Slime Time!!

Today we made slime. Fun stuff. Borax, water, glue and food coloring! The kids had great time. And so did I!!

Happy Father's Day to My Dad!!!

I want to dedicate this post to my Dad, whom I love and who I celebrate, along with my husband, this Father's Day. I am so thankful to have a father who loves me unconditionally and who has all the years of my life.

I am blessed to have a Dad who shared Christ with me when I was young and my heart was tender. I remember going to church together and hearing God's word. It's funny, but I also remember my dad showing me how to sing a hymn and follow each verse. I still think of that when I am teaching my own kids to do the same. My dad taught me that God's word was to be valued. Because he did, I now love God's Word above anything.
I remember fun things like Dad shooting us with rubber bands and laughing and running through my first house in Pennsauken. I remember laying on his chest in his bed and driving in his truck with him. He would squeeze my thigh and tell me that he had kids so he could squeeze them. LOL!! I tell my kids that today about them!! I remember how Dad would save the very best Christmas presents until last and then pretend like Christmas gifting was over and then he would pull out the biggest and most-longed for gifts! That was fun!

My dad worked hard for us while we were growing up to give us what we needed and so much that we wanted! Even still to this day, my dad is very generous with us. My dad has given so much to us financially, but even with his time. As dad has been on disablility over the past couple of years, he has come to visit and help me with the kids when I was having surgery or going out of town. He built a fort for the kids in our backyard. He made beautiful benches for my dining room. He bought and put in a door in my home. He has been a blessing to me in these things, so much. How many dads do you know who would come and take care of 5 kids for 6 days while his daughter was away?? Dad said it was only the crazy ones!! I say crazy and the loving!!!

All these things are great, but my best memories of my dad come from the times I was down and discouraged in college, both with my school work and seeking to find the Lord's will for my life. I don't know how many times I spoke to my parents on the phone, but it was often and dad was a leader and strong tower for me. He encouraged me and spoke truth to my heart when I needed it most. My mom and dad prayed me through a terribly rough season of depression and anxiety. Without their support and time, talking to me and encouraging me, I am sure I would not be alive today. God is so good in giving me a dad who is a strong encourager in the Lord. Oh how I needed that!! And one last thing, my dad counseled me to marry the man I am married to today, the daddy to my five children. Dad had always steered me about guys, usually away from the one I thought were good. But this time Dad steered me into to Mark's arms and I am so glad he did. You were wise, Dad!!! God has blessed me with Mark and your counsel all the way.

Dad, I love you so very much!! You are a blessing to me and to my husband and to my kids. They love you so very much too!!!!
Thank you for being a great dad to me for the past almost 35 years!!! I love you!!!!
~Your Favorite Daughter , Theresa, (better known to you as "Treezie")
XOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXX

Rising Up To Call Her "Blessed"

I love Mother's Day! I love celebrating in general, but Mother's Day has come to be a favorite for me. I guess that is because I have come to be a mother and I so love that job. But this Mother's Day entry is not for me, but for my own mother, my mom, whom I love with everything within me. I was thinking about how much I love my mom and how thankful I am for her for all the things she has done for me over the years and all the sweet ways she has loved me and is still loving me and has shaped me into the mother that I am today...So Mom, here is a tribute to YOU!!

