Christmas JOY

WOW! What a wonderful Christmas we had! It was awesome! So much fun with friends and family.

I believe Christmas and JOY go hand in hand. All holidays are special in their own way. For some reason though Christmas is a little extra special. We feel JOY in celebrating and reJOYcing in the birth of our Savior! We find JOY in giving special gifts to those we love. We see JOY in our children's eyes on Christmas morning.
JOYfulness is felt throughout the day when you see and spend time with those you love.

I enJOY the fact that our Christmas doesn't end on Christmas day. We spend the entire week reliving Christmas moments with family and friends we don't get the pleasure of seeing on Christmas day. We were able to host our SEVENTH "Christmas" breakfast for Jer's family and on New Years we will have Christmas with my dad. So much fun!

We had a snowstorm the night after Christmas which brings so much enJOYment to our girls!
Despite some car issues this week we were able to look on the bright side of things...that even though it happened it was great that it happened while Jer's dad (who is a mechanic) was here visiting!

I hope you were able to find the JOY this Christmas with your family!

Fall into JOY

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. So sorry! Where did October go? Can anyone tell me? Please?!? One minute it was back to school and now we are 23 days away from Thanksgiving! What gives?
We had a month of JOYful happenings! October is a great month; don't you think? You can do so many things. It's not OVERLY hot (although there were some hot ones this month!), the nights are cooler, the scenery everywhere is just beautiful. How could you not feel the JOY during the fall?
We started out our month with visits to our local firehouses. The girls really enJOYed both open houses. We went pumpkin and apple picking with the cousins. Went on our annual Williamsburg vacation with the Campagna side of the family. Within the past few days enJOYed some Halloween festivities.
I am so thankful for my beautiful family and all the good times we had together these past weeks. This is my hubby's favorite season and I am so glad he has been able to enJOY it with us.
Check out our pictures from this lovely month and my next post will be posted much sooner than later!

JOY in Back to School?!?

My oldest daughter now has two days in first grade under her belt! She is learning to adjust to a new teacher and new students. The hardest part for her is not knowing all the kids in her class. She does enJOY morning meeting and lunch though!

It's hard for me to let my baby girl go. I love having her around!
I know that Abi enJOY's having momma all to herself during the school day. I feel that today she noticed Anna was gone alot longer. She said, "Anna school?", at least five times throughout the day! Hard to explain to a two year old what's going on at times.

Once the year gets under way the four of us will adjust to the daily routine.  
I must admit it brings pride and JOY to my heart when I get to witness
all the things my sweet six year old learns! I love hearing her talk about her day to us and others.

JOY in back to school is watching your child spread their wings, learn new things, and the smile on their face when they see you at the end of their school day!!!!

August JOY

Wow! Where has this month gone? August has been absolutely insane but has also been absolutely fun too! We started the month out celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with our girls who bring the JOY to our family!
Anna had a fun time taking her cousins to Six Flags for their first time. We had a great, hot day riding rides and eating!

Jerry and I went the following week to Baltimore for a little JOY trip to reconnect and have fun. It was a blast and made us realize we want to do that more often...we realize that won't happen but it was nice to dream.
We've spent alot of time at the pool that Jerry is working at. Anna was able to get her "band" which allows her to swim in the big pool ALL BY HERSELF! Watching Anna accomplish so many little things this summer at the pool has brought me much JOY and pride.
We took our girls to the aquarium and Rainforest Cafe'. Seeing their faces throughout that day was so enJOYable and made me smile.
We also were able to go with family to the Safari at GA and had an awesome time together!Jer and I attended a wedding for a colleague of his which was so much fun. Whenever we go to a wedding (which isn't very often) it reminds us of the vows we took and the love we have for each other in a special way. I must say weddings bring JOY!
Last but certainly not least (we do have SIX more days!) we were able to spend time with friends and family out to dinner the other night. It was nice to get together as adults, no kids, and just enJOY one anothers company.
All in all August has been a JOYous month filled with lots and lots of fun! We are sad to see it come to an end but excited to see the JOY ahead of us in September!

Summer JOY

Over the past month or so I've had a case of the missing husband blues. My hubby took a job at a swim club for the summer. In June he worked every Saturday and since then we have seen him on Sunday's. He is also working at a school in Northeast Philly doing a PE summer course. It's tough to go from teacher hours to basically 80 hours a week of work. I am grateful that he has work this summer because we both said we didn't want another summer like last year where there was no work and no money. It's just extremely tough to be without him.
My girls are having a hard time not seeing him. They are both daddy's girls and they miss seeing him every day.

The JOY in all this is we are definitly learning how to make the time we DO see him much more special. We are learning to enJOY having breakfast twice a week together since every other night he is working and we miss dinner with him.
The girls and I are finding new things to do during the day. We do get to spend time at the pool where he will pop over to the baby pool occasionally to see how we are doing. We will enJOY not having to play catch up with our bills come September! Once the summer school is done we will finally have him three days a week for three weeks where we will finally get to do the things we love doing in the summer as a family!

We are looking forward to the beach, lake beach, Great Adventure, another trip to PA and many other things that we are hoping to fit in before the school year begins!

