Getting to know all about you...

November 16, 2013
I was challenged on FB to say 10 things about myself.  This is what I came up with:


"Ten things you may not know about me. #1 - I don't like to cook. But I wish I did. #2 - I laugh inappropriately at people getting hurt. I cant help it. It's a nervous reaction. #3 - I can't start reading a book and then stop before I'm done (except to make sure tiny humans get fed and changed). It's exhausting and usually very unproductive. #4 - I am a middle child. #5... - I HATE public speaking. #6 - I LOVE Pepsi and naps. #7 - I have been pulled over 22 times, I have had 2 tickets. #8 - I am not a finisher. I start all kinds of things, with the best of intentions, but never finish most of them. #9 - I am a night owl. #10 - I don't have any really established talents. But I am handy enough to get by most of the time. hahaha." 

Patrick was a booger and teased me about #8, so I challenged him to do the same.  :) 

"Here's to your silly little game. 10 things people may not know about me.

10- I was extremely disappointed when I opened my mission call and saw Honduras. After seven years of Spanish in junior high, high school, and college I was done with Spanish. My first thought was, "ahhh crap!" Ended up being the best mission in the world and changed my life. Not a day goes by that I don't ...think about it.

9- My biggest fear is failure. Especially when it comes to being a good husband and father. Rattlesnakes are a close second.

8- I have a difficult time dealing with stupid people. I work for the government so everyday is a real struggle for me.

7- I broke a backboard on a put-back dunk on my mission. Saw the cops, got scared, and took off running with the rim in my hand. Not sure why I ran, but there were about 7 other missionaries that ran too. Makes me laugh every time I think about it.

6- I love to read and write. I love books! All kinds of books. I hope my kids will be as passionate about reading as I am. I love a good story and there is so much to learn about out there. I enjoy making people laugh and have thought about writing a book for years now. I just don't know what to write about or where to start. Lol!

5- I recently watched 42 for the first time. I learned I have an elongated heel bone that gives me an unfair advantage when it comes to sports. I have never heard that before, but apparently that heel bone is what makes me so damn fast!

4- I find that I am constantly repenting for stupid things I say and do. Judge me all you want. I'm a work in progress.

3- I am very patriotic. I love this country, it's history, and everything it stands for. I get emotional every time I hear the national anthem. I wasn't man enough to join the military, but I have taken two Oaths of Office and they actually mean something to me.

2- Despite what others may think, I have always tried to be mentally, physically, & spiritually "tough." Mentally strong because I think you have to be if you choose the career path that I chose 11 years ago. Physically strong because I was raised as a cowboy. Cowboys don't cry. I was kicked in the head when I was 7 or 8 by my dad's horse. (This actually explains a lot about why I am the way I am.) Didn't cry. Just got knocked out. Blew my knee out in a stupid basketball tournament and walked into the doctor's office the next day under my own power and he didn't believe me because I was walking. I also completed one of my academies with a torn mcl and separated shoulder after being hit by a car. Spiritually tough because while I don't ask for trials or adversities, I will never shy away from them. I am grateful for them and what they teach me. Because of my testimony of certain things that pertain to my religious faith, I know there is nothing I/we can't handle.

1- I have a bad temper and literally no patience. I have the nickname "Big Angry Mormon" for a reason. I constantly pray for charity. Some days I have it. Some days I don't. I try be a good example and try to find ways to serve others, but some days I struggle. I try to "practice what I preach" to my kids, but I'm pretty sure I just confuse them. Most of the time I tell them not to do what I just did."

Patrick likes to write... about himself... apparently.  hahahaha.  :)  I thought it was fun though, and something I wanted to keep. 

10th Anniversary

April 25, 2013
Patrick to Jennie via FB:

The Ol' Ball n' Chain! Lol! 10 years ago We began our journey together. A week later, I dragged you into a lifestyle that is difficult for anyone. You've been the best partner I could ever ask for. Although...I've been wearing a gun and badge for 10 years now, but I have yet to wear the pants in this family. Haha! Thank you for everything. You make me look good (literally because you still pick out clothes for me to wear.) I love you forever and ever.

PS- Sorry we couldn't do anything fun because you're 8 months knocked up w/ #4. Seemed like a good idea at the time...

