The Menu

The Thanksgiving menu...it takes time, money, and effort. All that time cooking (which I love) and the work to prepare one giant beautiful meal for the family to enjoy. Ours was wonderful this year. Kiley helped me cook and we created a delicious meal for our family of five. This is what it consisted of:

The Bird (picture not the best, Toby decided to carve before pictures, huh??)

The Stuffing (Wild Mushroom and Brioche with Pernod):

The Pea Salad (Three Peas, Mint, and Leeks):

The Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, olive oil, and rosemary):

The Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (need I say more):

Our Famous Cranberry Jell-O Salad with cream cheese, pineapple, and jello (Kiley did this year, so good):

Some Sparkling Cider (kid friendly) with fresh mint leaves in it:

And of course, rolls (not pictured but they were pretty), Blackberry, Apple, and Blueberry Cheesecake pies (which Braedon helped with~rolling the dough).

SO good!! I love Thanksgiving!!

So many reasons to be thankful....

It is times like Thanksgiving that we tend to sit back and reflect on the things in our lives that we are the most grateful for. While watching my family this year, I was reminded of all the reasons I am grateful and why I love these four people so much.

I am thankful for...

A husband that knows how to joke around and find the humor

in "playing"

For a relationship between my husband and his son

that's bond only continues to grow stronger.

For a daughter to share those times

in the kitchen with.

For a dinner on the table this year, for we are so fortunate to have

one.

For those cheesy smiles

that light up our days.

For three healthy, happy, and beautiful children whom I would trade my own

life for.

For a husband that I am able to share this life with and not only

live it, but truly live it!

For our "family drives" and for the joy it brings to my life.

For crazy hair and the laughter it brings to all of us.

And Finally:

For the life we are given, for our safety, strength, and happiness that we enjoy every day. I know that I am so very lucky and blessed to have the life I do and hope to realize it more each day.

Friends

So, this past weekend, my friend Kelci and I threw a baby shower for my best friend Rachael. It was so fun.

I spent the week before preparing for her shower by purchasing large amounts of baby stuff and making gigantic baskets for her, cross-stitching a bib, making a picture frame, ordering a cake, ordering food trays, buying balloons, candy bars and preparing a game (I am a huge gamer at home but not with a lot of people I don't know), so it was a "Hands-off" kind of game.

This being Rachael's first baby, I wanted to make it special. She got some really neat gifts and some really great people were there to support her.

The night before her shower, Rachael and her husband, Charlie, came over to the house for a night of visiting. Since they moved down to Buckeye, we try to get with them at least once a month. We are avid card players and pretty competitive at that, however, Charlie and me are a team and Toby and Rach are a team, makes for some pretty interesting game nights.

While they were over we grilled steaks and visited with the kids as well. They are the best friends in the world and always include our kids. We decided before playing cards we would bust out with a game or two of "Disney's Scene it" (the best game ever). It was supposed to be the girls versus guys, but Kiley played with the guys and Rach and I lost our most valuable asset. So, of course, both games we lost. Big DRAG!!

After the kids went to bed we stayed up for a couple more hours and played cards. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed the company. It is always fun with these two.

Anyway, it was a great weekend with my friends and I was sorry to see them leave. We already have plans to get down there for a weekend.

I think Rach enjoyed her shower and got a lot of things that she needed. She is pretty excited for her little man to get here (along with all the rest of us). I am so grateful to have friends like this...it is a lucky person to have friends this amazing!

Let the punishment fit the crime...

My children...I guess someday they will figure out that rules must be followed, when is another story.

No doubt, through the trials of getting my children to follow house rules I have recalled several instances when I did these same things to my own parents. Looking back on them, I feel really bad that I was such a messy kid for so long...sorry mom (especially about the apple cores!)

Anyway, in teaching my children how to be responsible and "tidy" individuals, we have definitely hit some road blocks! How do we make them keep a clean room? How do we make them remember to feed and water their dogs? How do we keep them out of the dishwasher? How do we make them remember their backpacks before school? How do we keep the baby out of the wood for the wood stove?

And more, more, and more!

