Introductions.......Again!

After some thinking I have decided that since I have been away for quite sometime that I should take a minute to introduce everyone again. Everyone has changed so much since my last actual post! So this post is to reintroduce you all to my little family. In the coming days I will do a spotlight on each one of us that will go more in depth. But for today let me get you caught up on our family.

 A lot has happened over the last 6 years! So me and my husband celebrated our 13th Anniversary! That is a huge one! On our 10th anniversary we did  our 10 year vow renewal! It was amazing! I made every decoration and we had a BBQ buffet! It was perfect. In that time I decided with the oil field tanking that it was time for me to go back to work. So I went to work at a local home health agency. I worked in the office and held the title of Patient Specialist Coordinator, basically office manager lol! I loved the people I worked with and I loved my job. We still live in the same small town in the same small house. But the last 6 years hasn't been kind to us. It has been one struggle after another with little victories and accomplishments scattered in between. So I guess you could say a pretty normal American family. We have had our up's and down's but we keep holding on for dear life.





Ayrton, our oldest is 17 and
 also a Senior this year! OMG where has the time gone? We went from studying for tests to filling our college apps and scholarship forms! He has had a steady girlfriend for almost a year now! She is a sweet girl named Alexia. They went to both the Roff prom and the Latta prom last year! Yeah that was expensive but not a memory I wanted him to miss out on! I am so proud of the young man he is becoming!

Bri, who is 15 now, graduated 8th grade and is now a Freshman in EPIC online charter school and is doing really good! I ended up pulling her out of public school due to having some issues at the school with some girls that were just down right mean to her and not getting anywhere to getting it stopped. That is another story for another time because the whole topic of bullying can't be expressed in a single paragraph. She amazes me every day with her high spirit and the ability to love everyone! Hopefully high school doesn't go as fast for her as it seems it has with Ayrton!

Lorelai, who is now 13 and is known as Trevor to all that support him, is in 7th grade also with EPIC online charter school. This is his 2nd year with EPIC and he is doing so much better. For those of you wondering how he went from Lorelai to Trevor, he came out as Transgender almost 2 years ago. That was rough on all of us but we are in a better place now. I will go into more details on this later. But for those non-supporters I'm pretty sure this is the furthest you will read in my blog and that is fine. This is our story not yours and not everyone has to agree, I just ask that you be kind or forget you ever saw this blog if you have nasty things to say. Whether he goes by she or he or Lorelai or Trevor they are our world and we wouldn't change anything about him. Well........ Maybe the teenage mood swings, we'd change that! LOL!


Anyway on to our youngest son James! He has grown so much! He is 10 and in the 4th grade. He loves all things football, fortnite and anything that has to do with his PS4 lol! He has the biggest heart I have ever seen in a kid! He could have $5 and go to the store and buy all of us something and not get anything for himself! I pray everyday that he keeps his kind giving heart!






Then there is the man that is trying to hold everything together for our little family. He no longer works in the oil field. That decision was made when a well blew up in his face that could have killed him. God was surly watching over him that day because he all he ended up with was some hearing loss and lots of little spots all over his face and neck from the sand and other particles blasting him in the face. He now works at a local sand plant where I know he is safe. We have both made some wrong choices along the way but we are still standing strong holding our family together. Life isn't picture perfect like social media likes to portray. We all have struggles and we all face things that are meant to destroy us but if we stand strong in our faith, which has truly been tested in the last 6 years, we will make it. And we are determined to make it! I ended up putting in my 2 week notice at my home health job of almost 4 years to take some time to focus on our little family. The little things that tend to get put to the side due to the daily hustle and bustle of a working family. Those are the things that in the end are truly important and when I realized that I knew something had to change. God had other plans for me because now I am working a block from my home that gives me time with my family during the week. Its different but I love that I have time with my family now.

As we all know we can't go through this crazy life without loosing some people that we dearly love.

