Brudders Playing

So, today, it was close to 60 degrees! On the last day of January! We made the best of it :) No hats, no gloves, no boots - we just played...

and played...

and put our sunglasses on crooked, and then played some more...

Thank you for a great day in the sunshine, Jesus!

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

A very special "Happy Birthday" to my fifth grade crush and now my husband...

More than a catbird hates a cat,

Or a criminal hates a clue,

Or the Iranians hate the United States,

That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,

And more than a grapefruit squirts,

I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,

And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,

Or a juggler hates a shove,

As a hostess detests unexpected guests,

That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,

And more than the subway jerks,

I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,

And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,

And below, if such there be,

As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,

That's how you're loved by me.

Ogden Nash

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's a very special day

Here's a Happy Birthday wish to you

This comes with deepest fondest love

From your wife and best friend too!

You know I love you

And you must know too

That my happiest moments

Are those spent with you

For when we're together

Or when we're apart

You're first in my thoughts

And first in my heart!

Love you Son hon

~Mary

Meet my Russians

~ The first of sledding season 2012 ~
I told them - "the faster you smile, the sooner you can go sledding"
They're smart blondes :)

Proud family sled

Baby Gray had to stay inside with Mama, Thanksgiving bib and all :)

A good time was had by all... well, except for Daddy who did all the work but the boys had fun getting snow in their face when they fell and Gray and I enjoyed 'joose' and hot cocoa!

Stay warm!

From Frazzled to Dazzled

Stressed spelled backwards didn't matter much this morning. I woke up with stress oozing out of me. I had plans with my mom and when she called that she was on her way, I told her "I woke up late, I'm running late, I'm stressed etc." I repeated all those things to her when she arrived and upon hearing she said "Go somewhere and just take a minute, and give it to the Lord." Well I got distracted with what I was doing and didn't do it. Wish I had. We started our day of a few errands and had a nice time, even though the kids were somewhat antsy in the store. I still had a feeling of 'rushed' in me. My mom was gracious enough to stay over during naps for me so I could run and get a haircut. (Thanks again, Mom!) Even at the salon, I still felt rushed and stressed because of the feeling of being behind, and with the snow falling fast, I just wanted to get home.

Home I went to kids who didn't take a long nap and were ready to play, Daddy who was on his way out the door to plow and dinner not made, dishes not put away, you get my drift. It was then that I took out that time to give it to the Lord.

From Frazzled to Dazzled.

Kids played so nicely downstairs by themselves, dishes were put away and another load went in, dinner was in the oven, even had a chance to hang a new curtain I had bought recently and all just felt good! Daddy was gone so we weren't complete but made the best of our dinner time together. The boys talked to me like little grown-ups about their day and how much fun they had at Kohl's and how glad they were Baba (my mom) came over and how much they loved me. I was so surprised and pleased by our fellowship. God knew I just needed that. One boy at without talking (a rarity) and the other ate his whole meal without complaining about the "Shaw-shiz" (a miracle)! Baby didn't throw his plate OR cup on the floor and no spills! The joys of motherhood! :)

After dinner, I cleaned up and decided to tackle a project I've been putting off - organizing my recipe basket. Instead of just having the kids play, I involved them. I started cutting down copies of recipes I have made and letting the boys cut the scraps of paper just for something to do. They absolutely loved it! I have realized my oldest's newest talent - cutting one 5x7 sheet of paper into 829 pieces! My frazzled-self would have gone nuts about the itty bitty pieces on the floor but I didn't care tonight. We made a mess and got our projects done and had fun! I was so happy to get my project done and even more happy to have three assistants who wanted to just be with me. After we were done, we picked up and even the oldest assistant vacuumed up the pieces. Dazzled I was.

I realized I need to take a step back from our every day stresses and just enjoy the moment. God is so good and I just love how He knows what we need! Let me encourage you to do the same if you are like and try to do everything quickly and neatly and by yourself. Sometimes with little ones, it's easy to just do it yourself - but don't rob them of the joy of being a help, of having a servant's heart. That's just what they need!

So, my middle assistant, during his shift on the potty, tells me (quote) "Mom, I'm glad I helped you tonight, Mom. Children love to help their Mommies" and BOY, how right he is!

Hello and Happy New Year!

I'm back!

Hello, everyone! How are you? Happy New Year!

2012, wow! Time is sure movin'! I have been busy the last few months and there just wasn't any extra time for blogging but I hope to keep up more in 2012! God has been good to us, as always. We had a busy, trying and blessed 2011 and are looking forward to what He has in store for us this year!

Talk to you all again soon,
Mary

Hi, Dad...

Hi, Dad... This is for you since you're the only one who has asked about my blog which I myself haven't visited in quite some time. Thanks for asking and the boys say 'hi, papa'!

Life has been busy, quite overwhelming at times but the good Lord has gotten us through it. I hope to post some pics and events and info in the coming weeks. Hope everyone is doing well!

(New header pic is my two oldest boys and my nephew Benjamin. Just a glimpse of life with boys!)

Love is wonderful. God is Love!

I feel kinda funny posting on my own blog since it's been so long since I've been here. I am a very good and daily blogger... in my mind. I blog every day and come up with funny titles and have great ideas and stories but they never seem to find time to be typed out here. But, I'm back tonight for a short visit. I had a long day that went by too fast. I was in a very chatty mood today but didn't have much time to call anyone. I did however have a wonderful day talking to my Saviour. I told Him so much and felt Him answer me right back. It was one of those good days that just lifted my soul closer to Him.