Last Sunday, while having Sunday dinner, our dog, Timber, kept jumping up on the window and looking in at us. We just thought she was being strange, as she is known to do different things. However, she kept it up, so finally Toby decided to let them in, thinking they just wanted to be in the house. After they came in, she kept looking down the hall and pacing the kitchen, it was pitiful really. Toby decided to get them a bowl of water and the two dogs nearly drank a gallon a piece, obviously they didn't have water outside. Toby went and checked it out and of course, their bucket was bone dry. Those kids..."forgot" to water their dogs AGAIN!!

Toby and I discussed grounding them, taking belongings away, etc. Those things only work so well and sometimes don't effect them at all. So, we decided to try something else. We decided that waking them up out of a sound sleep at 10:30 at night and making them go out and water their dogs would fit the crime. We went in, flipped on the lights, and woke them from their slumber. My two, half asleep children, went outside (very cold I might add) in their pajamas and coats and went to water the dogs. What a disaster that turned out to be??

They ended up going out three different times because they didn't get it right. They ended up spraying themselves down, and of course, heard a "cougar." While there were a few times I felt like caving, we stood our ground and the dogs got water. The kids then got a firm talking to and were sent to bed, an hour after being awakened.

I hope that this was a good learning experience for them. Maybe they won't do it again, or maybe they will, but they will know what punishment will be coming.

The next day, after three days of asking them to clean their room, we pulled another "chore" trick out of our hats. Instead of cleaning the room, they decided to shove everything under their beds, in their drawers, in the closet, and everywhere else they could find. We decided to pull it all out of its secret hiding spots and put it in the middle of the room. They got to clean it up after school. They were so bummed to say the least, but it ended up being amazingly clean when they were done! Amazing, they do know how to do it right?!

Sometimes, I feel like as a parent, we have new tricks to pull out monthly, some work some don't but in the end, we write our own parenting books (for each child). No one could write it for us, but it does make for wonderful stories (and nightmares for the kids) for later in life when they are grown and we reminisce about all the tragedies they endured...haha. I know I have done this with my own parents.

While parenting can be hard and very tricky at times, it is the best job in the world and I would start it all over again if I knew it would be this great with these three amazing kids and the support of the wonderful man I call my husband.

Rewarding Careers

This is my third year teaching first grade and I cannot think of a better job to be in. I get to work with little ones all day who think you are amazing, I hear some of the most profound statements ever, and be their shoulder to cry on when they need one.

This year has been an especially challenging one. It seems that some of these little ones have a lot of "baggage" to carry around. Not all of them of course, but a select few. It is sad to say that a 6 year old has "baggage," but unfortunately life hasn't handed them the best cards. This life in turn, creates aggression at times, anger, and difficulty forming bonds and close relationships with other students and teachers. I have several of these little guys in my room, it makes for a challenging day (usually everyday) and a lot of work, but I don't lose sight of the reasons I am there.

There is one students in particular who has a rough go of things. The first day of school was when I found out this student was mine. Her mom brought her in and gave me a long explanation on how difficult she is and what a pain she could be. I had also seen her "in action" last year. She was a definite challenge and I wasn't sure I was up for it! So, I treaded carefully the first week and let her know what a hard worker she was and how kind she was. This seemed to have paid off because we have a pretty good rapport to date.

This little girl touches my heart daily. I get utterly frustrated at times and feel like I am completely out of my league and not sure what to do next but if I just remember what she is looking for, I can usually neutralize the situation before it escalates.

The other day during our reading time, I pulled her aside to work with her on some individual academic needs that she needs assistance with. This was a particularly difficult day and she was giving me some serious attitude. So I made sure to compliment her on her hard work and work her through the more difficult areas. By the time our fifteen minutes of one-on-one work (while the rest of my class was working on a more difficult, independent task) she had settled down. I began to realize that she requires some individual attention to help her through her emotional turmoil.

