Day 4 - James

My 4th day of being grateful is dedicated to my youngest miracle. He brings so much joy and love to our little family.

His arrival was heavily anticipated since Jim and I got married, but it took years and months of patience and faith before I finally got pregnant. I was on provera and clomid for ten months before I got pregnant! I even had blood work done to see if I was ovulating and when the tests came back negative I sank into despair. Ten months and no baby, the doctors told us that they could no longer help us; that we'd have to go to a specialist. However, two weeks later I took a pregnancy test and to our surprise it was positive! Jim and I were elated!

Jim loves Kevin as his own but he has always wanted to have a child of his own; and James is Jim's mini me. Not only does James look exactly like his dad's baby pictures but he definitely has his personality too!

He has no fear of heights, he loves water, he loves the cats (one of his first words was Luna; Kevin's cat), he loves learning, and is very smart as well as very loving. He is the other piece of my heart!

I love hearing him playing with his older brother, giggling, singing along to the radio, and his mispronunciation of words. All the things that make him James ❤

He is the youngest grandchild on my parent's side and he is always asking to see his grandma, Kalib, and Hayley. (Yeah, we go over there a lot). I'm very family oriented and I love that James is too. He loves spending time with his family! Whether it be playing games, swimming, going for a walk, or watching a movie. He's a very sweet little boy and I'm so grateful I'm his mom! He brightens up my dark days and I know that Jim feels the same way! I really love watching them fall asleep snuggled together and playing together ❤

We all love you, James! Thanks for being a part of our family ❤ You and your brother are everything to us ❤

Again I hope this reminds you, everyone, that children are a blessing. A wonderful miracle! And I'm so grateful for both of mine ❤ They each have taught me so much about parenting and patience. I would be lost without my miracles!

He's our water baby ❤

He loves being with the big kids

Loves his big brother ❤

Loves swimming ❤

Sleeping with Luna and Cloud

Day 3 - My Hubby ❤

I'm grateful for my husband ❤ He works hard so that I can stay home with our boys ❤ Sometimes, more often than not, he works 6 days a week.

He is selfless to a fault. Always willing to help out his fellow coworkers, family, and friends. He's helped both families with car problems, he installed a light fixture in my sister's house, he helped repair my parents oven, and he helped lay down wooden floors at my sister's house as well.

I love my husband because he is beyond patient and sensitive with me, as well as our children. He gives us his time, he consoles us in our time of need. He never puts us down, only builds us up.

He helps with homework, with meltdowns, with projects, he helps around the house, and is very handy when our appliances are broken or being troublesome.

I'm grateful for my husband because he is my best friend. We hardly ever argue and if we do it's resolved in the same day. He listens to what I say and what I don't say. Sometimes he knows my thoughts and feelings before I have time to express them.

His love is the purest love I've ever known. He loves our children and he loves me. No matter how crazy I can be he's always on my side. He calls me just because, he holds my hand, and enjoys watching shows with me. It's really the little things I love about him.

I love that he thinks of me throughout the day, he worries about me and his children, he calls throughout the day, he's funny, he's quirky, and mine ❤

I don't know how I got so lucky ❤ When I'm feeling sorry for myself I tell him "I don't know how you put up with me", to which he replies "I don't; I love you". Our children and I are so blessed to have him in our lives! He understands, he doesn't judge, and I know I can count on him to be there for us, always.

He was my best friend in high school, but now he is much more than that! He is the father of our children, he's a great example to our kids, giving them an example of what a man and father should be. He's my lover, the smile I wear as I think of him, he calms my mind, and soothes my soul. He's a great example of what a husband should be!

I know I'm being cheesy and mushy but it's hard not to be when you talk about true love. He brings out the best in me and I like to think I bring out the best in him as well. I never really truly understood what real love was until he came along and we followed our hearts.

I love you, dear husband! Thanks for giving us a chance all those years ago! It's hard to think that in just a few months we'll be celebrating our 6th year anniversary! I feel so blessed to be your wife and the mother of your children! You're someone I am proud to be with, someone I am never embarrassed to be with, and always someone fun to hang out with ❤

Thank you so much for being you! I appreciate your understanding, your patience, and that you love me for who I am and never trying to change me. ❤ I love you, hubby ❤ I hope we have many years together and much to celebrate through the years 💋 You are everything to me and our boys 💋

Kevin says, "You are a great dad! Even though sometimes I get frustrated with you."  Whenever you call James always wants to talk to you to tell you he loves you and to give you a kiss. That's because you're an awesome dad 😉 The three of us are so lucky to have you in our lives! We love you, Jim Bob ❤💋

So to the readers I hope that you have someone who loves you unconditionally and selflessly. Someone to be thankful for who brightens up your bad days and makes your good days even better by just being there. Love is a wonderful thing! When it's true it heals, it understands, it's patient, and never condemns. It brings out the best you that you can be and brings joy to your life. I never realized how lost I was until I found you, Jim ❤ Thank you for being the light in the darkness ❤💋

Day 2 - Kevin

I am thankful for my oldest son. He is my mini me. He's careful, he's loving, he's smart, funny, and kind. He's all the best traits of my ex and I combined ❤ He makes me proud each and every day. I am so thankful that he's my son.