I thought I might try to remember as far back as I can to all the wonderful ways my mom has touched my life...
~I remember Mom making me lunch and putting my pb&j on my Strawberry Shortcake tray in front of Leave It to Beaver, before I would go to Kindergarten.
~I remember taking fun tube rides on the lake sitting on my mom's lap, floating out in the water and laughing together.
~I remember all the creative fun stories that my mom would tell me about these funny animals, like Elsie the Elephant...I try, but cannot replicate the fun of those stories with my own children.
~I remember getting many airplane rides on my mom's feet with her legs up high in the air, I love doing that with my kids and I remember her everytime I do.
~ I remember her making fun birthday cakes and giving us fun parties on our birthdays.
~ I remember getting a Cabbage Patch Doll and knowing that mom waited in looooong lines to get that for me.
~ I remember all the cute costumes she made for us for Halloween.
~ I remember playing games on the floor, like Memory.
~ I remember mom taking me to Girl Scouts and being our leader and just being a fun mom who everyone loved.
~ I remember going to the water park together and having so much fun.
~ I remember mom being patient with me when I was so picky about clothes.
~ I remember sitting talking, and standing at the bathroom door not leaving her alone to talk with her (sorry mom, but thanks for always listening)!!
~I remember her taking me to school after I missed the bus because my hair didn't look right. Yikes!
~ I remember her driving me to work, to my friends...
~ I remember her sewing my prom dress just to my specifications and making sure I loved it.
~ I remember her always being there for me, always.
~Encouraging me, telling me I was beautiful, encouraging me always.
~I remember ALL those letters she sent me in college when I was SO homesick, and practically EVERY DAY, I would get a letter from my mom. Boy, did that make a great difference in my life.
~ I remember MANY PHONE calls, encouraging words and a listening ear, still to this day.
~ I remember knowing and still knowing that my mom was praying for me, crying out to the LORD on my behalf, during the most serious trials of my life.
~ I remember her being at my side when I had my own first baby. Letting me brace myself on her feet, all the while killing her corn on her foot. So sorry, but thank you!!!
~I remember her coming to my aid as a new mom, tired and overwhelmed.
~ I remember help in finances, 20's in the mail for something to treat myself or the kids.
~ I remember the BEST FRIEND that a woman could ever want...

My mom is seriously the best friend I could ever hope or pray for, fun, loving, encouraging, listening, helping, laughing, giving...I could NEVER be a good enough daughter to her to repay her for all that she has done for me and all that she has given me over the years. My mom loves me so tenderly and sweetly and has walked with me in every season of my life as a faithful, true friend.
The greatest thing she does for me now, I know is pray for me and listen to my babbling each day on the phone. I wish we lived closer, but for the distance between our bodies, there is not very much distance between our hearts. We are best friends. I could only hope and pray to be the faithful, fun, giving, loving mother that my mother has been and is to me.
Mom, Happy Mother's Day. You bring so much joy to my life!!! I love you with all my Heart!!!!!! Thank you for loving me and for being SUCH a WONDERFUL MOTHER!!!!!!
You deserve more than I could ever give!!! So I send you my love today from 350 miles away. Know that YOU are loved and appreciated every minute of the day!! I call you blessed!!!!! Thank you for all the ways you love me and the boys with your life!!!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!
Love,
Theresa

Our Baby Turns Two!!!

As of tomorrow, Karli will turn two!! Our "baby" isn't really a baby anymore, even though we still refer to her as "the baby". She is turning the big two and has a large personality to go with it. She has brought joy to this family from the start. We are all so thankful for what Karli has brought to our lives. She is a very smart, book loving, sweet little girl, who loves to laugh, and cuddle, and build with blocks. She is a love bug in every way!! She is beginning to test the waters with a very strong attitude and desire to please herself. While we don't look forward to the training ahead, we do know that the little sweeties grow and learn and bring joy as they do. We hope and pray that Karli will grow to love Jesus all the days of her life, that she would follow hard after Him and that she would be a blessing to all who know her in during the life the Lord gives her. We are so glad that God had a Karli planned for this family!! God is truly a good God and a real gift-giver. We praise God for Karli, because from Him all blessings flow!!!

Disney World!!!

Here are a few photos of our trip to Disney...thanks to my parents and my aunt and uncle we had a family's dream vacation, really a dream for this family of 7! We enjoyed the parks, the resort, the pool and just being together!!!! Click on the photos to see a larger version, I will post more later...