Later that day, as we were doing some writing, I told the class that this was a "free day" (meaning, they could write about any topic they wanted to but they just had to stay on that topic). Most of them picked their favorite toy, game, friend, or a family trip. This students chose to write about something completely different...ME. To understand how special this is, you must first know that writing is very difficult for her and getting her concepts on paper takes a lot of work. She uses every resource available to her in my classroom (posters, pictures, name tags, etc.) She managed to write "I love Mrs. Gilmore and she loves me." It was so moving for me, especially considering she shuts others out very quickly and has a difficult time forming good relationships. It was an honor!

Since this day, I have spoken with her mother at times and her mom has voiced the change in her daughter not only at school but also at home. She sees behaviors decreasing and more respect from her at home. I have heard other teachers mention that she is so much more calm this year. Now, whether that is just her growing up or a new class environment, I don't know but I do know that I love her dearly and am so grateful to have her, attitude and all.

Near the beginning of the year, she took her water bottle out to recess and squirted another student with it, all over him!! The teacher on duty took it away (which caused for a huge scene) and explained the situation to me later. That day I spoke with her and told her she had one more chance to use her water bottle properly and then if she made the wrong choice she would lose the privilege to have it at recess. The next day the teacher saw her with it and started to talk to her about it. My student turned to this teacher and said, "Lady, my teacher believes in second chances."

This teacher got such a kick out of this comment that she shared it with me (and many others). She still laughs about it and has told me several times that it should be engraved on my headstone.

It does feel good, to know that a child that is difficult to reach, is reachable.

I went into this profession to make a difference and because I love working with kids. They are the most amazing people in the world and they love you endlessly. So many make the mistake of thinking that they are too little to understand the world and too young to deserve your respect. This is completely innaccurate. Some of them need it more than we will ever know or understand ourselves.

I will never forget her and will be devastated to see her go when the year is over. She is a sweet girl and a hard worker, sometimes clouded by the walls she has built around herself, but when she lowers her wall, even if just for a small period of time, she is amazing!! I hope she knows how much she means to me and how blessed I feel to have her.

To my sweet little student~ I love you too!

A Wonderful Halloween

This Halloween was so fun!! It started a day early, but what the heck...why not drag some of the more fun moments of our life out. I mean, doesn't it always seem like the hard stuff lasts forever, I for one, think we should grasp the good stuff and hold on to it a little longer.

On Monday the 26th we had our pumpkin carving extravaganza! It was so much fun. The kids grew their own pumpkins this year and got to watch them start from the seed and grow to the big pumpkins, they were so proud. This whole growing experience was all thanks to amazing neighbors and lots of hard work on their part. The kids just got to watch them grow daily, but it was still fun for them.

The night of carving,

we laid out the newspaper and got to work. Toby helped Brady make his "Anakin Skywalker" pumpkin, Kiley did the cutest one ever by herself, and I helped the baby make the "original" jack-o-lantern...that is just my speed.

The whole time Chase was putting all the utensils on my face, up my nose, down my shirt and everywhere else. It was quite the experience to carve pumpkins with a one year old. After they were all carved, Toby and Braedon

decided to get a little carried away with the pumpkin "guts."

It was pretty funny and extremely messy. After carving we shared a dessert of pumpkin rolls, it was so good. I forget that I don't have to make them just this time of year. Note to self...make pumpkin rolls more often.

On the 30th, the kids (and myself) got to dress up for Halloween at school. Kiley was a hippie and quite possibly the cutest one I have ever seen. Braedon, of course, was Anakin Skywalker, and was adorable. He and his best friend were the same thing,

they were an adorable little pair walking around. Chase was a dragon, so cute but it made him so grouchy. I am pretty sure if he could have blown fire, he would have, all over the hat. I was a baseball player, very cost efficient, since I own everything that I needed. The school party was wonderful and all of my students looked adorable, we had such a fun, sugar filled day. However, when the day was over I was exhausted and glad to see it end. Kids can be crazy on sugar!!

On Halloween night, we went to the church "Trunk-or-Treat" which was so fun and cold. After that we came home and ate homemade Chili (yes I made it and it was pretty good if I do say so myself). After dinner we made a huge bed on the floor in the living room, popped some popcorn and heated up some apple cider. Then we parked it on the floor and

watched "Race to Witch Mountain." I, of course, never made it to the end of the movie, I was out an hour into it, but the family said it was a wonderful movie. I guess I will never know.