I know I keep saying that he transformed me into a better person and it's true. I was miserable before him. I was a cutter, I had no self esteem, and my life was a big self pity fest. However, the moment that I held him I knew that he needed me forever and would love me unconditionally so it made me want to change. I didn't want to be the miserable person I was. I wanted to change myself for my son. Who knew that my anchor would be so small?

I'm not saying he's perfect because no one is but he's the best kid a mom could ask for; both my boys are, in my completely biased opinion. Kevin is caring and sensitive, always has been. My earliest memories of him talking were when I had the stomach flu and he said "I'm sorry you hurt". Then on his first day of VPK he asked me if my heart was going to him because his was going to miss me. Yeah, you can bet that tugged on my heart strings. ❤

He also loves to make people feel better, whether it be with a hug, kind words, or a joke. He loves making up his own jokes. One of them was "what did a pencil learn at his karate class? His signature move." The newest one is "what's the difference between a boy snowman and a girl snowman? Snow balls". Yep, that's my son.

He has always been smart too. He recognized letters when he was 3 and could spell by the time he was 4. Jim's grandparents got him a surprise a "c-a-r"; to which Kevin exclaimed, "You got me a car!" So much for spelling it out and keeping it a secret!

He is my heart's song, one of the three pieces that makes up my heart. I want the best for him and will do everything I can so that he has a fun childhood and has everything he needs/wants so that he is happy, feels safe and loved. He is without a doubt one of my favorite people ❤

In closing I'm going to share the thing from Facebook that you ask your kids to answer about you. I did this a year ago and even now when I'm feeling blue I reread it and it always makes me smile. I love you, Kevin. I hope this post makes everyone smile and reminds them just how special and wonderful their child/children are.

Kevin age 10

1. What is something Mom always says to you?
Feed your cats

2. What makes Mom happy?
When I hug her.

3. What makes Mom sad?
Thinking of me or James alone.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Her attitude of awesomeness.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
I don't know

6. How old is your mom?
29.

7. How tall is your mom?
Taller than me... For now.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Being with me, James, Jim, Luna, and Garfield

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Watch TV

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
It'll be for awesomeness.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Laughing.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Video games

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Take care of James

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Chicken

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
When she cooks stroganoff

16. If your mom were a character, who would she be?
Phoebe

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We love each other

19. How are you and your mom different?
She looks after James and I really don't want to.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because of her smile.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
You like that you two have things in common

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Wherever I am.

23. How old was your mom when you were born?
18. No! 20.

Day 1 - The Big Bang Theory

In a world where there's much to be depressed and stressed about, there is also much to be happy and thankful for. My hubby and I have started watching The Big Bang Theory and we love it! It makes a lot of references to Star Trek, which I don't know anything about aside from the main characters are Spock and James T. Kirk, however, the show also has funny, quirky, lovable, and relatable characters. So I've decided that every day for a month I'd share something that makes me happy. Today it's The Big Bang Theory and the lyrics that Howard sings to Bernadette.

If I didn't have you life would be blue,
I'd be Doctor Who without the Tardis,
A candle without a wick,
A Watson without a Crick,
I'd be one of my outfits without a dick-ey,
I'd be cheese without the Mac,
[Steve] Jobs without the Wozniak,
I'd be solving exponential equations that use bases not found on your calculator,
Making it much harder to crack.

I'd be an atom without a bomb,
A dot without the com,
And I'd probably still live with my mom,
(All echo: and he'd probably still live with his mom)

Ever since I met you you turned my world around,
You've supported all my dreams and all my hopes,
You're like Uranium-235 and I'm Uranium-238,
Almost inseparable isotopes.

I couldn't have imagined how good my life would get,
From the moment that I met you, Bernadette

If I didn't have you life would be dreary,
I'd be string theory without any string,
I'd be a binary code without a one,
A cathode ray tube without an electron gun,
I'd be 'Firefly', 'Buffy', and 'Avengers' without Joss Whedon,
I'd speak a lot more Klingon
[Speaks Klingon]
All: And he'd definitely still live with his mom

Ever since I met you you've turned my world around,
You're my best friend and my lover,
We're like changing electric and magnetic fields;
You can't have one without the other

I couldn't have imagined how good my life would get,
From the moment that I met you, Bernadette

All: Oh, we couldn't have imagined how good our lives would get,
From the moment that we met you, Bernadette

I chose this show because it's one that Jim and I enjoy to watch together and I love the song because I'm a hopeless romantic. I hope that everyone has something that makes them laugh in this crazy, chaotic, wonderful world ❤

Bernadette's song in case you want to watch Howard sing to Bernadette, here's the link ;)

Happy Belated Birthday

I know I'm way late writing something for my husband's birthday, but I told myself I wouldn't write anything. We celebrated with family and friends, adults only, because the kids went to Hayley's birthday party. We watched Deadpool, played old NES games and his new X-Men game, had birthday cake, and then launched fireworks. It really was a lot of fun! Much more than I expected.

