For me???

Ahh, Rachel http://www.thehuntgirls.blogspot.com/ love you, hon! My good friend and wonderful mom to 4 amazing little girls who I adore has done it again. She has nominated little ole' me for this Blog Award. I am honored. Thanks for the sweetness, Rach!

So, here are the rules to receiving this award

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions:

On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

Ok....so I never even thought of blogging...ever. Then, Rachel started. She would tell me about all the amazing families and people she had met through her blog. Yeah, yeah. Sure...I didn't doubt her, but how would I possibly find the time? (Mind you, Rachel has 4 girls...the 2 youngest being twins...and she did it!) I think I just really didn't understand it enough and was pregnant with Reid and worried about getting through my pregnancy and teaching...period. Why would I blog? Then, it happened. I thought, "Well, maybe just a few posts about Ellie so our family out of town/state could follow up with us..." Yeah, a few posts, huh? And here I am today. I am so glad that Rachel introduced me to blogging.

I was already an established "Blogger" when Reid came along...thank goodness, because I needed the support I found from so many WONDERFUL friends that I have found that share our cleft family bond. I am addicted to the people that have come into our lives. Their children seem like my own. I wonder about them and pray for each one daily. I love the moments that we parents have shared together re-living the struggles and finding hope in each new day. They have shown me more in the past year than I can even share with you, and I am grateful to them all. So grateful.

So, how do I pick only 5 to send this award onto? That is horrible....but I know they will then pass it on to others that are in our "blogging family." So, in no order whatsoever...here are my 5 blogs that I nominate for this award.

1. Allison http://molseefam.blogspot.com/ (I have to nominate you....Reid is going to marry Abby some day!)

2. Heather http://awstoker.blogspot.com/ (I am addicted to Heather's site. Aidan is as sweet as they come, and I love Heather's way of writing. She makes me laugh everyday. I am grateful for her wit and humor.)

3. Shannon http://abcfrye.blogspot.com/ (Shannon was a beacon of light for me when Reid was born. She was a source of great information to me and has such a gentle way about her. She was very comforting to me when our journey began......and Adalynn is adorable!)

4. Tina http://ferrellfamilyfun.blogspot.com/ (Tina is from our hometown and is a wonderful support. She is a wealth of information and a great person to have nearby. I appreciate her greatly and adore her sweet family.)

5. Krissy http://jon-krissy-drew.blogspot.com/ (Krissy is super sweet and I love reading about her little peanut, Drew. It has been super getting to know her better through our blogs.)

Ok...there are SOOOO many more I wanted to choose....but I am following the rules. No offense meant.

Now, my 5 addictions....in no particular order.

1. My family. I love them all and feel so blessed that they are so super supportive and helpful to us.

2. My friends/church family. I feel so super lucky to be involved with a wonderful church and several subgroups from within the church (yes, supper swap ladies, I am talking about YOU!) I feel so lucky to be a part of such an awesome place with such amazing people.

3. My kids at school and co-workers. I have a wonderful bond with my team that I teach with at school. I love them dearly and care about them tremendously. My kids....they are just that. My kids. I worry and care about them. How can I not? I spend all day with them!

4. Nights out with my hubby- I love them. I cherish them. We don't get a lot of them....but I appreciate them probably more than Brian realizes. Even though most of the time, we talk about the kids, but that's ok! I enjoy my quiet dinners out with Brian whenever I can!

5. Finding a great sale! LOVE SALES! I am always out on the prowl looking for a great sale for the kids. Always so proud when I find one. I get this honestly from my dad. Seriously. He is someone who buys 5 pairs of the same identical shoes just because they are a "great deal" and saves each pair until he needs to replace the old set. I bet right now in his closet are many filled shoe boxes just waiting for their turn to be worn. Love you, Dad! You taught me right! : )

So, I think that does it. I followed the rules...I am passing this on....and I thank you again, Rach for the nomination.