Laying with my family that night I realized that I couldn't think of any other place on earth that I would rather be. It was a perfect holiday and I was surrounded by four of the most amazing people I know.

I was completely content with my simple, relaxing evening at home snuggled up with my family by the fire. I wish every day was just like this one!

MOM!! They said T-H-E...

So, for those of you that know my "Braedon" know that from the moment he entered this world he has been going. He was born saying, "Hello world, here I am!" Most of you that know him, I am sure, are aware of the fact that he says and does some of the unique things. He is truly unique...and independent...and busy...and interesting. He is stubborn and smart all in one. He will look so sweet and innocent and then come out of nowhere and wack you with his light saber or a shovel or whatever else he can find!He can be my biggest challenge, the one who knows when to get that last straw, and my biggest, most loving boy all in one (usually on the same day, every day!).

This year Braedon started kindergarten and Toby and I were a little concerned because he just turned 5 in July. We were worried that maturity wise he wouldn't be ready

and that he was going to get into a lot of trouble with his best buddy Morgan, considering they are in the same class (those boys can be Hell on Wheels together!). Well, Toby and I were proved wrong and he is loving school and doing really well. We only had two incidents so far of him getting into trouble (both of which were with Morgan~ pretty sure Brady was the instigator! HAHA). Nothing a good ole' talking to didn't fix.

Since Braedon has been in school he is learning so many new things. His latest one is the color and number words and his favorite word, "the." He finds it everywhere!! We are at the store

and he finds it in the magazines, on T.V., driving down the road, etc. His new hobby is to pull out ALL of our books and start going through them until he finds the word "the." Then he ever so tactfully "yells," "Mom, are you kidding me, this word is everywhere!" This is Braedon, my yeller!!

Well, the other day we were at my Mom's having lunch and we were playing music. The music was being played to get my little one, Chase, to dance. Lately, every time he hears a beat, he starts rockin' out. So, a classic comes on and Chase, of course, starts dancing. Mom and I are laughing at him and filming the dance moves. Braedon pipes up with, "MOM!!! They said T-H-E!" My mom didn't catch it at first but I broke into hysterics. This may not seem funny to you until you know the song...AC/DC's "TNT." If you haven't heard

it you should, just to see the humor in this.

Well that is my Braedon. Always interesting, always unique, and always independent. There isn't a day that goes by that this little boy doesn't say something that makes me either laugh or think about it for days. Granted, there are also days that he makes

me want to reconsider parenting, but at the end of the day when I tuck this little guy into bed, I look at him and feel so lucky that he is mine. He is amazing and everything I hoped

he would be, attitude and all. I can't imagine a life without my Brady in it.

My Braedon is one of a kind for sure...never going to be another like him and I am happy for that. He is a whirlwind and a lover all in one. I can't wait to see what his next word or phrase will be. Till then, I will enjoy T-H-E!!!

Ranch Day

Yesterday was Saturday and we had made plans to go out to Mom and Dad's house for the day. They needed Toby to help with "wrangling" the sheep, trimming their hooves, and giving them shots. The original plan was to head out there around 10:00 am, along with everyone else. Well, Mom called at around 7:30 am to have us come out because she needed Toby to cut some wood for the fire pit. Toby's deal was that he was not coming out unless Mom was going to make him breakfast, so she agreed and off we were.

We got to Mom's around 8:30 and had a great breakfast of bacon, eggs, and muffins and then the

guys were off outside to get some work done while Mom and I finished up some cooking in the house before the rest of the guests arrived.

Around about 10:30, we headed over to the sheep pens and started the roping. It was quite the process and Toby learned to trim the hooves, he did really well and had a good time learning his new skill.

After doing all of the work on the sheep (don't let me fool you, I was the photographer only) we decided to go relax in the front yard and have a giant feast in the beautiful weather. We feasted on BBQ beef sandwiches, potato salad, garlic bread, corn salad, baked beans, napalito salad, etc. It was wonderful and we were all completely

stuffed when Dad came out of the house with the pies (of course, I can never turn down dessert so of course I piled that on too.)

