Thankful Thursday (January 3)

So each Thursday I am going to do a post on the things that I am grateful for. Growing up I always sang the song with my mom:

"Count your blessings name them one by one, Count your blessings see what God has done. Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!"

So each Thursday I am gonna set aside some time for the things that I am Thankful for!

Today I am Thankful for this guy..... Eric Peter White

I have know this man for over 10 years. We have been married almost 9 years, and I can honestly say there is no one I would rather do life with!

He is one of the hardest workers I know. He cares a lot about his job so that he can do well to provide for the children and I. He pours is heart and soul into his work. And although there are times his job drives me crazy I am thankful he provides for us!

He is a madly in love with me and the children. He is a great dad, and great husband, and great spiritual leader. He is constantly encouraging me to do things with my life that I dream of, he is supportive of me when I get a hair brain idea. He loves to have very deep talks about the meaning of life. He is the perfect match for me. We are both strong willed, stubborn, hard headed, and rotten to the core. His sister said it best one Christmas, "Eric met his match when he met you, and we knew from that point on he had fallen head over heals".

He loves to entertain. Actually we both do which makes for some interesting events. He is a great cook. He loves to try new things, whip up something without a recipe, and serve as many people as possible.

He is fun loving... He has his hobbies (that often annoy me) but he loves to play with the children and I. He enjoys doing yard work and such outside and he loves a new adventure!

So today as I write. I am thankful for Eric. Long before I knew a boy existed in Minnesota, I knew God had the perfect match for me. Our marriage has not been easy, i would not say it has been roses and wine. But we have grown closer to God and closer to each other. We have lived by the mantra what if marriage were to make you holy and not happy, and for that I am grateful!

Guilty Pleasure

Very rarely does a TV show come on that I LOVE to watch. We watch a lot of Disney Jr and Sports Center at this house. But this past fall a show has come on that I am in love it. It was not wholesome, nor am I endorsing all the things in it.... BUT I LOVE LOVE LOVE NASHVILLE! It's like my personal happy place. I love the people in it (Friday night lights mom) and I love the music, and I love the story line. Pretty much there is not much to like. It even has a main character named Deacon... And that is our dog!

So when John Hunter is at school, Lynley is napping, and Eric is at work... i watch! Its like my little guilty pleasure? If you have not watched it, you should! That is all!

Do you have a guilty pleasure like Nashville?

Welcome 2013

Today as we welcome 2013 I thought I would take a moment and say goodbye to 2012. All it all i would say it was a great year. As with many years it has had it ups and downs, but we can look back and be confident that the LORD was with us throughout the year. I have compiled at list of 12 things (see 20"12") that were great for the White family! They are in no particular order... just wrote it out this way!

1) Superbowl was in Indy. It was such an exciting time for our city with all the buzz of the Superbowl. It helps that I have TWO HUGE football fans living under this roof. We were able to go down to Superbowl Village several times. Once as a family for my birthday and then Eric and I won tickets to see Jimmy Fallon which was great! We had a blast! The whole fam wore vikings gear even though they weren't in the big game! But we had a great time nonetheless!

2) UK Wins the National Championship!!! As many of you know I am from the land where Jesus will return and basketball is in our blood! This year the Cats brought home the title and no one was more excited than this Kentucky girl living in a Hooiser (looser) state! We took every chance we got and wore our blue proud! It was truly March Madness!

3) Ralph Zenisek went home to be with the Lord! We knew him as Pa. He was Eric's first grandparent to pass away and although it was VERY hard we are praising Jesus his body is restored to perfect health! We went to the cabin in May and celebrated his life. I spoke as a part of the eulogy and Eric and his dad along with his sisters sang at the service. It was very special to us as well as his grandmother! We miss him greatly but are proud of the legacy he has left!

4) Little League.... we have become parents of a little leaguer! And I must say that John Hunter and the rest of the Brewers were awesome! We had a blast playing baseball and by the end of the season we even saw MUCH improvement. John Hunter loved it and with every sport he is looking forward to playing again!

5) Disney! This year we went to Disney. Not only did we go, but Eric qualified for conference and Metlife picked up the tab. Lynley was so young that we left her behind with Gigi and Grandad, but dont tell her! We had a great trip and lots of memories were made. I was so proud of John Hunter for riding Space Mountain and I am even more proud of myself for doing it with him! It was an honor to stand by Eric side and represent Metlife and the Indy office!

6) 1st day of Kindergarten! We always knew this day would come, but when it did this momma was a mess. I am so proud of my doodle and the big boy he is becoming! He went confidently into Geist Elementary and has shone like a star ever since. I cannot believe we are 1/2 way through the year! He has come so far... he can even READ!!

7) Home is where the heart its! About june Eric thought it would be a great idea to put our house on the market. I thought why not? Well it sold in 28 days! We were not prepared for that, but we loved house hunting. We were super sad to leave our neighbors (although we see them all the time) but we were super blessed with new ones! We loved about a mile down the road. It is a great house and after about a week Eric and I both looked at each other and said, this feels like home! We could NOT have done this move without the help of my amazing parents who scaraficed 2 weeks to help us pack, paint, build, unpack, organize and just be the amaizng people that they are! Thank you so much.... we LOVE you more than words can express!

