IM ALIVE!

For those of you who are wondering, YES I AM ALIVE! I have neglected my blogging duties for about two weeks now, not because I have nothing to blog about, but more because of lack of time and energy. However, today I have no classes and some free time on my hands so I wanted to reassure everyone that I am indeed still here.

Since the last time I blogged lots has happened I am sure. I cannot probably remember all the little things I wanted to share, but I will try to sum up the good(and not so good) points.

Derek's sweet Memaw passed away last week. She was an amazing and loved women who will be VERY missed. I think I speak for her family when I say we are all thankful she passed fairly peacefully and did not spend lots of time suffering. Although we will miss her greatly, we all are resting assure that she is in a far more beautiful place than we are, and we will see her again someday. I have some great memories with her. Most of them involve the boys(because she was head over heels for them). One of the things I know I will never forget about Memaw was the hours she spent waiting for her great-grandbabies to be born. I know she waited so patiently in that waiting room every hour of labor, and from the moment they arrived she was waiting with open arms. She absolutely LOVED her time with her babies. I am so sad the boys will probably not be old enough to remember her, but I will be sure to keep her alive with stories and pictures. I want them to know how much their Memaw loved them. Since she has passed we have all spent lots of time together as a family. We have went through TONS of old pictures at her house, and its so awesome seeing so many memories. I really cherish old pictures and I have seen so many adorable ones of Derek's daddy. Its soo cute seeing the little things my boys have inherited(looks wise) from their Daddy's side of the family. Its kind of strange, but when I found out Carson was a boy, I was kind of stuck on the name TUCKER. Derek wouldn't agree too it, so I pushed it out of my mind. Again with Camden, TUCKER was one of the first names on my list, but Derek still wasn't budging. Funny thing is, TUCKER is the last name of Derek's memaws family. No wonder I was so drawn to it! :-)
Also, I found out Derek's great-grandmother's name was America. That is so unique and different. I told Derek if we ever had a daughter we should name her America, but so far he isn't going for it. You never know though, there could be a MISS AMERICA in our future! ;-)

School is BUSY. I cannot believe how fast things are happening and my ability to keep up. Its week 4 and we have already learned how to properly catheterize someone. YIKESSS! I have managed 2 B's and 1 A on our first three test and I must say I am very proud of that. I know it is going to get harder but for the most part I am keeping up pretty well. I won't sit here and make it sound easy, because it certainly isn't. I am exhausted by the time 9 p.m. rolls around, but I will say I am enjoying every minute of it! Everyday is an adventure, and I am embracing it with open arms! I think I am going to make an EXCELLENT nurse, and I hope that I remember all the reasons I started this profession in the first place.

Remember that GOAL award I was nominated for? Well Tuesday is the day I have to speak and do my presentation. I am a little nervous, but overall feeling confident. Will yall pray for me? Pray God's favor, because that new car would sure be a true blessing to this family!!!

The boys(ALL 3) are doing good. Camden has adjusted into his new routine and is starting to LOVE his little school. He is also starting to get into that tantrum stage and I can't lie, its driving me NUTS! Thank goodness for me I know that its a normal stage(Carson did this too), but I am ready for it to be over with PRONTO! He is at the age where if things don't go his way, its TOTAL MELTDOWN, and you would think the world has just ended. I am working on patience and praying God grants me the wisdom and guidance to handle these little temper tantrums in the right way. I think that knowing Camden's sweet and loving side helps too. I know that he has the most precious little heart and although he can be very strong willed, he is also the sweetest little bear too. He will reach up with those little arms, and just lay there so peacefully as you rock him. He loved to be LOVED! As for Carson, well, lets just say he is surprising me alot lately. I don't know what happened, but overnight I feel like he has grown YEARS. The things he says these days are just so grown up and I am wondering what happened to my baby Carson. He amazes me, and I think everyone one else who meets him too!

Well, its the weekend! We don't have much planned, but I am sure we will find something to get into. Hope everyone has a safe and blessed weekend, and you will be hearing from me again soon(alot sooner this time I promise) I am sure.

I can't remember life before....

You Carson. As we celebrate your third birthday, I can't remember how I felt before you were in our lives, and I don't want too. I remember the night you were born, and how I felt at that very moment, and how nothing I had ever felt before that could ever touch the feeling of meeting you for the first time. You were(and still are)so perfect, with that little bald head and those big blue eyes! I remember those first few days of "getting to know you"

and how we just felt so amazingly blessed that we were chosen to be your parents. We were in awe of you and still are. Today, as you turn three years old I can still see that little baby Carson when I look at you! Although you have grown MORE HAIR(thank goodness) and you have alot more to say these days, you still are our baby Carson.

