Merry CHRISTmas...

May you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.  God Bless!

Slacking during the busiest time of my year...

I know, I know - I haven't blogged in ages. I really have tried, but I've been busy living life and taking pictures! :)




October/November/December are jam packed for our family. There's Halloween, Thanksgiving, both kids' birthdays, and of course the preparation and celebration of Christmas.



In October, we had so much fun celebrating the beautiful weather.



We visited the pumpkin patch, and Grant & Anna fell in love w/ the baby bunnies at the petting zoo (well, mom & dad did too). :)

We also managed to go on our first Girl Scout camping trip.  Anna loved that experience.  We painted pumpkins, ate s'mores, explored the area, got to listen to the local Wildlife Refuge talk about local endangered animals (and meet a few), and of course there was the haunted hayride - fun for most, but a bit scary for a few.  I paid for that one later on in the evening once we all got back in our tents.  All was well though.

We all decided to dress up for Halloween this year, and even though there was some local confusion about which day to Trick-or-Treat (due to Halloween falling on a Sunday), a good time was had by all, and yes, we still managed to bring home quite the haul of sugary treats.  We even decided to carve a little Harry Potter into our pumpkin this year.

We are all gearing up for Thanksgiving and the kids' birthdays.  Grant is going to see the newest Harry Potter flick w/ 5 of his friends this weekend, and Anna is going to have a Build-A-Bear party in a couple of weeks.  We are all looking forward to Thanksgiving too.  We have so much to be thankful for - God has blessed us all beyond measure this year.  I treasure my family, friends, and community. 

Christmas is coming, and we had a lot of fun playing with the camera the other day - here are a couple of shots from last weekend.

Can you smell the holidays yet?  I love this time of year - busy as it may be, it's when our family creates some of our most fond memories.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Universal on 10/9/10 & 10/10/10...

I was so excited to take my fam to Universal Studios last weekend.  We were going to see my sister, her kids, and of course the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  Even better, we were celebrating 10/10/10 in a really fabulous way.

I will say that I didn't realize that it would be such a learning experience, but here are a few of the things I did learn over the course of those 2 days:



1.)  It is virtually impossible to sync 10 people's bladders.  I swear we visiting the restroom after almost every ride.



2.)  Dyson hand dryers rock!  I found myself not really getting on to Anna much in the bathroom when she was lingering too long as I know she was just as fascinated by the hand dryer as I was - LOL! :)

3.)  Just because the rest of the park is pretty empty doesn't mean that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be.  Yes, we did wait 1 hour and 15 minutes to get into Ollivander's for the kids to get wands.  It WAS worth it though.  Grant was picked as the only person out of our group to participate in the demonstration where the wand picked him.  Very cool.





4.)  The pictures that are taken on scary rides that you can buy for $19.99 + tax at the end of the ride really are worth it sometimes.  We happen to have one of the funniest ones I've seen in a long time.  The last 2 rows are my family.  Anyone want to take a stab at captioning it for me? :)

5.)  It is possible to eat a turkey leg the size of your head.

6.)  Butterbeer is better than pumpkin juice, and the moustache it leaves after you drink it is pretty funny too.

7.)  When crazy teenagers decide to hose down the hallway of your hotel with the fire extinguisher at 2:30 in the morning, it really isn't that bad when you have to evacuate to the lobby at that time of the morning.  They did get caught, we weren't in our underwear, and the room was comped that night too!

 

8.)  If you don't have a bed, just take a nap at the lunch or dinner table.  It seems to have worked very well for Anna.

We had a great time celebrating our 10/10/10.  What did you do to celebrate?

Goodbyes and Hello October/Fall...

Okay, so I haven't been very good about blogging since my 30 day challenge ended, but for today - I'm back. 

Fall is here, and we are really enjoying the cooler weather.  The kids are getting excited about heading to Orlando next weekend to visit Universal Studios and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  They are also counting the days until Halloween.  Anna is going to be a kitty, and Grant is going to be a boxer (the fighter, not the dog). 

So, to update you all since my last blog, here is what has been going on in our family for the last couple of weeks.

Grant had his tooth fixed - good as new!  What a handsome boy. :)

 Our piggy, Cocoa Puff went to heaven.  The kids miss her terribly, and it broke my heart to see them so sad over our loss.  I pray that their hearts will heal quickly.  Moms never like to see their babies sad.

