My big boy has reached the next step.

Toddler Bed. He is such a big boy. He climbed out of his crib and fell on Saturday, so now no more crib. Luckily we bought the crib that changes as the kid grows. So Tj transfered it into the toddler bed Saturday right after it happened. So far so good. He has only gotten out of bed once as soon as we put him down and then gets back in and goes to bed. I hope we are lucky through this and he doesnt have a hard time with the transition. 

Another new thing:

Curious George. He is absolutely in love with Curious George. Its the one movie that he will actually not get distracted in after 5 minutes. He loves it. I think George is the cutest little monkey ever so it works out well :) He carries around the case for the dvd all day. He always picks it out when its movie time. Its adorable!

i miss him :/

This is my cousin Trey. He is amazing. He is stationed in Japan right now in the marines. 

it will be 2 years until i see him again...i just really really miss him. 

TATTOOOOOO! :)

So tonight I was on the phone with my best friend discussing tattoos. I have been rather nervous because in the back of my mind i still was unsettled with the fact that Jesus may not be okay with it. So her and i got online did some research and found some things that really brought me to my final decision. I am SO GETTING A TATTOO. :)

I found some stuff in Leviticus and Romans that helped make my decision, and a really good article at www.christianitytoday.com. So go check out the article, im not about to type all that in! The website also helped me with a lot of the other issues i have been dealing with since i left my "pentecostal religion" and decided to start following Christ in a way i could understand. I am super excited about so many things and i finally have a better understanding of pretty much everything that i have been lacking in. 

So my tattoo:

I origanlly have always wanted to get Proverbs 3:5-6 tattooed somewhere, but i thought i would start out a little smaller, because well i cant take a lot of pain...so thats a lot for my first time. Then i thought well I love LOVE so i should just get the word love tattooed. I've been thinking about it for a while now and though LOVE has a huge meaning in my life, i want something more specific. So i am going with, HE LOVES US. I am so in love with that song. Ya know the one I'm talking about?

He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane....

ya know that one?

He loves me, and i am so glad that He loves me. So, why not tell everyone i come in contact with that He Loves Us? He loves each and every one of us. So there you have it! Thats what i am getting. He Loves Us. :)  I am so excited!

Now here is what i need friends help in!

Where should i put it?  My two spots that i am thinking is wrist or foot. So what do ya'll think? Which one? Or even throw out a different spot! I want our opinions and very soon please!

See ya later

Goodbyes are really the hardest thing to do

I have never once said bye to someone and enjoyed saying it.

This has been a year of goodbyes. I've never said goodbye so many times. I made so many wonderful new friends from all over the world. It was great to have them for a season, but i wish God wanted them in my life longer than a season. There is always facebook though right?? Of course. 

Im not done with the goodbyes yet, i just have to remember to say See Ya Later....not goodbye. 

:/

My life has been nonstop lately, but i still somehow have found time to be completely emotional roller coastery crazy. How you ask? I dont know.

My past is coming back up. I have had so many friends just jump back up on the band wagon lately. Where are they coming from? My old best friend from high school, and when i say best friend i mean, like stay up on the phone all night, spent every minute together, skipped most classes to go to sonic and the mall, knew everything about each others lives, best friend. He needs me, and i feel like i can help. I feel like I can be that person, that example in his life. Phone conversations are about it since there is a 3000 mile difference. But its good, i have really enjoyed all these folks coming back into my life. Tj too. :) he loves michael and the other ones :)

The emotional roller coaster though is that i am so off. I cant seem to get it together, I am exhausted with so many things going on. I havnt had a night or day off in a cant remember, even when I am away from aiden for an hour, i still have something to do. Its not just down time for me. I just need nikki time. maybe...i dont know. I have a trip planned for home again in October, actually its the last week in Sept and a couple weeks of Oct. I am so happy, my cousin is getting married, we are not super close but she is still family and i love her, i can not wait to enjoy that day, its about freakin time!!! Im thinking i will either LOVE being home again or HATE it. Im praying there will not be any drama like this last time. HE is out of the picture so i dont see anything happening to cause drama, but ya never know. Life is life. So Im hoping for a little more alone time than last time. 

