R.S.V.P.

­R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase: "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." We have also translated it to mean: "Reserve So Very Promptly." The person sending the invitation wo­uld like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. That is, will you be coming to the event or not? Some think that it just means reply if you are coming. If you're not then no need to let the person(s) know at all. I am a planner! There is very little that I do spur of the moment. Since I am a planner and the thing planned requires others to attend, you can rest sure that invites have gone out in advance. This has given the recipient enough time to check his/her calendars, ponder the invite, and reply to YES, I(we) will be attending or No, I(we) will not be attending. To R.S.V.P. to something does not take an act of congress and SHOULD be followed with your acceptance or regret of the invite. Etiquette rules followed in most Western cultures require that if you receive an invitation, you should reply promptly, perhaps that same day. There is NO excuse not to "répondez, s'il vous plaît," "Please Reply" or "Respond So Very Promptly" or "R.S.V.P." Someone chose to invite you to something with the understanding that it may be possible that you cannot attend but nevertheless they chose to invite you. The least you can do is respond. NOW, if you responded saying YES, I(we) will be attending, and on the day of the event unplanned circumstances prevent you from attending, then as quickly as possible, notice should be given to the person that sent you the invite, informing them that because of the unforseen circumstance you were not able to make it. It just lets them know that all is well with you other than "life happening!" BUT, MOST OF ALL, just R.S.V.P. to the invite!

Diaper FREE!!!

Other than bedtime, Corban is diaper free! I cannot believe that he is now walking around in underwear and about to turn 3 years old. Oh how I remember the sleepless/trying nights and wondering if/when they were ever going to end. He still gets up from time to time but he normally just crawls into bed with us or goes right back to his bed after a drink of water.

He is turning into my big boy. He and I had a daddy-son lunch after church on Sunday. Just watching him sitting across from me drinking from a cup with a straw, eating his own cheese dip, chips and taco and talking to me about everything just makes me smile. Both my boys are truly amazing! (thank you Lord) I hope they both know they can always talk to me about anything.

We Matter...

...that's right. We matter to God. God is concerned about you and I. Whatever concerns you, concerns Him. WOW!

If we could just wrap our heads around that. The creater of the Universe cares for me and you!

He cannot be compaired to an earthly human being. The way He feels for us cannot be changed because of what we did or said. WOW! (is anyone shouting right now?)

He cares for us. We matter to Him and He loves us!!!

Random thoughts...

-It rained so hard and so fast last night that water came into the garage under the garage doors. Thankgoodness that's the only place.

-People who think their poop don't stink irritate me.

-I need to work at being a better husband.

-Everytime a rock hits my car I am thankful that it isn't a brand new car. Not that I am happy about the rock hitting the car, it just makes it less painful.

-This afternoon has gone by soooooo sloooooooow.

-I wish my almost 3 year old would mind us like he does his teacher and grandparents.

-Leftovers for dinner or chick-fil-a. (that is the question?)

-I wish money grew on trees.

-I know I am blessed more than I could ever think or imagine.

-So thankful that God is a forgiving God.

-I need to vacuum.

-I am not doing good at this losing weight thing.

-Would it be considered child abuse if I hung my children upside down by their toenails when they started acting up and not minding?

-Regardless, I love those boys to pieces; they melt my heart.

4 MONTHS!

Has it really been four months since I last Blogged?! Time really does go by fast. Here are a few things that has been going on:

-We have been in our new home for one year now. Looking foward to remodeling the boys bathroom and then ours and putting a porch over the front door. The majority is going to be DIY, with the help of friends and family, so hopefully the taxes we get back will pay for it all. :-)

-Corban started K3 the first week of this month and he has been LOVING it. He is also on his way to being 100% potty trained. Corban turns 3 in February.

-Asher is 16 months old and growing like a weed. He is no doubt going to be atleast 6 feet tall.

-Jennifer got a well deserved promotion at work. I am so proud of her. She deserved it.

-Come May 1st I will be at my job for 12 years! WOW! Talk about the time going by.

-This past year was a very tough year for us finacially but God always provided and per the ###'s on the scale I didn't miss a meal during those tough financial times. Note to self: LOSE WEIGHT!