Independantly JOYful

It is so wonderful to share the JOY's of Independance Day with my girls! How exciting is it to celebrate our freedom and to remember who makes that freedom possible?!
We spent our Fourth of July with my dad and my grandparents. It was a wonderful time of eating, drinking, swimming, sparklers and fireworks!

Spending time with family we don't often see brings my little family JOY.
JOY in being with one another and just having a good time.

Growing Up

For those of you who know me you know I have a hard time with getting older. I think I have an even HARDER time with my girls getting older. Maybe because it just reiterates the fact that I am not getting younger.
My Anna finished Kindergarten this week. That was a toughie! How is it that I now have a daughter who will be entering school in the fall into an ACTUAL number grade?
Are you kidding me?!?
She has learned so much this year it is amazing. She started reading this year, writes her last name, spells, tells time, can add and subtract, knows some Spanish and sign language, asked Jesus into her heart, turned SIX, can swim and the list goes on and on. What a crazy time! 
My daughter's accomplishments, big and small, bring me JOY!

JOY in Parenting?

JOY in parenting an almost two year old? This is something I'm having a difficult time with. My little girl Abigail is the cutest little thing. But she has a way of bringing me to complete and utter frustration. She is extremely stubborn, defiant and tends to make some of the most annoying sounds humanly possible.
I am no longer able to accomplish my daily tasks or errands. To take Abigail anywhere is a chore. It is "an up at dawn pride swallowing seige" to quote Jerry Maguire. Each day I try to find the small moments when she is being her cute self to enJOY that time. For that time is fleeting!
The JOY is knowing this stage will not last forever.
I do love my little girl and look forward to when she will speak and use words to let out her little frustrations.
I need to continue to find the JOY in her and learn to channel that when she is testing me. It's amazing how someone so small can stir up such feelings ranging from complete and utter exhaustion to absolute happiness.
At this point I feel as though I'm fighting a losing battle with no end in sight....maybe tomorrow I'll wave the white flag of surrender!

finding JOY

JOY is the theme of my blog (obviously). I have been finding JOY in many different aspects of daily life. JOY is something that a person should not be without. I feel that some people think that JOY comes from money, or a good job, or a nice car etc, etc. I know that those things are nice and yes, it may seem like JOY when you have them but true JOY is knowing that you DON'T need those things to enJOY life. Sometimes it takes losing one or more of those things to discover that. 
The more I find in my JOY "searches" the more I realize that my every day JOY comes from my girls, or my husband, or things the Lord teaches me, or my friends. JOY never comes from things. 
Now, I'm not saying I don't feel something when I'm out shopping and find that great new shirt or pair of shoes. That thrill is fleeting and lasts about as long as it takes to hang it in my closet. Definitely not the same type of JOY!
What gives you JOY throughout your days and weeks?

Break Time

Wow! What a crazy week it has been! We spent Easter in Myrtle Beach with my in-laws. The weather was gorgeous and the girls had a blast with their Mimi and Poppy. We even got to go to the beach! The beach is always a JOY whether it's with kids or not. I love listening to the ocean and feel the sand beneath my feet! 

We had a wonderful Spring break together as a family and did alot of fun things. JOY is spending time with my family and having fun together! 

Writer's Block?

I have logged on every day for the past week and just couldn't write anything down.

I started writing this blog when I needed to find JOY in a certain situation. I began recording my JOY's every day. The more I looked for things to write about the more JOY I found in my day. Over the past few months I have eased up on my blogging but I haven't eased up on my JOY discoveries!


This past week has been a tough one. It certainly is easier to find JOY  in a normal day when really the biggest complaint could be not enough sleep, a cranky baby, or a low checking account. It can be tough when your having a "day" but usually something can be found as a JOY. When I am faced with situations much bigger I do tend to focus on the negative of it. I'm human.


I am having a hard time focusing on anything positive when everything that has been going on seems so negative. I am finding JOY in the fact that just like all the other times we will be brought to our knees and when God knows we can't take anymore He will bring us through it. 

JOY is knowing that you made it through!

Beautiful Weekend

Our weekend started out pretty mellow. I helped several moms on Friday afternoon cut out boxtops for the school as all of our kiddos played together. It was a beautiful afternoon and the girls had a blast running around and being with other children. It was a nice opportunity to get to know some of the other moms from Anna's school.
JOY!

Saturday I made cinnamon buns and my hubby got us Dunkin Donuts coffee (JOY!). I can NEVER have too much d&d coffee. It IS so good! It really does make me happy and I enJOY it. I am not ashamed to admit it! We then went to Manahawkin to my mom's fundraiser yard sale at her church. After that we had acquired Haily and went to visit friends.

Pastor Bill, Aunt Jean and Sue live in Manahawkin and so whenever we are near there we try to stop in for a visit. They live right on the bay and so it was an absolutely perfect day to be there. It was nice to be with them and be able to catch up a little. The girls loved walking on the docks and checking out the minnows in the bay. Being there gave Jer and I much JOY! We had dinner later on with Jer's brother and his family which was enJOYable and a good time!

This morning was mellow for us. I believe the girls are still trying to catch up from the time change so we all woke up a little later than normal for Sunday. We ran some errands and had a nice little picnic at the park! Our day ended with a trip for some ice cream which was a great treat! Our weekend was fabulous and we totally enJOYed it!

