Just wanted to say so long for a bit my beloved blogger buddies. I need to re-prioritize some things in my life and focus more on some issues the girls and I are facing due to the divorce and everyone's general anxiety. Please don't worry, we will come out on the other side...just pray for us if you would. Hope to be back soon!
I want to start this post by reminding you all that I am adopted and am very fortunate to have so many people I consider "sisters" in my life. I have two awesome sisters in my family, a surrogate sister who grew up with us and is considered family, special sisters in my church family, and some of the dearest friends ever that feel like sisters to me. To me, blood doesn't make you a sister but the close and special relationship you share through the years, good times and bad, does!
I would like to take a minute to express how thankful I am that my surrogate sis Chris made it through her surgery today with flying colors...hooray! Let's all pray that this is the last one for her and anyone related to her. :) I'm also so very grateful that my sister here made it through her surgery today too! I know her quality of life will be so much better once she's recovered. Thank you to everyone who kept them in their prayers, I appreciate it...God is good!
I would also like to send a shout out to a special blogger sis who is struggling and needs to be lifted up in prayer. She is on a courageous journey of healing and I admire her honesty and character so very much. Hang in there, take one day at a time, and remember that I'm here with an ear anytime you need and am only a phone call away. I admire your strength, you are an inspiration to me!!!
My girls and I are doing alright. The divorce should be final in a couple of weeks and we are now navigating our way through our first post divorce upcoming holiday season. I have finally come to the realization that I cannot take care of anyone else anymore unless I take care of myself first and that doesn't make me selfish. I have to put myself first so I can be the kind of Mom that my beautiful daughters deserve. I know I'm strong and can do it, I just have to keep everything in balance. If there's one thing everyone knows about me is that I may get down and out (and have especially in the last 6 months) but I always get back up again and put one foot in front of the other. I give God the glory for this as I am saved by His grace. The last 6 months and my renewed faith have validated what I always knew before in a profound way...that family is everything! I don't care about things, I care about people and wanted to say thank you to all of the people who stood by me and supported me (and the girls) during our lowest points. You all know who you are, but I wanted you to know that we couldn't have done it without all of you!!!
I think the girls and I are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and are heading slowly to the other side and it feels so good!
I need to take this short time out blogger friends to ask those of you with Faith to please pray for my blogger friends, myself and the girls, my family, church family, and close friends. It seems that everywhere I turn in the last couple of weeks almost everyone I know is going through struggles of some sort. I know that God doesn't give any of us more than we can handle, but I can also relate to the thought of wishing that He didn't trust me so much! :) For me, reaching out and asking for prayers or help of any kind is hard, but I have learned that it also brings comfort and peace in knowing that I am not alone. I don't want to post names of the many folks on my prayer list, but let me tell you it is a long one! If you would, please take a few moments this week and simply pray for everyone on Kim's prayer list to be uplifted. I would appreciate my fellow blogger friends and awesome sisters in Christ!
Hi bloggers, sorry to haven't been around in a bit. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm super busy these days (albeit with good stuff). I wanted to brag on my sweet Kaley Rose and report that she kicked butt on her 1st progress report as an 8th grader! She got 4 A's, 1 B and 2 C's...yeah! She is working on bringing up those C's (I know she will) and since this first semester is always the hardest, I'm so happy for her. One of the A's was in math too...awesome!!!! Mom got to spend the evening with her on Friday night since Caroline was sleeping over at her BFF's house. We went to the mall (what a shocker) and she scored some major bargains at Hollister as a treat. I really enjoyed our big girl night, we came home and watched a movie. This weekend they are with their Dad, so I am hoping to get out there and enjoy some grown up time with friends.
I'm also posting to ask for some prayers for my Liney. Caroline has been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for the last month or so. She's seen the doctor and has some medication to help, but so far it's still one day at a time. She has an appt. to see a child psychologist next week and has been meeting with her Guidance Counselor at school regularly and we have been trying to love on her as much as possible lately. I think the divorce has been hardest on her and seeing her parents begin to move on. Please keep her in your prayers, I would sure appreciate it!
