Top 10 Things that are OKAY not to share with your kids.

1. Your private potty time.
   
2. Your cheesecake.
3. That, believe it or not, you want to yell way more than you do.
4. Your space underneath your desk (which is for your leg room ONLY.)
5. That you get incredibly psyched to go grocery shopping by yourself.
6. That, no, you really don't want to hear the same song sung again.
   
7. That you don't eat nearly as many vegetables you give them.
8. Your bubble bath.
9. Why mommy begs grandma to come over a lot.
10. Your rationale for because I said so.

Yes, I'm having a rough morning. Can you tell? Pray, pray for me.

Patrick's Birthday Celebration

We celebrated another Ring male birthday this winter. First, Caelan in October, then Micah in November, and Patrick in December. Busy, yet joyful season. Patrick will tell you that he didn't want much fanfare, but I think he secretly enjoyed the friends and family who came over (at the last minute invitation) to celebrate him, and the yummy fare.

We had tender beef tenderloin with a horseradish cream. Really, the whole nine yards! For his birthday cake, his favorite: Boiled spiced cake with Penuche icing. It tastes much more delicious than it sounds.

We did something interesting at dinner. Everyone got a little piece of paper with a question to answer about themselves. A little get to know you. Mom had the best question: What's one thing you like about Patrick? She gushed about her one and only son, and it was fun for everyone else to add their two cents about Patrick, too. I know it encouraged him a lot.


Happy Birthday darling! From the woman that loves you and admires you greatly. The day you were born was a blessing.

Stress-free Thanksgiving

This year, Patrick and I decided that we weren't going to try and split our time with two families during Thanksgiving. We were just going to be with one side of the family! This may not sound like a big deal to most, but for us, it was hard because we want to spend time celebrating traditions (and good food!) with both sides and since they are both local, we always felt like we could squeeze in both, especially if events were held at different times.

None of that this year. With two kids in tow, we have a much more thankful attitude when we can spend our time not running around. Here's how we celebrated with family:

It's gobble gobble time!

Aunt Heather made a deliciously juicy turkey. So flavorful and perfectly moist. The stuffing made a huge difference.

And it was great for the kids to spend time with their grandparents, and play with their uncle Eric.

An added bonus was being able to celebrate Micah's birthday. Since his birthday is the day before Thanksgiving this year, we decided to do the cake when we were all together. He got a way better cake than mommy would have made. His aunt Heather made him an ice cream cake! Note: Please forgive the embarrassing off-key singing. Don't know what happened....

Everything served was absolutely delicious including the pumpkin pie. Thanks Heather and Eric for hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!

For my Four Year Old

Happy Birthday, sweet Micah. Your life has brought us the greatest joy. We can't believe you are four years old. This time today, we were just waiting for you to come out. And since you did, our lives have never been the same since. You are a gift to us. I hope you had a wonderful power ranger birthday bash. When you're older, you can look back and remember these photos of you and your friends!

First, to celebrate super powers, all your pals made capes. Here's Lindsie's with her pink cape and pink stars.


Nathan wanted to be a pirate instead. What's a Pirate's favorite letter? No, not Rrrrr. It's the C. Get it, the sea? :)

Then it was time for the herd to wait patiently for the cake.

For your premier MegaZord cake. For those that are not yet fans, a megazord is a combination of the three power rangers (red, yellow, blue) joining forces to fight evil. It looks like a big robot.

Hmmh...who invited the Dog to your party?

It just might be a hunch, but I think they enjoyed the cupcakes.

And when Mrs. Natalie gave you transformers, you just about lost your mind. You said "Awesome!" three times and without mommy's prompting, you said to her, "Thank you, thank you for my transformers Mrs. Natalie!" Very good, son.

Here's your happy dance to the transformers.
Happy Birthday Son #1. We love you so much!

Giving Thanks

My heart swells up with all that I am thankful for in this life. A deep contentment fills me as I am known and loved by my Father in heaven. I see my husband's face, and hear my children's laughter and I just need to pinch myself for every day, every moment, I've been given.

I also give thanks to God for my great friends, who have walked with me through so much. To my moms group who have supported and encouraged me with your lives, you are a treasure beyond words.

This Thanksgiving, we got together for a massive potluck dinner to give thanks for each other and to our faith family.


Everyone bought a dish to share, and my job was the turkey, which by the way, was my FIRST turkey, ever. Folks said it was moist, so I think I did good.


And my other job: Set the tables! Three intimate tables were set up so everyone could get to know each other better, mostly the spouses.


Where were the kids? All snug in their beds while visions of turkey & cranberry danced in their heads. Yes, asleep with the sitters. It made for a very conducive adult time!

By the looks of this picture, none would title this
Stay At Home Moms. How about Hot Mamas??


I give thanks to God for the women who do life with me.
And for the husbands who are so supportive of our friendships. God is good!

Welcome Fiona to the Family

My youngest sister, Meghan, gave birth to a baby girl yesterday. They named her Fiona Diana Good. Here's some pictures of my beautiful niece.

Born 6 lbs 9 ozs. 19 inches long.

From what I hear, Trevor and Braden really wanted a B-O-Y
but I think they'll get used to the idea of having a sister very soon.

Congratulations, little sister!

Frightfully Delightful!

Sorry, we've fallen off the face of the blog. A lot has been going on here. To make it up to you, here's some spooky cute pictures to enjoy. Here's the gang in the cutest costumes, ever.


It's no surprise that Micah had to be Casey, the main power Ranger. He can not stop talking about Power Rangers. Here's his pose when he says, "We have Ranger Power!"

And the cutest treasure ever is our little Pirate.

Dorothy and her little lion Brother.

Woody, and his little lady-bug sister.


Oh my gosh, it's hard to breathe. They are just so stinkin' cute.
Paging.... Dr. Rings, you're both needed in the O.R. STAT.

Too fun! We had a wonderful time at the Hallo-lujah party for kids. Ferris wheel rides, moon bounces, pony rides, games, cotton candy and all our friends with their kids. Plus, no scary costumes and a lot of candy to take home. Great night!