My Husband lost his mom last August and that was really rough on him. He is the typical man and bottled it all up until it all came crashing down. I won't go into details on that but we are still trying to rebuild after that. It was a rough time. Then we lost the Kirk Family Matriarchy Illa Samantha Kirk. My Great Grandma. This woman knew no strangers and didn't have an unkind word to say about anyone. She walked closely with God all her life and didn't stray from that path not one day of her life. We miss her dearly but I know she is with Grandpa and all of our loved ones that has passed before us.












I think that is a pretty good summary of our lives to get you all caught up! Like I said before I will spotlight our kiddos in their very own posts because as you know kids have lots of special moments that need to be documented! So until next time I hope you all have a good weekend!

                     Well Hello There!

It has been a while! Like a long while! For some reason I thought about my old blog tonight! I admit life got crazy here in the Kirk house and it hasn't seemed to level out yet but folks I have lots to share with you! Can't go into details tonight because it is almost 12am but I promise to share what has been going on in our little world! So stay tuned!!

Love Is In The Air!!!

  Well folks Valentines is almost upon us! What will you be doing on Valentines??? Well you all know this Momma will be busy!!!  I have already been busy!!!

   My girls started selling Girl Scout Cookies on the 2nd and we have been running and selling cookies just about EVERYDAY since then! Each girl has a main goal of 50 boxes to earn their cookie patch and then our troop goal is 2,000 boxes!! My girls alone have already sold 216 boxes! That sounds like a lot but when you split it between the 2 girls that is only 108 boxes each. Which that is still a lot and we still have till the 17 of March to sell them! So we have plenty of time!!! Anyway the girls are having a blast doing it and they can't wait till their first booth sale!!!

  

For the past 3 weeks we have been working on Valentines boxes for the kiddos! I didn't want to wait till the last minute to get them done because we had 4 to make! Then I find out that I need to make one for the headstart!!! Originally Bri wanted a piano but I had no clue where to start so we made her a laptop! It turned out really cute!!!!! Then lil man wanted a tractor so that is what we made him! He LOVES it!!! Ayrton said he wanted a Dr. Pepper can and I said OK! Sounded pretty easy to me! So that is what we made him! I add the cute lil saying of course but the idea was all his!!! He is really proud of it!!! I had a hard time trying to think of what to make for myself. I got to thinking that as a teacher we are here to help children learn and grow and what came to mind when I thought of grow was a tree. My tree of love bloomed from there! Lorelai had no idea what she wanted so we "Binged" some ideas and she LOVED one of a bee hive! So that is what we made! She had a blast with the paper mache! I think hers is the cutest of all of them!! Can't wait till they can take them to school and see what people think of them! Over all we did a really good job on them!!!

 

  This week we have the K-3 basketball festival which both of my girls will be playing in ;) Then we have a 4H meeting on Wed. and then the kids have their Valentines parties at school on Thur. Lil man's class is doing lunch at Apple Bee's so that will be a lot of fun! Not to mention a YUMMY lunch before heading off to the other 3 kids parties!!! I have a question though my oldest son and my daughter's class doesn't have a party per-say, where the parent provide the treats, they have to bring their own goody bag that day. Do any of your kids have classes like that? Which do you like better? I am not really sure which way I like better cause you don't really save any money cause then you can personalize your childs goody bag and that can become quiet expensive!

  Anyway I hope you and your Valentine have a VERY Happy Valentines!!

Getting caught up!

  Well Hello there!! Yeah I know its been quiet a while since I wrote a blog. In my defense I will say that from Thanksgiving on it has been pretty busy! Our lil family has had many highs and lows since then! We have had everything from wrecking my new car and having to deal with all of that to 4H contests and basketball games! I will say though what doesn't break us makes us stronger! I wouldn't trade my busy life for anything in the world! With that being said I am going to get back into my weekly blog posts! Here are some upcoming weekly events!

  

  Today we have County Round up! Ayrton has to give a speech over our potbelly pig Harry Porker today for 4H! We have been working on it for about 2 weeks now! He says he is ready but I am one nervous Momma! I made him some note cards to help him out. Hopefully next speech he will have it memorized! Wish him luck because he gives his speech sometime after 5 today!!!

