As most of you saw, earlier this week, I celebrated my 26^th birthday! Man, it was great! My great boss let me have the day off, Josh was able to get off, and Destiny had the day off due to a built in weather day. It was truly great spending the whole day with people that I love unconditionally.

She made a point to hug me several times on my birthday, that probably meant more to me than any gift could!

I woke up to the smell of grits and eggs, thanks to my wonderful husband who cooked me breakfast. Then we decided to do something that we all would all be able to participate in. We headed to Columbus to paint pottery! (Josh was just thrilled-LOL) I soon found out that I am the only creative one in my family. Destiny had a great time, but got bored after a while. Josh could never decide on what to paint. However, it was a great time to spend together and we’ll have something to hang on the wall and remember when we get them back. Here are a few pics since, my post lately have been word heavy...

They are trying to figure out what to draw. I think Josh looked through every single book they had before he finally made his choice, which didn't come from a book- HA!

Destiny's finished product. It will look slightly different due to the firing.

Josh's thoughtful end product.

I personally did two, one for Bella, and one for myself. Both in the same time that it took Josh to do one.

Our finished products. I can't wait to get them on the wall!

While in Columbus, Josh and I took Destiny to the Riverwalk area. Gosh that place is just a really nice place to hang and just stare at the water. It was nice to spend time some time away from the jingling phone and truly focus on what is important to me, family. We walked, we talked, and we just were us, together, as a family. No one got bored, no one was aggravated, everyone was just happy. That will be a moment that I will cherish.

Another great birthday hug!

Ms. Sassafrass

My husband, the mountain-man wanna be.

Take One, gotta fix my hair.

Take two, Josh getting her to smile.

Take three, finally a decent picture!

We soon headed back for some free ice cream. (Thank you Marble Slab). We ended the day with Josh’s wonderful cooking with cake and ice cream. This is will certainly be one for the memory books!

Special Birthdays

Everyone says that on your birthday you should feel special. Well, being today is my birthday I honestly can’t express into words how special I feel today. God has truly blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. One year ago today, I was sitting in our college trailer with Josh, the only family I had in Auburn. Today, one year later I am fortunate enough to have a gorgeous home, a wonderful job, family that lives close by, and my own small miracle of a family.

Today is a day for me to be thankful of the people and things that God has so graciously provided to me. Presents are what most people look forward to on their birthday, but I have had so many gifts this past year, that I am spending the day thanking God for the gifts that he has blessed me with.

I intentionally turn my phone on as loud as I can to hear every time someone posts on my Facebook wall, calls me, or text me. Every time I hear that jingle from my phone it’s just another blessing to be thankful for.

I hope today you guys take the time to focus on the things that you have and not on the things that are missing.

HAPPY 26^th BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

I appreciate those of you who still read this blog. It has truly been therapeutic for me, but it's nice knowing that I have a platform to share the joys of our life! Love you guys!!

Well, I knew this day was coming, but I never thought it would be this soon. Heartache hit the Wood household Sunday afternoon. As I was preparing for the upcoming week, I started up the stairs to start some laundry. Destiny met me at the top with huge tears in her eyes and cell phone in hand. I had no idea where to begin to guess what happened. I soon found out that teenage boys just stink!

It’s hard to explain that these heartaches will make her appreciate the man that she will be with for the rest of her life. For now, it still stings. I thought that we would be able to get around this type of drama until she turned 16. Ha! Boy who was I kidding? I try to think back when I was around her age and I had my first boyfriend break my heart. Even though I knew that I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life with him, the simple idea of rejection still dug deep into my emotions, as did with her.

I hope that she realizes that this is just another step in the right direction for finding the attributes that make up the man that she will want to be with. After watching the movie, Courageous, I took some time to really think about this part of her life. At this age, boys are a main part of her life. How can I, as the main woman figure in her life, teach her the right way in finding a husband? With her past, it’s important that she understands that marriages or relationships do not have to be the way that she has experienced. But the relationship that she will gain the most from in life is one filled with Love, Respect, and God. I hope that as we venture through her teenage years filled with boys, friends, and school drama, that we will be able to teach her that it isn’t about the drama itself, but the bigger picture in life. In every situation there is a positive to focus on, but it’s still important to be able to learn from the negatives in life.

I never thought we would have to cross this at such a young age. However, I am thankful that while we still have an influence in her life, we are able to guide her in a direction that is healthy and stable.

 Josh and I do hope that the man that she chooses will be one with integrity and choose to put God first in his life. Because when any man puts God first in their life, I know that they will treat her with the utmost respect and treat her like the woman that she will be!

I am thankful that every silly relationship that I had, ended the way that it did so that I could find the love of my life that God had planned for me. As we venture as a family through something so unknown as raising a teenager, we ourselves, as a couple, are venturing through an unknown journey of getting to know God. I am thankful that my husband and I are learning together the ways of breaking the chains of our past and starting a new with each other in the shadows of Christ.

This Valentine’s Day we were happy to have the ones that we have loved for years and those we have come to unconditionally love here recently near to us regardless if some stupid boy “cracked” their heart! We hope you had a great Valentine’s Day filled with love regardless if it’s with a significant other. Here’s to stupid boys making us appreciate the great ones!

I just have to include a picture from last night's Valentine's Dance. I'm so proud of her still going even though it was just with her friends!! She is just downright beautiful inside and out!

Family Date Night

As Josh and I got married, we had several people tell us to never lose the intimacy in our relationship . Their advice was to have a "date night". Over the years, Josh and I have tried to continue to have our own special time together without all of the daily distractions. We have realized how special that time is that we had together and we applied it to our new family life. It is important for us to put aside the cell phones, computers, TVs, and all other distractions and really focus on spending quality time together. So "Family Date Night" is born!

