Summer 2013 Reflection

The Summer of 2013 has shaped up to be one of my favorites yet!  Our little family created many memories that will last forever and I am glad to share my reflection with you!

It was exciting to have Lucas at the racetrack for the first time this Summer!  Montana brought him to Avon one night to watch our midgets race and he absolutely had a blast!  Imagine that- Lucas liking something with a motor that goes fast?!  :-)

Lucas also spent lots of time in firetrucks in parades this summer.  Grandma Missy and Bill let him ride and throw candy in many parades!

He spent lots of time playing in the park.  And just this week, he got his first big booboo... he fell off the merry-go-round at the Stronghurst Park and had a bloody nose and a scared mommy!  He picked up and brushed off pretty quickly, but his nose is pretty beat up still.  I'm sure that's just the first of many booboos with our fearless little man!

Lucas also spent lots of time this summer in the water.  We discovered that he is actually a fish!  At Kathy's pool, he jumps off the side and goes completely under the water, just to come up laughing.

This summer, we were also blessed by our wonderful family, friends, and community at our benefit.  Because of this event, we were able to pay off all of our medical and hospital bills to date and have savings to help cover my high insurance and future medical bills!  Thank you to everyone who donated, help plan, and came to lavish me with love and support! I love you all!!

In July, my family participated in Relay for Life, which was a heartwarming and special event for me this year!!  I felt so proud to take my "survivor's lap" with a dear friend of mine!

For Lucas' birthday, GT and Montana gave him the day of his dreams.  They took him to the "big TV show" (movie theater) to see Turbo.  GT even got him a Turbo poster to hang in his bedroom!  She said he was very content until his popcorn ran out... He definitely gets that from him Mama.  :-)

Lucas also celebrated his birthday by putting in his two pennies into the church offering during Sunday School, and cherishes his pencil they gave him!

Isn't my two-year-old just so handsome?!  Thank you to Kayla Smith for taking his two year pictures!

Summer 2013 has shaped up to be a wonderful summer, full of great times spent with family and friends!  Our family is so blessed and I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of 2013 has in store for us!

Our Family

Travis:
Thorough
Reliable
Adventurous
Veracious
Intelligent
Sarcastic

Alicia:
Approachable
Lively
Insightful
Cheerful
Inspirational
Agreeable

Lucas:
Lovable
Upbeat
Courageous
Active
Sociable

In 20 Years..

These are my hopes, dreams, desires, and prayers for our lives 20 years from now...

Lucas will be in college and will be a dedicated Christian man who treats women well.  Hopefully we would have adopted a daughter and raised her to know that we and her Heavenly Father love her dearly.  Travis and I will be 43 and living a healthy life.  Travis will be running his own auto body shop and I will be working in a position that serves our community.  Our beautiful puppy Daisy will have passed and although we will always love our first family dog, we will probably have another retriever.  We will be living in the country in our dream home that we built, with a racetrack in the big back yard.  We will be completely debt free and on our way to being millionaires when we retire, and giving to individuals who are less fortunate will be our normal. 

Easter Fun

We had three Easter celebrations this weekend and boy did we sleep well last night!  On Saturday, we spent the day with Travis' Moms' family at his Grandma's house.  We started the day by eating a quick lunch and attending the community egg hunt in town.  His cousin has four kids, so after the community egg hunt, we colored eggs and opened baskets.  Lucas stayed the night at his GT's (Grandma Treasa, but she doesn't like the 'G' word) house, while Travis and I froze at the first dirt race of the year! 

On Sunday, we woke up early for Sunrise service, had a potluck with our church family, then attended regular worship.  It was a fabulous and challenging sermon!  Then we went to Travis' Dads' side of the family.  We enjoyed looking at old pictures, searching for eggs, and ate WAY too much yummy food. 

To end our wonderful weekend, we had my family over on Sunday evening.  We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, opened Easter baskets, and played cards. 

All in all, it was a fantastic Easter weekend.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! 

Another Bawling Session...

So I heard another song today that brought me to tears.  Steven Curtis Chapman sings in his song "All I Want" about a little child who only wants a family for Christmas.  Powerful song!  Here are the lyrics:

Well I don’t know if you remember me or not
I’m one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me – I was standing off alone
I didn’t come and talk to you, ‘cause that’s never worked before
And you’ll prob’ly never see this letter anyway
But just in case there’s something you can do to help me out
I’ll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There’s so much I could ask for
But there’s just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Well I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it’s really true about that list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I’m really trying hard not to be bad
But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Well, maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I’ve heard
Sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There’s so much I could ask for
But there’s just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas

Is someone who’ll be there
To sing me “Happy Birthday”
For the next 100 years
And it’s OK if they’re not perfect
Well, even if they’re a little broken, that’s alright
‘Cause so am I