Whirlwind

I am convinced that each week is slowly molding into one another.  I am feeling utterly exhausted this week. The time change always tends to throw me for a loop. I can't get my body adjusted for some reason. I DO enJOY the thought of springing ahead and getting more daylight!

The nice thing about daylight savings (at least this time of year) is the promise of warmer, longer days ahead. JOY!

My girls are really enJOYing the beautiful weather that we have been having the past couple of days. Abigail has learned to open the screen door and let herself out. Although it made me laugh the first time I must admit I am not liking this at all!
She is cute though....

I am really looking forward to spending the weekend with my husband and girly's and just chilling! Maybe we'll find some time to "catch up" on that hour that seems to have lost itself. That would be a little bit of JOY!

Glimpses

I am SO loving this weather we have been given this past week! Isn't it absolutely fabulous? I have enJOYed walking Anna to school in the mornings and NOT freezing my hiney off! I have enJOYed walking to pick her up in the afternoons and then being able to stay outside for her and Abigail to play.
What is it about the warmer weather that just makes you feel better? For that matter what is it about the cold weather that makes you want to attach yourself to your couch and a blanket and not move?
I find so much JOY in all the glimpses of spring slowly approaching! The grass looks a little greener, the buds from the flowers are starting to pop out of the ground, the daylight is lasting longer and the temperature is definitely warmer!
I hope everyone else is finding JOY in the glimpses we are being given....

Fun Weekend

I was so glad to get my WHOLE house cleaned on Saturday. I mean scrubbed top to bottom, well maybe not top to bottom but it got a good cleaning. I must admit that I do find JOY in a clean house. It makes me feel less claustrophobic when things are neat and tidy.

It was an absolutely beautiful day on Saturday and we took the girls outside to play which they DESPERATELY needed! Watching my girls play together and enJOY one anothers company makes me so happy. They are so cute to watch. We checked on our lily's which are coming up nicely! JOY!

Saturday night we went to a fundraiser for my girlfriends daughters softball team. I love my friend and always have such a good time with her. You could tell that all the parents put alot of work into it. I don't remember the last time I danced but it's been TOO long. I had a blast cutting a rug with my girl (and my man too!)! It was a great night and Jer and I got a night without kids! JOY!

Sunday morning was church and JOY entered my heart while walking into church with my family. Anna noticed doors on our church that are painted a goldenish color. As we were walking past them she said to me "Mommy look at those gold doors! Are those the doors Jesus uses?". I love how children are so innocent in there wonderings. Her little statement had me smiling throughout the service.
We had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory following church. Need I say more? JOY! And my delicious dessert later on...more JOY! :)

March!

Where has the week gone? I know everyone says the older you get the faster time flies. Seriously though I can't believe this week is over. It's not even that the week was jam packed. Well, MY week wasn't but my husbands was so that makes a week even more crazy for me.

My little Abi has been learning more words each and every day. I love listening to her try new words it is JOY to my ears. Although I must admit her newest word (MINE!!) does not. It just proves that the terrible twos are right around the corner. Yuck!

Anna celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday in school this week. SO cute! Every day was a different "theme". Her favorite was getting dressed up like Jessie (from Toy Story) and taking her Toy Story book to read to her class. Her second favorite was taking her Honey bear to class and a book. I find JOY while watching her get excited about school and hearing the stories she tells when she comes home.

One of my favorite moments of this week was discovering that my lily's had sprouted!
Watching Spring arrive in little ways throughout this week has given me much JOY and I am certainly looking forward to the longer, warmer days ahead!
I also enJOYed playing with my new camera this week. I had fun taking pictures of the girls and spring!

A Few Days....2

Sunday was my birthday. It was a laid back day that started out with me sleeping in. JOY! A delicious breakfast that came out of a basket of food my mother in law sent me. Chocolate muffin, croissant with cream cheese and coffee....JOY!

We spent the day at my sister's eating leftovers from the party and just hanging out.

Monday I was still so tired and spent the day just chillin' with Abigail.

Surprised!

I was so glad that both girls slept until 7:30 this morning. JOY! Especially since Jer was at a conference. It was nice to not see 6 on the alarm clock! 
I woke up very distressed. I came to tears a few times in the course of the morning. I'm still trying to figure out why my birthday is bothering me. Luckily before I could get to into my pity party the phone rang and out of it I came. JOY for a sister and sister in law who called and made me forget to finish the tears.

We spent the morning and early afternoon hanging with my sister in law and nieces. The girls had fun and kept busy! JOY!

Once my hubby came home he took me out to buy a new birthday outfit. As I've said before shopping does bring me a bit of JOY!


I was told we were headed out to dinner that night. I was looking forward to my last date night in my twenties. ;-)
We arrived at Buca Di Beppo and I was surprised to find a table full of family and friends waiting there! It is so nice to have a group of people you love to help you celebrate. Nothing is better than that. I LOVED my party and spending time with everyone. The food was delicious! JOY!

The "afterparty" was a blast as well and left me with many memories that will have me laughing through my "distress". JOY!

