It started in December in our family. We always try to do a few service projects for those blessed people in our lives. It has been a wonderful tradition that has made the Christmas season a wonderful time in our home, and in our hearts. This past December came a letter for Ashley that is still hanging on the refrigerator today. It was a simple thank you letter that was heartfelt and beautiful. It was a simple, but a very meaningful thank you! Two words that seam so simple, yet can make someone feel so special. At dinner time every night we go around the table and talk about the best thing that happened to us that day. On the day Ashley got this special thank you note, she stated that it was the best thing that had happened to her that day. I thought about that for a few days, and was so thankful to that friend that sent the letter to her. After all it lifted Ashley up, gave her some confidence, and just plain made her feel good about herself.
So I decided I would try to say thank you more often. It started at work with a beautiful 7 yr. old girl who was terrified of the dentist. It took a couple of appointments to get her through what should have taken 1 appointment. However, with some patience and love she finally did it. I sent her a simple thank you note. One week later her mother called and said that she took the note to school for show-and-tell because she was so proud of it. I was in shock! How could a simple thank you note mean so much to someone? Then I sat down on a recent lunch break to read the latest issue of Readers Digest. In the back was a touching story about how those same words....Thank You, changed his life! You should read the story if you have a moment, it's beautiful. But those 2 words helped him see the blessings in his life, when there were so many problems that he was dealing with. And so it is a new year, and a special challenge has been set upon my heart......to find the opportunities to say THANK YOU!
Because I have been truly blessed in my life. I want to say THANK YOU to my Heavenly Father for each and every blessing that he has blessed me with. I will find the opportunities to say Thank You whenever possible this year, and hopefully it will change my life also!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A Grandfather remembered, a Grandmother treasured!
Our grandfather passed away this last week, and I just want to share a few thoughts about him as I remember the man that he was. I met him almost 16 years ago shortly after I met Matthew. One of the first things that I remember about him was the GREAT love that he had for grandma. He loved her so much and did so many kind and loving things to show her that love everyday. After we met he showed those same kindnesses and love to me. I was pregnant with Ashley at the time, and had purchased a crib for $10.00 at a yard sale. You could barely call it a crib for it didn't look like much more then a pile of wood. MY grandfather took that "pile of wood" home and created a BEAUTIFUL masterpiece for Ashley. I loved that crib so much, and marveled at how he made it out of so little. Yet it seemed that he could do that with everything that he touched. He was the hardest working man I have ever met. He had the same touch with people, especially with children, and with the most important person to him, my grandmother. 
My prayer is that Matt and I might someday have the love that these wonderful grandparents have had toward each other!
We have been blessed by their unconditional love for each one of our children. I have marveled in the fact that in their eye's our children could do no wrong. Grandpa would stare at our children for hours watching their every move, or laugh, and wiping their tears away. He is gone for a time, but his memory is engraved in our hearts!
Grandfather
I met him many years ago,
a wonderful man with a gentle soul.
He touched my life in many ways,
with his tender heart and loving gaze.
His love came freely, with no thought of reward,
and he lived everyday to make it home to his LORD!
The place in my heart that holds his sweet thoughts,
will always be remembered and never forgot.
The stories he shared, and his hard working days,
I'll treasure them always as I live everyday.
I'll pass on those memories to the ones that I love,
and I'm sure Grandpa will be telling those same stories above.
The LORD needed him home in that wonderful place,
and someday I'll meet you there and look upon your face.
And when I do I'll hug you tight,
and I'll kiss your cheeks with all my might.
I'll look at your face and once again find,
the man I knew before, the Heavenly kind!
I love you Grandpa!
