Wordless Wednesday....sun setting over the ball fields

Hands down, no point in arguing the truth..

The stereotype would say "ewww, mother-in-law", but I am anything but stereotypical. I mean come on, I married a {wonderful} guy like Larry crazy as he may be, I have a puppy that is like my baby {I never said he could sleep on the bed!}, and I am mother to an on-the-brink-of-13 {hormonal}-years-of-age-mini-me daughter! My life can be the epitome of CRAZY, a far cry from stereotypical!

No, no, and no...I don't ever say "ewww, mother-in-law" and all the crazy things people may say about their M.I.L....no what I say is "HANDS DOWN, I HAVE THE GREATEST"!

So ya see, my life like I stated is crazy. I am busy busy as a bee indeed. At Christmastime, I told my daughter that we will redo her room to make it more of a "teen" room {really?, sigh}. Oh yeah baby, the room renovations have begun...hot pink and zebra stripes; not my choice, but my girl sure seems to L O V E it! did I mention she is almost 13?

On my goodness, I NEVER imagined how difficult of a task, how ENORMOUS of a task painting a room can be, especially singlehandedly. But challenging as it may be, I am enjoying it!

Well, where does my M.I.L. fit into all of this? Let me first start by saying I did not start painting with intentions of having any help..I wanted to do my project by myself. (and nope, not being stubborn, just challenged by the task at hand). My M.I.L. said that she "didn't feel in the mood to paint"....I told her it's ok, never intended to have her painting :).....so what does she do..

Sunday afternoon as I am painting, she comes over and pulls all, yes ALL the weeds in my little backyard! Did I ask her to do that? nope - she offered. And, as she was leaving, what did she say to me {after I thanked her, of course}....I just felt guilty for not helping you paint so I thought I could come pull the weeds in your yard for you. {picture my jaw dropping open here}

My mother-in-law hands down is THE best a woman could ever ask for (ok and man - she does have a son-in-law, too). She has the sweetest my caring heart and is always willing to help when times of need arise, and by willing I mean not when we ask for help, sometimes just on her own initiative. My sweet M.I.L is so very special to me, and I cannot thank God enough for blessing my life with this wonderful woman. God knew what I needed in a M.I.L. and He saw fit to bless me immensely. Not only does she love me, but she loves her son so much as well.

Mom~thank you for all you do for us, for your love, you kind and tender words of encouragement; for all the prayers you raise up on my behalf, for loving my girl, and for being the most wonderful mom to my precious husband - you raised him well! If you could see into the depths of my heart, you would plainly see that special place you fill, for the love for you is immeasurable.

I LOVE YOU, MOM

*this song reminds me of how much God loves me, but also made me think of you, mom...you love me no matter my faults, my failures, my short-comings; you show me love.

Wordless Wednesday

Puppy Dog Eyes

Has your heart ever melted when your puppy gives you "the eyes"? Is saying "no" difficult when you get "those eyes"? Ahh...

So, today Albert had his surgery [minor procedure] but none the less - surgery! He had a skin tag [as the vet referred to it] on his left side and lo and behold this past Sunday what do you know, Al "discovered" the lesion. Oh yes, he had had it for a couple of weeks and never once bothered but. But I would be dreaming, right?, to think he would be a well-behaved little boy and leave it alone. Well, after a call to the vet hospital on Sunday morning [the lesion started bleeding] and subjecting Al to the collar of shame, Monday morning Amanda and I took him to the vet to be checked out. The verdict? Surgery.

To prepare for his surgery this morning he had to be fasting since 9 p.m. last night...fun [said drenched in sarcasm]. He finally behaved on that one and then bright and early this morning it was off to his surgery appt. By golly, the little dog was happy as a lark when we arrived despite what lie ahead of him. ....and away he went.

We got a call at 11:30 saying he was sitting up and wide awake; he was ready to be picked up! Yay! Larry and I went to pick him up and my heart went out to him [Albert, that is]. He looked "sad" but I knew it was just from the anesthesia. He did not want to be carried out...he walked on his own two, um four, feet and no sooner did we get out the door, he proceeded to throw-up. His calling card? for the vet?

The ride home was uneventful, as he usually gets carsick, and for this normally bubbly little fella, it was quite a change to see him lying there on Larry's lap so quiet.

Does your heart break when you get "the eyes"? you know, those puppy dog eyes? Well, when I put Al in his chair, he gave me just that...The Eyes....night-night Al, time to rest.