Today we celebrate the life of Norah Gail, who is turning four today!!!! Oh how we love her!!! For the past four years she has been both blessing and stretching Mark and I in ways we could have never thought possible. She is the sweetest and spunkiest one of the group. She is filled with persistence and strength. She is the first to say thank you and the first to ask if you are ok when you get hurt. She loves clothes, purses, Barney, Memory, and babies. She loves people and loves talking, what a chatterbox!! Much like me, I suppose!! LOL!!! She has brought some of my hardest days and my sweetest moments. At night she hugs my neck and says, "you're not going anywhere!! you are staying here forever!" What a little lovebug!!! She has been really growing lately in loving and obeying mommy and daddy and being content much more often. What a blessing that is to me! Lots of training and prayer!! What a little joy, she is such a cutie. I didn't know what I would do with a fourth baby in a fourth year, but now I don't know what I would do without Norah!! Our life wouldn't be nearly as exciting without our wonderful Norah in our lives!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the first days of Norah's little life. Look at that precious, chubby face. Who would have known all that would be coming into our lives in that tiny little package? She has blessed us and stretched us every day since then and we are so thankful that God blessed us with her. The day that I found out I was expecting Norah, I was in a Target bathroom. I was shaking and trembling and wondering what on earth I would do. With 3 little children all 3 and under, I wasn't sure I was up for a fifth so soon. Why the baby at the time, Maryann was only 5 months old!!! But the Lord has another plan. I was concerned about finances and shortly after finding out of her conception, God provided Mark with another job, a better paying job. Oh and the strength and grace that came from the Lord in the days after her birth. I could never have done it without His strength, but oh how He lent His strength and grace to me. I can say that with 4 babies in 4 years time, I was and am still a testimony to myself of what God can do in a life. All glory to God!!! All glory to Him for forming in me life all that time ago and for the precious life of Norah Gail today. She is becoming a wonderful little lady and I look forward to what God will do in her life in the years to come. I pray she would love and serve Him all the days of her life!!! I LOVE YOU, NORAH!!!!!

Ear-piercing Day Arrives!

Today is the long awaited day that the girls got their ears pierced. Maryann did not want to do it on her birthday but decided she would do it if Norah did it. Yesterday morning, Norah did it, in honor of her birthday. After watching Norah cry in pain, Maryann decided NOT to do it. But without any coaxing she eventually changed her mind again and decided to do it. When I asked her what changed her mind she told me that because I told her she might not be able to do it again for a long time, she thought she better go ahead and do it! I was proud of both of my little beauties and the bravery they showed. Here is a few pictures from the occasion!

Princess Half-Marathon, My first Half!!!!

Well, the time finally came for me to run, the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, this past Sunday. Wow, what a day!!! Well, really what a ride for me just in the training and preparation to get there. I started training for the race in the end of November in hopes that I would get to run it. My gallbladder threatened to stop me, but Lord willing, that was a breeze to be done with and I was able to continue training three weeks after, on my first 9 mile run. For my 11 mile, 12.5 and 14 mile runs, my friend Danelle, an experienced runner helped me out and trained with me. That was such a blessing and encouragement to me. I know it helped me get better too!!

The morning of the race, I woke up at 3 am and got a shower and got ready to go, arriving at the race before 4 am. In our corrals by 5 am, I met some really nice girls (meaning girls my age or a little younger) LOL! Two that were in front of me, Kelly and Amanda, had made these shirts for themselves. So cute, I had to ask if I could take a picture. That is how we got talking...meeting them and another girl, Lee, really calmed my nerves and made the event an even more special day for me.

Mark took a few pictures of me as he dropped me off. Here I am getting myself all adjusted and ready to roll, I mean run. LOL! I was really excited and a bit nervous, but WAY more calm than I had expected.

Before each corral took off across the finish line, they lit off fireworks to start us off!!! Very exciting!!!!

Here I am with my new friend, Lee, she was so sweet and seemed like a really neat person. Also to her credit, she is a veteran, having served in the Navy and in the war for our country.