  Also this week we have to make Valentines boxes to hold the kids Valentines cards for school. Over the weekend we made Lil Man's and Bri's but we still have to make Ayrton's and Lorelai's. I can't post pics of theirs just yet because they are have a contest over them at school. I can post the one we made for Lil Man though! I think we did a good job! Last week Lil man's class took some Valentines pictures that turned out really cute. I just had to take a few with my camera!

 Basketball season ended this past weekend with a Byng Tournament. The boys did really well even though they didn't place. Ayrton did however get his first free throw and made his first free throw shot! We were all super excited about that one! This week though is baseball sign ups! So let the SEASON BEGIN!!! I am ready!!!

  That is about it for this week! Doesn't sound too busy but that is just this week! LOL! See you next post!

What are you Thankful for??

  November is the month to remember what all you have to be thankful for. For me and my family we have many things to be thankful for! From our health to our home! But there are smaller things that are just as great as those big things to be thankful for! I have taken part of the 30 days of thanks on facebook and let me tell you it is not hard to think of one thing you are thankful for each day! Since starting the 30 days of thanks it has given me a better outlook on my life and family! There is always something to be thankful for whether it be for just waking up in the morning or having your favorite coffee drink in the morning! Just remember there are folks out there that don't have those things so remember how truly blessed you are!

  With that being said let me give some thanks for some things in my life! I am truly thankful for my husband! He is the most amazing man I have ever known! Anyone who knows him knows how far he has come in the 10 years we have been together! He is a hard working man and provides me and our 4 kids with everything we need and if there is something that we want he will break his back trying to get it! I love you Honey!  Secondly I am thankful for my 4 wonderful children! I don't know where I would be today if it hadn't been for them! Even though life around here is 99% of the time crazy busy I wouldn't trade it for the world! Thirdly I am thankful for having the opportunity to be a stay at home mom to my kids for the last 10 years! That in itself is the most rewarding blessing any mother could ask for! I have had the opportunity to be there for class parties, fieldtrips, assemblies, and any other activity that has come up! This is the time in my kids lives that they will never forget and it molds how they will be with their own children when they get older!! I wouldn't trade it for the world!  I am also thankful that after 10 years of being a stay at home mom ALL of my kiddos are in school now which also means that I can go back to work! Yeah that right there was 2 thanks! LOL!! I am blessed to have a wonderful part time job as being a substitute at my son's headstart! I get to work in his class and in the other 2 classes too:) So I will get to know all the kids that will be in his kindergarten class in 2 years:)  I also must not forget about my Mom and Dad! I am so thankful for them! They have been there to support me through thick and thin and every stupid decision I have ever made! Who I am today is all because of them! I am a Daddy's girl and my Momma's best friend! What more could a country girl ask for??!! I also have the best lil brother in the whole world! He has the biggest heart I have ever seen in a man! He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it! What makes it even better is that he is a member of the Army reserves and has served 2 tours in Iraq. Of course we worried everyday that he was gone but he always came back to us! I couldn't have asked for a braver brother than that! I love you lil brother! Ok now here is a big one! Who out there can say they have the best in laws in the world??!! Well I can:) I love them all and I am glad they include me as part of the family! And as far as friends go I have the best friends a girl can ask for! Whether it be facebook friends or my real life friends I couldn't have picked them better myself! I am glad God put each and everyone of you into my life! Me and my lil family have many things to be thankful for and we are blessed in so many ways! Life may come hard for us at times and we struggle sometimes on a day to day basis but we has so many more blessings that out weigh those struggles!

  I hope each and everyone of my readers can find at least 1 thing to be thankful for each day! If you can find that blessing each day it will remind you how truly blessed you are! When you and your family gathers together this Thanksgiving season give your family a big huge and tell them how truly thankful you are to have them in your life! I think this will help bring families closer together! Oh and please remember to be courteous on Black Friday! I know most of you will be out and about Thursday evening and Friday morning so just remember everyone is shopping just like you are and they are after the same sales you are. If you don't get what your out shopping for there still is 30 days before Christmas to get those items checked off your list! I hope each and everyone of you have a Happy Thanksgiving, just in case my next blog doesn't come till after Thanksgiving:)

Family Pictures 2012!!