-I am excited about what God is doing. With Jennifer's new promotion we will be able to start socking away more money and, lord willing the creek don't rise, we will be able to start planning for our childrens future. This is going to mean that we, Jennifer and I, stay content with the little things in life; which I have to say she always has to keep me in check more than I have to her.

-I am going to work at Keeping my Blog Updated!!!

Our house, Our rules, Our kids toys!

When you come over to our house I want you to feel as welcome and relaxed as possible. If you have children and they come with you I want them to enjoy playing with my kids and their toys. I do NOT however want my kids toys broken by your kids. Is it too much to ask that you teach your children how to play gently with other peoples toys and if you happen to break it, tell an adult so we are aware of it.

You are welcome to come over as well as your kids and they can play but they are going to respect everything in our home. If you have not taught your children how to conduct themselves at someone elses house rest-assure that I will tell them. You may allow them to break things in your home but it will NOT happen in ours. I do understand that things accidently get broken but it isn't an accident everytime.

So come on over! Eat, drink, laugh, relax, etc., but please respect.

A year already

Just like others, I have those days that I wish would hurry up and get here or times in my life that I wish would speed up. The truth is though, time is going by so fast. And each passing year seems quicker than the last. '

This past Sept. 1st we have been in our house for a year. Other than painting a few walls, decorating, and putting on a new roof, nothing much more has been done. I have plenty of plans/ideas that I want to do but all in due time. This can be hard for me because I'm a "want it done yesterday" type of person.

During this next year I want to paint and update the bathrooms. We also need to put new windows on the house. That will be another big expense like the roof was but it has to be done. After that I want to paint(or put siding) the house a sage, or hunter, or olive green and do the white shutters and white porch in a yellowish-cream color. I think it will really warm up the place and add LOTS of charm as well as curb appeal. Of course doing all this will also be a big expense so it might be a couple more years before we do it.

In 4 more days our second son, Asher, will be a 1 year old. Now when I think about that it really seems to have been a fast year. Asher's name means "happy/blessed" and he is one happy baby boy. Other than the occasional fuss with his brother he is always quick to give a smile and is pretty much laid back.

My wife and sons are exactly what God knew I needed. They have changed my life in so many ways and though some days are longer/harder than others, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Remember blogger-world...it is SO easy to focus on the bad things in life but MUCH better and relaxing to focus on the good things. Remember to always give God the glory he deserves. Praise him in the good times and bad. Take it all to the Lord FIRST(make your requests/concerns known to him).

Be blessed!

Something in my spirit...

When I stepped out on the deck this morning the cool air of 65 degrees brushed across my face and something inside of me leaped.

There is something about Autumn(fall) that does something to my spirit. Every year these feelings arise in my soul and I have never been able to explain them. This year I intend to find out what those feelings are all about.

There are so many hopes, dreams, and visions in my life that I want to see come to pass. And then there is Eric. I am my own worse enemy. I start something and then tell myself that I can't do this or that. I start believing the lies of satan. NOT anymore! I am tired of having this feeling that I can't place.

Lord, show me this Season. Move in me!

Here is a song that sums it all up:

The Shabby Chic headboard

The Headboard is finished and I couldn't be more pleased with it! LOVE IT!!! Enjoy the pics!









The finished product!

The More I Seek You

God,

It's your child, Eric. My heart is heavy right now. I don't understand so many things. Your word tells us that your ways are higher than our ways. That your thoughts are greater than our thoughts. But Lord, I don't understand the death of a child.

Father I ask that you comfort the Repass family in the loss of their daughter. I know that she is dancing with you and singing praises to you. I know that she is hurting no more, from anything, but her family and friends that are left behind have a hurt that is so strong right now and it is a hurt that only you can take away. Wrap your arms around them Father. Never let them go.

Lord, I also pray protection over my children from all harm. That you will be with them and protect them all the days of their lives. And as I seek you more teach me your ways and give me understanding to the things that I do not understand at all.