 The dogs are still the best of friends.

 My husband thought that labeling the cat would be a good idea.  Does she look happy to you? 

 The kitchen is finished!!!  We love it.  Definitely worth the wait...

Last weekend, we made an edible haunted Halloween house.  Anna really got in to the black icing, quite literally.  What a mess she is - a fun mess though. :)  Oh, and she can also ride her bike now without training wheels.  She was so proud of herself!

I look forward to what the last part of the year will bring for us.  This is definitely my favorite part of the year - cooler weather, Halloween, the kids' birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Yay!!!

Happy October!!!!!

Spectacular Day...

What an awesome, awesome day we had today. I had the absolute pleasure of watching both of my children be baptized in the Gulf behind our family's beach house today. It was a beautiful day, and the kids were so excited. They have such a mature understanding of their faith, and it made me so proud to watch them profess their faith publicly through their baptisms. We celebrated afterwards with a cookout with family and friends. They also both received bibles with their names engraved on the front.

When we got home from the beach, we decided to let the kids take their bikes out for awhile. Anna's training wheels came off today. She was not thrilled about it, but she did try. More practice is needed, and she got pretty frustrated, but I am just happy that she tried. She'll get the hang of it. My babies are growing up.

Excited to start a new week and see what is in store for us!

Teeth Week, Blessed by a Gift, and Gourmet Chicken Nuggets...

My oldest lost his last "baby" tooth this week. He decided he really wanted to get a few more bucks from the Tooth Fairy. So, he knocked his front tooth against the concrete at P.E. today, and you will see the result in the photo. He is okay, but it is painful, and he has to back to the dentist on Monday for bonding/rebuilding of the tooth.

One of my sweet friends lost her sister a few months ago. Her sister was a scrapbooker, and Anne said she thought of me when she went through her sister's things and found all of her scrap stuff. She brought it to me this week, and it was bittersweet. I found several family photos within the bags, and all I could think of was how this lovely lady didn't get to finish her albums for her children. I feel so touched that Anne gave me her sister's things. Here is a link to the the obituary.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/running-30266-laugh-bernadette.html

She passed away running her first triathlon. It was very unexpected. The school that she worked at is now raising money in her name to build a new P.E. track.

Thomas decided to try out his culinary skills this week and made a new version of chicken nuggets: topped with cheese, jalapenos, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Move over Top Chef!!!

Here's to a peaceful weekend!

Day 30 - Ways I believe I have grown over the past thirty days...

Well, I am impressed with myself - 30 days of blogs. I didn't think I'd stick to it, but I did, and I'm glad. It was fun, and now I'm sort of sad that I don't have "pre-thought out" topics to write about every day anymore. Now, you'll just have to read about my boring everyday life, huh? :)

Anyway, I definitely have some ways that I believe I have grown in the last 30 days:

1.) I have progressed in Taekwondo. I started in August, and I am only a few weeks away from testing for my orange belt - go me!!! I love it!

2.) I actually like to write. I have always been pretty good at writing, and even won some awards in college, but I never found it to be much fun then. Now that I am older and don't have to write for a grade, I enjoy writing to capture thoughts, dreams, memories, etc. It is relaxing.

3.) People are really interesting. I feel like I have made many friends during the course of this 30 day challenge. I have found numerous bloggers and have sort of immersed myself in their blogs. I enjoy reading about other people, and I am inspired by what many of them say.

4.) I realize how recording my thoughts is therapeutic when I'm having a tough day, and I really want to focus on putting my words and stories into my scrapbook pages more. Journaling is such a huge part of recording the memories.

5.) The blogging world is huge, and there is a blog about almost anything you can think of.

I did want to share some of the really neat blogs that I have added to my blogroll over the course of the last 30 days:

http://17andbaking.com/

(She's only 17, and has made up lots of recipes from scratch, won awards, and is very creative in the kitchen.)