On another note, today was also a very emotional day for me. I wanted to keep it to myself but thinking about it today changed my mind and now I want to share it with you. I have such a burden for a family who is going through a 'time'. It's both hard and wonderful. It's both sad and happy.

Kristin, wife and mother of 4, is dying of cancer. At this very moment she may be gone from this world. I am unsure. It's hard to find the words at a time such as this. Concerning death, many people say "I'm sorry for your loss" or "Why would God allow it?" We will never know but can only rest assured that God has a reason. A purpose. Not only are my thoughts and prayers with her and her family, but so is my heart, my mind, my love... I have some vivid memories of Mike and Kristin. They were friends with my sister growing up in high school. They came over our house a few times and I remember a few activities where we were all together. I remember going to their wedding almost 15 years ago and I also remember hearing updates of their lives through the years. Not too long ago, I heard Kristin had cancer. From then til now, seems like time has just flown. I can't imagine knowing my end is near. I can't imagine not seeing my kids grow up. I just can't fathom it.

On the other hand, I can't imagine meeting Jesus face to face. I can't imagine kissing Him, hugging Him, thanking Him and talking to Him. Can you? I don't particularly like the phrase "They're going to a better place" because we all know that everyone does not go to Heaven. For those of us who are saved, born again through the grace of God, we are going to the BEST place!

My sister has kept me updated on Kristin's condition over the last few months. With each update I read, I always felt that both her and her husband are so strong. They were praising God and giving Him all the glory while loving and complimenting each other. I was and am still moved by their marriage. I love 'love stories' and this is a true life love story.

So lately, whenever Sonny leaves for work or when I leave to go to the grocery store alone, Zach will ask "Are you coming back?". I always say 'of course' and give him a kiss before leaving. Today, when I started to leave the room after putting the boys down for nap, Zach asked his question again, "Mommy, are you coming back?". I started to answer when Luke burst out, "Zach, Mommy's and Daddy's always come back!" I gave them my love while leaving their room and as soon as I shut the door, the tears came. With Kristin in mind, my thought was that Mommy's and Daddy's don't always come back. My heart is just aching for the Wheeler family. I know God is there and will take care of them. It is just such an emotional time - hurting for the family but happy that she will soon be with Jesus. Her true home.

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

My encouragement for you is - don't waste time. Time is so precious! We do not know what tomorrow brings for us, our family, our friends... love one another, spend time with your loved ones, make memories, give kisses and hugs, send flowers, etc. Love is wonderful. God is love!

Looking back, I have wasted so much time NOT doing everything I could for Jesus. Too much time fulfilling my own wants not always doing what He wants. Put away the cares of this world. If you're not serving Jesus, start now! If you need encouragement, I'm here! Just think - God gave Me/You his ONLY Son!! What a gift!!

Because of that gift, I know I will see Kristin again, even though I haven't seen her for years now. We will meet again.

Please pray for the Wheeler & Cook families during this time. God be praised!

Gray days are good!

This is Grayson's new take on the 'milk mustache'...

It's the 'milk nose'!!

Yes, we love Gray days around here! He has been such a wonderful and smiley addition to our family! He is now eight months and really starting to move! He sure brightens up our family!

So, it's been a while since I've been on here. Time flies for me, and even when I'm not having fun! I am preparing for Luke's 4th birthday in a couple weeks and really not believing this day has come. He is a little man now. We are having 'school' a couple days a week now and he has officially learned to write the letter 'L'. He said 'L' was better than 'A' since it's in his name, so, I went with it :)

Hope you are all doing well and keeping busy for Jesus! I'll be back soon with more pics - I promise. No, really, I promise! :)

True Love

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Happy "Jesus Loves You" Day!

Busy Nothings

Don't you just LOVE how I say 'check back soon' and then it's a month before I post again? When I first started blogging, I was pretty consistent. Now, I blog every day in my mind but don't have time to post it!!! Then, when I have time, such as now, I can't remember what I wanted to share!!! Welcome to my world!!! I love exclamation points (and you too, Schmoe!!!)

So, why do I have a picture of a bowl and spoon, you ask? Well, this little picture sums up why I'm often MIA in the blogging world. The main point of this is even though the spoon is where it's supposed to be, it's backwards - which is often how each of my days seem. Life is as it should be but often crazy and mixed up in the process!



All is good in the Tucker household. We spent 9 hours cleaning and organizing today, throwing out junk and getting goodwill bags ready and it feels.so.good! I mean SO good! I have been working day and night in our house for the past 3 weeks, going through every single thing in this house and now everything has a place and is neat and orderly. I encourage you to 'live simply'. It truly makes me happy to have everything in a place! Now I have to do my part and keep it up!


Goals & prayer requests:

I have a goal this year of reading my Bible through. I also have a goal of losing weight (ugh, I hate even writing that!) I have a goal of keeping my home clutter free and staying on top of paperwork. What are some of your goals? I would love to pray about them for you!

Prayer requests: I have recently joined Weight Watchers. Ugh. It was time! I can't keep trying to do it alone. God worked everything out so I can go and I am so thankful. He is so good and meets every need! I ask, if you think of little 'ol me that you pray that soon I will be a "little 'ol me"!!!

Lots of Love and prayers in the new year!
~Mary