Final Friday

So, counting down the days to my BIG birthday is so not fun! 
We woke up early this morning to the phone ringing and a recording of NO SCHOOL! JOY!
The fourth snow day of the winter. Crazy! I was so glad though to not have to go through the morning routines. They have been feeling quite monotonous lately. 
We spent our day hanging around. I had driven to our favorite donut place Thursday so Jer, the girls and I had some yummy delicious donuts for breakfast while watching the snow fall. It was nice to not rush around and sit and enJOY breakfast together. 

Hump Day

My Wednesday started pretty good. Well, the first hour anyway! Most mornings are pretty low key. I am rarely stressed first thing (that's a JOY in and of itself!). For some reason all hell broke loose this morning. It all started with Anna freaking out over my brushing her hair. Went DOWN hill from there! I really don't like yelling at Anna especially before sending her off for the day. Luckily, with some calming down and some prayers we got back on track. JOY! 
But, momma was now frazzled for the morning.

My JOY was meeting a friend for breakfast. I do love being around her. She is always so positive and being with her made me feel better! Our time together was great and the kids were all super. JOY! 


I found a little more JOY in some retail therapy. Since becoming a mom and living on a single income I have learned the JOY of window shopping and fitting room satisfaction! I am a born shopper (it's in my genes!). I now walk through the mall just trying things on checking out the new things and it really does lower my stress level. Silly, yes but still it brings me some JOY. And the fact that Abigail was so well behaved and such a little shopper herself!

Sunday News

We enJOY going to church Sunday mornings. It's a time for Jer and I to be together to learn and worship. It really gets our week off to a good start. This Sunday however we had a little more emotion than most Sundays.

After church we came home and ate lunch with the girls. At noon we both sat in front of our computer and watched a live webcast of a meeting going on after the 11am service. Our senior pastor would be addressing the congregation that he was leaving. I must admit I was super excited for him and his family and the more he talked the more excited I felt for them. He had accepted the position of President at Wheaton College. The way this all came about for him was just amazing. It was a very emotional meeting and I caught myself tearing a few times. So, glad I was at home!

JOY is watching God work in lives all around me and it's amazing how HE works!

Congregational Meeting - 2-21-2010 from Tenth Presbyterian Church on Vimeo.

Earrings

Saturday was a fun filled day! Anna and I started our morning with breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We met her two teachers from last year who she LOVES! JOY was watching her during our "girl" breakfast. She loved talking to them about Kindergarten and all that she's doing in her little life.

Later on in the afternoon we headed out to the Cherry Hill mall with my sister and her girls to get some ears pierced! The girls were beyond excited. I laugh at how this all came about and still can't believe it happened. Ella called Anna last week and asked if she wanted to get her ears pierced. Surprisingly Anna said "sure Ella"! I find out later that my sister told Ella (who had her ears pierced before but then took them out  a few months later) she could only get them done if Anna said yes. My sister figured Anna would never say yes....well, surprise she did!

The girls were all so cute and all so brave! Ella and Haily did not shed one tear. Anna cried a bit right after but eventually pulled herself together to check out her new ears! They all looked so cute and were so excited to finally have it done, yes everyone that would look and stop to see was told that they just got their ears pierced! Doing this on Saturday brought me JOY!

February 18

JOY today was watching Anna receive her first library card! She was so sweet about it.
She signed her name on the back and was so excited to check out her own books and movies!

I had a great conference with Anna's teacher this afternoon. As a parent it is so great to hear that your child is doing a good job in their school life. I love hearing about her little accomplishments and how she is with the other pupils. I must admit I still wish she was home with me but to know that she has adjusted to the routine of school brings me JOY!

February 17

I am very proud of a friend of mine. I admire her and her strength. She lost her mother three years ago and on Saturday her father will remarry. As hard as this is going to be for her she is glad that her father is happy. How amazing is it to be able to find JOY even after such a great loss? I found JOY sitting with her at breakfast and listening her tell me about her life!

After breakfast I made my way to surprise my hubby with leftovers for lunch! Abigail loves to go to daddy's work and run around the gymnasium. I enJOY watching the two of them play.

February 16

I am nearing the end of my twenties. I really can not find much JOY in this. I try and try.
If I think about it too much the tears start. Why all of a sudden is it so hard to get older? You look forward to birthday's until about 27 and then you realize WOW, I'm that much closer to......! I need another five years to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in years 20-29. I was thrown a few curve balls and that set me off track and the next thing I know I'm staring the next age in the face....sorry, I just can't say THAT number yet.

Is it because I didn't "have fun"? Or, because I was unable to finish school? I didn't get a chance to be "just married"?  Is it because I enjoyed ages 20-23, 26, & 28 and half of 29? I go through every reason in my mind why I'm clinging to my twenties. I do not enjoy getting older. I do not enjoy watching my girls get older. Sometimes I wish God allowed us a freeze button to let us catch up on what we need to catch up on. Once we were ready we could hit play.

Enough about my getting older woes.

My JOY today was hanging around the house with Abigail. We had no where to be and not much to do (well, housework but that can always wait until tomorrow!) so it was a perfect lazy day! JOY!

