Be still, my heart!

Dear Dakota,
Tonight while riding home from Gardendale, Dillon and Drew fell asleep so you asked me the sweetest, saddest thing you have ever asked me. "Mama, how do you get a girl to be your girlfriend?" You were so honest and sincere about it, and I was so proud, but it was all I could do to choke back the tears. Are you really old enough to be thinking about that? I guess you are already 8 years old, and your "girl crazy" years are fast approaching. My advice to you was to either call her, write her a note or ask her at school. You are so funny though because you don't want anyone else to know about her (you're afraid you'll be made fun of)and you never get to see her at school because she isn't in your class or in your PE class. Some of your main reasons for wanting HER to be your girlfriend are (these are YOUR words) "She's pretty, she's sweet, she's NEVER mean to anyone, if someone gets hurt on the playground she always goes to check on them, and she makes good grades". I must admit, those are pretty good reasons, son! I'm proud of you for going after the "good girls"!

Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me about such sensitive matters. I always want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything at all.

I love you so much and I am so proud of you!

Mom <3

First Day of Third Grade

Dear Dakota,

Today you started the third grade! I can not believe how time flies! Pretty soon I'll be sending you out the door for your senior year....it seems like I just blinked and you were out of NICU and going into the third grade. I know you were very nervous this morning, but know that everything will be ok. You are so smart and handsome and talented - everyone who knows you loves you! I know that you have nothing to worry about, so I hope that once you get to school you can relax and have a great time - oh, and learn a LOT! Your dad and I love you so much and we are so proud of you!

Love!

Mom <3

July 12, 2010

Dear Drew,
I can't believe how fast you're growing! You are 14 months old now and are so smart! Your granny gave you a shape sorter ball and you could literally spend hours sitting and placing the shapes in the holes! You love it! Tonight at dinner I got you to shake your head and say "Mmmm...good!" It was so cute! I love how you shake both hands and say "Gone gone!" and especially the way you yell out "Mama! Mama! Mama!" until I ask you "What?". Every time you ask me the same question..."Manema nema blah blah ball?" I so wish I knew what you were saying! I love you so much!
Mama ;)

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7/10/10

Dear Dakota,
This year, instead of soccer, you decided (with a little push from your dad) to play football. Although I enjoyed watching you play soccer, I am so excited to watch you play football! I hope that you choose to excel in football like you do in most everything you do. Always remember that no matter what you are doing, you should give 100% 100% of the time! That is all your dad and I ask of you and your brothers! Doing so makes you an excellent role model for your brothers and those around you, builds character and gives you a sense of self pride and satisfaction at the end of the day. You will never regret giving all you've got! I am so proud of you for everything you are and all you've accomplished in your 8 years!
Love you!
Mom :)

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July 7, 2010

Dear Dillon,

This summer I have been so proud of you! You have learned so much and have successfully made the transition between being a baby to a little boy! You have learned to ride your bicycle with no training wheels, tie your shoes, catch the ball in your glove and swim! Wow, have you been busy! You are constantly trying to one-up Dakota. I can't believe how you've grown.

I love you so much!

Mom :)

New idea!

I think I'm going to try a new idea...I think I am going to try to write little notes to each of the boys as often as I can, telling them what they did that was important, how it made them feel, how it made me feel....let's see how this works!

Studio 19

My idea of a small photography business is still fresh on my mind, but the idea has changed a little. I am very excited that my brother and I have decided to do this together. His wife, Kristin, came up with our business name, Studio 19 Photography, and we both fell in LOVE with it! The number 19 is very special to me because it was my number all through school in softball. When my brother made the Jr High baseball team, I was so happy that he chose to be #19 as well! Now, my son Dakota carries on the tradition of #19.

Christopher and I are very excited and anxious to get this thing off the ground. We have a wedding package price list created and standard packages put together, but not released yet. I feel confident that we will work well together and take excellent photos. We have similar styles, but not identical. I hope that we will learn from and feed off each other when we are working together!

Has it been 3 months?

I can't believe how I do this! So many things have happened since my last post in November! Thanksgiving, Christmas, new milestones for the kids, new decisions and resolutions for myself. Shame on me!

I will start by saying that January 1, 2010 I made a decision that I am going to get serious about losing this weight. It has been such a burdon since I had Dakota, but I have never been serious enough to do something about it until now. Since January 1st, I have lost about 10-12 lbs. I am very proud of myself because this is a huge accomplishment for me! I have been watching my calorie intake (NOT counting calories) and doing step aerobics for 30 minutes most nights on the Wii Fit. It's amazing what 30 minutes can do! I have had many compliments from people about just this small amound of weight lost, so I very much look forward to losing even more and getting MORE compliments!

Drew is standing alone! He has taken a few steps on his own, but is not walking alone yet. He is 9 months old now. I noticed the other day that he has 6 teeth! I had no idea! No wonder he has been biting everything and everyone in sight! 4 up top and 2 on bottom! He is SO hyper all the time! He is just everywhere! Definitely the most active of my three boys, even though Dillon was a handful himself!

Dillon has finally started wanting to learn his letters. He can write his name very well, and pretty much anything else I show him first. He is very independent though, so he always wants to do it "all my bad self". He is very excited that he will be playing rag ball this year! It is going to be so much fun to see him and his little friends out there on the baseball field learning how to play baseball! I can't wait!

Dakota had a very difficult winter. He had strep throat three times and had to have his tonsils out in December. He missed a lot of school, but has been much better since he got his tonsils out. His piano teacher had some health problems, so she had to quit teaching, but recommended a new teacher too. Dakota was apprehensive about getting a new teacher, so we decided to take a little while off. He is so busy anyway. I don't want him to have too much on him, even though I want him to be a well balanced person. He is so talented and so special already.

Shea has just absolutely outdone himself. He isn't much of a gift giver, unless it is something practical that he knows you can use. For Valentine's Day, he bought me a Pandora Bracelet with 3 D charms, a March, April and May birthstone charm, a Bible, and an elephant. I can't wait for the next special occasion to see what he'll get next. I am so blessed to have a husband who is my best friend. I can share my deepest darkest thoughts and secrets with him and know that he will stand by me and love me unconditionally. Not many people have that relationship with their husband or wife. This year will make 9 years that we have been married, and our relationship has only gotten better with every year. God is good and blesses those who include him in their marriage and lives.

Love!