Jennie to Patrick via FB:

10 years of awesome, amazing, wonderful, interesting, fun, crazy adventure! Patrick, I just want to say... You're welcome! Hahaha. And I love you forever and ever! Here's to decades more!! Happy Anniversary!!

Good times. :)  Lol!

Getting Older...

The Second Anniversary of my 29th Birthday happened.  ;)  I would have skipped posting about it at all, because really, it's so not a big deal, right?!  But I happened to get to do the coolest thing I've gotten to do in a long time!!!  I got to see WICKED!!  :D 

Patrick got me tickets for Christmas that happen to be for the show on April 6th, the day before my birthday Anniversary.  :)  (He thought he was really clever killing 2 birds with 1 stone like that!)  But it was the best Christmas/Birthday gift!!  The show was INCREDIBLE!!  I wanted to see it again by the end of the first act!  Hahaha.  (My handsome date!)

April 7th, my actual birthday was good too!  It was General Conference weekend, so on top of getting to listen and be uplifted, I also didn't have to stress about church! ;) It was a relaxing day at home with my cute little family, and at 8 months pregnant, that was my version of the perfect day!!

So here's to another year.  I'm feeling a little run down and busted physically right now, so I don't want to talk about how old I feel.... ;) ....But so far my 30's haven't been too shabby.  So, all those worry wrinkles I gave myself in my 20's were for nothing.  ;) 

And don't worry, I know I'm not really still 29!  Harrison likes to remind me and anyone he talks to that I am now 31!  ;)  I should have told him I was 29.... hmmmm, hindsight.  Hahaha.

Belly Post

After seeing every prego lady I know posting picture updates of their growing bellies, I realized I didn't have a single picture of this pregnancy.  Oops.  So at 32 weeks, March 26th, I finally took one.  :)

This picture is deceiving, I am growing... a LOT!  Just more sideways than out!  Hahaha.  I am going to try to remember to get one before baby day gets here in May.  But just in case I don't... here is the proof I really was pregnant!  (For what has felt like forever! lol!)  ;) 

TOFW - UT Edition

February 1st, I got to take a little trip to Utah to have some girl time with my mom!  (Patrick was brave enough to let me leave for 4 days!)  :)  We did some shopping and eating and hanging out, but the main attraction was Time Out For Women.  "Higher" is the theme for this year. 

Think Higher
Believe Higher
Live Higher

"So are MY ways HIGHER than your ways..."  Isaiah 55:9

It was an interesting theme, and I had high hopes.  TOFW is always good, but this year I struggled a little more than usual to get out of it what I was hoping for.  That being said, it was still very good, just different.  :)  Here are some of my favorite thoughts and quotes:

"It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that will determine the outcome of your story."
-Pres. Uchdorf
"Your Happily Ever After"

"We should strive to be a blessing to our fellow human beings."
-Dean Hughes

"Heavenly Father did not send us to earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously!"
"Speak hopefully, speak encouragingly, especially about ourselves."
"Live as if you matter."  ...Higher Thinking.
"Words are sacred and must be used with great care."
-Hilary Weeks

Check your assumptions!  (This was one of my favorites!!)
How Heavenly Father Works:
1.  Trust Him to act according to the bigger picture!
     * Be thankful the God lets you struggle for awhile, it causes an increase in Faith.
2.  What if life is fair?
     * Fair is not that we are all equal - it's everyone getting what they need when they need it.
     * Things don't happen for everyone the same way all the time.
     * If you are in perfect balance you are not moving - Risk = Progress.
     * Heavenly Father does answer prayers - but not always when or how we want or expect.
3.  He guides and protects my children more than I will ever know! 
     * Sometimes they get hurt, experience helps them grow, but it doesn't mean they aren't being protected.
4.  He needs me to use the gifts He has given me! 
     * Am I?
-Emily Watts

Letting go of Your Fears!
Fear is a king of intentional storytelling, that we are all born to do.
You decide how your story ends!
Don't spend time looking back at past disappointments or failures!
Fight your Fears:
1.   Fight fear with Power.
     *Your identity, even if you don't like it, is your comfort zone - we are not meant to live in our comfort zone!
     *Fight fear with the power of Change!
      (2 Corr. 5:17)
2.  Fight fear with Love.
     *When you stop praying for what your heart really wants, your heart stops wanting what you weren't willing to pray for.
     *The tragedy isn't not getting what you want, it's not wanting it anymore.
     *God will not waste a miracle on a doubter.
     *There is no fear in Hope.
3.  Fight fear with a Sound Mind.
     *Sometimes we use the notion of "God's will" as a way to abdicate the responsibility to exercise our own.
     *He expects us to choose, He trusts us!
     *Involve Him.  Learn His ways.  Then make choices for your life. 
Have the courage to rise above your fears!
-Laurel Christensen

