My last post for the night!

Two nights ago we had a pretty severe thunderstorm. I woke up at 3:07 AM to the crash of something hitting our house. I woke Steve up, surprised that I had to. I went to the front door and when I opened it, I saw a trampoline in our front yard. No, we don't own a trampoline. I freaked out and thought that we were in the middle of a tornado. There were no other signs of a tornado but we realized the following morning that there must have been some kind of micro burst. Our next- door- neighbor, the owner of the trampoline, is about 100 yards from our house. Not to mention, we have 75 feet of forest in between our houses. The trampoline made its way over their house, through their yard and over our 70 foot tree's and hit our roof and then landed in our front yard. Here are some pictures of the aftermath.

I tried to show where it hit our gutter. It bent our gutter in two spots. We were so happy that it didn't cause any more damage than that.

This trampoline spring was sticking straight up out of our yard. I thought that was kind of funny.

These are the trees that the trampoline flew over. Holy Cow!

Putting Up Our Christmas Tree!

i love how all the ornaments are at the same height as our kids. mom had to do a bit of rearranging.

Steve's grandma made this angel in 1969. This is Steve's only contribution to our annual tree decorating. I will let you call him Scrooge if you would like.

Our Thanksgiving weekend.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We enjoyed ours. These are some of the pics that I took while we were at Libby and Jason's house that weekend. We had so much fun.
Our family picture didn't turn out so great but it was the only one we got before we lost Dakota. TC was very upset and was hiding behind the couch, so he wasn't pictured.

TC and AJ getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner!

TC and AJ throwing the football with Dad and Papa!

Ellie's cousins loved playing with her!

Dakota having some down time.

Update!

So I went to Ooltewah Elementary School to have Thanksgiving lunch with TC today. I haven't been able to spend alone time with TC away from all the other kids in a long while. I really enjoyed talking with him and I could tell he loved having my undivided attention. He was also excited to show me the top runners in his class. He keeps getting third place and is so hard on himself. After lunch I gave him a hug and told him I would see him after school. As I walked away, I looked back and saw TC look around the corner to watch me leave. I cried all the way home. I guess I just remember times when my mom would come to my school and eat with me and I cherish those memories. I really loved being able to spend time with T.C.

AJ is my little helper at home. He helps with the chores and has such a good attitude about it. He always tells me how much he loves me and how pretty I am. I think it is so sweet. I think he will be very ready for preschool next year. I can tell he is getting board of being at home all day and needs an outlet. Maybe gymnastics. He jumps around, climbs the furniture and swings from the top bunk constantly. How many times do I have to say stop? I think we need bars in our backyard.

Dakota is definetely showing so much personality. She loves all the girly things. I am not used to this. She wants to wear makeup, put lotion on all day. She loves high heels, purses and anything that might resemble a bracelet. The cutest thing is how her little bootie shakes as she walks/runs. You gotta burger to go with that shake? I also love how she throws fits about what she wants to wear. Tennis shoes would be the most practical thing right now but she wants pretty dress shoes to wear. She also loves skirts. I guess I will have to start letting her choose her own outfits.

Jaxon is still the perfect baby. I guess that might give my other children a complex but I don't know how else to describe him. He sleeps so great, he eats great, he loves to play around on the floor and rolls everywhere. He is so ticklish and laughs out loud when I change him or talk to him. I can honestly say I know what it must have been like for Mary in the song "Away In A Manger" No crying he makes is totally possible.

Having two babies to take care of and three still at home all day gets very overwhelming but I do love my babies. I think I changed 5 poopy diapers today. Can't they just get it out just once and be done? I so look forward to Steve coming home in the evening and I so enjoy my walks. They destress me.

Also, Jaxon had his 4 month check up last week and I guess I am just used to hearing that my children are in the 95% in height and 50 - 75% for weight but I just look at Jaxon and can't help but think he is definetely my biggest baby. He just seems like a giant already.

Please share!

So, after I got Dakota to sleep, I took Jaxon outside for some fresh air. I was wearing a short sleeve top and thinking how nice it is that in November, I can wear short sleeves. Now, on the contrary, I remember wearing a sweatshirt on a June or July night in Colorado and Idaho and thinking that was great. I have to admit that I am loving this great weather.