All in all it was a wonderful day and we really enjoyed

ourselves. The kids played all day and Chase ate a lot of dirt! HAHA. I love those days when you can spend the day with family and friends and relax, even if you are working. Just the comforts of family I think!

What a wonderful

weekend this turned out to be!

As I watch...

So, Tuesday my little one (my baby) turned one. It is hard to believe that a year has gone by already. It seems like just yesterday this little man entered our life. It doesn't seem long enough since we were making guesses on whether he was a boy or a girl or what the name was going to be. Now, I have this little man toddling around my house and making all of us laugh constantly. He is getting into everything and causing destruction in his big brother's life!

As we were celebrating his birthday on Tuesday night, I couldn't help but think about how much he has changed our lives. A little over a year ago, I couldn't imagine adding another child to our lives. I was worried about starting over with late nights, getting up in the night, juggling work and motherhood, and how my older ones would do with a new baby. Now, I see it as a wonderful thing that happened in our family and I can't remember a world without our little Chase.

It is hard to watch your little ones grow up but so rewarding in the same.

I love to see the little people that they become and the individuality they gain. Chase definitely has some personality. You would never know that the sweet, mellow infant I had is now a walking, talking disaster. He is trouble like you wouldn't believe. He is in to everything and picks on his older brother and sister on a daily basis. He has attitude and a temper that is unreal. But then he smiles or gives you a hug and you forget all the naughty things he was just doing. I love him so much!

On his birthday, Kiley, Braedon, and I hurried home from school to start his cake. We got that made and then made spaghetti for his dinner (since every little kid loves spaghetti). We sat down as a family and had dinner, which he made a huge mess on ALL of my kids. After dinner, we let Chase open his presents. He didn't have a clue what was going on so Brady helped him.

He really loved his sock monkey and loved on it all night. After presents was cake. We decided it would be best if we stripped him down to his diaper before starting the cake, this proved to be a great idea, he had it everywhere. He was eventually eating it off his belly, which was really cute!

Finally, we got "cake" man in the bath and he was my adorable little boy again. We put him on the floor to play with his new toys. He decided to take each one of his little cars and toddle over to the garbage and dump them in. After doing this to all five cars, he walked back over to the trash can and looked in at all of his cars and started crying. He was a mess!! It was hilarious, my other two think it needs to be an America's Funniest Home Videos moment, it was pretty great!

After we laid our birthday boy to bed, Toby and I began talking about our life and all the things that have happened since our wedding date. It is amazing that on the happiest day of your life you don't

have a clue how much better it can actually get from there. I now have three amazing children and am married to my best friend. I feel so lucky and blessed to have these things in my life. I am so proud of my children and the little people that they are becoming. As I watch them grow I feel more pride and love than I even knew I had in me. I look forward to the years to come and all the beautiful memories we will make in the process.

Chase~ Happy Birthday sweetie! I can't even describe how happy I am to have you as part of

our little family. I love you!

End Results

The other night, I was having my normal evening conversation with my mom when we began talking about my sweet Kiley and how much fun it was to have her go on my field trip with me, as my helper. We started with discussing choices we make in our lives that give us a different end result than what we ever expected our lives to have. I can only share this experience and it's end result with you by starting at the beginning.

When I was sixteen years old, I got pregnant with my first child. It wasn't what I had in mind...my first time and here I was pregnant. Well, after a few months of contemplation, I

decided that giving my little sweetheart up for adoption was the best choice for my child (and me). So, I spent many months trying to find the perfect family for my baby, I wanted her to have the best. Finally, when I was 8

months pregnant, I found them! They were perfect and we met the following week. We had dinner and discussed how the adoption would work and what our hopes were for this baby. I was sad and happy all at the same time, ready to have a good family for my baby but sad to have to choose "parents" for my child.