It was a great experience!  And I felt like there were things I needed to hear, it always seems to work that way.  I'm grateful that I got to go, and it was so much fun to share it with the ladies in my life! :)

I also got to see these guys!  ;) 

It was a fun weekend!  I haven't gotten to do a trip like this by myself before, so I enjoyed every minute of "freedom".  Hahaha.  But don't be deceived, I missed my little family!  Probably more than they missed me!  Hahaha.

A NeW YeAr...

I'm not really a New Year's celebrator.  I don't make resolutions.  I didn't even make it to midnight. Hahaha. Although Jackson and I tried really hard!  :)  Reagan and Harrison pooped out early, so we sat down on the couch to watch the ball drop with about 20 minutes to go.... and the next thing I remember is waking up and trying to coax him down the hall to his bed at about 1:30 am.  Hahaha.  We did have a fun night watching movies and hanging out.... and the boys love anything that gives them an excuse to stay up WAY too late.  :)  

But the thing I usually think about the most at the beginning of a new year, is the year that's ending.  How incredibly blessed I have been.  How much things have changed.... or haven't.  ;)  How fast my kids seem to be growing. How sometimes the days feel like forever... but the years seem to fly.  Milestones and memories, challenges and changes. 

A lot of people I know were picking a word to help them define what they hope for in the year to come. At the time, the only word I could come up with was SURVIVE.  Hahaha.  It sounds almost sad, I know.  But it was a rough end to my 2012, physically.  And while I am feeling better, there seems to be no end to my attempting and failing to get ahead and stay on top of things.  Which I am sure is setting the tone for my new self as a mother of 4.  Holy crap, 4 kids!!  Haha.  It feels sort of impossible, even though I know it's not.  Good grief, being pregnant and trying to keep up with the 3 I already have, also seems impossible... but isn't.  It's just not ideal.  I am surviving. 

I've discovered that 30 is my "tap out" age for child bearing.  Hahaha.  I love being a mother.  But I don't particularly love the mother (or wife) I am when I'm pregnant.  I am simply not the best version of myself right now.  But even beyond actually growing and having this baby, there is the adjustment period,  and sleepless nights... On top of juggling school, preschool, callings, sports, practices, therapy, doctor visits, etc. So... more surviving. ;)

There are days, when I reach the end and I am just super excited because everyone got to wear clean clothes and got fed the appropriate amount of times. :)  On those days, survival is success!  And I'm ok with that.  It won't be this way forever.  But I don't like the idea of that being the word that defines my 2013.  I am not just a survivor.  I don't even like to think of my life like that.  It sounds so cold and non-feeling.  Like I just have to get through the day. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured. So I should clarify.... I love my life, and my family! And I am extremely excited about this new little person entering our lives! .... I know how incredibly blessed I am!  I just seem to have misplaced my motivation... and my energy.... and my patience.  Hahaha.  So when this baby is born, and life changes and we find our new normal, I will pick a different word.  One that better suits what I really hope to gain in 2013.  :)

But for now, I am just counting my blessings.  And loving and appreciating that they love me ...regardless of how clean our house is ...or how many times I forget about things ...or that I fall asleep if I sit down for too long ...or that I lose my patience way too fast.  They are my people!  :)  I LOVE them more than they will ever know!  I love them for surviving me!  :) 

My Excuse!

(November 9, 2012) 

So... the fall was kind of a blur!  I don't remember a lot of October or November!  I know that sounds terrible, but I have a good excuse!  :)  On September 7th, 2012 we found out we are going to add another little person to our family!  :)  Happiness all around, we are VERY excited!!  ...And then a couple weeks later, this sweet new little person inside me started trying to kill me slowly!  hahaha.  It was a very long few months!  I don't want to complain because I know it could be worse... But I will use it to explain my lack of cleaning, cooking, blogging, picture taking, etc.  I'm excited to say that we all survived my 17 weeks of light duty!  :)  ...The house is still recovering... but all things considered... I still call that success!!  :)  

This will be an exciting and interesting adventure!  :)  4 kids seems like a lot!  Especially when I count Reagan as 3 and Patrick is like the teenager I shouldn't have yet!  hahaha.  So what's that?  7.  Ya, it will be an adventure!  

