10

As we have hit a milestone...10 years, a decade, I spent some time thinking about what lessons and thoughts I wanted to share with Emmah. She may not appreciate all of these yet, but she will and learn to understand them too. 

1. You won’t be liked by everyone and that’s all right. However, I strongly encourage you to BE YOURSELF even if others don’t recognize how special you are. I'm sure this will take awhile to settle in, it did for me, but in the end you're a wonderful person and if someone doesn't see that...they are missing out! "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." (Dumbledore-Harry Potter) Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in. As I heard many times from Memah..."Kill them with kindness, and don't stup to their level and be the better person. None of which will be easy.

2. Always ask questions...no question is a dumb question, unless it goes unasked. There will always be something to question and an answer to look for...get out there and ask!

3. Keep smiling. It’s a cure for common sadness and can truely "make" someones day. Laughter is the best medicine and even in tough times a smile can warm the heart.

4. Dream BIG!! Believe that no matter what it is you want to do you can do it and we are always behind you, cheering you on along the way. It may seem impossible some days, but the more you push and perservere the closer that goal will become to reality. 

5. Don’t do favors or charity with the expectation of getting something in return, or having the favors returned to you. Do them because it makes you smile and warms your heart. Compassion for others is  gift to share...share it!

6. You’ll have your heart broken at some point, and you’ll inevitably break someone else’s. Pick up the pieces, hold your head high and look for love again. Sometimes...when you're not really looking at all you'll find it right in front of you. Let yourself love and be loved. Eventually, you'll find that one true love and when you do, your heart really will skip a beat, and and feel whole in their presence. Love isn't easy, but worth the work!

7. Always write thank you's...take the time to write a short note to the person to let them know you appreciated their thoughtfulness. As your Memah always said "If you're not thankful you don't receive."

8. Dad and I will embarrass you in front of your friends. This is inescapable, and at some point in your life you’ll appreciate the fact that we were weird,. Until then, please try to exercise some patience. Every crazy, wacky, and weird thing we do or say is, only because we love you. And that will NEVER change!! All the crazy years that are to come...the fights, the yelling its all bound to happen, but we'll always be here and LOVE you no matter what! We will tell you "We love you" (and won't tire of hearing you say it!) and will love you everyday, even if some days you don't think we do. You hold a special place in our hearts and that can NEVER be replaced!

9. Keep your family close, and surround yourself with wonderful friends. Family is there no matter what...when you make the wrong choices, the right choices and every step in-between. When you find the right friends they will become like family and fill the gaps, join you in laughter, cheers, and sometimes tears. They will you always believe in you and be there through thick and thin.

10. You are beautiful inside and out. You won’t always feel that way when your stand in front of a mirror, or with your friends. I know this struggle all to well, and kids and the world can be tough and sometimes down right MEAN. Striving to be perfect will only cause you more frustration, be content in who you are and always believe that's enough because to the right people it is.

Emmah Ruth Bloemers...you are an AMAZING miracle that has been brought into our lives. You bring us joy, laugher, smiles, frustration, and happiness. You will never fully understand how much we LOVE you until, hopefully someday you are blessed with a child of your own. Until then know that we are always here and love you til the end. Watch out world she is just getting started and she is going to be SPECTACULAR!

7

How in the world does my baby suddenly turn 7???
He went from this:

To this:

Time has just flown by...I LOVE the little man he is becoming. I can't wait to what the future holds for this lego loving, sports fanatic!!

We LOVE you Jake Maddux!

Happy 7th Birthday!

Bake Shoppe

Most people who know me; know that I have a serious problem when it comes to party planning. I tend to get a little too into my planning!! I LOVE to plan kids partys and dread the days when my kids will no longer want these theme parties, let's just hope that is a LOOONG ways off! First off, my baby is turning 9! Really 9? Who told her she could get that old, I am so not okay with that, but I guess since I can't really control it I will just have to deal. This year after much deliberation we decided to go with a baking/bake shoppe theme.How fun is that?? I had a blast having Emmah help me pick out the details, like decorations, plates, activities and invitations. Here is the final invitation:

  A few pics of all the fun details:

  Don't worry there will be a few tutorials on some of my projects. All in all it was a great time celebrating a soon to be 9 year old!!

 

Parlour Time

My family takes its ice cream pretty seriously...I mean my dad even has a freezer devoted just to ice cream!! So of course to celebrate my dad's birthday we headed to his favorite ice cream place EVER!! The Parlour in Jackson, Michigan. Now if you ever get in the area I highly recommend you stop. This place is old fashioned ice cream at it's best! The sizes are HUGE and the taste...AWESOME!

 What made this even better was the fact that my sister Mary from Florida and her family were still here, my other sister Sue and her husband Bill came down, and my brother Jeff was up from Florida as well!  

  Mmmmm....family memories and ice cream, I don't think it gets much better!!  

Six

Today was a very important day at our house...Jake turned 6!! I can hardly belive that my baby is now 6 and is going into First grade. Where does the time go?? We had a lot of fun today celebrating and plan to make it a full birthday weekend!!  

We celebrated with friends from daycare at Chuck E. Cheese! It was a TON of fun and I think everyone had a great time!! We have the BEST daycare lady and are blessed because she LOVES all the kids she cares for, and is great at doing it!! She remembered everything, from goodie bags to fun cupcakes to share...she's the BEST!

Tomorrow we celebrate my dad's at his favorite place in Jackson The Parlour, then Jake has his party on Sunday! All in all it will be full of fun and full of memories!

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum in a dish...

I can hardly believe that in only a few days my baby will be 8! How does that happen and where does the time go?? I LOVE a good theme party so of course I really into...I didn't go overboard at all. Okay well maybe I did...I can't help it!

Here are the details....and oh were they fun!!

1. Goody Jars filled with gumballs!
2. Party invites
3. Hanging decor, great find from Hobby Lobby for super cheap!!
4. Gumball machine sugar cookies (No I didn't make these!)
5. Estimating Jar
6. Terracotta pot gumball machines (The kids all got to make one of their own!)
7. The cake
8. Birthday girl blowing out her candles (Nevermind that mom bought the trick candles and that we almost started a fire! OOPS!!)
9. Birthday banner
10. Cupcake bites to fit the theme.

At the end of the day Emmah told me she loved it all!! Which made all my craziness the last day or so all the more worth it!

New Perspective

As the years go by we have time to reflect on what has happened, and why. The last couple years have brought many new challenges, but have opened my eyes to all the wonderful things I have been blessed with AMAZING family, WONDERFUL friends, and countless reminders of how many great things are in my life.

The last week alone has brought on some new perspective. We have been dealing for 4 years now with Emmah's ADHD issues. You always first look at yourself and ask "What did I do wrong?" and "How could I let this happen?" Then you start looking for some answers....we have explored many in hopes of finding the right one for her. This has been a major challenge, we have recently hit the wall and are again on the hunt for answers. We will find them it just takes time, and perspective. We have to look at things differently, and do what is best for her.

I have enjoyed a wonderful day today, full of hugs, songs, laughs, a delicious meal, beautiful flowers, kisses, birthday wishes, and most of all love.

Tomorrow I start the next year of my life with a new perspective...life is a blessing, take what you have and make it wonderful, joyful, and be a blessing to others.