Keeping my purpose firm....

I am sick of all the hate.

I am over all the petty ridiculous feelings we as humans tend to nonchalantly just throw out to each other.

Not everyone in this free world is going to get along. People need to suck it up and realize that. Does that mean we need to throw harsh words to these people? Talk behind their backs? Give them dirty looks or just stare them down daring them to say anything?

NO.

People need to start coming to their own conclussions about others in this world. I am so sick of the people that aren't going to like someone else because so and so doesn't like them, or jealousies about other friendships these people may have to someone they are close to.

People need to grow up and realize NO one has any right to dislike anyone else just by something someone has said about that person. No one has any good reason to dislike someone by a look they were given, they have no idea what that person is going through at that moment. They have no idea if that is just "their look". It doesn't matter.

We all should have been taught to treat others the way you yourself want treated. That should always mean that unless someone personally gave you a reason not to like them then that is your choice whether you should continue to associate with them. It doesn't mean you have to belittle that person, it doesn't mean you should feel the need to call that person names or remind yourself why you don't like them. It means that you respect yourself enough to walk away from something that YOU know for a fact (it wasn't a story told to you, it wasn't peer pressured onto you, it wasn't brainwashed into you) is not what you believe or is not what you want to spend your quality time with.

It is your choice. But I want everyone to be sure that your choice whole heartedly 100% came from YOU.

Your thoughts. Your experiences. Your associations.

I will admit, I have made these choices that were not 100% mine.
I will admit, I have made poor judgements against people I did not personally know by their "attitude" or their "intimidating tendencies" and God somehow turned it around to MAKE me personally know them and they are great people that I love.
I will admit I have been told by several of my friends that I was one of those attitudey or intimidating people to some of my friends, and I have been told personally that at first they really didn't know what to think of me. I have been there, done that.
I will admit, I will probably be there and do that again, but I hope by this turn around I so badly want to see happen to many of the people of the world I myself will say "What the hell am I doing?" and smile, nod or give a hello often to those people. You never know where a good friend may be waiting in the wings just for the perfect opportunity to approach.

It has been a hard several days to so many I know. I have teared up more often than I can count. I have had horrible "what if" thoughts. I have taken significantly longer looks at a certain house that we drive by everyday, looked longingly at a wooden platform of a skater. Thought thoughts about never seeing that skater out in his driveway or on his porch just being the kid he was. I have thought about our oldest not ever being able to see one of his greatest friends again. I have thought how if this is hurting me as much as it is, how it has to be hurting our boy so much more. I have wondered if he can really handle it. I have wondered how his family is getting by each day. Each minute. Each passing hour. It hurts. It hurts to know and hear that so many people loved this boy and how they are all saying he never knew an enemy or had a hateful word to say about anyone. And he is gone. In the blink of an eye. I think of how great of a kid he had to have been and wonder why people, this world, has to be without someone with such a heart for everything and everyone, no matter who or what you were.

It makes me think.
It makes me wonder.
It makes me rethink.

I am sorry for judging anyone falsely. I am sorry for saying rude hateful things about people that I really don't know. From now on I am going to live like everyone can be my friend. Like everyone is each others friend. I am done with the hate. I am done with the negative thoughts.

From now on I judge who is my friend. My thoughts. My experiences. My heart.

Petty ridiculous nonsense needs to go by the wayside. In your home life and in your social life. It's useless. It's hurtful. It doesn't really make us who we are. Who we were meant to be.

You never know what you're missing if you close your heart or your mind.
You  never know who you're missing....

I don't want to miss another minute of my life being rude. I want to be happy and calm and appreciative of everyone and everything.

I hate that I didn't "see it" before now....

ISAIAH 26:3 For you, Lord give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.

The one with the NEW glasses....

Thursday night our Noah was lying on the couch with me watching a movie, I noticed he sat up from the lying down position, then a few scenes later he scooted closer to the tv, he then got up all together and sat on the floor in front of the tv, meanwhile saying "I can't see to good." You know what that automatically means, a call to the eye doctor.

I called our family eye doctor the next morning, they told me I could get him in that day but Noah was taking ISAT's at school so I didn't want to disrupt that, so we set the appointment for 1pm Monday.

Noah talked about his appointment allllll weekend. Mentioned only a couple times about not being able to see. As a parent, you begin to wonder if there really is a problem because if they can't see you'd think they would complain about it constantly. But, the whole thing is, they don't really know they can't see. They improvise. Just as our Noah has been doing.

