Proud Daughter

When I was younger I was always so proud that my parents were still married. In a world where divorce is so common it is refreshing to find a couple that took the saying "for better or worse" to heart. My Mother and Father are not in any way perfect, they fuss and fight with the best of them but the difference is they always find a way to work it out, they stick by each other and never abandon the commitment they made so many years ago. They have set a wonderful example for my Sister and I, we have watched them experience the best and the worst of times and manage to keep their marriage strong. Because of them I know that marriage takes a full commitment from both the man and the wife. Because of them I know to never give up on the one you love. Because of them I know that marriage is hard work but I also know that the fruit of such labor is plentiful. Now that I am older and married myself I am still incredibly proud that my parents are still traveling down the bumpy path of true love.Today, as they celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary, I hope they know that it is because of them that I know what love is.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.
I love you both very much.

The Plan - Week 5

The floor is officially going down and we love it. There was a lot of painting going on this week, we hoped to be finished painting but that didn't quite happen. We are much closer though. Seth's Nana came in from St. Louis to check on the progress of the house and she helped my Mother and Seth's paint all the trim. Both bathrooms are complete, we are very happy with the way the turned out. If you have been keeping up with the schedule you know that next week is move in week, Seth keeps telling me everything will be done in time, I hope it will. Here is the plan for week 6.

Week of August 17-23
-Finish laying flooring
-Finish painting
-Kitchen work and appliances
-Small finishing touches
-Finish up packing (I have really been procrastinating on this part)

Oh, I almost forgot, the termite treatment DID happen last week. I guess being superstitious and not saying it WOULD happen in the last post worked!

Wordless Wednesday - DQ Miracle Treat Day

***Pause the blog audio player (bottom of page) before watching video***

The Plan - Week 4

Can you believe that we are already four weeks into this renovation? I sure can't. I am sure, however, that my husband and his helpers are all too sure of the time that has passed... they have been working so hard. Before you even ask, the termite treatment STILL has not happened, maybe next week next year. Lets focus on the positives, lots of painting DID happen this week and lots of little things. I LOVE the new cranberry red shutters and soon to be cranberry red front door (see photo). I also now have a window/new backdoor in the laundry room because who wants to do laundry in a dungeon? I actually did some work this week, I packed up most of the kitchen and laundry room plus I got rid of a lot of stuff we didn't really need. I'm trying to declutter our lives before the big move.

So, next on my blog agenda, the plan for week four.

Week of August 10-16
-Finish painting
-Lay flooring
-Repair drainage problem around house (Seth's Dad is helping him with this)
-Replace counter tops
-Install new appliances
-Continue packing

I'm not even going to put the termite treatment on this list... don't want to jinx it. If you have been keeping up with the schedule we plan to move in the week after next, keep your fingers crossed.

Don't Laugh At Me

As the parent of a special needs child, I often find myself questioning the future. Will Colton make friends? Will he ever run up to me throw his hands around my neck and say I love you Mama? Will he ever fall in love, get married? Will he ever get to experience the amazing feeling of being a parent? The answer to all of these questions is simply "I don't know". We have no clue what his future holds, but I do know one thing for sure, he will always be encouraged to do whatever it is he wants to do. One thing that can get in the way of success for children like Colton is intolerance and stubbornness of people around them. All I can hope for is acceptance. Acceptance that God made some people different, not greater or lesser, just different. Acceptance that children with special needs are just as capable to have and accomplish goals and dreams as their peers. And most importantly acceptance that these children have feelings, that can get hurt, just like the rest of us. Below is a beautiful video that gives me comfort and assurance that it is always okay to be different.

***TURN OFF THE BLOG AUDIO PLAYER AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO VIEW THE VIDEO***

Wordless Wednesday - First Dance

Seth and I at our first dance, in high school. We were soo young!

The Plan - Week 3

Ahhh the joys of renovating a house. This past week was a rough one. Seth started working 3rd shift, which means that, coming from 2nd shift, he had to work 16 hours straight on Saturday. Needless to say, the house stuff is coming along fine but definitely a little slower than week 1. Looking back at last weeks to-do list we finished repairing the sub-flooring and patched holes in the drywall, started the bathrooms, began painting and packed a little more. The termite treatment was scheduled for Wednesday but didn't happen due to rain for the 2nd week in a row. Tomorrow starts week 3 and here is our to-do list...

Week of Aug 3rd - 9th

• Finish bathrooms *** Already done, hubby is ahead in the bathrooms!
• Finish painting
• Hang the new back door (may not happen this week)
• Lay flooring
• and HOPEFULLY termite treatment!!!
• oh and continue packing

Let's pray the rain holds off for a couple days so all of our repaired sub-flooring doesn't become the termites new favorite hang out spot.

On a side note, Colton LOVES the computer almost as much as I do. The computer is the ONLY thing we can use as motivation to crawl/stand... see...

I think I can...

I think I can...

I THINK I can.

I CAN!!! (with a little help from Mommy)

In case you didn't get that... Colton has begun pulling up (see above)!!! I find it so hard to stay optimistic sometimes with all the developmental delays due to his "preemiehood". It is hard to see the other 20 month olds running around and climbing on everything while your child is just beginning to crawl and stand. Its hard but when he finally reaches those milestones it makes it that much better. I'm so proud of him, he has worked so hard with his therapists. We have a long way to go but I know we; Colton, our family, the wonderful therapists and all of our friends, can do it together.