My son, the donkey...My daughter, the angel...

So, of all the animal choices for the Church children's program that Cooper could choose from: sheep, cows, camel or donkey, he chose, you guessed it the donkey. I admit the donkey plays a key role in the Christmas story for without the donkey how would Mary and Joseph have gotten to Bethlehem? The donkey plays a very important role in many Bible stories and carried many kings. So the donkey is not so bad, that is of course unless you dress your son in a shirt that says "Classic Boxing". Little did I know or think at the time that this shirt chosen at the last minute would cause such a chuckle to erupt throughout dress rehearsal (note the picture). Thank goodness it was not actual performance day. Sometimes when we least expect it, oxymoron's appear and sometimes really are true. I'm not saying my son is a donkey, but his actions at times sure do appear as such. In turn he did a great job in the actual performance, not mentioning the pouting face, the constant standing up and walking around the hay barrel, the spitting at the cow next to him, the fist he received in the face and the punch he threw back. Gotta love little kids in performances, it truly brings laughter and excitement.

In controversy to the donkey, my Harleigh was an angel, and not just any angel, the angel that told Mary and the shepherds the good news. Until to them a child is born, unto them a son is given. She was beautiful and did such a fabulous job at whispering into the ears of the others. What can I say she truly is an angel!

The Christmas season brings such joy and laughter. Times of reflecting on the blessings in our lives. We are so beyond blessed this year and I am so grateful to a God who loves and provides for us. He is so faithful!

Moxie Tegan

Our newest addition has arrived in the form of a Russian Tortoise. Growing up I was privileged enough to have a dad who was always bringing home turtles and tortoises for my sister and I to play with, though you can't really play, at least you can follow them around as they crawl and explore. Now, I get the privilege of giving my children the same excitement. Although, I do believe I am much more excited than they are. So now, another amendment to our family which now consists of Jason, Tara, Maison, Harleigh, Cooper, Spikey, Scout, Moxie, Hermie, Diego, Santa and Motor, not to mention an adopted manatee named Lily. Woo Hoo! Jason said we should just get some sheep and goats for the backyard, though I am tempted I will pass for now, though the rabbits at the feed store today sure were cute. LOL!

Halloween Pictures

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Harvest Time

So I haven't been blogging for a while and with the little nudge from Mere, here I am. I spent the day with my little Cooper shopping around for fall decorations and finishing touches for Harleigh's Halloween Costume. We then made it home, picked up Maison, Harleigh got home and we did some Pumpkin Carving. We had such a great time. We then went outside and set the pumpkin up on the front porch with it's painted brother and little flowers. Jason surprised me this weekend with some lovely greenery for the front yard. It looks so great! Thanks babe. We spent yesterday at the Harvest Festival at Mosaic and had such fun, hay ride, rock climbing, crafts, family pictures, food, horse back riding and candy diving, plus much much more. Meredith and I then went on a 17 mile bike ride. I got the feel of my new bike and Mere and I both seemed to be dragging. I definitely enjoy riding first thing in the morning much better than after a long day on my feet. Since I have been blogging we have had two family birthday's and I ran in another race. Cooper turned 4 and Jason turned 39. Coop's day was quiet and quite enjoyable with him opening gifts, lunch out and relaxing here at the house. Jay on the other hand spent his mountain biking with his new bike. He had a blast. I had a lot of fun in my second 5k this year. Ran the Ocoee Founder's Day race with Michelle and Meredith. Meredith ranked 2nd in her age group and Michelle was 4th. I was still suffering from shin splints even after purchasing another new pair of shoes and came in 7th in my age group. I also ran with a girl who was running in her first race ever and had just quit smoking a month before. It was great to cheer her on and finish with her. During this month, Maison had her first Choir Recital, got her eyebrows waxed for the first time, had her phone eaten up by Scout and attended her first Lock In at Church. I got some bangs. The girls and my mom and I went to see High School Musical 3. Jason took Cooper to the Golf Range for the first time. We have been busy! Life has been so much fun and we are going crazy as usual. Loving life and enjoying the blessings that God has been sending our way! (I must say this picture just about explains it all, taken on Jason's birthday at Maison's Choir Recital.)

Komen Race for the Cure

Wow, what an experience. I had a blast, though the morning started off a little rough. Trying to get the family out the door by 6:30 did not work very well. So much for just having to get myself ready. They all seem to want Mom to do something for them. I suppose in a few years they won't need me at all, so I am treasuring it while it lasts. We got there, I got my chip and met up with the girls, my sister, Melissa, my best friend, Michelle and my great friend, Meredith. We took off to the corral, waiting patiently for the start. Finally the horn blew and off we went. My goal was to stay under 45 minutes as I have been suffering from intense shin splints and thought I might have to walk most of it. After running the first 1/2 mile I walked the rest of the first then ran most of the next 2. I finished at about 38:26. Not bad for my first 5k in over a year. I loved the experience and it is great to have been able to participate in something so prevalent in women. I pray that a cure is found long before my little ladies have to worry about the possibility of breast cancer. We are the cure and early detection is the best. So Feel your Boobies!

