I am going to use Kristi’s Weekend Top 5 format this week.  We had a pretty laid back week-end.

1.  Friday night we went shopping so Josh and Brayden could spend some birthday money.  Brayden bought a new Leapster 2 game, Star Wars Jedi Math, and Josh bought a new Wii game for the Wii, Boom Blox!  Boom Blox was the highlight of the boys week-end.  It really is a fun game.

2.  Saturday morning I woke up way to early since I had fallen asleep way to early the night before on the couch watching Josh and the boys play Boom Blox! 

3.  I did some much needed house cleaning then Andrew and I went to mom’s where we made lunch for all of us and played cards.  (Yes, we are addicted to Pedro…lol)

4.  Sunday we woke to our first snow on the ground.  The boys were so happy to see the snow.  It slowly melted though tout the day.

5.  We went to church, we hadn’t been in three weeks.  After church Josh and I took the boys to Big Boy for the breakfast buffet.  Andrew ate so much I thought he was going to pop!  He had three sausage links, one sausage patty,  a pancake, a BIG bowl of yogurt, and three helpings of eggs.  I spent a few hours at mom’s, yes, playing cards, then came home and watched a GREAT Steeler’s game with Josh.  After the game I had to get things ready to start the new week.

Nothing really eventful but it was a good week-end!

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It had been a long day; most of them are for me.  They start early and end late with lots to do in between.  I was watching Grays Anatomy after I had put the boys in bed. Andrew comes out of his room visibly excited. “Momma, the big moon is in my room, it is a full moon.” “Yeah, baby you can see the moon from your window, go on now it is time for you to go night-night.” I reply, only half way looking his way,( I mean Izzy is seeing the ghost of her dead fiancé here.) “Come and look at the big moon Momma, you can see it in my bedroom.” “Andrew go to bed, now!” I kiss his head and he shuffles out of the room.

After Gray’s Anatomy is off I slip into Andrew and Brayden’s room to make sure they are covered up for the night. I notice that the curtain is pushed to the side and I see the moon. I am not certain that it was full, but it sure was big. The light of the moon was filling Andrew’s bedroom and splashed over him lying in his bed, where he had fallen asleep looking at that moon. That is when I realized that I had missed a moment with my youngest son. This had been a moment that Andrew wanted to share with me, a moment that I would never be able to get back.

There are so many moments that I miss each day with my boys. Brayden will ask for me to read a book to him, but I am to busy checking my e-mail. Caleb wants to tell me every detail and play from the Steelers game that was on yesterday, but I am trying to write out the bills. Andrew wants me to hold him so he can rub my hair, but I am in the middle of doing dishes.

How am I going to feel when Brayden doesn’t want me to read to him anymore? Or Caleb doesn’t have the time for me let alone time to tell me about a football game on TV. Or when Andrew is too big for me to hold?

I don’t want to look back on all of the moments that I missed. I want to have countless moments made!

Tonight, Andrew and I will be looking at that big moon, together!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES! I have been working on the calender of events for Countdown to Christmas today.  I think I have it all planned out…

I can’t wait to get started!

I took part of a Pay It Forward over at Courtney’s Quiet Chaos

OK, I have one person that has signed up for the Pay It Forward…Tracey!  I still need two more people to play along.  I have a fun something planned but I can’t do it until two more people join in.

Courtney sent me this wooden plaque.

I JUST LOVE IT!!!  Every time I look at it, I smile!

So come on, I know that two of you want to get a little gift from me and then you can pass something on to three other people.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot, just something to be nice and add a smile to someones day.  :o)

HERE ARE THE RULES: The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward in their own way.This is how it works… I am going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry (please leave your e-mail address if I don’t all ready have it.) In turn,those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on.

I have a fun thing planned!  I will e-mail the first three people that leave a comment saying that they want to take part.  :o)

Today is Josh’s birthday!  I don’t spend a lot of time talking about my wonderful husband on my blog.  I should spend more time doing so!!!

Josh and I met my freshmen year.  I was only 14!  He was in the 10th grade.  I walked into my science class and there he was.  I thought to myself “I hope I can sit by him.”   The whole love at first site thing, yeah I believe in it, I knew that he was someone special.   I can’t really tell you what “it” was, it just was!  Well, we did sit beside each other that year.  We wrote notes back and forth, we were lab partners, he kissed my finger when I burnt it on the Bunsen burner,  I talked about my boyfriends and he hugged me when one broke my heart, we got in trouble for talking to much, and we really got in trouble from his then girlfriend.  Oops!!!  HAHAHA!!! I found out later that Josh had told his Grandma that he had met a girl at school that he wanted to date.  :)  But with my strict parents I couldn’t date until I was 16.  He told her that he would wait.