Nothing much else going on around here. We will be getting ready to put the house up for sale soon and are in the process of getting ready and excited for Halloween.
I'm going now to catch up on all of your blogs...hope everyone has a great Monday!
UPDATE:
Caroline just brought home her progress report and she had 4 B's and 2 C's..way to go Liney!!!!!!
I am so proud to report that Caroline Elizabeth made the choice to be baptized by immersion this morning after service at church. Congratulations to my baby, I'm so proud of her! The story about how this all happened is pretty amazing:
We have been having some discussion at our house about sin and baptism and the different methods (the girls were both baptized as infants as was I). So this morning, before service I asked our Pastor if he could meet with the girls and I after after worship and he agreed (not knowing what about). The service was going on as usual until I realized the sermon was about baptism (divine intervention). I was hanging on every word and exchanging knowing glances with Kaley and Caroline. I could see in their innocent faces that they were getting it too. As the sermon was coming to a close, pastor shocked the congregation by announcing that he had filled the baptismal pool earlier this morning (something he's never done before) and wanted to invite anyone that wanted to be baptized right now to come forward while we all prayed with heads bowed and eyes closed. I quietly slipped past my girls and friends and went forward. Pastor asked me a few questions and the next thing I knew my friend and one of the deacons were taking me to the back of the sanctuary and we were all crying. Pastor then called upon my friend to join me in the water and she witnessed my rebirth as a new creature up close and personal while the congregation watched from a distance. I kept my eyes focused on Kaley and Caroline and could see the impact it had on them. It was the most indescribably joyful experience of my life and I'm so happy that I did it today! Afterwards as I was dripping wet and filled with the Holy Spirit, I asked my friend to bring the girls to were I was. They came and congratulated me and said how proud they were and Pastor joined us and answered the kids questions about baptism with me. It was then and there that Caroline came forward and decided for herself to be baptized today too. She wanted it to be private, so it was after church and her sister, myself and my friend and two of her daughters all stood by and cheered for the second new creature in our family. Kaley was very emotional and decided that she would also liked to be "re-baptized" privately but would let me know when she wanted to do it. I am proud that she didn't just "go with the flow" and follow suit but rather choose to think and study more about it to make the right decision for herself.
What a blessing today was and I for one am still rejoicing in it!
I meant to write this last weekend, but time got away from me (what a shocker). I had a wonderful night out last Saturday with a girlfriend from work and so enjoyed some grown up girl time! We started out with dinner at the Olive Garden (thanks to a gift card that my Mom gave me) and then headed to the movies (I had 2 free passes). We saw "The Women" and it was great! I can't urge you enough to check it out ladies! The cast is amazing, the plot and subject matter realistic (although Hollywoodized a bit), and the message is powerful and one we all need reinforced. The only thing that could have made it any better for me would have a been a Rick Springfield song in the soundtrack, LOL! Let me know if you're able to catch it as I am working on a project that I'll share here later that ties in with the movie too. There were some fab lines about girlfriends that hit home and cracked me up also, like: "putting it in the vault", and "don't be bitter, it leads to Botox"!
If memory serves, there was not one man on a single frame of this film too which I thought was kinda cool. If you are needing a kick in the rear, to be inspired or empowered, or just want to see a good "chick flick", check out "The Women"..you'll be glad you did!
If I can score some more free movie passes, the next one on my list that I want to see for me is "Nights in Rodanthe", so stay tuned as there might be another movie review in my future. Oh yeah, and by the way, I'm not getting paid to write these (LOL), just spreading the word like we women do. :)
Blog and surrogate sis Chris is home from the hospital!!! Please continue to keep she, Mike (who should also be home very soon), the girls, and their entire family in your prayers as they heal and work towards reuniting as a family.