February 15

This morning I was served breakfast in bed by my husband and daughters! What a way to wake up! I was so surprised that they did this for me. My husband even made my favorite kind of pancakes (pecan!). Breakfast in bed brought me lots and lots of JOY!
We enjoyed a lazy morning together as a family. We took the girls out to play in the snow and built them their own personal sledding hill. They had so much fun. It was nice that the four of us were FINALLY able to all enJOY the snow.
I loved watching Anna and Abigail go down their little hill and the excitement it brought them. I know our Mt. Campagna brought my little girls JOY! It did for me!

Valentine's Day!

I woke this morning to a tiptoe and a whisper from the other side of the bed "Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy! I love you!". It made my heart melt. Anna loves her daddy more than words can describe. He is her prince. Her knight in shining armor. Her Bowser. Her sword fighting companion. Her video game playmate. Her comforter at night before sleep. And today her Valentine! Their relationship brings me JOY.
He is the greatest father. He gives so much of himself to his girls.
Abigail is also a daddy's girl. I think if she could permanently attach herself to him she would. She runs to the door as soon as he comes in (even if he was just taking out the trash), she sits on his lap every chance she gets and she is full of hugs and kisses for just daddy. Watching her express her love to her daddy brings me JOY.
I love my husband very much. I may not openly express it as often as my girls do but he is my best friend, my love, my soulmate. My husband brings me overflowing JOY!
Jerry, we love you and thank you for all you do for our family! Thank you for bringing all three of your Valentine's JOY everyday! xo

Super Saturday

Had a great morning with my man! We slept in (Thanks Mom!) and had a Cracker Barrel breakfast together. Isn't it so nice to enjoy a meal without children, especially a meal that requires a cup (or two) of coffee? I enJOY time spent with Jerry. He is the love of my life!
Once the girls returned home we spent the rest of the day just chillin'. It was nice.
We enJOYed going to my niece's birthday party tonight. Haily is JOY she is so cute and lovable! I love when my Nan and Pop come to visit. They are the best grandparents ever. JOY is being around them, even when Pop is in a mood! :)

Fun Friday

Today was full of fun! The best part of my morning was when my sister called and said she wanted Abi. JOY, JOY, JOY much, much JOY! Packed her up and off she went to spend the day in Shamong. 
Anna had a Chuck e Cheese playdate this morning with some of her little girlfriends from school. We BOTH had a great time. She spent the time running around and playing games with her friends and I got to spend time having grown up conversation with the moms! JOY for me and JOY for her! 
I do love spending time with just Anna. She is growing up too fast. We were able to do things that we don't usually have time for with her in school all day. JOY!
Another JOYful experience of my day was going out to dinner to Buca Di Beppo. I love that place. The food was excellent, the company was fun and there were NO kids! Once again, JOY!  

Thawing out Thursday

I married a teacher. I married a teacher knowing the benefits (some good, some not so good) one of them being SNOW DAYS. Well, this teacher I married has now been gone all three snow days this year. BUMMER! The JOY side of it is he is out earning extra money. I appreciate all his hard work and his willingness to go out in the freezing, snowy, wet weather to provide for our little family.
With that being said I must say it brought me great, great JOY to leave the house Thursday. Even if it was just to Target! The girls were excellent (JOY) the whole time we were out which proved to me that they needed to be out just as much as I did.
I really enJOY the snow but I believe I am over it and the snow storms!

Wintry Wednesday

Wow, let the snow fall! I cannot believe all the snow we have gotten today! Unbelievable! I do enJOY watching the snow fall and the way it looks the day after when the sun is out and shining. I do NOT enjoy shoveling the snow! Especially the snow piles that the plow man likes to leave in front of both ends of our driveway.
I enJOY cooking and baking, I did alot of both today. We had super yummy cinnamon buns for dessert tonight. Cinnamon buns bring me JOY!
Watching my girls play with their daddy tonight before dinner was so nice. They love to be in the snow but they love it even more when daddy is home! JOY was taking pictures of them playing and having a great time.

Terrific Tuesday

Did you ever love a person so much but at the same time they just totally drove you crazy? This is my relationship with Abigail. She is so cute and I love her to death but she can totally cause me to lose my mind. With that being said, I have to admit I really do enJOY a break from her. 
This morning my mom watched Abi so I could help out in Anna's class. JOY!
Going to Anna's class is always a fun time. Today I went to help her teacher by tracing the student's silhouettes for a Valentine's project. Funny, I thought no big deal this should be easy. Umm, yeah if they could keep their little heads still for more than a millisecond! The boys actually kept still better than the girls which totally blew my mind. 
God bless her two teachers. They have their hands full with a very busy class of 5 and 6 year olds!

Monday, Monday

This morning I must admit I was hoping Jerry would have a delayed opening at work. I was not up to being up! But, no such luck. 
So, up and at 'em! As the kids were eating breakfast I started into my normal routine of packing Anna's lunch when I remembered she had a half day. JOY! 
I really love when she has half days. I totally feel like her kindergarten should be half day every day. She's in a better mood in the morning AND when she's done. There are no meltdowns or whining. JOY!  
I bet if they did a study on full day and half day Kindergarten students they would find the half day students are much more pleasant. 
I'm just betting!
Some days I still wish we would have had the opportunity to send her to a half day Kindergarten. But, I feel there's a reason it didn't happen and that she's supposed to be where she is for now. 
Our afternoon and evening were pretty uneventful. We enJOYed some time together as a family and that was nice. I love my family they bring my so much JOY!