Now I am addicted to the run. Next one is scheduled for the 18th. I'm looking forward to improving my time and getting down to at least a 10 minute mile. I'm icing the shins, stretching and hoping the injury is quickly resolved. New shoes, inserts and some ibuprofen seem to be working.

So once again today I take time to reflect on decisions of my past and the choices I am making for the future. Wondering once again where God is leading me and what He has in store for me. In the meantime I search for my passion, listen to great music and dream of the possibilities for the future.

Insight

Wow, am I exhausted. What a fun and exciting weekend. Planning Prom at Mosaic for all the adults was incredible. It turned out to be an amazing time and looked fantastic. I do believe that Cooper is finally over his recovery. If only we could recover his attitude we would be in great shape. Something happened and it better undo itself or I am not sure what I am going to do. Praying that 4 is a much better and calm year for Cooper than 3 ever thought of being.

It amazes me that we are almost in the month of October. Where has the time gone and what have I done to better myself this year? I have been reflecting and making promises to myself as to what I want to accomplish for me. Still working on figuring out my passion and just where God is leading me. I am knowing that I still have much growth needed for me to get to where I need to be. Growth in my relationship with Him, with my spouse, my kids, my friends and the rest of my family. Each day brings new insight into what little idiosyncrasies I have in my life and what issues I need to work on and through. I revel each day in knowing that God will carry me through and bring me to a much better place than where I might be today or where I might be at this moment. Each day is a journey and I am working on living each one with new inspiration and a new vision as to what is to be. We never know where God is going to lead us, or what impact our lives may have on those we come in contact with, so I am choosing to relish those thoughts that my life has made a difference and continues to make a difference in the contacts I reach on a daily basis.

My Sister

Hey there everyone, just wanted to let you know that if you go to My Blog List and hit the J. Crew Aficionada, FFM, Fabulous Florida Mommy is my sister, Melissa. Also, if you type FFM in the search blog box in the top left corner, it will go straight to her thread. She has always had such a flair for fashion and this is the perfect way for her to let her fashion juices flow. Great job Melissa!

Hillary Clinton Thongs

Too funny. Maison informed me tonight of the reason Hillary Clinton is no longer in the Presidential Race. She started putting her name on thongs. Needless to say I got quite the laugh. Gotta love the words of information from a pre-teen. How I wish it were that easy to get someone out of the race!

Grateful

You know rarely do I sit and ponder the greatness in my life. I tend to have many "woe is me" moments and today faired to be consistant with that method. I then spoke with a beautiful friend of mine, Shane, who reminded me that there are so many things in life to be grateful for: health, family, love, friendships and most importantly the relationship I share with Jesus. What would I do if it weren't for Him? If you have the answer to that question, let me know. So many times I think of what I want, what I need and what would make me happy, when in truth it is what God wants for me that truly matters. Time will bring forth what His true plan for me is, and I am anxious for that outcome. In the meantime I am going to count my blessings and continue to reflect and allow God to guide me in the direction I need to go. Find something to be grateful for today, even the little things in life (of which I find of upmost importance) are significant when all other things look gloomy.

Walking

Today I didn't get to cycle. What a bummer, up half the night with Little Mr. High Maitenance. You know I am preparing myself already for the fact that his future wife is not going to like me very much. I am creating and nurturing quite the little monster. Of course, he does say I am his princess, so that can work on my side. I walked today, as you can tell in the picture. (I've got my old smile going, notice the tounge. I've worked and worked on removing that image from my pictures.) We have a five mile blocked radius that surrounds our neighborhood, to the elementary school and back around past Publix. The weather was beautiful out and I enjoyed the peace of listening to my ipod without interuption. I ran a little but basically walked, it is my favorite activity. I then spent lunch with my husband, and went shopping with my bestest, Michelle. Bought myself an adorable little dress and some new earrings, what more could a girl ask for? Lots, but I'll get into that another time. It was a beautiful day for many reasons and I am thankful.

Cycling

Getting excited for another day of cycling. Every Saturday, early on the trail riding with some of the best girl friends anyone could ask for. Been uping our distance, last week about 26 miles, wanting to do 50 at Christmas. We are on a roll!

The Chicks

So I realized I have been talking a lot about my challenge. I decided I would take some time to familiarize you with my chicks, Maison and Harleigh. They are both such incredible little ladies. It always amazes me just how much they care and love me and the rest of the family. As I laid in bed today exhausted from the many times I was awoken in the middle of the night by Cooper, my little chicks crawled in bed with me. First of all let me say, I love my bed, and by love I mean to the deepest degree, I could and do spend hours there. So me and the chicks are laying in bed, saying nothing, but sharing moments in life that will never return. It was incredible. I pray that when they grow up that is one of the things the remember doing with me, laying, silent, soaking in the warmth of love that surrounds the three of us. Maison, God bless her is having such a hard time with her school schedule. She has to get up at 6:30 and not only is it too early for me, it is much too early for her. Who would have thought my little girl who from day one has woken up early would now have to be up early and be having problems with it. Harleigh is just a bundle of activity. She has been called Hurricane Harleigh cause you always, always know where she has been. She has enough activity balled up inside of her that if she gave me just a little bit, I might have enough energy to run versus jog the three miles I am training for. Anyway, they are both so incredible and joyful and loving. I relish in each moment with them, the moments pass much too quickly and unfortunately I will never get them back. Take time to love and cherish each moment you have with those that mean the most to you.