We are due on May 18th, 2013.  The last week of school and the day after Jackson's 8th birthday.  We have impeccable timing. ;)  Although truthfully, the timing wasn't ours.  So it must be meant to be.  :)  

But now that I am mostly up and running again... until I randomly fall asleep... things should be more normal... Until May.  :)  

This is our first look at Baby #4. 

 

My Reminder....

A friend of mine posted this quote, and it sort of took my breath away... especially the last few lines.  I thought, this is something I need to remember... every single day!  


"Some might ask when faced with such suffering, how could Almighty God let this happen? And then that seemingly inevitable question, why did this happen to me? Why must we experience disease and events that disable or call precious family members home early or extend their years in pain? Why the heartaches? At these moments we can turn to the great plan of happiness authored by our Heavenly Father. That plan, when presented in the pre-earth life, prompted us all to shout for joy. Put simply, this life is training for eternal exaltation, and that process means tests and trials. It has always been so, and no one is spared."

     - Elder Ronald A. Rasband

And one more, just because I love Sheri Dew!  She says things in the most profound ways!  

"Life is a test.  It is only a test - meaning, that's all it is.  Nothing more, but nothing less.  It is a test of our convictions and priorities, our faith and faithfulness, our patience and resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.  It is a test to determine if we want to be part of the Kingdom of God more than we want anything else."

     - Sheri Dew (Saying It Like It Is)

Hmm.... I wonder if there's a learning curve?!  I sure hope so!  ;) 

The Project!

Before my parents had to leave, dad and I finished up a project we had been slowly working on all week.  It just wouldn't be the same if we didn't have some kind of contraption to build while he was here!  :)  He thought I was crazy when I told him what I wanted to do, but I think I almost had him convinced of it's awesomeness by the time they left!  hahahah.  I LOVE it!  

I don't have all the door knobs done yet, but you get the idea! :)  The yellow  door is my favorite... obviously!  :) 

It's always fun to have them come!  We love that they do!  I think we might have worn then out a little, but in a good way!  ;)  So, until next time....  :)  We love you!

The Big 3-0!

Or as I like to see it, the first anniversary of my 29th birthday!  :)  In truth, turning 30 was pretty magnificent!  Thanks to my very considerate and super wonderful husband!  When he asked me what I wanted, I simply said  "to relax"!  I just wanted a day off from cleaning and laundry and dishes and diapers.  To my surprise, he decided to get me a spa day... at a real spa!  Hours and hours of relaxing pampering!  The works!  :D  At this place!  

Such a wonderful day!  I somehow got older and ended up feeling younger!  I can totally handle that!  :)  My fancy toes with my new (and awesomely YELLOW) shoes!  :) (Thanks Mom!) 

We had a date planned for that evening, babysitter and everything! We got dressed to impress and headed out on the town. (Reagan makes the cutest dang accessory ever!)  

Had to get a picture... you are only 30 once... right?  It's 29 you get to be forever!  hahaha. 

And the surprises just kept coming... when we got to the restaurant, we were welcomed by a huge group of some of my very favorite people!!  It was SO fun! (From L to R: Darin & Kerri, Justin & Brooke, Stephen & Tera, Jared & Kristy, Patrick & I, Nick & Alina, Ryan & Andy, Josh & Janeen) I was shocked to see them all there! I am so lucky to call these people my friends!!  

It was definitely a day to remember! Filled with so many wonderful people!  Lots of birthday wishes and cards and presents from far away too!  I couldn't help but feel very loved!!!


