The Best of 2008

I saw this idea on a new friend's blog. I loved it, so here's mine.

The Best of 2008

1. Elizabeth moving into her big girl bed.

2. Baking Valentine's cookies and delivering them to Elizabeth's (and my) friends.

3. Will being born!

4. Dedicating Will to the Lord on Father's Day.

5. A summer at home getting used to having 2 kids.

6. Going to Disneyland with a two year old.

7. Celebrating the 4th of July with my little firecrackers!

8. Potty training Elizabeth!

9. Enrolling Elizabeth in dance class and watching her become a part of a class.

10. Watching my husband live out his lifelong dream of coaching on the floor of Pauley Pavilion.

11. Planning and throwing a huge surprise 40th birthday party for my husband! Happy Birthday Babe!

12. Celebrating Thanksgiving with family from near and far.

13. Watching my kids get into Christmas.

14. Going for walks with my kids.

15. Watching God continue to work in myself, my marriage, and my family.

All glory to our Heavenly Father for a wonderful 2008. Despite the difficult times that so many of us are experiencing, He is good and able to do far beyond what our minds could ever imagine. Here's to a fabulous 2009!

P.S. I apologize for the formatting on this post. I've tried for an hour now to fix it, but I just can't get it right. Oh well. Enjoy the maze!

If you give a man a bottle of tea...

Have you read those children's books entitled If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or If You Give a Pig a Pancake? Well, here is my version...also entitled What I Spent My Morning Doing.

If you give a man a bottle of tea, he's going to want it chilled.

So he'll put it in the freezer to chill quickly.

But then he'll forget about it.

And in the morning he'll find that the bottle has exploded in the freezer!

So then he'll try to clean it up (I really did appreciate that, Honey.)

Finally, he will come to you and tell you what has happened.

And then you'll go into the kitchen to inspect things for yourself.

You'll see that he has done a decent job of cleaning up, but that there are still some glass particles in the freezer.

So you'll grab a sponge and try to reach them.

But then you'll realize that you can't reach them because the freezer door doesn't open all the way because of the sliding glass door.

So you'll have to pull the refrigerator out so that you can open the freezer door all the way and clean up the mess from the exploded tea bottle.

While the refrigerator is pulled out, you'll look behind it and notice that the floor is extremely dusty (that would be six years of extremely dusty!)

So you'll get out the vaccuum and the mop and the 409 and clean it up until it is perfectly clean (because the Monica in you can't not let you do that!)

And then you'll push the refrigerator back in and try to remember what it is that started this whole mess.

Oh yeah, if you give a man a bottle of tea...

Vacation!!!

Tonight I start my Christmas vacation. Tomorrow I will sleep in (at least until the kids wake me up), eat a leisurely breakfast (without worrying about spilling it while driving), play "Princess" with my daughter and her new Little People castle, and nurse my son whenever he wants (instead of listening to the pump drone on). Tomorrow I will not rush, I will not stress, I will simply enjoy being a stay at home mommy, at least for a few weeks. Tonight I start my Christmas vacation. And tonight I return to my blog. Welcome back to me!

My Little Oski Bear

Six months old! Wow! Where did the time go? Didn't I just have a baby? I can't believe how much I love him, and how much my heart has expanded to love him just as much as I love Elizabeth. I'll post about her tomorrow, but for now, let me brag about my boy.

My Kids

These are my kids. There are no words to describe the love I feel for them. It is endless, boundless, and beautiful. I never knew I could feel so much love inside of me. They are amazing, and I am so very proud of them.

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above." James 1:17

Cinderella

My two year old's new favorite song is a new one by Steven Curtis Chapman. She asks for it by name when we get in the car ("Listen Cinderella please") and then we listen to it over and over again until we have reached our destination ("Listen Cinderella again please.") I don't mind because, as those of you who know me, I love any song by Steven Curtis Chapman, and the words to this song are so precious. It's the musings of a father, watching his little girl play the part of Cinderella. Although burdened with the worries of adult life, he decides to dance with her, knowing that this moment won't be here forever. Here is the chorus:

So, I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

For I know something the prince never knew

I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song

For all too soon, the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

As I watch my little Cinderella dance around the room while I nurse her brother, I treasure this time with her. She is so spirited, so excited about life, and so free to be herself. She reminds me that fairy tales do come true.

It's a Boy!

To all of my blog viewers,

A belated birth announcement

Michael William Liskey III (AKA Will)

Born April 4, 2008

8 lbs. 12 oz.

20.5 inches long

Here are some photos of the now one-month old! Enjoy!