Martina McBride - In My Daughter's Eyes (LIVE)

"As she bends and breaks for everyone else, she struggles not to lose herself..."

Sophia, Me, and Lucy in 2010 at our campfire!

So today is Mother's Day. I'm not really sure what that means exactly because I am a mother everyday! And with two small children, I never forget my role and my title! But I will take any excuse to celebrate! So if your reading this and you are a mommy, then Happy Mother's Day! First of all, I have to thank the woman who gave me life. Growing up, I always thought of my mom as the "invincible woman" so to speak. She never seemed to let life knock her down no matter what it threw at her. Everything had an easy fix and life was about learning from mistakes and coming out stronger. Shortly after I was born, my mom became very ill and was diagnosed with Lupus. Basically her body thought that her kidneys were foreign and they attacked them. She was fortunate enough to be picked for a medical trial in Washington D.C. She flew out there one weekend a month for 3 years. She was admitted to the hospital and injected with medicine.  I was a little girl at the time but I remember dropping her off at the airport and crying as her plane took off! I dreaded when she would have to go but even more then that I dreaded how sick she felt when she returned home! I couldn't understand why she was forced to live with this awful disease.  The disease may have took her kidneys and wasted years of her life, but it NEVER took her soul! She never gave Lupus the chance to change who she was and what she wanted in life! My mother never let lupus define who she was. She had always wanted a family and she wasn't going to let this disease take her away from her dream. She fought and fought and never gave up and finally her lupus went into remission. Although she was sick for most of my childhood, I barely remember it because she did everything she could to give my brother and I a normal childhood. My childhood was an amazing one. We took endless amounts of camping trips and wherever we went, we went as a family! She was the one putting my hair in the tightest buns EVER for my dance recitals. And she was the one helping me get ready for all my school proms. And she was the one who helped me into my wedding gown and gave me away to the love of my life. She was the one who was in the room with me when her first grand daughter was born. And she is always the first one I call when I am in over my head with a new dinner recipe. She has always been there for me and I know she always will be! She is the most selfless person I know and for any of you who know her, I know that you will agree with that!  Her faith in the Lord is amazing and I hope I can achieve that relationship with God someday. 

She has taught me so much and I am going to list a few in no particular order:

1) This to shall pass

2) Never worry until there is something to worry about

3) Use protection....

4) Never say never

5) Pray everyday...You never stand taller then when you are on your knees..

6) Dream big

7) Life is to short to take anything for granted

8) Love whole heartedly

9) Girls are bitches

10) A way to a mans heart is through his stomach. 

11) You look better when you smile.

12) You can never love your kids to much

13) Give EVERYTHING to God

I cant possibly list everything my mother has taught me.  I love you mom. You are the strongest woman I know and I pray that I can be just half the mother you are! 

And then....I became a mother! And if I didn't have respect for my mother before, I sure as hell do now! Being a mother is being able to say, I was given a miracle. I was good enough in God's eyes, to be given the honor of raising a child. I was hand picked and chosen by God to carry two beautiful babies inside my body. That is something that continues to blow my mind everyday. Every boo boo I get to kiss, every sticky handprint I wipe away, every toothless smile I see, and every diaper I change, I realize that he knew I was strong enough! I have been given a gift and I am forever grateful. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it. 

Today is a little bittersweet to me and I hate to admit that I had a rough start this morning. I laid in bed and wondered how I would be able to enjoy this day without the guy that made it all possible! I just know that without Adam, I wouldn't be a mother to Sophia and Lucy and I am forever in debt to him for choosing me to mother his babies! But my pity party ended right after I heard a noise from the other room. The voice in the monitor said " Ma Ma!!" And a tear honestly rolled down my cheek. It was like the voice of God coming through my little Lucy and he was saying " You may not have your hubby here, but you have two little girls who need you, today and everyday!"  I was blessed with another day to spend with my beautiful babies and that's exactly what I did! We spent the day outside in the sunshine and we shared many laughs. But the day wouldn't have been complete without a present to the one and only ME! My husbands sent me a BEAUTIFUL red silk robe that has my initials embroidered on it. He is so thoughtful and to prove it, I am including the letter he sent me with the robe. I have so much to be thankful for today. With the title of " Mommy" what more could you ask for?

Email from Adam :

Happy Mothers day to the worlds number one mom. I don’t know how you do the things you do but I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. I can rely on the love of my life to take care of the other loves of my life and know they will be raised perfectly. I cant imagine life without you. I thank god every day to have someone like you in my life and especially to call my wife. Keep up the good work babe, you’re the best mother ever and the kids will and are going to realize this as they get older. So Thank you for everything you do, I love you and miss you terribly. Good night god bless and Happy Mothers Day!

My beautiful flowers from my mother-in-law and Hugh! I am so lucky! 

MilitaryWives -- LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE!

I had to share this video! This is so true, sad but true! And for a male Marine to bring this to our attention is HYSTERICAL!

ARRRRGH MATE......

The Birthday Boy! 

