simple pleasures

Now on a positive note, let's get back to the simple pleasures of life:

Claire's Smile and saying Love you, Momma

A long conversation with an old friend

Hearing one of my friends is pregnant...I love to hear about the name

Claire dancing in her squeaky shoes

Checking email and the mail

Hearing a sermon that I needed to hear

Realizing an acquaintance is now a friend

Eating a home cooked meal that I did not prepare

Hearing my favorite song on the radio

Time at our lake house

Christmas Eve

Playing in the snow

Completing a project...at home or at work

A warm sunny perfect temperature day

Pay Day

Claire smiling when she walked into the toddler room this morning and all her friends saying her name and running to greet her

Family being so excited to see you, you aren't even out the car before they greet you

Pictures

Conversations with my grandparents

A clean house...this is so rare these days

Stepping into a hot bath

Days I don't put on make-up or have to iron something to wear

Not setting the alarm clock

A happy ending to a good book

Legal Holidays

Bible Study days

Nick cooking dinner

A full tank of gas

Watching Claire play with her Daddy

Scratching a lottery ticket that wins

Claire's excitement over tractors

Claire's expression of what a snake does

Watching Claire try to hike her leg over the bath tub when she is ready for her bath

Claire running full speed ahead when she see me walk into her classroom

Claire putting her babies to "ni ni" in their baby crib

Cuddling with my baby

I could go on and on and on about the simple pleasures our little Claire brings me, there are too many to count in one day

Lazy day pleasures

Need to Vent...

about our house in NWA!!! We have had our house on the market in NWA for over a year...yes!!! a year! We have switched realtor's, offered incentives, reduced to price no less than 5 times, buried the St. Joseph in the front yard....I have tried just about everything I know to do to lift this financial burden. I am out of ideas!!!!!! I have prayed and prayed to God about finding the perfect family for this house....it is no longer my home it is just some brick and mortar on a couple of acres of land to me now. While banging the keys on the keyboard today on the brink of tears because I just opened the electric bill for this vacant dwelling....$344!!! Really!! This bill was not that much when we occupied this house....so I have come to a point. A real POINT! I will do WHATEVER GOD wants me to do to get this monkey off my back....I will PRAY over and over to Him times ten to show me what I need to do! I know I am not the only person out there struggling with 2 mortgages and have mercy on all those who are...I will be including all them in my prayers too. I am open to any ideas and believe me at the current listing price we are already taking a hit to the pocket book. This is not one of those situations that we are trying to make a dollar...the house in front of ours is also on the market for $166,000 it is the exact same floor plan and on less land than ours and ours is listed for $155, 900, The assessor's value and the appraised value are both quite a bit more than that. Please PRAY for us to find a buyer for this "home" soon, so that we may move forward with our lives in our new home. I am on my knee's, praying to HIM above to get us out of this pit. Please Lord, I turn over to you this problem and I trust that you will help me resolve it. Thank you for listening to me....

My Heart

My heart is just over 15 months old, weighs in at 23 pounds and is 32 inches tall! Words can not describe the joy this little girl brings to me. She is talking more and more each day and new words just flow out. I am in "ah" at all the things she is learning. I just hope I am the best Momma I can be and I never let her down or disappoint her.....even during those teenage years!

Funny note: This past weekend started with a visit from Pop pop and Gramie. Claire has never attempted to say Gramie but that's because she did not want a Gramie. She wanted a Mimi!!! It is very true kids will call you what they want to....Claire already changed Nana to Nene. So my mom is Mimi and Nick's mom is Nene....or at least those are their names for now! :)

Just some recent pictures of my heart.......

One of her favorite things...

Our little Ketchup Girl....she can't get enough!!!

Straight to the bathtub we go!!!

2010

The most perfect gift from above...the ultimate blessing!

Our Claire Carter

This year it has taken me a while to figure what my New Year's Resolution was going to be...there is always the common themes; a new weight lose plan, be a better friend, wife, mother, get organized, blog more, etc. I think all of these are wonderful, great ways to start off the New Year so please don't think I am shunning you if any of these happen to be your New Year's Resolution.

I need 2010 to be a better year than 2009.....and I think there are many of you out there that feel the same way. The state of our economy, the tension of our depressed, stressed and anxious America, the most painful stories to hear...from the lose of a baby (by far the worst), to the struggling marriage, to financial deterioration of educated, hardworking people...we need 2010 to be full of happy days. Please don't get me wrong 2009 brought me many blessings and I am forever grateful for such blessings!!!

So, back to my New Year's Resolution....I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about kids and her child was going through a phase of waking up in the morning with a bad attitude and she told her child " You have the choice to get out of bed and decide if it is going to be a good day or a bad day" in other words it is your decision on how you view the world, it is your decision what your attitude is, it is your decision if you are going to be happy or mad or sad....she probably never knew those words would stick in my head and how often I think about what she said. But it is very true!!! We can try to see all the good in our lives or we can harp on all the imperfections. I am choosing to put the first foot forward to make my life happier everyday. I am choosing to get out of bed with a smile on my face. I am choosing to know that my life in 2010 is going to be better because I am going into it with a different attitude. All of this certainty comes with something bigger and better than just me changing my attitude. It comes with truly leaning on Christ...I have always been a Christian and always believed! But my attitude has changed and my relationship with the Lord has changed...all for the better...faith and trust in the Lord can bring a peace and calmness to our everyday lives.

