Where Does Time Go?!?

It has been so long since I have spent time checking in on everyone's blogs and writing my own! I began blogging because it's therapy to me to just sit down and type, then I thought it would be great to have one because I could keep up with what my family is doing thru the months!!! Well I have totally lost that battle but am hoping to get back in the groove of things.
Updates.......
It is now mid-February and I can't believe it! I know that before I can blink again I will have a 3 & 4 year old:( Speaking of.....
Beau is absolutely amazing!!! He is such a kind hearted and loving little man! He is currently having a blast by recognizing letters that he sees on signs that we pass when driving or picking up something around the house and telling us what they are! He loves to sing and dance but I would have to say above all and this goes for his sister as well they LOVE to play with each other! The two are inseparable and because of that it makes it a lot more easy for mommy:) It is a true blessing to get to sit back and watch the two of them love on each other! Beau's favorite thing of course is still tractors and making "roses on the floor or tracts in the dirt" He spends as much time in the barn with his daddy as possible! He loves to bake in the kitchen with mommy too!
Brooklynn is our Princess:) She has her daddy wrapped around her fingers to tight it can be pretty comical! She totally rules the roost and knows it! She LOVES to sing to Jesus and read her "Bible Stories" Dora the Explorer is hands down her favorite tv show and Hello Kitty is her favorite for everything else! She is a very bright little girl and keeps me on my toes as far as keeping her entertained! I don't have to physically be in her presence for her to enjoy things BUT I have to make sure I have activities ready for after naps etc!!!!
As for Levi and I all I can say is God is so Good and His blessings are amazing! Levi and I both committed to each other in this New Year that we would grow our relationship with our Lord and make sure He was put FIRST each day! It gives me goosebumps to see the Lord really working in Levi and seeing Him so evident in our daily lives! We serve an awesome God who loves us more than we deserve and I am in awe of Him!!! If we could get a few weeks of no rain things would be perfect for Levi and his farm! He has so much planting to get done and we just keep looking out for that bright shining SUN:) Just this week Levi purchased a new gun and the man could not be anymore excited as all the pieces come in! As you know just a plain gun isn't enough, have to have the scope, laser, silencer etc.... I am happy for Levi because other than BIG GREEN AND YELLOW OBJECTS I haven't ever seen him so excited about a toy so I hope this brings him some good fellowship with his cousin Andy and friends! Of course I'm not sure how often he'll get to sneak away without Beau attached but it's all good:)
As for me, several months ago I declared to my sister-in-law that 2010 was going to be my selfish year! Since getting married and having children I have become extremely involved in many things that was leaving no time for me and not much "enjoyed time" for my children! Time was flying by way too fast and I was beginning to get depressed on feeling stretched to thin. So my wonderful aunt Lisa sat down with me one day, asked me some HARD but TRUTHFUL questions that help me prioritize and get my life back into order. Since then I have been able to say NO to things without feeling guilty and realize when enough is enough! I have slowed down so much and I am so grateful the Lord has been so patient with me! I am now in my 6 month of working out and am beginning to dip my feet into the "eating right" phase so that my weight can hopefully begin to drop off! I have since working out lost over 14 inches and I'm only two sizes away from my goal! I work out with a trainer 3 days a week and take 3 zumba classes a week as well:) I have begun a Bible Study at the church on Sunday afternoons and doing these 3 things have been a blessing to my soul! This semester marks my last semester as coordinator for MOPS and although I love MOPS so much I am happy at the same time knowing that I will have an extra 10-15 hours back of my life on the weeks MOPS meets!!!!
Levi and I began a family tradition this Valentine's Day that we plan to continue as the children get older! We both "on our own" went out and bought the kids a Valentine Card along with a gift and then I took Beau out for dinner while Levi took Sisterbaby! I got to take Beau to Great China while Levi took Sister to Luby's. Those were the children's choices:) We then met up at the mall after dinner where Levi's surprised me and took the kids home and let me shop alone! I found two dresses and a few things for the kids so I felt super special and excited:)
Well here is my updated Blog:) Afraid to see how long it looks on the page! I hope to update each week so I can keep count of everything:)

My Children

I have been blessed recently by either being encouraged to read a specific Bible study or sent a story with Bible Verse attached that encourages being a stay at home mom. Twice this week I was completely blessed by it and reassured of what I'm doing as a stay at home mommy is right for me! I have several friends who are also stay at home moms that I thought would also be encouraged by this!
OUR LEGACY - PSALM 127 - Children are a heritage from the Lord
Quote for the study
"If we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family left behind would feel the loss for the rest of their lives. Why then do we invest so much in our work and so little in our children's lives?"
We can take time for our children and trust that the Lord will provide for all of our physical needs. Children, whether our own or those we disciple, are our lasting legacy - an investment we'll never regreat.
Although I never really had much time in my life "on my own" I have always carried a steady job since the age of 14 and made/managed my own money. When I became married and quickly got pregnant Levi and I decided I would drop the working part of my life and invest time into our children's lives! Easier said before hand! Sometimes I find myself wanting extra things to do because I don't feel like just being at home is satisfactory enough or fight the constant feeling of not accomplishing much or the just the grand thought of being a little independent! Thoughts of bringing in my own money again or just having extra cash in the pocket seem nice and FUN!
God has given me a clear vision that HOME is where I belong for now and day by day I am learning and seeing the blessings that come from it and will continue to come! Nothing is more important than the time Levi and I invest in Beau and Brooklynn's lives right now and I am grateful God has shown me this. I am also grateful that this story and verse were put in front of Levi and I to reflect on!
Blessings Everyone!