 

Snowy Weekend

What a long drawn out weekend. And only because I spent most of it stuck in the house with the girls. Hubby left mid-morning Saturday to do some "snow work". So my plans for a fun filled family snowy weekend went down the drain. Instead it became how to entertain two girly's and not go crazy kind of weekend!
It did not help that Abigail had woken up at 6am that morning. I know on those type of mornings that it is going to be a LONG day. Really tried to be JOYful but when I know my hubby is not going to be around the whole day it is much easier to focus on the negative. I love my husband and his willingness to make some extra cash. I am thankful for that and I do find the JOY in knowing he is providing for us as a family.
Bubbles, playdoh, games, hopscotch, snacks, nap, lunch, dinner, movies, books, shows the day really seemed like it was never going to end. But, JOY, it did and we survived!
Only to wake up Sunday morning to do it all over again. 7:30am say goodbye to Daddy again. Out he walks and I'm left with two crying girls. No, no, no I'm not going to find JOY today! But, I did with my large Dunkin Donuts coffee that was "delivered". While drinking my coffee I decided we needed a game plan. While everyone in Eastampton was getting their driveways cleared ours was still a mess. So, I knew some "snow play" would do the girls good. Once the sun hit the front out we went! Momma shoveled, swept and cleared snow while the girls ran around. JOY we are all clear and we can leave the house after naps! 
More JOY when Daddy got home with his "pay" and off we went! There is nothing better than breaking free after you've been stuck in the house! Chuck e cheese was the destination. Never thought I'd be so JOYful to be inside of Chuck e cheese! The girls had a great time running around and playing games (I even got to play a few with Anna, JOY!). 
Now, another snowstorm on the horizon....hoping I can find JOY in that. 
Stay tuned....

This Week!

Wow! Where did this past week go? One minute I was catching up on my blog the next thing I know it's Sunday morning. Crazy!
I know my week started good. Monday morning began with a visit to my fave Dr. to get my adjustment. Funny how going to get my spine adjusted really transforms my attitude as well. So, all adjusted and ready to begin my week! JOY!
We had my family over for dinner on Monday for a Bon Voyage to my sister and her family who were headed to Disney the next day. The girls had a good time saying goodbye. Watching them play together and see their love for one another brings me JOY!
Things get a little fuzzy after Monday night. I know either Tuesday or Wednesday my sister in law and niece came over for breakfast and to play. Gracy and Abigail played so nicely together that morning (whichever morning it was!)! JOY, JOY!
Thursday morning I got to work and was told my buddy Peyton was not going to be there. His father had come home the day before so he was spending the morning with him. JOY for that! JOY when I was told I could just go home and come back later for lunch bunch. JOY to be in a QUIET house and drink my coffee in SILENCE!!!
Friday I woke up full of JOY! On the horizon was breakfast at Panera (one of my fave's!) with a friend who brings me much JOY whenever I am around her. 
Friday night we had another family dinner! JOY! Made a new recipe which was so good. All the girls played nicely together and we got to enJOY conversation without too many interruptions! JOY! 
That was my week and it was full of JOY. Yes, it had it's moments but I am really trying to focus on the JOYful ones. I noticed some days it is really hard to do. As long as I continue to realize that in the bad times there are good things I believe it will get easier!

A Few Days....

January 29
What a day! I LOVE days when Anna has off from school. It is SO nice to not have to be up and out the door. It's great to be able to take our time, stay in our jams, I get to enJOY my cup of coffee!
Today we took Abigail to the sitters (JOY!) and we went to the movies. I really do enJOY taking Anna to the movies. I love watching her face throughout and it's so funny to watch her laugh at things that are funny to her. We met my mom, my sister and my nieces and we saw The Chipmunks. Cute movie!

January 30
JOY is a Saturday morning! It's so nice to have my hubby home and once again to just enJOY the morning. We ran errands after breakfast and accomplished them all in about three hours. JOY is having a second set of hands and legs to run errands with!

January 31
Up and at em' for church this morning. JOY is my Dunkin Donuts coffee on the way to church! It's so funny how since I began this "journey" I am constantly reminded that I was meant to pick JOY.
It was in the pastor's sermon (JOY was listening to Dr. Tripp this morning!) and at the end of the service the hymn that the pastor chose was.....JOY to the World! How perfect! I think I was floating on air while singing.

Catching Up!

So, it's been a few days since I last "blogged"! Been a little busy. Funny though I still find myself going through the events of each day and finding JOY in each one. So, on to catching up!

January 28

This morning was a work morning. I got to hang with my buddy Peyton. We made Welcome Home signs for his dad who returns from duty on Wednesday. We had so much fun. Peyton really got into making those signs. I think we used every single paint color in stock! Watching him gave me JOY!

Tonight was our first Mom's Night Out for the spring. What fun! I really enjoy the atmosphere and the girls at my table. I am so JOYful that my friend Jen is able to attend this semester with me! I am so excited that our topic for the semester is JOY! How perfect!

January 27

Laid back kind of day. JOY! Lost 2.3 pounds this week much, much JOY!