8) Our sweet princess turned one! We had a blast celebrating her with family and friends. She was thrilled about her party and she of course LOVED her cake! We didnt do a theme, but everything was in polka dots and cheveron. It was adorable to say the least! Time surely has flow by and although she is only 1 year old, I cannot imagine life without her! John Hunter has adjusted so well to the role of a big brother. He is her friend, buddy, projector, nurturer, and confidant!

9) Can you believe that John Hunter is 6. We celebrated Cowabunga style with a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle style! He had lots of his buddies over as well as some of his classmates. We had a great time. As I reflect back on him being 6 my heart aches. He is such a joy to our lives and is so precious. He had a caring heart and is so active, but just wants to be liked by everyone! We love you our big 6 year old!

10) Creation Museum... for fall break John Hunter spent some time in Lexington with my parents! He had a blast as always. However before going there we met up with my parents at the Creation Museum in northern KY! It was amazing. We have always wanted to go and we could not have picked a more perfect day to do it! It was a blast! John Hunter learned so much and loved the planetarium with dad! Thanks again Gigi and Grandad for taking us!

11) All dogs go to heaven. At lease that is what we are holding on to. Our sweet dog of almost 9 years went to be with Jesus in November. It was hard on everyone especially John Hunter. He has loved that dog his whole life. Tye was such a sweet and loving dog and we miss her greatly! She will ALWAYS hold a very special place in our hearts and in our home!

12) John Hunter got a special surprise when we went home to KY in December. Granddad took him to his very first UK Basketball game. They won the game against Portland. John Hunter was thrilled it was a real rite of passage. As soon as we got home he hung the "3" up in his room with pride. Thanks guys for making that memory possible!

Praying over your husband!

Each morning as I wake I quickly jump into my same old routine. Get kids up, fed, clothed, and start into my daily to do list. Does anyone ever do the same thing? But about 6 months ago i started asking Eric specifically how I could pray for him each day. This started out as the small things: good day, no drama, and all the stuff that goes into work. Then he started realizing that in fact daily I was lifting him up, the big things or the small things I was standing in the gap for him.

I know I am not the first wife to ever pray for her husband, and I am SURE I am not the best at it. But no matter what season of life we are in I have made it an effort to pray for him. And in return he started praying for me! And ladies I tell you that is better than any flowers delivered to your door!Now friends this isn't rocket science, but it has opened the lines of communication between Eric and I greatly. 

So my challenge for all of you all is this.. pray for your spouse. Don't just say you are gonna do it actually carve out time and do it. Small  or large the Bible tells us to present our request to God. He also tells us that a cord of THREE strands is not easily broken. So today, ask your honey... how can I pray for you? I promise you will see a change!

Sight words...

I knew it was gonna happen, I was waiting for it to happen, and then last week.... IT HAPPENED! John Hunter has three sight words that we do every week. We work on them, play with them, post them, etc. But Mrs. Streby just upped the anny! Last Wednesday she sent home a packet with well over 150 sight words. They are broken up into 12 list. The directions CLEARLY state that there is NO time frame for these to be done, but you know I wanted to knock them out. Once one list is done the child will be tested and then can move on to the second list. Easy peasy!

Yeah not so much. I came home made flash cards, built sentences, and was ready to tackle the list. Then on Thursday we went to school and the first think that Eric and I noticed was that SOMEONE (read Duncan) already had THREE list turned in. We were shocked. We were just hoping to get list one done by October. Well I went into full competitive mommy mode and started the flashcards. I set my expectations to high, I am  honest enough to tell yall that. I expected to show JH the card him read it once and then know it. Apparently that is no how we will be learning through the next 12 years of school :( This session ended in tears on both accounts. Eric came up and saved the day and the fire to learn sight words.

So we took a break from sight words and momma started doing some research. Now I am  better equipped with some FUN and tangible ways for JH to learn his sight words at a pace that is steady for him!  I have you our first "sight words parking lot" He loved it, I loved it, and by the end the words to jumping off the page. Just wait till you see what I have up my sleeve next!

Family Date Night at the Orchard

This past weekend we took a family date night to the local orchard. We have several in the area and this one is kinda our old faithful! We usually go apple picking there, but since the summer drought there were no apples to pick. Super sad since I have about 1 million apple recipes pinned on Pinterest! Oh well!

We went with our friends and old neighbors the Olivers. In only seemed fitting for our littlest pumpkin to wear this dress since Bri made it for her! She looked so big and grown up in her dress and mary janes! I am a sucker for that look.

A fun time was had by all. The crisp air was perfect for a Saturday night date. The kids had fun. John Hunter's favorite part was the corn maze and the swings. That boy loves him some swings! Lynley loved animals, I see lots of petting zoos and the local zoo in our future.

After date night we came back to our house for pizza, Ryder Cup watching, and a little football. Can you think of anything more wonderful.... I my friends can not?

Ugggg

So we are living in the middle of chaos. We are supposed to start painting the new house tomorrow, but apparently that is not happening. Someone in the chains of command dropped the ball! Frustrated is an understatement! My parents are here to paint thr house and this puts us a day behind! Trying to find the good and positive things but struggling! Meanwhile if I break my neck in the middle of the nights it's because my bedroom looks like this!