This past Sunday was our family dinner day! Every month during the year, someone in the family has everyone over. No, I haven't taken my turn yet. I'm afraid that everyone would feel claustrophobic. Anyway, I spent some time talking with a couple of my sisters-n-law about organization in a big family. I think my last 3 children came so fast that I never had time to think or readjust how I was doing things. What might work with 1 or 2 children, may not work with 3 or 4. Needless to say, I have felt very disorganized since our move.

How in the world do I move from a 3 bedroom apartment to a 5 bedroom house and not have enough space for everything? Well, I started to break it down. Where are my problem areas? My laundry room and my desk are the biggest. Oh, and lets not forget my closet and the hall closet. So, how do they do it. I got a few tips.

1. Keep all of the kids socks in the laundry room and don't worry about mating them. I love the idea of keeping their socks down here in their very own little rubbermaid drawers. Although, I do have to mate TC and AJ's socks. I KNOW that TC doesn't care to wear an ankle sock on one foot and a crew sock on the other. Hence, the mating will continue.

2. Stop folding underwear. I guess that I might just be a nut but yes, I fold everything. Anyway, if I want to be successful at keeping a household together, then I must let a few things go. That includes folding underwear.

3. Go paperless with your bills. Online billing can be great. I was halfway there but I might take the entire plung!

4. Buy a new front loader washer and dryer. Ok, that isn't quite reasonable for me right now but when I ever have to buy a new washer and dryer....oh, yeah! I would love to get all of our jeans washed in 1 load.

Just a few tips but man it has helped me a bunch this week. I realize that we have to make things work for us and all of our priorities are different but I hope that maybe you could share a few of your time saving tips and organizational tips with me. What can you not live without?
How do you keep things tidy?

Enjoy!

AJ enjoying some Xbox time.

Dakota being Dakota! At least she wasn't getting into trouble!

TC getting his year end trophy for football.

Dakota

Jaxon has had a lot of teeth come in overnight!

happy halloween

Happy Halloween!

We have had great fun this week. Monday night we carved pumpkins for FHE. TC drew the face on his pumpkin and didn't enjoy cleaning out the goo! Too slimy! Dakota had her fair share of grabbing knives off of the counter and always trying to run away as fast as she can so that she doesn't get caught. What a stinker! If I can survive while I get her raised, I think I will be able to accomplish anything.

Wednesday night we had Trunk or Treat at our church. I had to laugh at Dakota because she about threw a fit when I handed her a pumpkin to put her candy in. She threw the pumpkin down on the ground and screamed at me. I guess we just assume that they will get excited about these things. Anyway, she felt very pleased to sit with dad and hand out candy while I took AJ to each car. Why not TC, you might ask? Well, TC was just a little too fast for us. The kids made out pretty good, though.

Friday night, we went to Derek and Marcie's for their halloween bash. I wish that I had taken pictures of all their decorations because they did an awesome job. We had dinner and all kinds of fun snacks while we were there. At about 6:30 we took the kids to Darrin and Jennifer's neighborhood so they could go trick or treating. I think TC outlasted all of the other kids. He ran from one house to the next, to the next. I had to keep yelling for him to stay with the group. I guess football must have whipped him into shape. We all went back to Darrin and Jennifer's house where we hung out for a little while, until the kids started getting sleepy. We also had to go pick up Jaxon from Grandma's house. She was kind enough to keep him while we did our trick or treating. It was so different to be out at the end of October and not freezing to death. I think TC has always had to wear a coat and mittens to go trick or treating. What a fun halloween and yes, the kids have way too much candy. I'm sure it will last a very long time.

Is the answer clear cut for you?