January 26

A couple of months ago I was very blessed to be able to reunite with an old friend. A girl I haven't seen in YEARS! But a very sweet person who I have always gotten along with.
Today Abigail and I went to visit Megan and her son Albie. So much fun! We had a blast. It's so much fun to catch up with one another. Being with Megan and Albie brought Abigail and myself JOY!

January 25

JOY was spending the morning with a great person and her son! What fun to watch the little ones play and interact!
I am so thankful for friends they bring me tons of JOY!

January 24

I love waking up on a Sunday morning and starting my week with church. The whole experience each Sunday and how God works is really the source of my JOY throughout the week. I know that my JOY comes from Him and without Him I probably would not be able to write each day about the JOY's that I am finding.

JOY was leaving Abigail in the nursery with NO tears! JOY was worshipping next to my husband! JOY was exiting church feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on this week!

January 23

When my Saturday's begin with a morning trip to Columbus I know it's going to be a great weekend! What better way to feel JOY than when your eating an amazing donut with some delicious Dunkin Donuts coffee?

I was really looking forward to tonight. I was able to spend it with some very special people and it was so nice. I would have to say one of the things I miss most since being a momma is time spent with my girlfriends. We have been friends for such a long time. It's nice to have a chance to reconnect. Being with them brought me tons of JOY tonight!

January 22

I love when my days start out with friends and breakfast! JOY! I got to be with one of my favorite people and her son this morning. We had a wonderful breakfast and were able to catch up.

I feel so JOYful each day that Anna comes home from school with new things that she is learning. I love listening to her read! Much JOY!

More JOY when a friend came over to help with our budget. As much as we like to give him a hard time about it I know that soon it will all pay off! THAT in and of itself will be a JOYous occasion!

January 21 cont.

Also, wing night even though it has ended forever brings me (and my stomach) JOY!
;-)

January 21

Today was a work day. I had a great time with my little friend Peyton. I was reminded today how blessed I am to have a husband who is always with me. My little friends dad has been away on deployment for four months. He comes home in 14 days! We made a chain of links to countdown until his dad is home. He was so cute and just loved talking about his dad.
It's really sad to think how many families are without a mom or dad right now. I feel so greatful to those families who still manage to carry on while their loved ones are out fighting and protecting our freedom. Even more greatful to the ones fighting and protecting us.
Watching Peyton's excitement and hearing that his dad was coming home brought me much, much JOY today. I look forward to next week when we make a craft for him to give his dad. My friend Peyton brings me JOY!

January 20

I totally had a great day today! I was able to accomplish some things which is always super nice! I would have to say though that my JOY came from having a Cracker Barrel (one of my faves!) lunch with two lovely ladies, a super cute boy and my Abigirl!
It is so nice to be with friends. I totally enJOY anytime spent with girlfriends and I especially enJOY the fact that Abigail had a little person of her own to keep her occupied. I have been noticing alot lately how much JOY that gives me.

January 19

Boy oh boy did it take everything in me to clean my house! Laundry, kitchen, girls rooms and bathroom; CHECK! Why does it still seem like there is more to do? I feel like I can never keep up. I really miss being able to let my OCD run wild. I miss not being able to keep complete order of my house. How is that throwing one more into the mix really has thrown me off my course? I love to be organized and have everything in it's place at ALL times. I get heart palpitations every day because the clutter in my home NEVER goes away! I have organized and reorganized every single closet in my home at least a hundred times in the past six years. I HATE doing dishes eighty times a day and the sink is still never empty. I despise the fact that when I mop about thirty minutes later someone has spilled something sticky on the floor.
If you would have walked in my house last night it was perfect, fast forward to 8:30 this morning, not so much. Why does this happen? I know this may seem trivial to most but to someone who thrives on organization it is torture every day.

JOY yesterday was my sister calling and saying she made us dinner. Yes, that is how my house stayed clean from 4pm until 8:30am!  I guess the key is to clean and then leave! I hope that one day I can be content with toys all over and dishes in the sink. It would be nice to not get the anxiety that flows up within me whenever I see our house out of control...

January 18

Those of you who know us know that our little Abigirl just hates the car. Well, we were blessed with a 45 minute nap on our car ride home yesterday! We were then blessed with a crying 18 month old for the last 75 minutes of the ride. So hard to find JOY during those moments! By the time we got home we were so on edge.
We had both girls bathed and in bed by 7:00. JOY!

The last few hours of our night were spent showering, eating dinner (in peace and quiet) and watching television.  By 9:00 we were in bed and sleeping! More JOY!

January 17

This weekend was a busy one! We finally got to celebrate Christmas with my grandparents and dad. We were so excited to go and spend the weekend with family!
There's just something about a long car ride and ending up at your final destination. I think the word I'm looking for is, JOY! hahaha
We had fun spending time with my Nan and Pop. Opening presents is always a good time. I really enJOY watching the girls. I especially enJOYed watching Anna open her new Mario game that she has been waiting for! Pure JOY upon her face when she opened that present.
Once we finished our Boyanowski Christmas it was off to the Viehman Christmas.
More presents and more fun and more food! The girls do have fun at Daddio's and Bea Bea's. Abigail especially loves torturing us by going up and down the stairs eight hundred times! JOY is living in a house with no stairs!
As much fun as we had being away it's nice to be home. I will find much JOY sleeping in my own bed tonight!