Patrick had one more surprise looming, it was just a little late.  He got me my first blinged out watch!  And... I love it!  Shocking, I know! ;)

So this post has to end with a HUGE thank you to everyone! But especially Patrick!!!  I couldn't believe how much he did!  He is pretty incredible!  I probably don't tell him that enough, but that doesn't mean I don't know it!   :)  He was worried that if I didn't write it down I would forget it!  (Because let's face it, if my head weren't screwed on...) But now it's on the internet for all to witness! HE IS THE MAN!  hahaha.  And I am one freaking lucky lady! :)

Almost a Decade

Ok, wait!  We totally forgot to mention a pretty big milestone!  Patrick and I celebrated 9 years on April 25th! I don't have any pictures of us out together celebrating! (It was a nice date night out, we are saving up for our big #10 next year!)  But how about a montage of pictures of us together over the years?!  I think, YES!  :)  

I am SO grateful and lucky to have him!  When we first met and started dating I was so instantly comfortable with him, like I'd known him forever!  He had a way of making me feel so comfortable with him... and in my own skin! ...He makes me laugh, he is seriously one of the funniest people I've ever known!  ...And while I am usually the "bright side" person in our relationship, when push comes to shove and things get hard or scary, he is our buoy!  Nothing is impossible.  And he makes me believe that!  ...He is full of ambition.  And he works SO hard! ....He makes me feel beautiful, even when I know I am not! ...I love him to pieces!  I love him to the moon and back!  I love him forever and ever!  He is my person... and I am so excited for the almost decades to come!  :)

If I could make a list...

...of the things I am grateful for, I would start with the irreplaceable.  The people.  And even just that would be a LONG list. (You know who you are!  :)  But for now, I want to say how extremely grateful I am for the ones closest to my heart.  They are the ones I live for.  The ones I want to be better for.  The ones I want to keep forever!  I'm not very good at putting words to how I actually feel about them... I'm not sure the right words exist.  I just love them so very very much!  And I am so very grateful for the blessing it is to belong to them! 

It is the season to be Grateful!  I tried to actually count my blessings the other day, and I was literally overwhelmed (to tears) with the list! I couldn't even finish it!  The more I thought, the longer the list got.  And then I started to think about how time sneaks by so fast and I forget sometimes how VERY blessed I am!  ...And then I thought about my trials, as if my life were hard... and how very small they really are!

I realized something after all of this thought.  There were a great many things on that list of blessings I wouldn't have written down or even thought of a few years ago... or appreciated quite so much.  My list was longer, better even, than it would have been... if there had been no bumps in the road.    


I am grateful today! For EVERYTHING! But especially for the things (and/or people) that change us, make us stronger, better, more loving and kind people! Even when they are the things that seem like they may break us. There is beauty in the breaking! And we see the world differently when we put it all back together! I wouldn't trade anything for this view!

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving! 

(I wrote this post on Thanksgiving Day.  I am late in posting it, I know.  But life happened, and it had to wait!  Along with about 5 more posts that are coming!) :)

Time Out For Women

I had the opportunity to go to TOFW again this year, and it did not disappoint!  I wrote A LOT of what was said last year, you can read it here.  Last year I was in a very spiritually vulnerable place, I needed everything that was said!  It was about Hope, and I was completely filled with it when I left!  This year the theme was:
Choose to Become
"ALL THINGS are possible to him (or her) that believeth"
Mark 9:23

And this year, the feelings I had were quite different.  They talked a lot about Becoming the person you were are meant to be.  Not adding more to your to-do list, but simplifying.  Finding something, one thing, that you can really focus on.  And by doing so, making your life better, bettering other lives, being happier.  

They talked about talents a little in a video at the beginning, and I have to say, I was suddenly very discouraged.  I am not a really talented person.  I like to do a lot of things, and I'm not bad at them, but I don't have a stand-out talent that I am passionate about and excel at.   

So... there was a lot of thought over the 2 days I was there and continued to listen and learn.  And as the time went on, I started to realize it wasn't all about talents.  It was about finding that passion in something, becoming better at it, and the possibilities that follow. 

My list of things I wanted to Become read as follows:

A present mother
More patient
Self-disciplined
In shape
A supportive Spouse
Better organized

As time rolled on and my list got longer and longer, I kept waiting for one of them to jump out at me.  But instead, very persistently, a quote from Pres. Uchtdorf was constantly on my mind:
"In regards to relationships, LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E."