If you are completely sick of politics right now, then you may want to go on to the next blog address because I am devoting this post to my worries with our next election. I don't consider myself Republican or a Democrat. I like to get all of my facts straight before I choose someone to be a leader. Being a mom of four children does not allow much time for fact digging but I do try to read what I can and watch the debates. This year I have had a hard time deciding who to vote for, until I started worrying about the type of person and their history more than some of the policies and platforms. If you are voting for Barack Obama, I would like to hear why. I like some of the things that he has to say but I worry about the person he is and if he is telling the truth. I would like to believe that all people and politicians are honest but lets face the facts. I don't think John McCain is the perfect man either but I feel like he is a true American. If nothing else, at least we will only be paying him 200,000 dollars a year for maybe the next 10 years. Barack Obama is a very young man and we will be paying him 200,000 per year for the next 40 years. That might be enough to convince me.

I do want to include an article that I read that has pointed me in the direction of John McCain. I have read up on Thomas Sowell and he isn't just some guy who has an opinion. He is well educated and has taught at many Universities and is the author of many books. He completed his degree with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude. He went on to receive a Master of Arts in Economics from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Chicago. This is what he has to say:

Thomas Sowell

Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow
The Hoover Institution
Stanford University
Stanford , California 94305

~~~~~~~~~ Professor Sowell's Article ~~~~~~~~~~

"Senator John McCain could never convince me to vote for him. Only Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can cause me to vote for McCain.

After long and serious thought, I have decided to endorse Senator John McCain for President.

I have always voted for the person and have not voted for anyone because some political party was telling me who I should vote for.

We all know the choices by now and, that said, I do believe that the process of selecting a chief executive is deeply flawed. The words 'money' and 'special interests' come to mind, among many others.

Here's the way I see it.

Barack Obama, you are a fine public speaker. You are also an extremely liberal Senator from the State of Illinois , which has a long and rich history of political corruption of the first magnitude. You are indeed a child of that system.

You have finally insulted my intelligence far beyond my capacity to tolerate your insults. It has nothing at all to do with your skin color. As a matter of fact, it would be so COOL to finally have an African-American for President. What a great statement that would be to the entire world that we are indeed the greatest country on earth!

But, unfortunately, General Colin Powell is not running, and YOU are NOT the man for this job!

Barack baby, you want me to believe that you have never heard the sermons of your own pastor, the Right Reverend 'God Damn America' Jeremiah Wright. It is a matter of record that this has been your church for over 20 years. It is a matter of record that you were married there by this very pastor, and that your children were baptized there.

The good Reverend saw fit to visit Khadafy in Libya with you and to give a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan, of all people.

We have all now seen excerpts of his sermons all over the airwaves by now. And you have publicly stated that this man IS your 'spiritual mentor. BUT, your pastor is NOT the reason I am NOT voting for you. His words were disturbing enough, but it is your own HUGE church congregation, seen jumping, hooting and howling to his words in the background that disturb me the most. And please don't tell me you attended church there and never once heard a 'discouraging word' in the 20 years you attended there. Don't tell me, that in addition to the good reverend, that you are now not having anything to do with all those other people seen hooting and howling out in the audience in the background of his fiery tirades. Even Oprah Winfrey got disgusted and walked out on your campaign. I am no Oprah fan, but st! ill she did the right thing.

Now YOU look me in the eye and ask me to believe that you never heard such language in all the years you attended there! This is like me telling you that I attended dozens of Klan rallies and never once heard the 'N' word. Yep. And Bill Clinton 'did not inhale'.

Yes, Mr. Obama, we all have friends who have said stupid things that embarrassed us, but NOW you have asked me to believe something that is so incredibly stupid that you are telling me that I am just stupid enough to believe you. THAT is the main reason that I will never vote for you.

I am deeply sorry, that in a country teeming with enormously talented African Americans who would make a good President, that the political system has chosen YOU. You are a pathetic and plastic excuse for an American, who will not even salute the Flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. God forbid you ever get near the Oval Office.

Which leaves us with Senator John McCain.

John, you are a flawed man. You are a bit old, a bit loony, and you have a notoriously bad temper. This perfectly qualifies you, in my humble opinion, to lead us for the next eight years. I WANT your trembling hand on the nuclear button.

Think about it.