January 16

What a day today was! We were truly blessed today in so many ways that I really have nothing else to be but full of JOY! 

January15

Today I was JOYful for my mom taking my girls!

January 14

I really enJOY going to work! Once again Abigail had the opportunity to play with someone her age. SO cute! I love the little kids I get to watch. They are all pretty much easy going. I totally found JOY "racing" trains with my little friend Peyton! My knees didn't find it so JOYous! But it was totally worth the pain!

It was so nice to make my husband one of his favorite meals tonight. I apparently have a new flair for making Italian Wedding soup! He LOVED it! I totally find JOY making my husband happy especially through food. I totally believe that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Anna the Girl Scout!

JOY was walking Anna home from school holding hands. Anna only holds hands when she has to. So, for her to hold my hand the whole way home was super nice! 

I loved how excited she got when she found out she would be selling Girl Scout cookies. She wants the trophy (of course to get the trophy you must sell 1000 boxes!). To see her try to set a goal (even one that may be a bit on the unrealistic side) for something she wants to do was pretty neat. I found myself feeling JOYful just watching her excitement!
I love my little Girl Scout!

January 12

I was asked to come to work to fill in today. I enJOY my "job".  I honestly never thought I'd find myself working with children again. When I left TCA I said I was done and then after I had Anna I thought I could never have enough patience to be with other people's children (in a work setting!).
I guess that's why they say "Never say never"!

I took care of a little girl who was about two weeks older than Abigail. It was so cute to see Abigail get so excited over a child her own age. Now, Anna always had kids around that were her age. Abigail just doesn't have that. So, when she sees somebody her height she goes crazy! She was hugging and touching the girls hair. She would blow her kisses and just walk up and stare at her.
They played so nicely together. It was a JOY to watch (and get paid to do it!)!

January 11

JOY is my Pop Pop celebrating another birthday!

January 10

Today was pretty low key. I find JOY in knowing my husband is doing everything he can to take care of me and my girls.

Abigail is JOY (1/09/10)

My little one can be such a JOY. I was laying in bed thinking of my afternoon with Abigail. I love holding her and rocking her, when she allows me to. She is the source of much comedic relief to my husband and I. Although she can be quite naughty and a total handful she really does make me smile.

We were at the mall with my brother. He was off looking for sneakers and I pretty much just walked the mall. At one of the stores Abigail took to winning strangers over with her crooked smile and cute Miss America wave. After the same scene in a few other stores I bought an Orange Julius (let me just tell you how happy I was the day I saw an Orange Julius in NJ! That was complete JOY! I never saw one in NJ since we moved here when I was in fourth grade from PA.) Now, most of you know that Abigail is part gerbil or goat, not sure which, so you can only imagine what this baby did to a styrofoam cup and plastic lid. After deciding she was done with the straw she chewed her way through the cup to get to the good stuff! Normally this would make me crazy but since I wasn't on a mission I sat down and just smiled at my funny girl. She is nuts!

After cleaning her up I decided to take her to the fountain to throw in some coins. She absolutely loved doing this and the smile on her face was priceless. Of course being free from the stroller she decided she needed to roam a bit. So, three laps around the fountain we went. Her smiling her crooked smile and stopping at every person sitting down to wave at them. I love seeing the JOY other people get from my little girl.
After the third time it was back into the stroller. Of course that smiling girl turned into a writhing monster! Bring out the DumDum (Nan, if you are reading stop NOW!)! I have given this precious baby dumdum lollipops in the past and have never witnessed what happened in my life. After handing over the pop we walked into Nordstrom to head out to the car. I look down at her and watch as she pulls out the stick and not the pop. My gerbil/goat had chewed her way THROUGH the stick so that all she had in her mouth was the pop! At first I didn't know if I should laugh or give her the heimlich. I couldn't believe it! So, standing in the middle of the shoe department I preceed to "finger sweep" and the whole time praying don't choke, don't choke. Out came the pop and with it the massive tantrum! Once again, she is so crazy!

Within minutes she was over her escapade and we were in the car ready to go. She continued her cute smiling and waving through dinner and was as happy as a clam the whole way home. I was able to rock her last night and thought to myself how many people did I catch just smiling and enJOYing my little girl today? No matter how nuts she can make me at the very next moment she is smiling her trademark smile and bringing JOY as she does!

My First Week Blogging

Well, this past week has definitely been one I won't forget for a long time. I'm so glad my husband is my best friend. He understands what I'm thinking and since we are going through the same things he totally gets it. I'm sure that God is using this week to help us depend more on Him. 

I've learned that we can do without certain things (although I must admit this lesson I've learned a number of times over the past six years!). The one thing that I've learned you can't do without is friends and family. The people who will do anything for you and who know that in their time of need you would totally reciprocate. 


I found that trying to find my JOY every day was like a game. I would process the things that were happening each day and try to find the JOY in each one. I think that this 2010 Journey is going to be a good one for me. I know that some days it will be harder to find JOY than others. The days where the JOY is abundant are the days that will get me through the rest!