Valentine Surprise!

This Valentine's Day was probably one of the most memorable ones for us. We decided to surprise our families and fly out to Missouri. Thanks again Delta :) It was a blast!

Things didn't go quite as planned...they went better! Our flight out of Florida was delayed so we missed our connecting flight and ended up getting to spend 5 hours in the Atlanta airport. We had so much fun there. It was like a really fun family day out. We went to eat at Chili's, we grabbed some dessert, we spent lots of time walking and talking and seeing all there is to see in that airport. FYI- Terminal E has a huge food court where a lady plays really good songs on the piano.

We also enjoyed our share of laughs. The airport security rides Segways.

We couldn't help but laugh when we saw someone ride by on what we called the "ghetto version" of a segway. Of course, we had to get a pic.

We first surprised my mom. We spent the night at her house and the next day. Then, on Valentine's night we crashed Rich's family party. The look on everyone's face was priceless. Of course, my hands were full so I didn't get any pics. Can't wait to see the pics that Becca took with her awesome, new camera (hint, hint). Rich went home the next morning and I stayed at my mom's for a couple more days. Tons of fun!

Maya decided that she just had to have a taste of Grandma's apple. She fought for it.

She finally got a little lick. Shame on her.

Then my rebellious nephew whipped out the tattoos. He got a little carried away.

He even "rubbed off" on Aidan! Get it?

Then, before I knew it, my little angel was tattooed behind my back! Rudy, you are busted!
Aidan got to spend a lot of time with his cousin, Josalynn. They are just 4 months apart and have so much fun together. They are the best of friends. They look so much alike too! In some of these pics they look like they could be twins, if it weren't for her blond, curly hair. We love and miss you Josy!

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day with those that you love!

The Mayonaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Growing too fast...

Feels like just yesterday he was my little baby. Today was a pretty big deal both for me and Aidan. He went to nursery at church for the very first time. Rich and I have looked forward to this day since Maya was born. Church has been... difficult, to say the least. Aidan is so active and needs to constantly be running around and playing, so trying to keep him in one spot for 3 hours has proven to be impossible. In 2 weeks he will be 18 months old but we thought we would try it out a little early.
We went in with him and hung around for a little while and then left. We stood outside the door watching him through this tiny window in the door. He seemed to be doing ok so we left. About 5 minutes later I felt like I should check on him. I walked into the hall and immediately a lady said, "They are looking for you." So I ran to the nursery and Aidan had tears streaming down his cheeks :( The nursery leader said that he was just having a hard time. He was so happy to see me. I had hoped that he would love nursery right away but when he didn't I was actually really happy. It made me feel like he still loved and needed me. That was short lived. I took him back about 20 minutes later, during snack time, and he loved it. I peeked in on him about every 10 minutes and he was doing just fine.
As soon as church got out I rushed to the nursery to get him. He was playing and when he saw me he hopped up and came to me. He missed me. I'm so sad that he is growing up but at the same time it is making my life so much easier.

Mommy!

This is my mom. There are a million reasons why I love her, but here are just a few.

I love my mom because she has always been there to point me in the right direction. As you can see, I have always been a little stubborn and wanted to go my own way. But life has taught me that my mom is ALMOST always right.

I love my mom because I think she did an awesome job raising my brother, my sister and me all by herself! What a big job and personally I think she did it well. I think we all turned out ok. Right? A few things that I am grateful that my mom taught me are the importance of an education, family, good work ethic, accountability and self-reliance.
Look at what a hottie she is in this picture. Hubba, hubba!

I just really like this picture because I think she looks so cute in her adorable little dress. It's sad to admit but I don't really have a sense of fashion. My mom on the other hand has tons of cute clothes. She loves to find great deals on great clothes. Mom, you are so cute!

I love my mom because she is so much fun! She is playful and just lots of fun to be around. All of her grand babies love her because grandma always plays with them.

One of her favorite past-times is feeding her grand babies. She loves to sneak them food that sometimes they are not supposed to have, when you are not looking. No baby will ever go hungry around my mom.

If there is anything that is true about my mom it is that she LOVES her grand babies. Every single one of them is her best friend. My nephews live next door and are always asking if they can go to grandma's house and they beg to spend the night.

I think my mom is hilarious and the absolute best. She has a great sense of humor and these are just a few reasons why my mom is so great. I love you mommy!