We have Kim Jong IL, Chavez and Ahmadenijad all running around like lunatics, threatening America and threatening to plunge the world into nuclear Armageddon. We have Putin and the Chinese blustering and rattling their sabers at us. I want John McCain in the Oval Office and I want him to be really ticked off at all these other nut jobs around the planet.

John, once you are elected, I want you to go into the Oval Office and throw one of your perfect FITS. Jump up and down and throw something through a plate glass window. Rip the drapes down and foam at the mouth a bit. And I want the whole thing on camera so that Ahmadinejad can see it. I want ALL of these 'world leaders' to lay awake at night and to break out in a cold sweat every time they think of messing with the United States of America

I want the nuclear button sitting right next to the alarm clock on your nightstand. I want pictures of this to be sent to Iran , Russia , China , Venezuela , Cuba , Libya , Syria , Pakistan , and those other dopes in the sheets, the Saudis.

On the domestic front, poor John did try and reach across the aisle to the opposition in a desperate effort to compromise and to get the Congress to do something. You may not agree with his efforts, but at least he TRIED. For all his efforts, all he got handed to him was his head in a basket. The liberals are ticked at him and the conservatives are ticked at him. Just my kinda guy.

I predict that John will select Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Good choice. I want a Jew whose memory of the Holocaust is still fresh in his mind and who is royally ticked off at all of these towel-headed morons in the Middle East to be the next in line if something should happen to John. Shalom, Vice President Joe. One heartbeat from the Oval Office.

Finally. John McCain knows on a most personal level what it is to suffer horrible torture for years and to see others die, right in front of you, for their love of America When you ask him about it, he will tell you that what he did was 'nothing special.' Even more incredibly, he states that ANY American who truly loves his country would do exactly the same as he did in that situation. You and I will have a hard time believing that, but the real point is that John McCain believes that about the 'average American,' and that, dear friends and neighbors, is why I will cast my one poor ballot on election day for John McCain -- warts and all."

Wow, if you made it this far, you must have questions also. I guess after all of that being said, what do you think?

Random Thoughts!

In reference to the spider, I have never seen a spider like this before in my life. This is why I was so enthused and had to take pictures. I am sure that because we have lots of trees on our property that we will see our fair share of spiders. I will just have to always keep a gallon or two of spider killer in hand. I lived in Colorado and found a black widow on the side of my house, and if it wasn't for living on the third floor of my apartment building in Idaho, we probably would have seen a few HOBO spiders. I hate spiders no matter what but at least the one I found in my yard wasn't very poisonous. I hate them, but I have to admit that I am always curious to see cool creatures.





We are getting very excited for Steve to own his own business again. I know he wanted to be a teacher and there is still hope. In the mean time, Steve has passed both portions of the plumbing test and has sent in his application and required documents. Now we are just waiting for the plumbing board to let us know he can start bidding for work. With 18+ years of experience in plumbing, I can't imagine that he won't do well.



TC is doing well in school, even though I am very disappointed in Ooltewah Elementary School. I think Ooltewah used to be considered one of the better schools in Hamilton Co. and after being exposed to other schools in Colorado, Idaho, and Steve being able to substitute around the school district in Hamilton Co., we both know that Ooltewah Elementary is lacking in many areas. I wish we could just send our children to private schools but I don't think that would solve the problem for all of the other children in Ooltewah going to such a poor, run down school without any new technology. Steve and I have decided that we are going to join the PTA next year. We hope that we can help bring a bit of hope to the parents of Ooltewah Elementary. Too bad the government only decides to give the funds to low income areas. Steve and I know that in order for TC and eventually our other children to keep up in society, we will have to do much of the work to help them stay ahead. READ, READ, READ!!!! We are happy with his teachers, but they can only do so much.









I know that politics is on everyone's mind right now and I guess we are all getting sick of it by now. I personally don't think that either of these men that we will be voting for can single handedly get us out of the situation we are in. I think that it is up to individuals to make better choices and make sure that we don't get ourselves in the same situation that America is in or at least be working on getting out of those situations.

Watch out!

Check out this spider. I think it is a St. Andrews Cross Spider.
As I was taking this picture, the wind started blowing and the web came closer to me. The spider started crawling to the outside of the web and I swear I have never moved so fast in all of my life. Apparently they are non-toxic and non aggressive. I still don't like them. YUCK!

These two kids, I call them trouble buddies. They love to get into trouble together. The last episode was throwing rocks into the street and hiding in the ditch. Great. Front yard is off limits now. Luckily, they did not hit a car.

