Payton's Birthday

Payton's 7th Birthday was a huge success! Over 20 kids came to enjoy the entertainment of the Mad Scientists of Oklahoma. For those of you who were unable to make it, here are some pictures of the event!

This amazing cake was created by my sister!!

Some extra cupcakes made in case we had more people that expected (which we did!).

Some of the "crowd" enjoying the Mad Scientist's experiments.

Making "goo."

The birthday boy getting to set stuff on fire! :)

Getting instruction on how to ride the hovercraft (and visibly a little panicked).

Payton and the Mad Scientist

Opening gifts surrounded by great friends.

Such a sweet moment between Payton and a classroom friend.

The birthday boy and the end of a great day!

Such a great party! A HUGE thanks to Amanda...the cake was better than amazing! To the Mad Scientists...only you could have held the attention of 20+ children! And to all the family and friends who made it to celebrate my oldest's 7th birthday...thank you so very much for making his day!!

I had the opportunity to watch my nephew a week or so ago and while he was here, I caught some pretty cute moments between him and my son. They were enjoying just being next to each other and were pretty excited to be on my gigantic king-size bed. Have a look!

Are these two not the sweetest things you have ever seen? I'm a pretty luck momma and aunty!

Aimee

FDR's Economic Bill of Rights

From the mouth of someone way ahead of his time, Franklin D. Roosevelt led this country out of the greatest hardship it had ever known. Someone like that should be someone we take some pointers from today. Here is an excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union:

"It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

"This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

"As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

"In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

"Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

"All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens."

Inspiring, isn't it? My husband said, "His words are probably the type of words Jesus would be preaching if He walked among us today." I think he's right.

Sad Realizations

What happens when you think you know a person well, and that person turns out to be nothing like you thought?

I never thought I'd lose a friend for nothing. I mean, I've lost friends over petty disagreements before. I've lost friends over misunderstandings. But at least I lost those friendships for something, even if they were stupid reasons. But as of late, I had never lost a friend over nothing.

This particular friend gave me the friendship "pink slip" by deleting as a friend on a well-known networking site. How passive-aggressive is that?? Since being "de-friended," I have tried to call, text, and email her, to no avail. She has not responded to any of my attempts in contact. She has given me no reason for the break and seems to be holding the reason hostage. She has, however, emailed my husband to give him the benefit of knowing that "it wasn't him" that has her upset. Wow. Really? You could email my husband, but you couldn't email me. Coward. Not to mention, what jab. To email Richie knowing that he tells me everything. Knowing that he would let me read the email. Salt in a wound.

It is so hurtful that someone who you've been so open and honest, someone you really thought you knew, could so easy turn on you. Someone who claims to be a Christian, but is being so far from Christ by being so unforgiving (if, in fact, I have done something wrong...). I don't want to be that kind of person, that kind of friend. When I befriend someone, I will always give them the opportunity to explain if they have done something to offend me. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. I will love them and forgive. And to know that, if the shoe were on the other foot, if the tables were turned, this is what I would have done for her. But she could not do that for me. It goes to show how much our friendship meant to her.

It's situations like this that make me want to be ugly and hateful. To retaliate in some way. It makes me bitter and makes me wonder if it makes a difference whether or not I try to show love the way Christ shows love. But I will do it anyway. I will keep loving people as I always have, forgiving them when they fall short because I realize people are people. We all fall short. We all make mistakes. I also will not be controlled by situations like this. I actively choose love and forgiveness over bitterness. Bitterness is a root that, if allowed to grow, will take over your existence. Not me. I draw my line in the sand.

My Littlest's 1st Birthday

We had Teg's 1st birthday party today and it was fantastic! As you will see from the pictures, it was a "ball" and we had a "bouncing" good time. We shared food, cake balls, and a video of Tegan's first year of life (posted at the bottom). There was even a good hearty ball fight and the adults even joined in. It ended with Tegan face first in a cake all his own.

A huge "thank you" to those who came and made the get-together a party!! We love you!

Aimee

A Change of Course

In my last post, I spoke of the huge leap I was taking by attending OU and taking the pre-requisites needed for medical school. It was only approximately 2 weeks after that post that I had a change of heart. Through a series of events, I withdrew from my classes and have decided to take a small break. This, however, does not mean I will not pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. It does mean that I am restructuring my plan of action and reconsidering everything. Some thing I have learned as a result of my failed attempt at this semester:

My family needs me more than I realize. Even when I was trying my best to be present in the moment with the children, I found it very difficult to focus on them completely. I cannot let this happen in the future if and when I return to school.

My husband needs me more than I realize. The constant stress of school work held my attention across the board and caused my marriage to suffer as a result. Again, I cannot let this happen in the future.

OU was not meant for me. After attending a small, private, learning institution, the transition to an extremely large, public, research university proved to be too much for me.

In short, this semester was a loss. But it was not a total loss, as I learned some very valuable lessons. I will in turn take these lessons and not repeat my mistakes. In the meantime, I am planning two birthday parties and have decided that, while I'm not in school, I will devote my extra time to helping my husband with our business. I am excited to be taking a small break without the stress of school. I am excited to be reconnecting with my family.