On August 6th, 1999 at about 3:00am, I went into labor. I was immediately terrified and not quit ready to begin this chapter of my life...so we waited at home. I labored at home until I couldn't wait anymore. It was around 7:30am when we finally made it to the hospital, the stress and nerves were unbelievable. I labored for 11 hours before my baby girl was born. I remember looking at her and not being able to believe that she was mine and that I just brought this child into the world. She was beautiful! She was a 6 pound 6 ounce, 18 3/4 inch baby girl. She was so healthy and alert and I was so torn on what

to do next. I didn't know if I should hold her or even look at her. It was so hard as to what I was going to do, was I going to attach myself or try to distance myself? Little did I realize, I was already attached and already loved this little being.

The adoptive parents came in shortly after she was born to see "their" baby girl. It was so hard to watch them hold the child that should be mine. Was I making the right choice to give her a home with them? Or could I do it myself? I decided to hold her and look at her, because this would be my only chance to do it and I didn't want regrets. That evening, after every one had left the hospital, I decided to look at her and take everything about her in. I realized this was going to be so much harder than I had ever

imagined. She spent the next several hours in the nursery with the nurses while I finished the last entry into the journal I had kept for her, then I tried to get some sleep and get my composure before the next morning, when I had to send her to foster care for the next 48 hours before final signing. At about 4:00am, a nurse from the nursery brought her into me and said they had an emergency in the nursery and that all mother's needed to take their babies. I will still to this day believe their was divine intervention in that. Within the next 7-8 hours I couldn't get enough of her...I was hooked and could no longer imagine my life without this baby.

The time came for my discharge and her release to foster care. I tried to get it together but how do you handle releasing your first born (any) child to a complete stranger knowing that in 2 days you will sign the final papers to release your child FOREVER? I signed them and as I was walking out of the hospital, I looked into the nursery to say good-bye to a baby I thought I would never see again. She was crying and I asked to hold her. When I was holding "my" daughter and telling her how much I loved her, she stopped crying and looked up at me, it was then that I knew this would be the worst mistake of my life. That night I was broken and part of me was missing. I spent the night crying and thinking about this choice and it's permanent effects on my life. The next morning my parents and I talked and I CHANGED my mind. I went

and got my baby girl.

For the next three hours, we were at the foster care bringing our baby home and then at the store purchasing all the items that parents spend months getting to be ready to bring their baby home. I thought off and on about whether or not I had made the right decision for myself and my baby. It wasn't until that night when I got up with her and looked at her that I realized I had. She was mine and I loved her and no one would change my mind on that. I was so close to making the worst decision of my life.

For the next year, I had a lot of adjusting to do and a lot of growing up to do (Fast). I lived with my parents and they took care of "Kiley" during the day while I was at school and the evenings while I worked. It was hard to become responsible for someone and still find the time to be with them. I made it work, thanks to my parents and school counselors.

ended up graduating one year early and started my college classes the following fall. It was a lot of work and very life changing but I had my daughter. When I was 18 and Kiley was about 18 months old, I moved out into my own home. I moved in with someone that didn't treat me very well and within 6 months kicked them out. I was then faced with real reality...how was I going to pay my bills, continue on with school, keep my job, and provide for my child?

I began by cooking every night, changing my class schedule, and cutting out any extra expenses. I spent every evening with my daughter that I could and we read a lot of books! I made it work and we survived. There were many nights when the heater went out and I had to get up in 50 degree weather and figure out the pilot light or climb on top of my house and brush off the snow to get it working, all the while my baby

was piled under cover so she wouldn't know how cold it was. I cut corners at the grocery store so we would have affordable food. It was a struggle that I still don't know how I overcame, but every moment of it made me who I am today.

We eventually met Toby and he loved us both. He took care of us and eventually married US. We finally had our complete family and years later we added our boys. It is a wonderful life that I am very proud of. I have gone on to receive my Bachelor's in education and will continue on with my Masters in Education in the Spring of 2010. I want my daughter to know that she changed my life, and in the best way it can be changed. She was my inspiration and motivation behind the moves I have made in my life and so much of the success that followed. I know that my life would not have been the same without her and I am right, she is an amazing little girl. She inspires our family daily and gives me a reason to smile. I love her more than she will ever know and I wouldn't change a thing, not even the hard stuff. It made me who I am today.

To my Kiley~ thank you for an amazing life and a wonderful END RESULT! I love you and am so glad that I have you and you are a part of my life! Love you baby girl.