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog

Scrap & Design inspiration - I love the photo challenges.

http://eighteen25@blogspot.com/

More crafty stuff - this blog has some really cute ideas.

http://ohsheglows.com/

Yo-Yo dieter gone vegan and healthy. Her story is inspiring, and her attitude about beauty and having a healthy lifestyle are great too. The recipes are really yummy looking as well. (Thanks Alison for this one!)

http://jenjohnson.typepad.com/family/

Another photo/journal type blog. I love reading about how the everyday, mundane type things can be so exciting if you have the right perspective.

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed this challenge, and I'm looking for more. I want to write regularly, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come up with cool topics on my own. Any other ideas for this?

Anyone else have some more neat blogs to add to my blogroll?

Happy Blogging!

-Michelle

Day 29 - What I live for...

I want to say that I live my life for God, but I know I have a long way to go before I can proclaim that. I am learning, and I am trying, but I am not perfect...

Besides living my life for the Lord, I also live for my family. They are so precious to me, and I love them all so... :)

Day 28 - A moment I remember being completely happy in and a description of why I believe I was. What is my definition of happiness?...

I will never forget how I felt after both of my children were born. I instantly fell in love and knew that those days would always be some of the happiest I will ever know.

I had a long, hard labor/birth with Grant, and I was tired and in pain after his birth. Of course, I was happy, but I was also sort of in a fog (so to speak).

With Anna, I had a scheduled c-section. So, I was well-rested, relaxed, and not in pain.

I remember an overwhelming feeling of completeness for our family after Anna was born. I had my boy. I had my girl. God was so good to us. Even though I felt great after Anna's birth, I was sick after the anesthesia got going through my body shortly after being in the recovery room. It didn't matter though - I was on top of the world.

Happiness is about feeling complete, being surrounded by love and joy. I know that the ultimate happiness lies in the hereafter, and I know at that time, it will be awesome.

I thank God for my babies every day. :)

Day 27 - My definition of the meaning of life...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away. - Author Unknown

I used to think that in order to define the meaning of life for myself, I had to find out what my life's purpose was supposed to be. The older I get though, the more I realize that maybe my "purpose" isn't so profound. Maybe God's will for me is just to exist and to try to be the most loving person that I can be; to give to others, to provide, to love, and to care.

I think the "Bucket List" movie does a pretty good job of conveying people living life to the fullest. It touches on some of the things that I believe are important in life, but not all of them.

I thought this post would be a perfect time to share my "Bucket List".

1.) Read and actually understand the Bible.

2.) Travel both in the U.S. & Internationally: Italy - Leaning Tower of Pisa, Gondola ride; Australia - Great Barrier Reef (Scuba Diving); France - The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower; London; Africa - Safari (elephants in the wild); Amazon - Rainforest; China - Great Wall; Holy Land; NYC - Statue of Liberty (New Year's Eve), Play on Broadway; AZ - Grand Canyon; NV - Vegas; Canada - Niagara Falls; CA - Drive through sequoias; Yellowstone; Hawaii; D.C. (I did this one this year!)

3.) Visit every one of the states in the U.S. at least once (preferably on a road trip).

4.) Learn to dance.

5.) Play the guitar & piano.

6.) Do a Triathlon.

7.) Skydive

8.) Ride in a hot air balloon

9.) Obtain a Bachelor's Degree in something (what? I have no idea.)

10.) To have one of my scrapbook pages published

11.) Go Skiing.

12.) Build my own home (custom).

13.) Whale watching

14.) See Northern Lights

15.) White water rafting

16.) Ride in a helicopter.

17.) Horseback riding along the shore somewhere

18.) Sit on a jury.

19.) Get my black belt in martial arts.

And last, but not least:

20.) Make a difference in the world!!!

Day 26 - My definition of love...

Love is...

Giving yourself unconditionally to another, whether that be a parent, sibling, child, spouse, or friend. Knowing what someone needs and offering to provide it or finding the means to provide it even if it is difficult or goes against what is comfortable for us

Caring more about others than yourself

Offering a hug or a kiss

Praying for each other

Kindness

Patience

Honesty

Forgiving those who hurt us

Bandaging up the boo-boo's

Rocking a baby at 2 in the morning

Bringing a sick friend some soup

Hanging your kids' artwork on the fridge

Teaching your children the value of respect and morals

Wearing socks or shoes with holes in them so that you can give to others

My dogs jumping on me at the end of the day because I am their best friend and they missed me so

Knowing your right but not saying so

Deep, emotional, and sometimes complicated

Humble and gentle

The best summary I can think of lies in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Tell someone that you love them today! :)

-Michelle

Day 25 - Something I would do if no one stopped me or if I knew I wouldn’t fail...