Marriage

Did any of us really know what we were getting into when we got married? I know we all had our own thoughts, ideas, visions, stories, etc about marriage. We all heard about the ups and downs, the good and bad, and of course know the whole speech that the preacher read...for better, worse, sickness, health, etc, etc, etc.

There is a saying that goes, "Babies change everything!" I believe the saying is true for marriage as well. "Marriage changes everything!"

Our main view of marriage is that of our parents, guardian, or whomever raised us. It is from our upbringing that we learn really how to act or react in every situation in life; either good or bad. It is how we learn to treat our spouse in our marriage. But no matter how we were raised and what good or bad examples we saw, we are the ones responsible for the decisions/actions that we make in our own lives.

Jennifer and I had two different kinds of upbringing. I come from a family of divorce and Jennifer and her parents will be celebrating their 37th anniversary this year. Both of our upbringing has taught us many things in our own marriage and reminds us E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y that the two of us could not love, laugh, cry, or live together if it wasn't for the love of Jesus that we both have in our hearts and the commitment we made to Him and each other 5 years ago today...July 22, 2006!

Happy Anniversary Baby! I do love you more today than 5 years ago. You truly are what God had for me and I am go grateful that he brought you into my life. Through all of our ups and downs, ins and outs, and 2 boys later, years you are still the one that I love lying down next to at night and putting my hand on you while you sleep just to let you know that I am there and loving that you are there for me.

The song that was sung at our wedding, where you walked down the isle to, is still one of my favorites and each time I hear it my heart and mind is flooded with thoughts of our wedding day! I love you Baby!

Shabby Chic

I have a confession to make:

I am a Guy and I love to decorate!

There, I said it!

With that said, one of my favorite kind of styles is Shabby Chic. I love French Country too. I have seldom decorated using the style though. You will see in this pic a little piece of Shabby Chic where I painted a set of shutters and made them look a little distressed looking:


Doing that is just the begining. I am currently working on a project that, even if you don't love it, I will. Since Jennifer and I got married we have not had a headboard for our bed and really haven't had the need for one until we moved into our new house. So, stay tuned for pics of our new headboard. And just a side note...this Friday we will be celebrating our 5 year Anniversary!

After I finish with the headboard I have a few other pieces of furniture that I will redo. And I have an idea for our foyer and for our bathroom. I know, I know, I am a glutten for punishment. As if I don't have enough to keep me busy I add more stuff to my to-do list. Jennifer has never had to give me a "honey-do" list. I make my own!

So...who's ready to see the new headboard? Stay tuned...

It's the new internet Craz!

If you fall while going up the stairs...just Plank with it!



Enjoy more people Planking at:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kingwood-Plankers/135693973179511

A Wiggly Good Time!

My little Corbster(Corban) is growing up so fast. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't just get misty-eyed while thinking about just how fast. It's just that time really does seem to go by faster when you have kids and it is so hard to try to slow down and capture every single moment of each and every day. But thank goodness, with the help of cameras, we can capture as many as we want to.

Corban L-O-V-E-S the Wiggles! LOVE may even be an understatement. Either way, he loves them and their tour this year lead them to Atlanta, GA. So we bought tickets and waited for the day to arrive; which was yesterday 07-12-11.

Here are just a few pics; trust me there were MANY more taken:







During the event Corban sat in either my or Jennifer's lap. He didn't get up and dance around during the show like he does when he is at home. The looks on his face throughout showed that he was enjoying it though.

Jennifer and I are very selective on what we let our boys watch and what things we buy our boys. We are not ones to spoil our children. Since we are selective we were more than happy to Make Corban's Day with a trip to see The Wiggles LIVE!!! And I also want to say that I am blessed to work for a company that understands that Family comes before the Job so I had no worry about not being at work yesterday.

Count your many Blessings...

...name them one by one!

Can you do it? Can you count ALL the Blessings that God has given to you? Can you count ALL the times that He has provided for you, cared for you, kept you from harms way; knowingly and unknowingly?!

There is NO WAY that you can count EVERYTHING that God has done for you because all that He has done outnumbers the grains of sand! Yup, He's done that much!

We are blessed beyond measure! Remember that as you go through your day.