Here were the two fun girls who had the fun shirts, Kelly and Amanda. I really enjoyed meeting them, they seemed so sweet and they were really friendly, and I like friendly people, a lot!!!

The race day was a bit crazy for me, as I began, I felt the course of nature take over and I felt like I really needed to go to the bathroom, if you know what I mean. Not good, I ran like that for four miles at my pace that I wanted to 11:30/mile, looking along the way at all the porta potties, and thinking how I could not possibly wait in those LONG lines during a race, until somewhere between mile 4 and 5, I think, I saw one with a bit shorter line. I waited in line, chatted with some other runners and looked at my watch, quickly the minute per mile pace was growing, growing, growing. I don't even know for sure, but I think that it was up to 25 minutes/mile by the time I finished, that was a great bummer for me, knowing now that it would be highly unlikely that I could finish with a good time. But I ran with intensity, still taking the appropriate set walk breaks and was able to make up some time on that mile. All in all, I felt a lot better after going to the bathroom anyway and there was really no choice for me in that matter.

It was way different running in a race with so many people, there were 13,000 plus finishers. The roads were crowded and you have to do a lot of bobbing and weaving in between people to pass, it is pretty crazy. Somewhere along the way before mile 6 I stopped my watch and messed things up. I decided it was a good thing for a while but then as I got the chills and was feeling more and more exhausted, I thought it would be better to turn it back on to get a better pace for myself. I set it for what I thought I had left, but it turns out I was wrong. When we got to mile 10, I thought I was on mile 11. Not a good thing to find out when you feel kind of wrecked, an extra mile, ugh!!!! I was not happy. I had been getting the chills, even though I was pouring water on myself and drinking at every station too. This being the case, when I discovered I had still 3 miles and not 2, I got a lump in my throat, lost my will. I was having trouble making myself run and really wondering for a minute what provoked me to do this.

Somehow, I won the game in my mind to continue running, thank the Lord. I talked myself through it and kept on. When I got to the 11 mile marker, I felt encouraged, the 12 mile marker, really really glad. That last mile, I had no idea, like I usually do about how far I had left to go, I would run all out and walk for 30 sec., and kept doing this. I got to the final stretch and I started to walk, I heard someone in the crowd cheering me on, I picked it up again and ran to the finish,and as I did I saw my family along the side of the road. Oh how glad I was for that to be over!!! I stumbled with weak legs towards the photo area, with thousands and thousands of people around me. I borrowed a phone to call my family to meet me around the snacks area where they gave us, bananas, oranges, protein bars, and water. I was so glad to have them there with me, so glad. I felt relieved that it was over and glad that I accomplished it. Even though it was hard, and little unlike I thought it would be due to the running through the crowds and especially b/c of my bathroom stop and troubles, I was really glad that I did it. The finish time was 2:49. So....with all the difficulties I felt and the 10-12 minute stop for the potty, I am thankful. I did a good job!

Just as it was over, I remembered what Jeff Galloway said about waiting a week before you make any decisions about racing, either scheduling your next one, or vowing to never do one again. For me, parts of this race might have provoked the decision to not do another, but just a day later, I was already thinking about my next running goal. Thankfully, I still like running. LOL!!!

Within an hour or so after running, I had the worst tummy trouble ever, I thought I had a virus. But after a few hours with the troubles, I felt good again and then I knew it came from the stress I had put on my body during the race. I was very thankful to feel good again and very thankful that it was not a virus since we were to be vacationing in Disney this week.

Running the half-marathon was a great experience, full of it's up and downs, (literally too, there were a few hills in the race that I didn't expect, thinking I had left the hills behind in the Hill City). I will definitely keep running and hopeful do many more half-marathons in my lifetime, if the Lord allows.

Meeting Mark and the kids in the Family Reunion Area holding up my medal!!!

Look at all those people, that is just a few of them...

My wonderful mom who made this trip possible. So glad to have her there with me!!!

Maryanns shadow in her costume! My litte princess!!