TIME
If I could manage my time better, just about every thing on that list would become a possibility.  If I got myself on a better schedule, I could sleep more = patience; I'd have more time for things I want to do = getting in shape; I wouldn't always be running from one thing to the next = organized, present mother, supportive spouse.  Imagine the possibilities!  :) 

I should point something out...  I am the worst Time Manager ever!  Don't get me wrong, my kids lives are planned down to almost the minute, but me... ya, well, sleep is optional!  It's that self-discipline thing that's going to be my Achilles heal!   So this is my promise to myself... right here for everyone to see... I am going to get myself on a good schedule!  I am going to go to bed earlier, even if I don't want to.  I am going to take advantage of the quiet moments to pray and read my scriptures.  I am going to eat at normal times and exercise because I have the TIME!  :)  And let's face it, who isn't a generally nicer person with more sleep under their belt!  I am going to become a better, higher functioning, me!  :)  Or at least... I Hope to! 

"We Become what we want to Be, by consistently Being what we want to Become." - Elder David A. Bednar

...That's right, we're in "Fake it 'til ya make it" mode!  :)  But you heard it, right from a general authorities' mouth, it totally works!  So here goes nothing!  :)

Some of my favorite quotes:
"Don't be the one thing standing in your way!"

"Do the thing you think you cannot do!" 
- Laurel Christensen

"Jesus chose to become like us, 
so that we could choose to become like Him."

"A God that requires nothing of us,
will make nothing of us."

"Christ is not only concerned with Saving your life.
He wants to make it better."

Redeem = To make Better 
- Brad Wilcox

"Who I am is who I have always been.  
From the seed to the roses death, it has always contained it's whole potential - It was always a rose."

"Becoming is about Remembering... who we Really are... and Returning."
- Mary Ellen Edmonds

"We have a duty to not only enjoy happiness, but to produce it." 

"We can have a bad day and still have a good life."

"Remember it says 'and it came to pass', not 'it came to stay'."
- D. Kelly Ogden

There was SO much good stuff!  I could just keep going and going!  hahaha.  I had an amazing time with a couple of very wonderful ladies in my ward, and it was a weekend I really needed... for so many reasons!  I am already excited for next year!  :)  

*If you made it to the bottom of this post you should get a gold star!  :D  This is the longest post EVER! 

Finally...

After making literally dozens of these hooded towels for other people, I finally made some for my own kids!  hahaha. 

The boys each had one already (Jackson has had his since his 1st birthday from the Chapmans.  And I made Harrison a dino one just after we moved.), but they were in need of new ones.  And Reagan had completely outgrown the baby ones I have.  So there they are... all white and monogrammed and matching my bathroom!  Yeah!  :)

Being a Mom...

There were a lot of things I figured would happen or change when I had kids, but there were a few I didn't count on.  Like when we watch the nature channel and that mama bear is out for blood... I totally cheer her on... sometimes my heart rate actually changes!  :)  I cry when I watch sweet commercials or sappy movies. (I actually cry more about sweet things than sad things, it totally confuses my boys!)  And I am completely unable to remember more than half of the things I should remember in a day.  hahaha.  (Someone really should have warned me about the memory loss!)  I know more cartoon characters names now than I did when I was a kid!  And I get excited over things like coupons and sales on bulk items.  hahaha.  I know what you are thinking.... it must be pretty cool to be me!  :)  And it totally is! I am a lucky lady!

My Mother's Day ROCKED!  Thanks to my Rock Star of a husband who took care of everything!  I didn't have to get anyone ready for church except me.  He even took Reagan to Priesthood so that I could relax a little during RS.  He cooked an amazing dinner... and even cleaned it up!  And I also got to take a nap.  (Which was documented with a cell phone picture that almost cost him an eyebrow in his sleep.)  But it was amazing! 

The boys made me the cutest cards.  And sang to me in Sacrament Meeting (Jackson got up with the Primary... Harrison sang to me from the pew. ;)  He's a little shy for the stand.), I love when they sing!  There was a lot of hugs and "I love you's" too! Reagan gave me lots of hugs and kisses, she has become so affectionate lately! (It's an amazing thing, a child being able to show you they love you!)  Best Gifts Ever!!!  I am a sucker for the sweetness!  :) And, as always, they gave me wonderful presents too!  

I love being a mother!  I love these kids!  I love their Dad!  I also love my mother very much!   Sometimes I desperately miss being able to sleep, eat and pee when ever I want... but I wouldn't have it any other way!  :) They are mine!  And I will love them forever!   I'm so grateful for every day I have with them and everything they teach me!  I would not be the person I am today if I wasn't their mom!

:)