Our first Family Date Night was spent making Valentine gifts for family, friends, and coworkers.

This was the simplest thing to make. It's pretzels, Hershey's Hugs, and Valentines M&Ms. I stole the idea from Pinterest. Gah, you gotta love that website!!

Then we played the worst board game ever...Battle of the Sexes. The game is so old that Destiny didn't know half of what they were referring to. There were a lot of hints given, but we had a good time laughing and trying to relate some of the questions to something that Destiny would be able to answer. We had a blast.

This picture cracks me up cause it looks like I'm the only one enjoying playing the game. LOL!!!

Some of the questions make my face look like this!

Finally the pizza came and we started the movie. We watched the best movie EVER! Spoiler alert...it's a tear-jerker! If you have a family, you should make this movie a priority! It has certainly already made an impact in our family!

Check out the website: http://courageousthemovie.com/themovie

Josh and I ended the night at CVS picking out Destiny's Valentines Day gift.

We hope that you all have a great Valentine's Day. Remember that this day isn't only about who loves you, but who do you love? Be sure to take the time to SHOW love to those who you think might already know it.

Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you for continuing to read and stay-up-to date on our growing family!

What your mom hasn't told you about your "good 'ole days" as a teenager.

Here recently I have noticed that a lot of my Facebook posts and blog post have been about all the great days full of giggles, and sunshine. HA! It's time for a little reality at the Wood House. How many chances will most people have to still remember their teenage years and have a teenager living with them, not very many. Now, I have to honestly say that my teenage years were probably the best years of my life. At least from my point of view at the time. However, it is not the same point of view that your parents had. That is exactly what this post is about: What your mom probably hasn't told you about your "good 'ole teenage days"

For one, teenagers ("you" at some point in your life) are extremely moody all the time. For instance, today, I was greeted in the garage by a certain teenager with a smile on her face and all giggles. I didn't even get in the house good before she was started crying (literally crying) because I told her that she needed to do her chores and homework. It isn't like I just created some list 5 minutes before I asked her to do them. She has known about her chores since day one in our house. Hello! About 30 minutes later came "Mad Destiny" because none of her friends were going to the drop in this Friday. Then came "Baby Destiny", there was a lot of whining for no reason. I didn't say a word to her and she was whining about having to make a decision on either to go or not to go.So as a parent in order to get "Normal Destiny" this whole afternoon, she wanted me to not expect her to do any chores, homework or anything that will help her become responsible and successful. She also wanted me to contact a bunch of other moody 14 year-olds and convince them to go to the drop-in so she wouldn't be forced to talk to someone who is new (which is the whole reason we started this whole drop-in thing int he first place). Then I would have to make the decision for her to either go or not to go. Riiight...now back to reality. There wasn't/isn't anything humanly possible to do in order to get "Normal Destiny" this whole afternoon. It is inevitable that I will have a moody teenager in my house for at least the next 5 years....God help me!(Reminder: this was the thoughts of your parents at this point in your life)

Teenagers can't make a decision to save their life. We have tried talking decisions out, making visual aids, not saying anything and let her find the best way for her to make a decision...NONE OF THEM WORKED! I mean seriously?!? Did the hormones just all of a sudden start running her brain and causing her to not to be able to think? What is going to happen when she has to move out and decide on something important on her own? You wonder why your mom is crying when she leaves you at college. It isn't because she's sad that you aren't going to be there, heck for that reason she's probably going to celebrate, no she's crying because she knows that you are probably going to be calling/texting/sending smoke signals to her every waking moment to get her advice on something trivial like what color boots with the fur should I wear today, or to "just talk"...NEWSFLASH: WE DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU YET! If you are going to tell me a story please start from the beginning and use words that I might understand.

Sometimes at our house, I think I'm a stranger in another world. She dresses differently than I ever thought of dressing and even speaks a different language. For instance, we were on our way to the drop-in tonight just listening to music and all of a sudden she just starts reading me texts from some girl that I don't know, about some story that I have no clue about. It's so bad that my context clues that I am picking up on are totally mumbled jumbled. So like any foreigner that I have seen that doesn't understand, I smile really big throw in a small laugh and look the other way with my face saying "What in the h*ll?!?" And the clothes that kids are wearing these days...Boots with the fur were cool (briefly) when I was in high school. It is 70degrees outside in January in Central Alabama. We do not need boots with the fur with every outfit that we own. I don't get it! And the hoodies...lord help us! We must have every hoodie they make in her closet. But she only wears one...just one. We aren't married to the darn thing! Give the other hoodies some love for Godsake!

Lastly, teenagers don't listen. I honestly think it's getting worse with all the texting. On the way home from Karate Thursday night, Josh was telling me how he was just a-talking to Destiny about school and he even ventured into the unknown subject of ...Boys! He was almost home and realized that she didn't hear a darn thing he was saying because she was texting someone. He was so mad. Said that it makes him want to stop trying to talk to her because it isn't like she's listening anyways. We honestly have to get her to look at us in the eyes before we say anything important. When I think back, I probably heard a fourth of what my parents really said to me. It makes me wonder what I missed.

This is the tip of the teenage unknowns iceberg. I would love for it to appear that we are all giggles and sunshine at 1303 Southwick ;however, quite the opposite is true. The real part about this whole thing, is that every single one of us went through our teenage years going through some version of this. So honestly, it's nice knowing that whatever we are doing, seems to be giving her normal teenage years. As hard as it may be sometimes, it's nice just knowing that normal, for us, is an accomplishment.

Word of advice: Love on your parents as much as you can today, because they went through some really crazy stuff to get you where you are today. You should appreciate that!