Reconnecting with an old friend of mine and Chris's from High School (thank you Patty)
A stronger sense of family (thank you for your support recently and in the future)
No unfinished business in my life that hasn't been addressed and working towards healing out of love (thanks for honest communication and forgiveness M)
God's creatures, especially those that live with the girls and I (loyal protectors)
My friends are the best in the world! Near or far, they are truly there for me and I couldn't live without them (Renata, Shelly, Patty B., Chris and Mike, and Missy)
God's Grace!
Lastly and most importantly my biggest and best blessings and true gifts, Kaley Rose and Caroline Elizabeth being the best daughter's a Mom could ever have and for coming so far in such a short time during our period of ongoing adjustment (you are both an inspiration to me)!
I am so happy to report that my blogger sis Chris that I have been asking your prayers for has made HUGE progress and is doing great...God is good! I am so thankful for her and her family! The outpouring of people lifting them up during this difficult time has been inspiring and good for my soul. You all are wonderful and I just wanted to let you know how much their family (and I) appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Please keep them all in your prayers as the healing process continues for Chris and Mike undergoes surgery soon himself...
Now that things are moving forward on all accounts in my life too, I hope to get back on track with the backlog of posts that I need to write covering our summer. Here's a quick sneak peek: The girls and I went on our first ever "mother/daughter" road trip to the mountains of NC and the Atlanta area and had a blast, Caroline got yet another new pet, Kaley went away to the beach for a weekend with her BFF and family and started some new hobbies, we went on a day trip to one of my favorite places on earth...the local rose garden, and the girls spent the first week of the summer at the beach with my folks. We all had a great experience at VBS at a friend's church this summer too and have actually started attending there and start Awanas next week. Busy busy busy as I'm sure you all are! Now that they are back in school, we are on a better schedule and routine that should leave me some blogging time. :)
I also wanted to send heartfelt thanks to my awesome, loyal, supportive, funny, (I could go on and on here) girlfriends and blogger pals for helping me get through the separation and impending divorce and especially for loving me! The girls and I are still in therapy and we all continue to cope and adjust. I am so proud of Kaley and Caroline, they are great kids and are handling this really well all things considered. They truly are my biggest blessings in life!
Hope all is well with you and yours, I have been stopping by your blogs here and there and reading to get caught up. Stay tuned for more hopefully soon, I miss you all!
P.S. Check out the new title of my blog and recent photos I've added to the sidebar!
As many of you know, my blogger sis and lifelong friend Chris is in the middle of a long journey with some serious health issues. Her husband Mike is about to undergo surgery himself in 2 weeks and if you recall they have a one month old and a two year old. This special family has been through more in the last 2 months than I would wish on anyone. They need your daily thoughts and prayers...please add the Bresnan Family (Mike, Chris, Lindsay and Brooke) to your church's prayer list so they will be lifted up and feel the love of so many who care about them during this very difficult time. I know they will appreciate it as will I...thanks!
I am out of town meeting my new niece! Click here to get to blog sis Chris's page and see pix of the latest addition to the Bresnan family, look for updates tonight! I am guest blogging for her and posting them to her page for now and will do more here when I get home. Congrats!
I am taking the docs advice and taking a week off, leaving the kids with their Grandparents and Dad and am getting outta town for the weekend. Guess where I'm headed?! To ATL of course to be there for blogger sis Chris's delivery on Friday morning. Taking the lap top with me, so check back for baby pix! Can't wait...stay tuned for all the gory details soon, LOL!
OK, so here I am saying I'm sorry again for not being able to keep up with the blog. I am letting you all know in this post what we have been dealing with and then hope to move on to happier posts. I decided to leave my husband back in March and we are going through a divorce at this time. It's been for coming for a few years and got to the point that became clear to me that it couldn't be saved. This is not a decision I take lightly and am saddened by it. We haven't been living together for over 2 months. The girls are adjusting as well as can be expected at this point, we are blessed to have a wonderful support network including family friends, guidance counselors, therapists, and recently new friends at church. We are all now at a point where we are starting to move on and get back to some sort of normalcy, so I hope to be able to find the time and energy soon to post some of the things I've missed.