Online scrapbooking!

OK, I am really liking this. I wish I could just print off all of these pages and put them into my scrapbook. Aren't these pages so cute?

Could our whole lives end up digital?

Just experimenting with online scrapbooking. I wish they had this
10 years ago.

Tag - I am it!

Thank you to Julie for the tag. Julie is my first niece-n-law (if that makes any sense). I felt so lucky to have been out west when Chris met her and our family got to know her very well each Saturday during football season and then on as our family member. I have never met someone with so much talent and every other great quality you could possibly possess. Julie has them all. I love you Julie.

As for the tag. 6 quirky things that i do - i think i have done this sort of tag once before, so I apologize to those who have read these.
1. I brush my teeth before I eat breakfast
2. I floss after I brush my teeth. - I guess I am just backwards at many things.
3. If I lived by myself, I would never own a TV. I hate TV. Yes, I could enjoy living in a bubble and not knowing what horrible things are going on around me. Although, since being married to someone who enjoys relaxing at night by watching TV, I have come to enjoy Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds (how ironic), and The Amazing Race (only because someday I would like to get back into shape and actually go on the Amazing Race with Steve).
4. I love reading my Medical books and text books. I guess that is strange and quirky.
5. i want to live in Colossee. It is a place where I could have the best of both of my worlds (Colorado and Tennessee) All of our family, no bugs that could carry away a small child, I do love some snow, and I love the rain, I love that you get a larger piece of land with your home in Tenn., the convenience and layout of CO, the gorgeous snowcapped Rocky Mtns. Breakfast at Mt. Falcon with a hike afterwards. Shopping at Park Meadows, Cherry Creek, 16th Street Mall, and Colorado Mills. Weekend trips to Breckenridge. Yes, I miss Colorado very much but I also miss Tennessee when I am in Colorado. So I want to live in Colossee.
6. I honeslty can't think of another one. I am sure that many of you could probably give me #6. You can comment and tell me what my 6th quirk is, I am all ears.

P.S. Be sure and send me your email address if you want to view my blog after today. Thanks.
I tag Robin

Going Private!

I have always wondered about who could or would actually want to view my blog, except friends and family, but now that I have two friends who have gotten creepy comments on their blogs, I think I will go private. If you would like an invite to my blog, just email me at sbrobinson1608@gmail.com and I will add you to the list. Sorry for the inconvenience. I guess I never realized the danger.

What's Up Doc?

Okay, sometimes I wonder why I even have a blog because honestly I don't have the time to keep it up but then I realize that it is like anything else, You just make the time. I love keeping up with all of my friends everywhere and enjoying their blogs and I am sorry to report that I don't make enough time to keep even my family updated on our happenings so after all of that being said, I am sorry I am such a slacker, and here goes the update......

First of all, Jaxon was blessed on August 31st. I feel terrible because we were in such a hurry to get home and off to the family dinner that I never even got a picture of Jaxon on his blessing day or any family pictures. Will he ever forgive me? Maybe I could just take a picture and say it was August 31st. Do you think that might work?

The best part of that weekend besides Jaxon's blessing was our family dinner with Steve's parents being here. Pat and Garry haven't seen some of my family since we were married 11 years ago. We always love spending time with our family. We were so glad that his parents could make it. I don't think they would have missed it for the world.

Next, I had to throw out grumpy Aunt Beth and bring out fun Aunt Beth for a night. The Aunt Beth that all of my older nieces and nephews knew so long ago. We had a half sleep over 2 weekends ago. Mavenie, Cole and Leah came over and we all stayed up until midnight having all sorts of fun. Steve was on Jaxon duty and Dakota was in bed by 8. We watched Spiderwick and I am so glad we have the Clearplay. I didn't realize the language was so bad. We ate pizza and had mice cream for dessert. The kids loved that. We built forts all over our whole living room and played LIFE and OPERATION HULK. We had a few that dropped off to sleep before the night was over but all in all I think they had a grand time. Mavenie told Grandma the next day that "Aunt Beth is so cool. She let us mess up her house." Yeah, I can still be fun! No offense to Katie and Ashley but they said that I was their best babysitter. Maybe, I will get brave and have a larger group of kids next time. WOAH! Did I just say that their would be a next time? I actually think I had just as much fun as they did. It was nice.

Just a little update on the BLUE LIGHTENING football team. They are 1-2 for the season. TC was so excited to have their first win on Tues night. We were so excited for them. I think TC is finally catching on to the game. He is making so many improvements. I'm just glad he is having fun. I was worried that he would get pushed down and not want to play agian. GO #17!

Better go exercise, it is getting late! More updates to come!

HELP SOMEONE!

OK, I AM a CORK when it somes to this blogger stuff. I am trying to have a new COOL template that isn't out of date and I screwed up my layout. Who can help me?

