How Much is Enough?

I find myself asking myself so often lately, "Am I giving my kids enough?" Are they getting enough healthy food to eat? Are they getting enough extra curricular opportunities? Enough time with their friends? Enough discipline? Most importantly, enough love? I think the last 2 are the most difficult to balance. With 3 kids, it feels like my days are full of instruction an correction which sometimes leaves very little room for patience and love. My nerves get so burnt out with all the girl drama, fights, and temper tantrums that I find myself at the end of the day wondering if I took the time I should to just love on my kids. Did I really engage them in anything simply to show them how awesome I think they are? I just pray that God equips me and protects them from my imperfections...and I pray that above all they can say one day that they had enough love.

Lucky Number 7

Oh my...What a month February has been. My baby turned 7. No, really. Seven years old. She had her very first slumber party, which I must say was amazing. Twelve screaming, wild girls, 6 hours sleep, 2 back up moms, and a cake later I survived. I let her have a slumber party because I remember my first slumber party and I really cherish that. I wound up graduating with those girls and was able to look back on that sweet video of our first grade slumber party. So, as nerve wrecking as it was, I wanted to give that experience to my daughter. Before I even scheduled the party, I asked Krystle to come help me. I had to have the party on a night when Chris was at work due to his short patience with other people's children. Krystle was so awesome. She ran and got pizza, served, cleaned up...anything I needed. Also, Megan came and helped. She was our disciplinarian. I'm usually a stern mom, but these kids had me so overwhelmed, I needed someone to step in and crack the whip. Megan was that lady. At one point we heard loud crazy banging upstairs and Megan came down with an armload of contraband.

My sweet girl chose this year to ask for donations for Mustard Seed Ranch instead of birthday gifts. She wound up getting $75.00 and bought the kids nail polishes, sweatpants, a football, and 2 wireless PlayStation 2 remotes. I thought that was very selfless for a 7 year old.

Maria Hillis made the cake. It was really cute.

The guest list included: Madison Sisco, Sarah Beth Briggs, Kaitlyn Livingston, Kenry Malone, Tessa Briggs, Kylee Morison, Emma Brown, Birthday Girl, Aleia Craig, Zayra, and Alli Mullican.

Here we go

So, here I am, starting a blog. Who am I and what in the world of interest do I possibly have to say? Wife, daughter, mother, friend, disciple of Christ...I wear many hats. I have a part time job, husband, 3 kids of my own and a teenage stepdaughter. We have struggles and failures and victories with a lot of laughs and tears along the way. I may never make this blog public. Heck, I don't even know how to make it public or private! So, for right now I am going to assume it's private and write from my heart about all the things near and dear to my heart.