked and seen many people that quit before me and they are doing great. Two that I can think of were having lots of health issues and as soon as they stopped working, their health got immediately better. Isn't is crazy what stress can do to you? I learned alot while I worked but I think I lost alot too. But you can't change the past just learn from it and look to the future. I am excited about the future, watching my girls grow and discover, getting to teach them (hopefully they retain the good stuff :-) and just relaxing, serving at church, and serving my family, what could be better than that.

Late Easter pics..

We spread Easter events over a few days. We dyed eggs at Al and Sue's house with Addy and Maddie. We threw them in old tank tops on the countertop and let them go at it. Then had an egg hunt in their front yard. Then on Sunday we were at my grandma's for dinner and another egg hunt.

Adyson's relaxing days with mommy...

relaxing watching movies painting egg cartons - we called them caterpillars

making cookies out of play-doh

in her pajamas using her tools

Abby is getting big...

Abigail tried out the exersaucer for the first time today for about 4-5 minutes. She liked it and used her feet to spin herself around to see the tv (good she can spin but bad that she wants to see the tv). Adyson was so excited to see Abby standing up, after I took Abby out, Adyson said "Addy up" meaning she wanted in and cried when I told her she was too big. So I told her to go get her babydoll and put her in it, that made her happy.