Today was a day that I got to remember what is was like to have an imagination of a child. As a mother, I am reminded constantly of the monsters in the closet, the mermaids in the bath tub, and that dad is a superhero! But today, I got to be a pirate! One of the kid's down the street turned 3 years old today and we had the pleasure of attending his awesome party! We knew prior that it would be a pirate themed party but I had no idea how much fun in would be! When we arrived, all the kids received skull bandanas, a gold earring, and a skull eye patch! They all looked absolutely adorable and we heard a lot of " ARGGH MATE" and " Give me your gold!!!"  Upon entering the backyard, we entered into a child's heaven! There was a bounce house, a pinata, pin the tail on the donkey and tug of war! After eating way to much food and playing endless amounts of games, it was time for cake and presents! The cake was from a local bakery and it tasted like a little piece of heaven. Noah then opened all his gifts and he was one happy little boy :) It was nice to be able to let the kids go crazy and forget about the deployment for awhile. Noah's daddy is also deployed and its days like this that are really hard for a military wife. It's not just a party anymore. Its a milestone in Noah's life and his daddy and hero wasn't there to join in on the fun. I felt a lot of sadness for his mother and I was beyond impressed with how well she overcame her underlying sadness! She didn't show it, but as a fellow military wife, I knew it was there! She threw an amazing party and Noah is a lucky little boy :) Well, the girls partied so hard that they are fast asleep and mama has a chance to catch a much needed nap. Today reminded me to have fun once in a while and act like a kid. Life doesn't have to be so serious!

Mama taking out some deployment aggression!!!

My little Pirate!

The birthday boy cheated a little :)


Now I also wanted to share and amazing recipe.  At the party there was a crock-pot filled with some sort of  hot cheese that no one could describe what it was. I was extremely hungry and I took a spoonful and decided to be the first to test it out! OMG!!!! It was life changing! Ok, so I am exaggerating a little but it was VERY delicious and I had to ask for the recipe. It's to good not to share! I hope you enjoy. Warning: a little spicy :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 oz) cans chunk chicken, drained (Or you can make your own shredded chicken breast...it tastes better with fresh chicken, but the canned stuff is so easy to use)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing (today I used Hidden Valley because it's what I had on hand, but for this recipe I like Kraft)
3/4 cup pepper sauce, like Texas Pete (I use Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar


1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring constantly until well blended and warm.


2. Mix in half the shredded cheese and transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on low setting until hot and bubbly, then switch to warm setting.


You don't have to use the slow cooker, but it helps for parties if you're trying to keep it warm for a long time.

ENJOY!

Rainy day in Jacksonville!

Louis C.K. "Why?"

In honor of mothers day, I had to share this video! My 3 year old daughter is very inquisitive and CONSTANTLY asking me questions. You can never get anything past her. Well anyways, I met a mother at the playground with her son who is 2 years old. This kid had the vocabulary of a 20 year old med student! He was intelligent and pronounced everything perfect! I asked her what the trick was and she responded with " no matter how hard it is, I try my best to answer EVERY question even though it could take all day!" I couldnt help but laugh out loud because I could totally relate! The mind of a child trying to learn the ways of the world is amazing! And one question always leads to a billion more!!! So the next day, she had emailed me this and I had to share! It is very vulgar so if you get offended easily then this comedian is not for you! Watch at your own risk! But if you have a very curious toddler who sometimes tests your patience, and you need a good laugh...sit back, relax and enjoy!

Just Breathe.....

Daddy And Lucy

As you can tell from my previous post ( way back in January) that this is my second attempt to put into words the craziness of my everyday life. I am currently going through some HUGE challenges in my life and because of that, I am forced to make some changes that our ultimately changing and altering who I am. But for the better. I am becoming stronger then I ever thought I could be! I am raising two baby girls while my husband fights for this countries freedom. So during these times, good and bad, I  feel rushed. I never feel like I have enough time to sit back and take it all in. So this blog is not only a tool to use to document my life, but hopefully something to help me remember all the times, that at the time, I thought were not so great. Because in reality, it's all about the climb. And yes, I totally quoted Miley Cyrus. But the girl was right. It may not be an easy road but it's my road. I have been wishing the whole year of 2011 to come and go in the blink of an eye. I was dreading the second that the ball dropped and a new year began. I knew it wouldn't be easy. But now, I don't want to EVER forget this year. Truth is, it is going by fast. Which also means my kids are growing fast. I don't know what it is about kids, but you put them to bed little babies and they wake up toddlers! How selfish of me to wish that their childhood go any faster then it already would. Now obviously I knew there wasn't a time machine that GOD would press a button and the world would just fast forward to 2012. But figuratively speaking, life is short and you need to enjoy the ride while it last.

Daddy and Sophia at Mike's Farm

Ok, so the biggest challenge this year has brought is a pretty tough one. Like I stated earlier, my husband is a United States Marine. Is it weird that I get chills every time I say it? I am so proud of him. Anyways, in January, duty called. And duty called him for 13 months!!!!!!!!! So like I said earlier, 2011 couldn't come and go quick enough. But it's here, and he is gone, and me and the kid's are taking it day by day. I am so blessed and fortunate to be able to stay home and watch my babies grow! They are what gets me through the day. We are all new at this deployment thing but we are handling it together! And since their daddy can't be here to watch them grow this year, I pray that he can read this blog and feel at peace. That he can refer to this blog whenever he needs a little piece of home! Also I hope it continues to remind me to just breathe and stay strong!We love you daddy. Be safe!