    I have been talking about our family pics for about a month now and we FINALLY got to go do them this past Sunday!! YAY!!! We had a blast and I can't thank Jamie enough for doing them! She has done our family pics for the past 4 years and every year they turn out great! She isn't a professional but has a really awesome camera and just does it because she likes taking pics! Hmmmmm does that sound like someone we know??!! LMAO!!! Trust me if I could figure out a way to take my own family pics and STILL be IN the pics I would DEFINITELY do it!! Anyway we went out to Chickasaw National Recreation Park and just started shooting some pics! Let me start off by saying that this time last year you wouldn't have caught me dead in a dress, but since starting the Body by Vi 8 months ago and loosing 32 lbs I got a lil brave! So I got me a sweater dress and the girls sweater dresses and went a lil classy for our pics! I hope everyone likes them as much as we do!!! Now its time to start planning for next years pics!! Nah not really the procrastinator in me will wait till the month before! LOL!!

All Hallow's Eve :)

  Halloween in our house is a BIG deal! The kids love dressing up and going out and Trick or Treating! In our sleepy little town Halloween is rarely celebrated on the 31st. People here complain too much on what day it is. 9 times out of 10 if it falls on a Sunday or a Wednesday Halloween is moved to a different day. Which to me is kind of weird because I grew up in Texas and there it doesn't matter what day it falls on we Trick or Treated on the 31st no matter what. For some reason this year they decided not to move it even though it fell on a Wed. night! YAY!!

  The day started with my youngest son's class Trick or Treating the local businesses in Fitzhugh:) Then we did some fun activities in class and had their party after lunch. My older kids had their parties last week so it was all about him and he loved it! Of course I was there anyway because I was filling in for his teacher. The kids had so many things to eat they didn't know where to start! I can't believe all the parent involvement this year!! The room was full of parents which was AWESOME!  I will say however it was the quietest Pre- K party I have EVER been too! The kids were all well behaved even the ones that we usually have issues with! The party was over by 1 and those that didn't leave with their parents we put down for a nap. We knew that since that evening they would be trick or treating a nap would help keep them from being cranky:)

Once we got home the other 4 got dressed up in their costumes and we headed out to trick or treat a few homes here in our town before heading to Ada where we always go:)  We had heard that Sonic was doing .50 cent corn dogs all day Halloween so of course that was our first stop before he started trick or treating. Ok here is where I got mad! We get to Sonic around 5:30 and I tell them we need 8 corndogs and the lady proceeds to tell me that they are out of corndogs and that any order made is going to take 20-30 before it is brought out. Oh yes I got a lil rude! I told her that she had to be kidding me! I mean the kids hadn't even started trick or treating in Ada yet and Sonic new that they were going to get slammed with parents bringing their kids to get a corndog before they got started, and yet they still didn't stock up on corndogs before advertising the special! UGGGGG!!!! That really irritates me!! Well needless to say we left and didn't order anything! We stopped at a church that was doing a Trunk or Treat and then hit up the Arlington shopping center. Its a lil strip shopping center and almost all of the businesses hand out candy:) After that we started hitting up houses. The kids got quiet a bit of candy but in this economy they didn't get as much as they had in the past. We ended up calling it a night around 8:30 and went and met my Sister to see her new baby:)  We got home early enough to get the kids in bed and relax a bit before we headed to bed! We were blessed that my hubby didn't have to work late and got to go with us, but it was the first year that my Mom didn't go with us. So this was actually the first year that it was just My hubby, me, and the 4 kids:) We all had a blast and glad its over! Now I am ready to throw the candy in the trash because everywhere I look I see candy wrappers laying EVERYWHERE! UGGGG!!

    I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!! I know we did! Our October has been a pretty blessed one and I can't wait to see what November has in store for us!!! My next blog will showcase some of our family pics we had taken on Sunday!! YAY!! I can't wait to see them!!