Melinda Bailey
Saturday, September 11, 2010
OVERWHELMED
You know when you are just going CRAZY with a hundred things to do, and you feel that you are being pulled in every direction? Well that's how I feel, just plain OVERWHELMED!!! I just don't know how my parents raised 8 children without going crazy!! Wait..........they are CRAZY (Ha Ha Ha)!! Oh the things to look forward to in life. I have these 4 BEAUTIFUL children who mean everything to me, and yet I feel that I just can't meet all of their needs and Matt's. This last week has been so busy as we have had testing for Dayton and Andrew all week. They are scoring low in several different areas that need to be addressed at home and in preschool. They start back up next week with a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and their preschool teacher. Andrew loves going, Dayton on the other hand has a hard time at first, and then gets better after a little while. I think he is just sick of doing so many tests! Kelsey just entered 4th grade and got my friend for a teacher (Mrs. Zweifel), she is so excited to be in her class, and she already knows her so she feels so comfortable. She also just started back up in dance which she loves. Talk about having to much on my plate......we had back to school night, and I had gotten off work late. I called home to tell Kelsey to be ready right when I got home so we could get her back pack loaded up and get her hair done. Well when I had pulled in the driveway, Ashley had done her hair, and gotten all of her school supplies together for me. She looked so cute! Ashley also did the same for her first class of dance. I was at work and Ashley sent her off to dance with a cute little hairstyle that she made up. These girls don't get along well most of the time, so I hope that Kelsey can always remember these moments. Ashley turns 14 in 2 weeks! This is really hard for me to accept. I keep trying to think of cute birthday party ideas....but I just can't think of what 14 yr. old girls do at birthday parties. I am trying to hold on to the little girl in her, but feel her slipping away. She keeps asking funny questions like....... Mom, how do talk to boys? (Facebook and text has changed the way teenagers talk to each other), and I don't get these things, so I am not much help! Ashley has her first real crush on a boy at school. Matt is dying inside when I tell him these things! In fact they are really hard for me also, but we all go through them. Matt starts his 2nd semester of the nursing program on Monday, which means that he will be busy, busy, busy! Our lives are crazy right now, with so much on my plate to make our household run smoothly, I feel like I am running in all different directions. But just writing down my thoughts has made me feel so much better. I know that I am OVERWHELMED, but I guess I wouldn't change a thing! You know what the say about idle hands right? I would be getting myself into a lot of trouble!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Dayton and Andrew's 4th Birthday
Dayton and Andrew turned 4 this month! I can hardly believe that they are little boys now. Our lives changed so much the day we found out we were expecting twins. I have always felt so blessed to have them. They are all BOY now. They love super hero's, especially Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. They never stop playing, and rest is hard to come by for both of them. They rarely sit down and watch a movie, or want to read a book. They run and play all day long, making up their own games, and all of their own FUN! They keep us going all of the time. Andrew has turned into a little trouble maker. If you don't know where he is, you better find out FAST! The last week alone he gave us the gift of a new purple toilet, purple bathtub, and purple iron with fingernail polish. He was the ring leader in getting Tyler, and Dayton in tearing out every single game in the game closet. You couldn't even see the floor up stairs. It took us three hours to clean the mess up. He is trouble, but he is also sooooo loving! He can shower you with lots of hugs and kisses! Dayton is EASY going and funny man! He say's the CUTEST things and can make you laugh, he can be such a stinker at times though. Especially when he doesn't get his way. Kelsey is both of their buddies, and they love and adore her soooo much! They love Ashley too, but Kelsey is amazingly fun! I remember the day the boys were born, how blessed I felt! As I look back over the last four years, I can only say that I have lived a life full of love, and joy for I have been truly BLESSED by all of my children. Happy Birthday Dayton and Andrew, thank you for blessing our family with your sweet little spirits.
Dayton and Andrews 4th Birthday Party!
It's amazing that we are 4 yrs. old now!
I made these SUPERMAN costumes with some help from my friends Nancy and Melissa, and
my sister Terri for their birthday gift. They turned out awsome, and the boys love them! They
make great SUPER HERO'S!
Here is a flashback of one of my favorite pictures when the boys were 10 months old!
Dayton and Andrews 4th Birthday Party!
This was the first pinada that I had made for the boys, we tried to do spiderman colors. It took us a long time to do it, but it was a lot of fun! The boys sure had fun hitting it also. We made it sturdy, so it took a while to break!
The little ones had fun on the slip-n-slide!
Dayton and Andrews 4th Birthday Party!
Even the adults had some fun times!
This was the neighbors pool that everyone had so much fun in!
Dayton and Andrews 4th Birthday Party!
Dayton thought the water was to cold!
You can tell how cold the water was by Andrews reaction!
Dayton and Andrews 4th Birthday Party!
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