I'm not saying anything to solicit sympathy (but prayers would be appreciated), but so you all will understand if I disappear from time to time. It's just a difficult time right now. I have been reading your blogs all the while, but just couldn't find it in me to write anything, hope you all understand and will keep checking back in on the girls and I when you can. Happy Independence Day to you and yours too!!!
I have been a very poor blogger lately. It has been a very busy time with birthdays, holidays, the end of the school year, etc. I have also been going through a very difficult and stressful peronal issue and haven't felt too much like putting on a happy blogger face. I hope you all understand and forgive me for neglecting you. I have been trying to get caught up with all of you first and then will get my update posts going. The girls are at the beach with my parents for a week and as I've had insomnia latley ( as you can see by the timestamp of this post), I should be up to speed before they get back. I am honestly enjoying the peace and quiet at home more than I thought I would so far, LOL! Hope you are all having a great weekend...please check back again soon for more to come from our corner of the world!
Yes blogger pals, my "baby" will be 10 years old in a few short hours...where did the time fly?! I will update this post later to include photos from the festivities, but in the meantime, here is the birthday girl's new school photo...I love it! Caroline, my sweet daughter, I love you very much and want to wish you the best birthday ever! Hooray for the "double digits"! :) I'm so lucky to be your Mom, you're the best!!!
C- carefree fun loving girl
A- animal lover extraordinare
R-reads the coolest books
O-open minded in every way
L-lovable and loves to snuggle
I- innocent and free spirited
N-nice to everyone she meets
E-ever changing and growing into a special young lady!
Sorry for the delay, but here are the photos from Chris's baby shower. It was sooo nice! Everything was so pretty and good and everyone had a great time! Chris looked great (and very happy) and baby Bresnan to be #2 got completely spoiled! I had a wonderful time up there and enjoyed the hospitality of Missy and her family very much...I didn't want to come home, LOL! Here are some snaps from the special day:
The Guest of Honor: Mommy To Be Chris...doesn't she look great?!
The decor was beautiful and the nibbles yummy, Missy really outdid herself as hostess! I have to add that her adorable little one Graison helped too. :)
Tara, Mike's Mom and sister and Kim
Party People :)
Pile o baby gifts...wow! This baby is blessed for sure!
Aunt Kimmie made a scrapbook for Baby's first year like Lindsay got. :)
Lindsay and Evan(Tara's son from Evan's Life blog) entertained themselves during the gift opening. They were so cute together!
Lots and lots of pretty pink presents like this one!
Lindsay opens a "Big Sister" gift, she likes presents and had fun with this...
More Gifts
Chris's sister Pat brought the cutest cake...look closely, it's cupcakes!
Lindsay loves to Sit n Spin!
Missy, Chris, and Kim
Hope it was everything you hoped for Chris and that everyone enjoyed welcoming this new baby as much as I did. I have to send out thank you shout outs to Karen for taking the pictures, a very special friend for making the CD favors, Helen for bringing yummy goodies to eat, Pat for bringing the cake, and to Missy for everything!!! I'm so glad I could be there to help celebrate and get some time with The Bresnan's and Missy's family. Love Ya Girls!
Nothing much going on here this week blogger pals, just wanted to post so no one would worry that I dropped off the face of the earth again, ha ha! Busy and stressful week at work, plenty of unnecessary drama, and life as usual with all the business that 2 kids bring. We've had a trip to the zoo with Dad, sleepovers with BFF's, a birthday party, visit from family, and a trip to the skating rink...whew!
I am headed out of town next weekend and cannot wait...counting down the days! Details and pics when I get back. I think for the time being I'm going to have to be a "weekend blogger" as my time is less my own than usual right now. I hope you all are well and had a great weekend!!!!