I knew he preferred to sitting in front of the tv. I didn't think it was because of not being able to see, just thought it was a preference. He's always preferred to sit in front of the tv. It's not like he's smack dab planted right in front, he's just in the "area"..unbeknownst to me, it was for a reason. Which he made perfectly clear Thursday. Thank goodness.

Today was our appointment.
Noah was thrilled.
Excited.
Very talkative.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of him in the chair (I forgot my real camera). He looked and sounded so grown up. I always get so nervous for him, and then he just proves to me each and every time that he is not a baby and can converse and listen to adults at very important times. Makes me proud to see it. Very proud.

He is 20/40 in the left and 20/50 in the right. I was told "You are raising a near-sighted child", my response was "I might as well, I have 2 others at home". I was also told that his vision will probably get worse in the next 6 months...ugh.

He tried on 3 pairs of glasses, on his second pair he stated for the whole eye clinic to hear "Now this is what I'm talkin' 'bout..." The doctor had to go to the nearest wall to help keep himself upright. That boy is something else.

Appointment at 1pm today (Monday)

Introducing our Noah, the "near-sighted child" at 2:45 today...the exact same day!!!

Isn't he just the most handsomest little boy?!?

Love him so very much and I'm so very proud of the boy he is...most of the time ;)

Sweetheart Swirl and Valentine's Day

The weekend before Valentine's Day was the annual Sweetheart Swirl for Mady's High School. The theme this year was Candyland Ball. Cute, huh?!

Every summer when yard sales are in full swing we always scope out all the dresses everyone is selling. We can usually find her size pretty easily and we are very lucky to actually find some really cute dresses at awesome prices! We are SUPER lucky that our daughter is not "too good" for yard sale, goodwill or other for sale sites. Did I mention SUPER LUCKY?

She found this school years Homecoming and Swirl dress at the same yard same for a whopping $7 a piece. Seven Bucks!!! After looking at these dresses and the perfect condition they were in I actually felt horrible that these folks were asking such a low price for them. I came right out and asked them if they were sure this was the correct price and didn't they want more for these dresses. The Dad said "HECK NO!! Get those out of here, our daughter wore them now she's done. Don't you know that's how it works???" Alrighty then, we will take them!!! That was the easiest dress shopping experience, eva!

Mady was thrilled. She loved them both!

A few pics of getting her hair did....

No, that is not my mother doing her hair back there.  Even though I totally thought "What is Mom doing back there, was she even here that day?!" GAH!

My hands were glued together with hairspray by the time that style was complete =)

Our beautiful Mady Moo

Some more pictures before we head out to supper. We all went as a well rounded, fully adjusted happy family =) She wanted it that way. It was a nice time. We even had an extra person thrown in there, our nephew Clair <3

Nick, Noah and Mady

Awwwww......

Love this one.

Big Daddy is not much for the zoom feature on my camera...

Nick, Noah and Clair

Self portrait on the way to restaurant...

Me and Mady before she heads to the dance.

She had a great time dancing the night away and hanging with her peeps.

**************************

Next up is Valentine's Day.

While I was cooking supper,  Noah and Big Daddy made his Valentine's Day box and  it turned out super cute. Loved listening to them trying to figure it out and put it all together <3

The above picture is Noah's box, specifically made to order ;)
The below picture is the kids' gifts they came home to on Valentine's Day... nothing fantastic, just a little something to show them that we love them.

Okay, right here..let's pretend there is about 7 pictures of Noah's school Valentine's Day party.

That I deleted.

On accident.

Delete All? it asked...why yes please I pushed.

I cried about 2 crocodile tears.

Then told myself to slow down, quit being so rammy and that there were worse things in life that could happen.



Mady went out on a "date" with a boy, who is out of school and heading to Basic in April. *gasp* Nothing romantical, he is just one of her good friends. She had never been to BWW before *gasp again* so he wanted to give her the experience and Valentine's Day was a great excuse =)

Big Daddy and I had our Valentine's Day date while the younger kids were in school and the older was sleeping the day away.  We had lunch together and then went shopping. For clothes, for each other! Which he can't stand and gets sooooo very tired and cranky when he has to accompany anyone clothes shopping. It now seems Valentine's Day is a different story. We had the most fun shopping together, on the way home he reached over and rubbed my leg and said "I had such a good time with you today." Awwww...I lubba him, a whole bunches.

I mean really, WHAT is NOT to love?!? Hubba hubba....