My 10th grade year Josh went to the vocational school, but we still didn’t lose touch.  His girlfriend and him broke up and he quickly started calling me more.  He wanted to date me, I told him no.  I broke his heart and I still feel bad about that.  But this was not a line, I swear, I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.  I valued our friendship.  I loved having him as a friend.

The next few months kind of run together but Josh and I did end up dating.  Our first date was April 28th.  I will never forget our first kiss, those soft lips that had kissed my finger in science class were even softer on my lips.  I will never forget the first time Josh told me that he loved me, it was worth getting “caught” by my dad, kissing him.

Lots of water passed under that bridge of ours; lots of wrongs on both our sides.  But our love, that love at first sight, has always held us together.  That love at first sight was God leading us together.  The story of us continues on from those first few moments of love at first sight.  Together Josh and I have grown in our love.  We have had lots of firsts:  our first apartment, our first Christmas, our first home, our first, second and third children.  We have had lots of heartache.  The loss my three grandparents, his grandma, our miscarriage, the year we spent on the string because of his job.  We have had lots of happy times, oh so many, to many to list.  I look forward to the future and spending it growing old with Josh.  Watching our boys grow in to men, seeing our grandchildren, walking beside him holding his hand though it all.

Josh is the best husband and father I could ever dream of and to this day he is still my best friend!  That love at first site thing… it is still working pretty good for me, 16 years later.

Happy Birthday baby, I love you with all of my heart and SOLE!

We had a long week-end since the boys had Thursday and Friday off from school for P/T conferences.  Josh and I couldn’t have been happier or more proud of the boys because of all of the great things both teachers had to say about them.   Caleb had all A’s and B’s on his grade card and the teacher said that he listens well and volunteers answers a lot.  YEA!  Brayden has been reaching all of the goals that he should this 9 weeks and she told us that he is polite and friendly and shares well with others.  YEA! 

Friday I spent the afternoon getting ready for Brayden’s birthday party with my mom.  I made bean salsa and we baked and decorated his and Josh’s cakes.  We saw one at Wal-Mart that Brayden really liked and we snapped a picture with my camera phone, bought the cake toppers and headed home to create…

Brayden showing us how old he is…SIX!

Saturday we had his party at my parents house.  Barry and Molly came home for the week-end too.  We had sloppy joes, cheesy potatoes, chips and bean salsa.  Brayden got so many nice gifts.  He got a nice warm outfit from Kathy, Mamaw Gran and Mike.  Barry and Molly got him a Crystal growing kit and a marble track. We went in with Mamaw Debbie and Papaw to buy him a Leapster 2 (which he LOVES) and Glen and April gave him a new game for his Leapster.  He was happy with all of his new presents. 

Brayden in his new outfit playing with his Marble Tack!

Brayden and Daddy with their cakes!

Brayden holding up his new Leapster 2 and Cars game!

And of course I can’t write a post about a week-end spent with my nephew without posting a picture of him too.   So here is some Jack cuteness from this week-end!

I think he is looking more like his daddy every time I see him!

Another year has raced by and my blued eyed boy is SIX!

Brayden you have grown so much this last year, and I don’t mean in physical stature.  You have went from a little preschooler to a “big” boy in the blink of an eye.  You are excelling at school and you just can’t seem to learn things fast enough.   Just last week we got a post card from your teacher saying that you recognized all of your upper and lower case letters!  You are counting higher everyday, you are spelling more and more words each week, you sing new sounds you have learned at school each day.  Your growth has been more then just academic.  You are such a joy to all of us.  You are funny and have a quick wit.  You love to laugh and your smile lights up the room.  You love Johnny Test and Scooby-Doo, you love Taco’s and Chili and anything with beans in it, and CHOCOLATE!  You love to play video games on your Game Cube and the Wii.  You love to bowl and dig in the dirt.  You see a way to stack and build with most any item you can, it doesn’t just have to be Lego’s or blocks, it can be cans of fruit, CD’s, cups, etc.  You are a wonderful helper and do a great job keeping your room clean.  If I give you a rag and the dusting spray you keep yourself busy for hours…lol!  You give the best kisses!  You love Sunday School and learning about Jesus.  If we get busy and forget to say the prayer at dinner time you are the one to remind us.  You have a strong will and great determination.  You want to do the best that you can in everything you do.  And you are such a blessing to me!

~I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck

BRAYDEN MACK WISEMAN!~