I am not afraid of failure. I don't like it, but I have failed, and I went into whatever situation I was in without fear.

At this point in my life, I don't feel like anyone is going to stop me except maybe myself. Again, not because I'm afraid, but because I am too responsible.

I'd love to go out on a limb and find a career in something creative, but the realistic part of me knows that isn't going to pay the bills or help to support my family. It might be different when Thomas is finished with school, but for now, I am where I am.

I love to be inspired by things that other people make, and I love it even more if I inspire someone else.

Who knows, maybe I'll go back to school one day. Or maybe not. I am always eager to learn, but the traditional "sit in the classroom, listen to lectures, & take tests" side of education doesn't appeal much to me. I prefer hands-on learning for the thrill of discovering something new.

I also wonder if I made my "hobby" my "job", would I still love it? Would I want to create if I "had" to? I know, it sounds silly, but I have thought about it. Can anyone relate?

Still trying to figure out where my place is in the world. Maybe I'll figure it out one day; maybe not. I'll just have fun trying to feel my way through.

Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?...

-Michelle

Day 24 - Something I did as a child that other people remember me for...

1.) I used to hide under the coffee table whenever anyone I didn't know came over to the house. I was REALLY shy.

2.) I loved Snoopy when I was really young and even dressed up as him for Halloween. I had the full face paint and everything. My parents took me to the mall, and some kid accidentally kicked me in the face as his mom was holding him up high, and it hurt. So, of course I cried, and all of my Snoopy make-up ran down my face.

3.) I used to drop things as a toddler and instead of saying, "Oops - there it is!" I'd say, "Boops - dare it is!" :)

4.) I loved to play with my baby dolls and would often boss them around (who me, bossy?! - no way!!!). I would say, "Eat baby doll. Go to sleep baby doll. Sleep baby doll. Spank baby doll." See, I was such a disciplinarian - LOL! :)

5.) I used to love my Uncle's cat "Bager". His name was really Rutabaga, but he was often called Rudy or Bager for short.

How many of you knew those little factoids about me? :)

-Michelle

Day 23 - Most awkward first impression I feel I’ve ever given...

Had to think on this one for awhile, but I did come up with one.

I remember once when I was out of work when Grant was a baby, I was interviewing all over town. I was going to probably a dozen interviews a week. I was really, really needing a job.

Anyway, I went to one interview. I don't even remember where it was now, but the interview process was so awkward and uncomfortable that I probably left a weird first impression for the guy. He asked me things like how old I was, why I wasn't working in the field I had a degree in, why I even wanted to work there, what my husband did for a living, if I had kids, etc.

I know I'm not an HR person, but if even a small part of my knowledge in human resources is correct, I do believe almost every one of his questions were inappropriate for the interview process.

So, I guess I left an awkward first impression because 1.) I couldn't answer most of his questions. I had never been asked those kinds of things before; and 2.) I really didn't want the job after that, and the questions I did answer, I cut short, acted nervous, and definitely was not self-confident.

I am so glad that I don't work there. And, I don't really care what his impression of me was either. :)

Day 22 - Someone I would give my life up for without question...

This is an easy one... :)

Random Questions...

I have to say that these questions are not original. I got them from Becky Higgins blog: www.beckyhiggins.com/blog.

For some reason, I can't copy & paste into blogger.com, but I can post a link to my Facebook "Notes" page so you can read my thoughts... :)

http://www.facebook.com/notes/michelle-landry-duvall/random-questions/430573081357

-Michelle

Day 21 - My favorite medium of art...

I love crafts, creating, and being inspired by art/design. I have dabbled in lots of different mediums, but for me, paper is my absolute favorite. You can do so much, and of course, I combine paper with pictures for scrapbook pages that will help my family to remember those special times in their lives. Here are a couple of my projects that have involved paper:

First Taekwondo Tournament...

It was a little bit more chaotic than we imagined and quite intense, but it was a new experience. We are proud of Anna for going and hope to see many more tournaments in the future. Love you sweet girl! - Mom