With this "wing"...

On this day, 13 years ago, I married my best friend. It was a cold day in December with gray skies and a threat for snow. I didn't care. My heart was full of excitement and indescribable love.

Surrounded by our closet friends and family we united as man and wife. Our candlelit ceremony was perfect and simple. As I stood before my soon-to-be husband, I realized that my life was blessed beyond measure.

During the vows, Skip was so nervous that he accidentally said, "with this wing." Then very subtly flapped his elbows in an attempt to lighten the mood. When it was my turn, I didn't want Skip to feel silly by misspeaking. So what did I do? Never to be outdone, I said, "with this wing" and I flapped my arms. Only not so subtly.

In hindsight, I wish I would have realized that THIS WAS MY MOMENT and not flapped like a chicken on the day that I had been dreaming about since I was five. Because the truth is, no one heard Skip's blunder. EVERYONE heard mine. I have a big mouth and very flappy arms. Apparently.

My favorite emotion is laughter through tears. That is what I will take away from our wedding. Laughter mixed with tears of joy.

Skip makes me laugh...everyday. I love that about our marriage. Even in times of stress, we always find the laughter. I will admit sometimes the laughter is on my behalf. I am still the loudest and the flappiest.

I love you, Skip. I still can't believe God chose you for me.

I don't deserve you...

We Give Thanks.

Here it is December 1st. November has passed by with barely a whisper. It seems like (and I am VERY guilty of this) that Christmas really overshadows such a special month. I admit that I started decorating the beginning of November, partly due to time issues more than sentiment.

I would be neglectful if I didn't give Thanksgiving it's due respect. We had a wonderful and simple day. My beloved Gramps passed away just days before this Thanksgiving. We were flooded with family and friends for most of the week. By the time Thanksgiving came around it was just a small gathering. I think all of us needed that day to heal and let our memories settle. It was a beautiful day.

This year, I am most thankful for family. I am in awe at how God works His perfect timing. Last year at during Thanksgiving, we were a family of four with the promise of a new birth. This year, our family of five is so complete and full that it just thrills my heart. I am most thankful to God for providing for us in this way.

My cup overflows...

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Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I hope you all had a special day celebrating family and togetherness!

Fifth.

I am SOOOO mad at myself for running late on this post. I promised myself that I would stay current with Wingman's growth this first year.

OY! The guilt.

Well, here goes. Just 12 days late.

This month brought many firsts for Wingman. Here is the first time in his Excersaucer. This has become one of his favorite places to play these days! The funny thing is getting the older kids out of it so he can play. When he is in the excersaucer, Z-Man and Loulabelle include him when they play Star-W*ars. Guess who he plays? R2-D2.

Wingman with Papa. Who can help but snuggle that sweet, fuzzy baby?
I just love his soft, chubby feet.

Excuse me while I stare at this picture for an hour or five...

This has been an incredible month. So many smiles, so many laughs, so many hugs. He is learning how to sit. His favorite game to play is Peek-A-Boo! When his brother or sister walk in the room he starts to yell for them. I am so in love with this baby!

Thank you, Lord for adding him to our family.

The fog.

It is silly that I should feel obligated to such a little thing like this blog. I think about it several times a day and wonder if anyone is offended by my lack of posting. I imagine all my cyber friends wondering where I have been and feeling like they have been dumped.

This guilt is a really sick thing going on in my head these days!

But honestly, I am still here. In a daze...a fog.

Here is the best way I know how to describe the last few months.

"It was hot. I had a baby. Now it's cold and I don't know much in between. "

There have been birthdays and deaths, laughter and tears. All very blog-worthy. But I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I am still here...doing my best to keep all the plates spinning.

Bear with me. I love you all.

And to quote Arnold, "I'll be baaaack."

Yada, Yada, Yada, October.

Hi. My name is Janelle.

I have a blog. There was a time that I loved to update often, almost daily.

Then came baby 3 and all of life turned topsy-turvy. So in hopes that I don't loose all my loyal friends, I need to review the month of October. It was a big one...birthday, birthday, Halloween, and more birthday.

But I must warn you...