*at home postop and ready for a nap

*the incision spot.

WE LOVE YOU, AL :)

Wordless Wednesday

Absolutely Silly!

oh to be a kid again...to be crazy, silly, and still able to laugh at yourself but without a care in the world.

oh the carefree days of being 12, fun-filled laughter...

Yesterday, Amanda was going through last year's summer clothes trying them on and seeing what still fit, didn't fit. She decided to be silly and pose for me...

MY CRAZY AMANDA....

Man's Best Friend..

Albert has a little lesion of some sorts on his side and for the most part has left it alone. But yesterday morning, I happened to notice that it was bleeding and he obviously had been bothering it. So after a call to the Vet, we were advised to put him in an Elizabethan collar and call on Monday. I have never seen a more depressed dog (or sad owners for that matter) after the collar was put on him. Albert did not eat, drink, play; he did absolutely nothing but mope around. Perhaps that is why the guy at PetCo called it the collar of shame.

Anyway, I did what I felt best for Albert, and we will see what the Vet suggests when I call today.

*Larry comforting Albert..look at those poor puppy eyes.

**hugs from Larry

**do I really have to be subjected to this thing?

One HUGE Burger!

On Easter, Larry, Amanda, and I went to Denny's for a late lunch, and Amanda ordered a double cheeseburger thinking it would be like the ones McDonald's sells. Well, it was anything but! I could not believe the size of that thing! Needless to say, Amanda could not finish it at all..probably finished the amount equivalent to a McD double cheeseburger.

THE TOMB IS EMPTY JUST AS HE HAD SAID....

HE IS RISEN...

.......HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

THE TOMB IS EMPTY! OH I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THAT MORNING MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR MARY, THE DISCIPLES, AND OTHERS TO WITNESS FIRSTHAND THAT THE TOMB WAS INDEED EMPTY! I WOULD THINK THE EXPERIENCE WOULD HAVE HAD ME IN TOTAL AWE, JUST SIMPLY AMAZED. AND THEN TO SEE MY SAVIOR STAND BEFORE ME WITH HIS NAIL-SCARRED HANDS AND FEET. OH I CAN ONLY IMAGINE....

Fast forward 2000 years and we as believers, followers of Christ celebrate the Risen Savior. Easter is THE most important event in history...Jesus did JUST what He SAID He would do...He rose again. Without His gentle arms to hold me, comfort me, pick me up again, I would surely fail in this life. No, I am NOT perfect....I am FORGIVEN!

HE IS RISEN...

......HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!!

HALLELUJAH!

This Easter was slightly different for me and my family. We went to church and listened to an amazing sermon preached by Darryl DelHousaye. Afterwards, Larry, Amanda, and I came home and really did not have any "set" plans. But, I did have an Easter basket that I put together for our next door neighbors grandson (which God had to have lain on my heart a couple days before)...We delivered the basket and actually spent our Easter afternoon enjoying getting to know our neighbors better! What an amazing God thing! Afterwards, what did my family do...we had a late lunch at Denny's.

Different for sure, our Easter Day, but definitely what we feel God had intended for us to do.

Hope everyone had a Blessed Easter!

**grandpa and his girl

**Amanda made a new friend..

We had an Easter Walk at church and

I convinced Amanda to pose with the camel :)

*Albert getting his Easter treat.

An Easter Egg

90,000

ma'am, do you have any change to help me....
sir, i hate to bother you....
*cardboard sign*...not drunk, just hungry

90,000

.....I am sure you have been approached by one of "them", undoubtedly. Do you stop? do you lend a helping hand? OR do you look the other way? Oh, by no means am I perfect. I openly admit that I am guilty, guilty of NOT being the hands and feet of Jesus. Am I proud of it? no way. And, to think it is not some difficult task put before me. Oh yes, the stereotypical thoughts have gone through my head...they just want to get money for beer, drugs, etc (you fill in the blank); but, what about the father who lost his job? the single mommy who left a horrendous situation to protect her children?

What if...
.......90,000

What if....
........ONE lead to many helping? didn't Jesus spend His time with the least of these?