I really didn't get him anything for his birthday. I felt bad but I did get him a few gifts for Father's Day. Jim really appreciates the thought but doesn't need presents to know I love him. He knows this as we express it freely daily, weekly, and whenever we can.

He calls on his way home to tell me, to talk about our days, and to say "I love you". We say it before going to sleep and when we wake up in the morning. I am very touchy feely and I love that he is too. He never pushes me off or gets annoyed. He just pulls me closer to him and welcomes it.

We talk about anything and everything. He knows of my past, all aspects of it, and how I come with baggage but he not only accepts it, he tries his best to understand it, and be there for me.

There's not enough words to express how grateful I am for my husband, my best friend, my soulmate. He is everything to me and infinitely more. So I decided to break my promise to myself and write a blog for my husband to remind him how much he means to me. How happy I am to have him in my life! To have him sleep by my side at night and raise our children together! He is everything and more that I have ever looked for in a husband! I love you, Jim ❤ You and the boys are the pieces to my heart! Thank you for being you and for never giving up on me! For always fighting for us and for wanting to be the father of our kids ❤ I love you so much!

I heard a quote from A Walk to Remember that came from the bible and I want to share it with you; "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes." Call me a hopeless romantic but when I heard this quote I thought of us. We don't put one another down, we build each other up, we comfort one another, and if the other makes a mistake we try to understand instead of ridicule. Our love really is one from a fairy tale. You are everything I love and proud of ❤ Thank you for being mine ❤ I hope we have many more years together and many more birthdays and holidays to celebrate together! ❤ I love you, Jim ❤

Happy 33rd Birthday, hubby ❤

My cousin, Julius ❤

Happy Belated Father's Day

I know I'm late but I want to say Happy Father's Day to my two favorite dads! They are everything to me!

"Dadda" was my first word, my first love, and forever the yardstick I measured my future boyfriends against. See I always knew my dad's love was unconditional and I loved how he talked to my siblings and I. He treated us all like we were his favorite, he still does. He never forgets a birthday, an anniversary, and never misses a recital or a baptism. He baptized each of my siblings, including myself, he baptized all his grandchildren, except Kevin; and he has always managed to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. He does what's needed to make his children and grandchildren safe. In a world where morals and standards are disappearing I'm grateful for Ronald Erwin Fish. He has taught me everything that I needed to know to look for in a respectable husband and I'm grateful for that as well as his unconditional love, support, talks, prayers, and late ice cream runs; and breakfast runs after my blood work at Lab Corp.

Jim, the first day I met you I was in awe at how easy it was to talk to you. Usually I'm socially awkward and I don't make friends easily because no one can follow my train of thought but our trains have always been on the same track. You have never talked down to me or made me feel anything less than perfect. After 7 years of being together you still make me feel very loved and like I'm the luckiest woman in the world. You still read my mind, we finish each others sentences, and long for the end of the day when we're all home together; when we can watch movies, play games, and just enjoy each other's company.

I love you for everything that you are and for everything that you do for our boys. I appreciate your hard work so that we can have food on our table, pay bills, and live in a nice house. I appreciate you so much and so does Kevin and James. You have always been there for them! Whether it be paying for something, taking us to Disney, making dinner, seeing Kevin through a meltdown, or surprising Kevin at his Spring Performance! I know he loves and appreciates you too! Thank you for your unconditional love and support for not only me but also my son! I know it hasn't always been easy but I want you to know that we appreciate you and we love you more than we could ever put into words. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I'm so grateful to be your wife! I hope you had a great Father's Day! And I hope you did too, Daddo! I love you both very much!

His Father's Day shirt

Such a daddy's boy ❤

Matching shirts ❤

My dad with his youngest
grandson

My parents when my dad retired in '94

Goodbye Elementary Years

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. Kevin graduates from elementary school and will be going to middle school in the Fall. I've seen him really come out of his shell these past few years and make new friends as he became more comfortable with who he is ❤ I love this boy so much ❤ He makes me proud each and every day ❤ I really hope these next seven years go a lot slower ❤ I love you, Kevo ❤ I hope you love Middle School and it's everything you wish it to be ❤

First day of Kindergarten

Last day of Kindergarten with his
teacher, Mrs. Brown

First day of First grade

Kevin and Oliver; Snoopy and Charlie
Brown; Winter performance

Graduated from 2nd grade

Kevin's LegoLand field trip; 3rd grade

The Scarecrow and Tin Man in their
3rd grade Wizard of Oz performance

At the end of 3rd grade

First day of 4th grade

His project on our favorite professional dancer

First day of 5th grade

Ski instructor for Winter
Performance

Kevin and Nick after Spring
Performance

5th grade Science Fair

Kevin with Ms. Drager

Nathan, Zane, and Kevin;
5th grade field trip to Sea World

Last day of 5th grade

So goodbye elementary school years... At least until James starts Kindergarten in two years.