Unless you are family, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. It's all pictures, albeit cute ones but may be as boring as Uncle Frank's slideshow of his trip to Tennessee. If you are a relative, sorry. There is no getting out of this one.

Just pull up a chair and sit awhile.

Do you remember the purple hands? This is why. Our little Loulabelle turned 5 and she desperately wanted a bowling party. I said tea party, she said bowling. Tea? No, mom. Bowling!! To put a spin on it, we did a 70s Groovy Bowling Party.

Our Lou. What a firecracker she is. From day one, she has had a spunk about her that we adore. She kept us on our toes in the early days. I had never heard so much crying, crying and more crying. So much crying! Nowadays, the crying has been replaced with laughter and silliness.

My kids. I love them and am so proud that I get to be their GROOOOVY mom. Whether they think so, or not!

My lollipop girl!

What is better than a blue Slug Bug? A blue Slug Bug made out of chocolate!!

The bowling was fun. I loved watching all the little ones bounce their ball down the lane. They were so cute!

The Tie-Dyed cuties!

The next day was Preschool Helper day and we celebrated some more! This time we had KK donuts. They were yummy. One little boy in her class kept saying, "This is the best bagel I have ever eaten!"

The one thing she wanted for her birthday was an American Girl doll. She named her Hannah. It stood to reason that Hannah needed to celebrate her birthday, too!

Happy Halloween, Great Pumpkin! This in one pumpkin I could eat up!Little stroller action! Look out, next year!

Padme and the Clone Trooper had to join us. I wonder if there are any Reese's in that bag?

That about sums up the night for him. No candy, no walking, no tricks. Just fingers.

Happy Birthday to ME!! Good friends joined me in celebrating at the local BBQ joint. Good friends, greasy burger, ranch dressing and funny stories. HEAVEN!

And a surprise Banana Foster, to boot. I have never had one of these treats. IT WAS AWESOME!

Spoiled me rotten!

Photo bomb!

These girls are amazing. I love each and every one of them. They are all so special to me, my husband and my kids. I love this town!

If only I would have known to stop smiling!

The most exciting part of the night was a late showing of High School Musical 3. You can tell who my REAL friends are in this picture. Surprising that the whole group didn't want to go!! It wasn't ONE BIT CORNY! I had tears and I will defend that to the death!

So, yada, yada, yada this is October. Actually just the last week of October. I am still catching my breath! I promise not to stay away for all of November. I won't make you suffer through that again!

Love you all!

Quiz.

Why are my hands purple?

A. I'm super cold and my hands are suffering from an extreme case of frostbite.

B. I am slowly turning into Larry Boy to impress my boyfriend.

C. I have a mysterious skin disease and I will soon be a walking rainbow.

D. I have spent the day tie-dyeing an elephant.

Well, maybe not an elephant. Just 20 shirts for a retro, groovy 70's bowling party. The darn gloves they give you are completely useless. I gave up trying to be neat during the first shirt.

But you know what? She is totally worth it!

A HUGE THANKS!!!

A huge overdue thanks to a sweet blogger who passed on an award to little ole me. Isn't is a pretty one, too? Thank you , Nicole for such a fun surprise (and thank you for being patient while I figured out how to post this pic!)


Go and visit her at Sanity check, one two... It doesn't look like life is dull around her house!

Here are the steps to passing this award on to much more deserving bloggers. I need to tell you 6 things about myself that you don't already know. Then pick someone to share it with.

1. I should be doing something else right now. Otherwise known as chores.

2. My dog eats socks.

3. I have freakishly thick glasses. Thank goodness for modern technology that can widdle those down to notsofreakish width.

4. I sunburn easily.

5. I really dislike decorating for Christmas. !!GASP!! I know some of your hearts just stopped beating on that one. I like it when it's done but despise the process. Don't judge me.

6. In my head, I am convinced I am 27.

Now for the fun part! I get to pass this cute little award on to someone much more deserving. There are so many to choose from. I love you all! Keep blogging because we have such a neat community around here!

But for this award, I am going to choose one.

I pick Bee at Will Blog for Shoes! Her hair alone would sell that blog! And her kids are cute!!