My mind is just swirling with thoughts tonight about the so many who are homeless. Do I have a lot? more than I really need, yes. Do I have to wonder where my food is going to come from? no. I sat down tonight and watched this movie
.....it was really intense for me. My heart broke when I saw the sadness, the pit of despair living conditions, etc. And, I say to myself, how dare you...in regards oh I would love to have a bigger house; a bigger car....what about contentment? My Jesus was homeless, and yet He loved, and still loves, everyone and was willing to do anything for anybody.

Perhaps watching this movie tonight will help be an encouragement to me to be the hands and feet of Jesus.....



90,000(# of homeless in the Greater Los Angeles Area, according to the movie)
....I desire to do what I can, whether it is for someone homeless, or someone just going through a difficult time.

I highly recommend watching the above movie (click on the hyperlink)...it sure moved my heart!

Stop! Pause! Rewind!

STOP! Life has been crazy lately indeed. Family was in town, 3 b-day parties have been celebrated, I was sick for a month..oh yes, back to back crud!, Easter was upon us, etc...I am just tired thinking of it again! So...aside from my Wordless Wednesday posts, blogging has been put on hold for a while. And, though life is still crazy, crazy, my mind is running a mile a minute with all the info I have stored in there about recent events in my life. So long as my fingers hold out typing a lot of posts (well, they better since I type for a living), I plan to recap as much as I can. So...lots of pictures and words to come.....
........you can hit the play button now :)

..and rounding out the 7-year-old birthdays

Sweet Jimmy Boy! You are the youngest of the three 7-year-old cousins, but just as special as all of the cousins! You joined the family on 04/04/03 (maybe it should have been 03/03/03, hmm, you're like your mommy..your grandparents thought it would have been neat if she were born on 07/07/77, but nooo, she chose 06/07/77..go figure!) and were such a precious bundle of joy.


James Kyle...a namesake. Your mommy ALWAYS wanted her firstborn son to be named James and call him Little Jimmy (naming you after Grandpa Dille). Your mommy had a baby doll she called Little Jimmy. She did great caring for that doll, but does even a GREATER job caring for you. And, your middle name....from your daddy's dad. How special is that!? You are named after your grandpas!


Happy 7th Birthday, little fella! Still hard to believe it truth, but just the same, amazed at watching you grow. You have a tender heart, loving and caring...continue those attributes into your growing up years, and one day you'll bless some young lady with your tenderness toward her (just will have to get past your mommy's tears).


We love you, Jimmy Boy!

*SpongeBob SquarePants





*Grandpa Jim and Jimmy

*precious 7-year-old Jimmy

Pardon me, Cayden..did you just say you are 7?!

Caring
Artistic

Yearning to learn

Dreamer

Energetic

Nephew

Cayden Mathew, one of the sweetest boys a person could know! He will charm you with his smile, make you cringe with little boy antics, but just take a moment to allow a hug from his sweet arms and you will know the feeling of love.

Seven years ago, Feb 28, 2003, Cayden came into this world, bowling-ball bald head and sweet baby smile. How could he not have won your heart right from the start? It's really unbelievable - 7 years have already passed.

Cayden ~ you are such a blessing to our family! which would not be complete without you. You are definitely 100% boy - dirt, bugs, baseball, and cowboy boots! You are loving, caring, and just all around a great kid!

Happy 7th Birthday, Caydenman my nephew!

*bakugan cake

*blow them candles out, pardner!

*..and just too darn cute for words!

LOOK WHO'S 7!!!

It's a surprise, now close your eyes, and when you open them, may joy shine in your smile!


Has it really been seven years? since God chose to bless our family with the gift of another little girl? My oh my, where does the time go? I can so vividly remember receiving pictures of this precious little girl...curly red hair, beautiful green eyes, and just as cute as a button. When God gave this family such a precious gift, I could hardly fathom my brother being called daddy. I mean, come on, he's my kid brother, my little (ahem in terms of age as he is 6' tall) brother. A new title was bestowed upon him - Daddy!

Sweet little Faith Nichole, you have brought such joy to our family and though we are miles and miles apart, I love you just as is you were right here living next door to me. The miles may separate your family and the rest of the Dille Family, BUT, God allows us to love even from a distance!

Enjoy your year of being 7! (I still can't believe it though!)

*Princess Castle Bouncer

[provided by this company]

*girls just wanna have fun..with Uncle Larry, of course!

*THE cake! It was fun to make

for you, Faith! I hope you enjoyed it!

*blow those candles out, baby, and now you're 7

*you had to have the piece with Joe Jonas' face on it :)

We love you, Sweet Faith!