Needed a change

I wanted to surprise Steve last week when he came home so I didn't post my new doo. I so desperately needed a change and I love it! No, it isn't easier to fix, just different!

Who me.....Negative?

I just want to apologize for any negative comments I may have made in the last 2 weeks. I am happy to report that Steve is back and life is a little more under control. My hat goes off to you if you are a single mom or your husband travels for work. I do not wish to go through that again if I can help it.

Yes, there are many good days!

I won't lie about it. I have had a very hard week. I have had many pity parties with just myself and a few with my mom. I grew up #8 of 9 children. All brothers, no sisters. You might think...How sad? Not really. I actually do have sisters. The sisters I have never took my clothes, never said an unkind word, or never pushed me around. My sisters came into my life one at a time as each of my brothers got married. I watched my sisters-in-law as they raised their own children and they made Motherhood look so easy. Maybe, I wonder, some women are just better at this than others. As my mom left my house the other day she said to me, "Beth, I am not going to sympathize with you. Motherhood is hard and you just have to be strong." As I have cried many times, wondering what it is that I am doing each day, I am reminded of how many mothers there are that do so much and no one sees the sacrifices made each day. My mom told me of my Grandma Wolfe, my dad's mom, and how her mother died when she was 16. She raised her younger brother and sister. She married my Grandpa at a young age and had her own family of 6. Two of her six children died early in life. My uncle Jimmy died in Vietnam and my uncle Pledger died in a car accident. I guess, I have to realize that life is hard and that everyday isn't going to be fun and games. What I am doing right now has meaning and purpose. I know there will still be times when I feel like I could not handle another thing on my plate, but hopefully with the continued support we can give one another as women and mothers, and with the tender mercies of the Lord, we can all feel our loads get lighter. After having all of these thoughts rushing through my head, about Motherhood, I just received an email from my mother-in-law that I will attach because I really liked it and I feel like it was another tender mercy.
> Invisible Moms
> It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of
> response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on
> the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking,
> 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
> Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone,
> or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
> corner,
> because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
> Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this ? Can
> you tie
> this? Can you open this??
>
> Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a
> human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite
> guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order,
> 'Right around 5:30, please.'
>
> I was certain that these were the hands that once held
> books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa
> cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to
> be
> seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?
>
> One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating
> the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from
> a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed
> in. I
> was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.
> It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty
> pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package,
> and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of
> Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read
> her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of
> what you are building when no one sees.'
>
> In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book and I would
> discover what would become for me, four life-changing
> truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the
> great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave
> their
> whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great
> sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was
> fueled by
> their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
>
> A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came
> to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman
> carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the
> man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
> will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman
> replied, 'Because God sees.'
>
> I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
> place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you,
> Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one
> around
> you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on,
> no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You
> are
> building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will
> become.
>
> At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But
> it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the
> disease
> of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong,
> stubborn pride.
>
> I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great
> builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never
> see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
> writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be