Surgery Day

So today was surgery day and we had Cooper at the Surgical Center at 7:00. We played in the pre-op room for about an hour before they took him back. It was a long hours wait, but Cooper is so strong and brave he did great! Coming out of anesthesia was a little tough and he needed two nurses to hold him down. Always has been a fighter. We were home by 10:00 and he and I took a nap. The afternoon posed to be a little tough as Cooper was a little cranky, but after waking up from an evening nap, he had a house full of guests: Nannie, Poppie, Maison, Harleigh, Mark, Rachel and his best friend Devin, which put him in a great mood. He received gifts and had fun playing with his new Spiderman motorcycle from Nan and Pop. The life saver today has been the Fla-vor-ice popsicles from The Rosser's (thank you Meredith)! Also got some great cups from them as well. Cooper is on popsicle number 11, as of now. What a great day of many blessings, lots of love and well wishes, texts, emails, cards, a delicious meal and phone calls. I am so grateful!

Update

So, my little guy is having surgery on Weds. the 17th. What a whirlwind. I guess that is what my life is about, everything hits at once, then times of calm. Huge breakthrough today, I have lost 7 pounds, woohoo! How exciting! I am working today on convincing myself of what I already know, that God has it all under control and already figured out and taken care of, it is that surrender thing again (thanks Mere), for pointing it out to me. Anyway, I am excited about the weekend, cycling, getting my young peeps ready for homecoming and spending time with my family.

My Little Boy, the Challenge.

So today I woke up and went to nudge my little guy who seems to have sleep apnea, he was limp. I freaked out in a very calm manner and finally he caught his breath. After an appointment with the pediatrician he is now scheduled to go to the ENT. He has enlarged tonsils which the pediatrician believes is the reason for the apnea. Please pray that Cooper will sleep calmly through the night and that his dad and I do as well. I know that God is in charge and my little man is going to be just fine, but it still worries me. date as time moves on. Our appointment for the ENT is scheduled for Thursday so I will know more then.

Long Day...

Today, long day. Period, long day. Still hasn't ended. Busy day planning a party for 200. Dealing with a crybaby, a moody preteen and an emotional elementary student. What is all that? Sleep, right now I need sleep. Let me talk about emotions. I am learning to try and not let them get the best of me. I see how they effect others, my kids, my animals and most of all me. It is late and today has been long. Period, long day.

Bright side, enough complaining. I was able to bless someone else today. What an amazing feeling being able to give. I pray that by touching these lives, they in turn can touch someone else. It is that crazy little puzzle of life. What do they call it 6 degrees of separation. I've blessed and in turn, probably by some connection will be blessed by the same person 5 degrees back. Think about that, in turn are you just blessing yourself?

Running...

Yay, tonight I ran (okay jogged) two and a half whole miles. I am quite proud of myself. I stink, I'm sweaty, I'm sore, but it feels good. I love the push you feel inside when you accomplish something you didn't think you could. Not to mention great conversation with a fabulous friend was on the list tonight as well. It never ceases to amaze me when God uses moments, moments of unexpectedness, to bring forth new light and ideas. I am going to work on surrendering, surrendering it all to the one and only, my Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ.

This is Me...

I'm Tara, plain and simple. Or not so simple depending on who you ask. Wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. I enjoy laying out in the sun, laughing, taking self portraits, walking, exercise, spending time with friends, sushi, hanging out with the family and just being me. I have a new love of running, swimming and cycling. I also greatly enjoy learning God's ultimate plan for my life and just where He has me headed. Everyday in my home is an adventure. My two chicks, Maison (11) and Harleigh (8) are enough girl for any home. My challenge, Cooper (3), is the "GOLDEN BOY" I never thought I'd have or want. All three are such a blessing and inspiration. My husband, Jason, has been by my side in the craziness we call life for 12 years now. In addition to our children, we have two dogs: Scout and Spikey, four hermit crabs: Hermie, Stripes, Santa and Diego and one fish: Motor. I am currently a stay at home mom that travels daily getting kids to and from their needed destinations. My car is my second home and at this moment looks like it. I'm a little OCD, a slight bit competitive, much more chill than I was just 4 years ago (thank you Coop) and from what my friends have nicknamed me, quite the queen. I have been known to go by T, TaraJ, Barbie and currently Sheba. I am trying to enjoy each day and find pleasure and joy in the little things and the big things that come my way. I am a work in training, clay in the potter's hand, a blank canvas with God as my artist. Journey with me as I learn each day more of who I am. Love to all.