My parents got a new house, and im not sure if im being selfish about it or not, but i am having a hard time adjusting to them being somewhere new. I love the house i grew up in. We were there through my teenage years and there are so many memories, i just can not imagine not being in it again. I plan on just going there when i get home and reliving every memory again. Even if someone new lives there, they will just have to understand. Thats my house dang it!!! I just want to sit in it for a while, possibly cry a little. No matter how much of my past i always say i want to forget, its still there and i remember it, and it made me who i am so i want to keep it i guess. I just love that house. :/

im done.

venting :)

I am a mom, and i think i do a decent job at it. I feel like God gave me my child for a reason, so i do good. I also think that if you are not a parent you have absolutely no right to say anything about parenting. There are hundreds of books, hundreds of comments said daily, hundreds of thoughts from rude people, that really dont know. I am a christian so I am going to raise my son in a Godly home, I am going to teach him right from wrong, Im going to teach him everything i possibly know to give him the knowledge to be in this world. Right now he is 19 months old and he is starting the terrible twos. Its going to be a fun stage, i can feel it. He is absolutely wearing me out, but i discipline him. I tell him no, Im not afraid to spank him no matter where i am, I put him in time outs, I use the ONE...TWO...THREE method, and i think he listens. Yes, he is trying my patience these days, he is making it much harder to be able to punish him with that cute little face. He is trying everything he can possibly do to see if he can get away with it. Thats what they do, I've heard. My mom taught me well, and you better believe I will be teaching my kids the way she taught me. 

So seriously, dont say i dont discipline my child, unless you are a parent, you have no clue, so dont even try. Its rude, its inconsiderate and its down right hurtful as a friend. Thats all I am going to say, i dont know anyway else to put it.

FAMiLY!

I talked to two of my cousins that I have never talked to before, yesterday. It was one of the best days of my life. My cousin Justin found our family a little over a month ago. I talked to my cousin Christy for the first time, I always knew of her but my family never kept in contact with her when her mom moved them away. So, Justin and Christy are brother and sister, they also never knew about each other until yesterday. I know this isnt making much sense, but it so amazing to me. Christy also has a sister named Angela that I also have only talked to once before. Its just been an amazing experience that i never thought would happen. 

Their dad (my uncle) died in 2002. Sadly even before that my grandparents never had any of us keep in contact. Im not sure why, i dont understand the whole story, i was so young when everything happened. 

Im just so glad i have 3 cousins now that were never in my life before. I have so much to learn about them. I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my week update!

Here is my week beginning Tuesday:

Picked up my friends from Redding airport. 4 girls, aiden, and about 8 suitcases fit in my car. Really, i dont know how that happened!!! It was craziness! Spent Tuesday night with with the girls. Took Tj to life group, tina grocery shopping, and then back to socialize. Oh yeah, and picked tj back up from life group. Long, but fun night.

Wednesday night:

Picked up Tina as soon as tj got home, went to the supply house for shampoo, safeway for ice, and then headed to Kevins for a party. More socializing. New people....scare me. But i think i did good.

Thursday:

gym day care from 9-12 rachels to help with some kids, then some shopping for rachel...not me. Picked up tj, ate some din then back over to Kevins for hangout. Oh target was before that. :) fun times. target. :) Decided we should go to san fran. FUN

Friday: spent the morning cleaning and afternoon (5 hours) doing laundry. yup fun. Ran into winco with a sleeping 30 pound kid in my arms for stuff for dinner and made it back home just in time for Joe to walk up the steps. Joe, Kristin and Cory for dinner! Made official plans for San Fran for Saturday! Got everything ready and asleep by 12. 

Saturday:

Got up at 6, left by 6:30, picked up tina and met the boys at Starbucks to head out. Got on the freeway, left my wallet on top of the car. Luckily, we stopped and found everything that was in it, only a few scratches. Praise Jesus! Back on the road to San Fran. AMAZING CITY! AMAZING DAY! i loved everything about it. Even the 8 hours of walking. It was beautiful. Amazing food, great fellowship with friends. Two new friends, Jin and John. Such a great time. :) Left, stopped off for some BOMB hamburgers :) Made it home by 12:07! Nice. 

Sunday: (today) 

Got up at 8. switched off bathroom time between tina and tj. It was surprisingly easy! Made it to church only 5 minutes late! Awesome worship, an amazing message from the Lord. I love how wonderfully Nate speaks, he is so easy to follow! I loved the message today. :) very needed! Had some tri-tip for lunch, first time i have ever enjoyed it! YUM. Now we are home, relaxing until 4:15 when we head back to the stirring for Jr. High.

All of that has been my week. I have loved every minute of it!! It has been non stop, but amazing. I typed it all down mainly because i have a terrible memory and i want to remember this week full of great friends and fun. Also, for your enjoyment :) love love love!

I just want to say that Tj and I have the most amazing friends ever :)

I am so blessed to have come so far from home and still have friends that are just as close as family :) When you know we are going through a rough time, you help, and i am so thankful :)

Whoever put that blessing on our dresser last week, you are a blessing yourself. I thank you, im so grateful for you, and love you dearly.

Love.love.Love

i love jesus.

he is so amazing.

he is going to take care of us.

i love him. 

i love him.

i love him.