> built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice
> to
> that degree.
>
> When I really think about it, I don't want my son to
> tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom
> gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand
> bastes
> a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'
> That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want
> him to
> want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his
> friend,
> to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
>
> As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot
> be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that
> the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty
> that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
>
> Great Job, MOM!

The ER!

Last night was interesting! I was standing at the dining room table folding some clothes when I saw AJ, who decided to run after TC, actually ran right into the corner of our dining room and hallway walls. It completely knocked him to the ground and AJ grabbed his eye and was screaming. I ran over to hold him and as I pulled his hands away from his face, I realized that he had a pretty deep cut right over the left eyebrow. We held a washcloth over the cut and TC ran to get Grandma and Grandpa, next door. We put a band-aid on the cut and took him to the emergency room. That was fun to sit in a hospital room with a 4 year old, who can't keep still and wanted to try and touch everything. He was so brave when it came time to stitch his laceration. They said he was better than anyone they have stitched up. That made AJ feel really good. He is now back to being a very active 4 year old. Only now we DO NOT RUN IN THE HOUSE! AJ did ask me yesterday if we could move the wall so he could run. Yeah, OK!!!

Are you ready for some Football?

Well, today was TC's second day of football practice. He is really enjoying it. I had to knock him around a few times a couple of weeks ago to prepare him for what would happen. It was kinda funny. I just didn't want him to come home crying because somebody ran into him and knocked him down or whatever. He actually looked forward to that part. I think he will do well. He catches the ball really well and runs pretty fast. Anyway, it should be fun to see all of these kids out there running the wrong way or tackling their own teammate. I think I will enjoy that part of it the most along with watching Dakota eat grass, AJ playing on the sidelines, and Jaxon just being the good baby that he is. As you can see in the picture, TC is playing it cool.

I have decided this week that I never want Steve to have a job where he has to travel. I know that many of you may think that I am a baby but I like having my husband here at night when I go to bed. I miss you baby and I hope you come home sooner than later. Also, I know that Steve will not be jealous but I so enjoyed my lunch at Red Lobster today. Yum, yum!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DRAN!

Dance, Dance,Dance!

I wish that I could have had the camera going just moments before this but this is all you get. Dakota just went for it when she turned the clock radio on. It made me laugh. AJ was a little gun shy when he saw me with the camera. We have poor video quality, so just excuse our cheap camera.

Jaxon Tyler Robinson

How is Jaxon? He is the perfect baby. He went to sleep at 11:00 last night and did not wake up until 9:45. He is a healthy 12 pounds and 6 ounces. Jaxon never fusses and I have hardly ever heard him cry. He doesn't spit up either. WHAT? I know, all of my other kids had eating disorders, I think. They would gulp their bottles down and then throw it all back up. Jaxon eats nice and slow and keeps everything down. That just goes to show you that it isn't anything mom does that makes the baby throw up, it has to be their makeup. Anyway, Heavenly Father knew that I couldn't handle any more stress in my life and knowing how demanding little Kota is, he blessed me with a sweet baby. Oh and yes, life is still hard!

DON"T ASSUME ANYTHING!

Well, It is TC's second day of 2nd grade. He seems to have enjoyed day one and loves his teacher. Apparently, Mrs. Burger lets you do "Anything." So now that things are one child quieter around here, AJ seems to have gotten more quiet also. I thought he had left to go to Grandma's house (stupid for always assuming) and about 20 minutes later I talked to G-ma and asked if AJ was over at her house. When she said no, I got worried because I couldn't see him outside from my back porch. My first thought was to call Marcie to see if he went over to her house. No one was home. Now I am really worried, so Dakota and I walked down to Derek and Marcie's house to check the pool (my greatest fear next to the pond). Thankfully they keep their gates locked, but you never know. He wasn't there and so I kept yelling for him everywhere. My mom asked me if he could have gone upstairs to take a nap. I thought, well yeah, he could have. So, I went up to his room and there in his bed, fast asleep was my precious little AJ. They are so beautiful when they are asleep and even more beautiful when you fear that you may not find them. Moral of the story is..... you know what they say about Assuming?

So Happy Together

well, i would have to say that last weekend was just great. steve and i had the opportunity to go to the atlanta temple to be with our family and celebrate the uniting of my niece, Rebekah and Jared Seely. it was so wonderful and Rebekah was so beautiful. i now have 3 nieces and 2 nephews married. does that make me sound old or what? steve also captured a picture of my "great" niece, Aspen. She is so adorable.