Productive Day

Today I decided to take my kids to JPS as "drop-ins" so that Veronica could do a good cleaning before Katie's Lingerie Shower Friday night. I ended up in Brownsville at Sams before 10am and that was my first time there without a child.. It was great to go up each aisle without having to say NO twenty times and I'm pretty sure I finished in record timing! Then it was back home where I planned to take a short nap before picking up the children.. BUT NO I decided to clean out the fridge, pantry, and all of the cabinets! I feel so Productive and then kids are still asleep! So not I'm treating myself to a Lifetime movie on the couch! I love how the smallest things gives me the greatest pleasure!

Dr. Appointments

Well not much has changed for my children as far as dr. check-ups go! Both children checked out fine, Brooklynn further along motor-skills wise then her age and she handled her shot like a piece of cake!
Brooklynn weighed 25 something pounds and don't remember the height
As for Beau will our little stumpy was 38.5 pounds and a hair over 3 feet!
Translation...... 95% in weight btwn 25-50% in height!!! God love his little body:) I wouldn't have it any other way...
We got the whole take his height and double it and use that as a marker for his height give or take an inch... so there is hope because that would mean he'd be 6 feet like his daddy!! Beau lucked out because the office was out of the shot he was supposed to get so that'll happen sometime in June...
I just thank the Lord for very Healthy children and that other than routine check-ups and shot we don't have to visit that place!!

TIME

This afternoon both children took a nap at the same time and I was able to have about an hour to myself! I chose to go outside and layout on a towel and read my Bible Study book! I of course got distracted by all that surrounds our backyard and what is in it! One of my most favorite creatures is a lady bug! No matter what day it was or where I was as a child I could always find a lady bug and I would run it to my mama as if it were a prize! She always would ask me what it was about lady bugs that made me so drawn to them... Who knows the answers I would give her... Well guess what was crawling all around me the ENTIRE time I was outside!!! Yep a fellow lady bug:) I just started laughing... If I'm honest I will say I watched the lady bug constantly for 20-30+ minutes. It was amazing to see it go from the bottom of one piece of grass crawl to the top, go down it crawl over to the next piece of grass and repeat the process for an exhausting half hour! I was tired just watching HER:)
So I decided to sit up and began to do a little reflection... TIME was on my mind! I started to think that lady bug is ME... Rarely do ever I have a moment of NOTHING to do... The only quiet time I give myself is when I'm spending time with God, which of course is the best time EVER, but I couldn't remember the last time I just "layed down" and concentrated on nothing, or enjoyed something as simple as a lady bug. I do give myself enough credit to know that things I do that keep me busy are positive things that benefit my family or someone else. Being a mommy of two babies I have let guilt override the right to have real ME. I tell myself that time for me will come when they get older and that they are focus for now... For example, Levi and I went to Vegas in January and I was completely miserable because I felt guilty for leaving my kids and didn't enjoy much. I spent more time looking at saved photos on levi's cell then I probably did talking to Levi and thats not a joke...
Anyway, after writing this long thought I decided today that without the guilt feeling I was going to give myself an hour a week of "NOTHING TIME" I imagine most of it will just be spent thanking God for being such a blessed girl, but none the less won't worry about the kids, think of school, worry about ministries etc... just me with me!! and I am so excited about it I decided to write a novel on my blog:) ha ha

The Garden Picker Winner

I have to say that I had no idea what all we were getting into when planting this rather LARGE garden in our backyard! It is quite a bit of work, but sooo worth it! Thanks to the garden our family gets to spend quality time with Andy and Jennifer and their two kiddos and we have the BEST time together! Levi and Andy are more brothers than cousins and Jennifer and I are soul sisters:) I have yet to see 4 kids play so well together when ours are out in the garden being kids!! Levi and I love getting to sit on our porch and just watch the kids be in amazement of the vegetables growing! Yesterday, I was inside fighting a major headache brought on by my son knocking me out with his BIG head... Beau was DYING to go out as we had not picked the garden yet (yes it is DAILY now) anyway, I told beau to go outside and pick the biggest squash/zucchini he could fine... I had no idea he would take me literally... Here is a picture of what my son brought to me ten minutes later... Daddy was so proud and I was on the floor laughing!

Easter!

Our family had a really wonderful Easter this year! It's getting better and better as the kids get older and understand the meanings and festivities!! The Burns family all went up to the ranch Thursday - Saturday to celebrate Easter together! I think this trip is going down in the books for everyone! It was so much fun and enjoyable!! The kids had a blast coloring easter eggs and then having a night hunt using their flash lights and the traditional hunt the next morning!!!

On Sunday we went to church of course where we got to witness my best friend's husband and youngest son get baptized!! What a special day for Jason and Sammy!

Then my family all met up for a DELICIOUS brunch at Magnolia Grille after church and we all went to the Villine's house to color more easter eggs and do another easter egg hunt!!! Here are some pictures over the weekend!