Well, I guess I should go
It’s almost time for bed
And maybe next time I write you
I’ll be at home

‘Cause all I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I’ll never be alone
Someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for
Well, there’s just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Just a family

That’s all I really need

Family Matters

Day 1: I called Aunt Molly on my way home from work last night and we had a short chat about Lucas, Christmas, the house, and work.  She is going to be at Mom's tomorrow, so we're going to go and visit her.  Lucas will enjoy seeing Aunt Mo and Uncle Andy!  :)

Day 2: I text Grandma Pence and Ed to see if they would like to come over one night next week for dinner.  They are coming either on Thursday or Friday!  I am excited to show them the new room and to just spend time with them!  Since they are farther away (but still close enough for distance to not be an excuse) we don't spend as much time with them as we should and would like to.  They are wonderful people and make us laugh, so I am aiming to get closer with them in 2012!

December Days of Devotion

I have the desire to use this Christmas-time to restore and deepen relationships, to encourage friends and family, and to be a better woman.  Therefore, I have developed the December Days of Devotion.  Each day in December, I will do a simple act in order to to accomplish this goal.  Here are my December Days of Devotion: 

Thursday, December 1: Call Aunt Molly just to say hi

Friday, December 2: Invite Pence’s to come over for dinner

Saturday, December 3: Text Alicia and set up a lunch date

Sunday, December 4: Go caroling with SCC

Monday, December 5: Write and send Rady’s a letter

Tuesday, December 6: Smile at everyone you see today

Wednesday, December 7: Send Dad a Christmas card

Thursday, December 8: Let Travis relax tonight

Friday, December 9: Tape candy canes to an ATM today

Saturday, December 10: Text Rachel and set a time to scrap together

Sunday, December 11: Send Mom a Christmas card

Monday, December 12: Spend all afternoon making gifts

Tuesday, December 13: Spend the morning hanging out with Danielle

Wednesday, December 14: Have a “Happy Birthday Jesus” party at church

Thursday, December 15: Give a candy cane to each operation backpack child

Friday, December 16: Spend the whole time playing with Josh after school

Saturday, December 17: Add a note of encouragement and appreciation to Grandma Pence’s Christmas gift

Sunday, December 18: Make cookies for FOCC board meeting

Monday, December 19: Write a letter to Bev Brent and give it to her

Tuesday, December 20: Go to Wyatt’s Christmas concert

Wednesday, December 21: Go visit an elderly neighbor

Thursday, December 22: Sleep in!

Friday, December 23: Read the Christmas story in the Bible

Saturday, December 24: Text Lyndsay and Ashley and tell them Merry Christmas

Sunday, December 25: Rub Travis’ head for awhile and give him a massage

Monday, December 26: Take the day off and enjoy some ‘me’ time

Tuesday, December 27: Make a trip to ‘Hopefully Yours’

Wednesday, December 28: Play with Lucas and his new toys

Thursday, December 29: Send a thank you

Friday, December 30: Spend 10 minutes in prayer today- write them if needed

Saturday, December 31: Wish 10 people a happy New Year through text

A Beautiful Autumn Day

Our photographer friend recently took our family pictures and I wanted to share some with you.  We had fun taking them and really enjoyed the beautiful autumn day!

30 Bags in 30 Days- May 2012

We set our family goals for the next year and in May, we have decided to do the "30 bags in 30 days challenge."  Our goal is to fill up a bag each day to de-clutter, clean, or organize our home.  We have made the list customized to our family.  Here it is:

 

1. Pantry
2. Utensil drawer in kitchen
3. Toys
4. Lucas’ dresser
5. Lucas’ closet
6. My closet 
7. Travis’ closet
8. Daisy’s fence
9. Fridge
10. Upstairs
11. Under kitchen sink
12. Bathroom closet
13. My car
14. Travis’ truck
15. Family Binder
16. Nightstands
17. Top of dressers
18. Desk
19. Garage
20. Upstairs
21. Pantry
22. Mail Pile
23. Yard
24. Bookshelf
25. CD’s/DVD’s/Video Games
26. Laundry Room
27. My dresser
28. Purse
29. Travis’ dresser
30. Clothes Hampers

Day 3 (on day 2... lol)

Challenge: A picture of you and your family

Although technically it's still the same day, I'm going to go ahead and blog about Day 3, because tomorrow is jam-packed!  :)  So.. I have SO much family that I could post about 10 pictures!  So I have narrowed it down to one of the Pence cousins (on the right) and one of me, mom, grandma, and Aunt Mo (on the left).  Although all of us are a bit crazy and have way too much fun, I know that I can rely on them in all circumstances.  When I consider the concept of 'family' it always takes me back to a quote I love; The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.  Loyalty.  Love.  Joy.  Family.