Well blogger pals, today is the day that the chicken Caroline raised goes to her new home. We are thrilled that friends of my sister are taking her in and that Caroline will have liberal visitation. :) They have land as well as other chickens, turkeys and geese so Angel will be sure to shake a tail feather or two there, ha ha! Caroline is doing alright (although she will miss her lots) knowing that this is the best place for her and that she did a great job as her Mom. Here are some pics:
Just for comparison, this is what she looked like 6 weeks ago when we got her...man she grew fast!
Angel and her Mommy this morning...how sweet is that?!
Farewell Angel! Have fun in your new home, we can't wait to come visit! :)
I am so extremely proud of Kaley for making honor roll in 7th grade this semester...she has worked so hard! She totally earned every A and B she got completely on her own, which is fantastic! She has overcome her struggles enough in math to get a B and got an A in Advanced Language Arts...way to go! I'm so happy to know that although she has entered the world of teens where your friends are everything, she is still working hard in school and growing up to be a wonderful young lady...love you Kaley Rose! Congrats!
This Easter, Caroline and I tried the sunrise service and although it was dark at first when we arrived, it was quite moving. We came home and colored eggs with Kaley and then all went to my parents for the annual brunch and egg hunt with the littlest members of the family. My girls helped their little Nieces, they had a blast and I have never seen so much candy in all my life! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday too. Here are some snaps from the festivities:
Here's what the girls woke up to bright and early on Easter...hooray for goodies!
Sisters checking out the loot on Easter morning...
Ouch!
Caroline gets down to eye level with chickie to teach her that pecking feet is not polite. :)
I think this picture of Kaley is beautiful!
This is my favorite shot of Caroline! She looks so pretty in her dress and is smiling so proidly with her chick in the basket. :)
Last Thursday, our Caroline Elizabeth got an award for academic Honor Roll and for being a "star student" according to her teacher. We are SO proud! She has struggled this year with both her grades and behavior as many of you know, so a celebration was in order. After the award ceremony at school, I took her to the mall for yet MORE Webkinz as a reward. Here are some photos from the ceremony:
Check Liney out with her award (top left), she's so happy!
Here is our smarty pants with some of her 4th grade friends...
Grandma and Poppy came to support Caroline too!
Here is one proud Mom with her star student! :)
GO CAROLINE!!!!!
We had part 3 of Kaley's birthday festivities last night...to celebrate her on the day. She requested spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner and we included her Grandmother and her new friend in the fun. Grandmother brought her a cake (vanilla-her fave) so we blew candles out again and wished her the best 13th bday ever! Here are a few snaps...didn't get many as the camera was acting up (or was it the photographer...I really need to read the manual for my new camera, ha ha):
Kaley & her sister's chick...can you believe how big it's getting already?!
Doug's Mom and her new friend Joe helped celebrate on Kaley's actual bday on Wed.!
I love this pic of the birthday girl! :)
We had a lovely brunch with my entire family today and finished the rest of the huge cookie cake from the day before with everyone...
Carolie picked out this very pretty purple candle for her sister...sweet!
Whoa...awesome! A new 20" TV for her room from Mom and Dad!
Kaley got a DVD player from Grandma and Poppy to go along with her new tv!
Kaley is a very special young lady and is so blessed to have a family that loves and spoils her the way they do! She made out like a bandit and has been the center of attention (something she is shy about) all weekend...I think she's relieved to have 2 "regular" days before she officially becomes a teenager on Wed.! :) Stay tuned for part 3 soon...
Kaley Rose celebrated her upcoming 13th birthday this weekend with a great skating party with her friends. I think they all had a blast! Caroline was very brave and although petrified, didn't give up and ended up doing very well for her first time. I, on the other hand, only lasted on the ice for about 30 minutes...my ankles were killing me, LOL! I gave up and let my sister Lisa hang with the kids on the ice while I took pics and video. Kaley was most excited that her boyfriend Austin came to her party and was a good sport being the only boy there. He gave her a sterling silver heart necklace too...I've never seen her smile so big! She has some wonderful girlfriends too, so thanks Brooke, Sheryl, and Jordan for helping Kaley have a great birthday! I'll post some video, but here are some snaps from the fun:
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