And let me just add, I started blogging not long before Claire was born in 2008 and while I was home with her I came across Kelly's Korner blog which many of you follow, I fell to my knees the day baby Harper was born, crying and pleading with the Lord for this family that I didn't even know...the emotions of having a baby born not breathing were all to raw to me. (A detail not many people know, Claire was not breathing when she was born, but after several rounds of oxygen she cried out...music to our ears.) After following Harper's story I was amazed by her parents unwavering faith and attitude, along with the rejoicing at Harper's recovery. I have since read many blog about sick babies and babies that have gone to the Lord way to soon in our earthly eyes....but their parents strength and faith in the Lord in beyond amazing...amazing is an understatement. So, I posed the question to myself if I was faced with the same trials and tribulations would my current relationship with the Lord carry me through the pain? And the quick answer would be no...I don't know enough about the Bible to know all the answers to my questions and concerns. I do know that my relationship with Christ is strong enough I would know that would be my only answer and my peace would be to seek the Lord...but I don't want to have a "wake-up" call to make my relationship with Christ grow. As a mother, if I had to walk a mile in these mother's shoes I would want to know what good came from my heartache....I know I am not the only one out there that has read your stories and wanted my relationship with Christ to grow. Godspeed to you if you are reading this, Godspeed!

So, 2010 for me brings is a positive attitude and new growth as my life as a Christian! What better happiness is there?! Maybe this is your resolution too...I sure do hope so....if everyone in the world had a smile on their face and God in their heart oh, what a world it be!!! I hope you have a wonderful day.....and feel free to leave a comment if you have God in your heart:)

Las Vegas

Last weekend was one of those bittersweet moments in our lives. Claire took her first airplane ride to Las Vegas to meet her great-grandmother Ma and great-aunt Lana for the very first time. My Ma Miles has been living with my Aunt Lana for several years now and suffers from altimizer's(sp?). If you know Ma, you know she has always been a very beautiful, very put together lady....so with a knot in my throat, I guess I can say when I think of my grandmother the lady in the pictures below is not what I see in my mind. Although I will forever cherish Claire seeing and her and calling out "Ma" I know that Claire will never know "My Ma"...the lady that kept me while I had chicken pox, that took me and my sisters to McDonald's every time we wanted to go, that took us to the park all the time to feed the geese, the lady that sat next to me in church every Sunday while we lived in Newport....I can't imagine how her heart broke when her "girls" left Newport. I don't want to talk about her like she is gone...but in a way she is. I could go on and on about my grandmother and the life she lived....but I will save that for another day. I more want to rejoice in the time we had with her and my aunt this past weekend. I will say I tried not to be emotional while we were visiting but as I was saying good-bye, all my times with my Ma ran through my mind....she is so feeble and fail, and caring for her is not much different than caring for My Claire...the cycle of life. It's one of things that you don't want to say out aloud but as the memories raced through my mind I feel that was the last time I will see her, the last time I will hear her say "I love you" and the first and last time I will hear her call my daughter "precious". I love you my dear Ma and thank you for making my childhood the greatest any little girl could ask for. Godspeed Ma!!! Arriving at the airport in freezing temperatures!

Airplane fun, Claire did great on the plane!

Reading her book

Cheese:)

Thanks for your help Auntie Liz:)

(Never fly with a baby without help!)

Taking in the Vegas Strip

Claire LOVED this Horsey!

ROAR!!! Claire loved the tiger.

Rainforest Cafe....Miss Priss wanted her nap, just as we arrived to the kid friendly restaurant.

She almost blends in with the booth:)

Check out those bar stools....Iggy and Claire!

She could have looked at the MGM Lions all day:) ROAR! ROAR!

More Lions...

She wanted to run the Vegas strip....

Giving Ma kisses...so sweet

Dad and his girls

Aunt Lana, Dad, Ma, and Claire

My Ma

Dinner shot

Then, heading to breakfast...

Aunt Lana's School has a farm and Claire had the time of her life

Aunt Lana and Claire feeding the goats

Farm Fun

Tractor! Tractor! Tractor!...no she did not want to get off the tractor.

We loved Aunt Lana's bathtub....(the guy that built her house laid the marble tile in some the casinos and had some left so why not use in his house)

Claire and Iggy...with the same hair style:)

5:00am...saying good-bye

Vegas Airport

Too Cute...Claire propped her foot up

Waiting in the security line....such a big girl...and she was so good!

We had a wonderful trip taking in the Vegas sites and spending time with the family!

Our Aunt Lana is truly an Angel on Earth for taking such good care of our Ma!

Claire the Toddler

Yesterday was Claire's First Day in the Toddler room. She did GREAT!!!! She even brought home her first refrigerator art! I LOVED seeing her art work in her bag:) The toddlers take naps on mats and not cribs and I was worried about this but the teacher said she patted Claire on the back a minute and she was out...no problem! I hope each day is as good as the first in her new room! Lots of learning and wonderful days to come as our little girl grows up! I'm ready Momma....her first day to carry her lunch box

"M" is for Momma
(Showing off her masterpiece)