Yesterday we had a party to celebrate the three years God has blessed us with you in our lives. As I was watching you run and play, I thought about all the joy you bring to me. Everyone you meet falls in LOVE with you. You have the cutest and funniest personality and the ability to make people laugh with just the words you say. This past year I have watched you blossom so much more into a little boy. Although I can still see my "baby Carson," the truth is you really aren't a baby anymore. Of course you wil always be MY BABY, but you are growing and changing and now you are so much more independant than ever before. You tell me things you want, express your feelings, and are able to really conversate. You told me all about how you wanted a "Mater Party"(incase you aren't understanding, that would be TOW MATER from Cars)how you want to be a nurse like mommy when you grow up, and how much you love school. Hearing you tell me whats on your heart is the most rewarding part of being a mommy. I love hearing your stories and ideas! When I look at you with those GOREGOUS sandy blonde curls and those greenish/blue eyes, my heart overflows with love for you! I know I am not perfect with you Carson. I know I am going to make mistakes as a parent, but I want you to know how unbelievably proud I am that you are my son. You are my strength that pushes me to work harder in life, strive more for my dreams, and to make you proud that I am your mommy! Happy 3 Years! Can't wait to see what the 4th year holds for us! :-)

Now I leave you with pictures from the party!

A moment to breathe

*EDIT*- Oh and I meant to talk about this too, but I know lots of our hearts are VERY heavy for Haiti. I burst into tears just about everytime the news comes on. I cannot even being to imagine the devistation over there, but I feel very lead to help! If I was indeed already H. Godwin R.N, I'd certainly be willing to go lend my services, but until then I will just have to help in other ways! I hope that many of you feel led to help too. You would be amazed to see how much $10 does for a person right now over there. If your heart is nagging at you to do something, THEN DO IT!


Ok, now that I have a moment to actually sit and breathe I figured I might as well blog. School is keeping me busy, busy, busy, and not giving me much down time these days. I knew this how it was going to be so I am not shocked, but I am very tired!! I have succeeded in making a B on my first test, passing checkoffs and keeping up with all my homework. I was even surprised this week when one of my nursing instructors called me into her office to inform me that she saw lots of potentiol and leadership skills in me and nominated me to be the G.O.A.L winner for our school. GOAL stands for Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership. I was totally honored that she picked me, but even more shocked when I found if I win for the state I will win a NEW CAR! Haha let me just say I am not getting my hopes up that I win statewide, but how cool would that be? If you remember a few posts back I was blogging about how bad we are in need of another vehicle...could this be God's way? Time will tell!


One bummer of the week was the fact that my nice Nikon camera is out of commission. All of the sudden the lens stopped being able to adjust and upon further inspection, Derek discovered the gears are messed up. I am really sad because a certain SOMEONE is turning 3 this week and I won't have my trust camera to take pictures of everything. I do however have a digital camera so at least I will still have pictures, even if they aren't the best quality.

Speaking of a certain someone, yes CARSON DOODLE is turning 3 on Sunday. Its surreal to me still that its actually been 3 years since I first saw his face. He is already so grown up acting and I am so proud of the little boy that he is becoming. He never ceases to amaze me and I just thank GOD for him everyday! I will have to tell yall all about how his party goes tomorrow, but I will save that for another post!

Well that is all for now, guess I better get to doing something productive while I have some down time!

All Dolled Up

So as you can see my blog is now, "ALL DOLLED UP!" Doesn't it look GREAT? I still can't believe I actually WON something, but isn't it awesome that I did? Jamie did great, great, great work, and if you too want a blog makeover, just hop on over to Jamie's blog and next time she has her monthly makeover giveaway, YOU could be a winner! She also offers packages so if you don't win she can still design you a custom blog of your own!

Here is the link to her blog http://jamiekubeczka.blogspot.com/

HOPE one of y'all wins your own makeover soon! :-)

I WON!!!!

So a blog I follow posted about a "blog makeover giveaway" on their blog. I entered, thinking nothing to much of it. You see, I enter things ALL THE TIME, and usually get my hopes up, but never win. So you can imagine my surprise when I got on this morning to find out....I WON! Thats right I am getting a blog makeover. I have been wanting a custom blog for a long time, just to make my blog look funner and brighter, but I know that is not something Derek would be too happy about my spending money on. Although, he actually does LOVE and READ my blog. I was totally flattered when I had a women tell me she started reading my blog because my husband told her how great it is :-) It will be even greater once it gets a face lift! Be looking out for the "New and Improved" A Mommy on a MISSION!

Oh and since Jamie(the blog designer) will be giving a free blog makeover once a month, you could WIN TOO!! I will set up a link to her blog once my makeover is complete, that way you won't miss your chance to get REVAMPED!

What life is like for me these days!

WHEW! I just finished my first week as a nursing student and I am feeling dizzy, anxious, excited, and somewhat overwhelmed!! It's been a whirlwind and I know that this is just the beginning and nothing will be slowing down anytime soon! In fact, I have a good idea that things will be gearing up even faster than I can imagine!! This week has been another week of first for several of us in the Godwin house hold. It was Cam's first week of daycare, my first week of nursing school, Derek's first week of seeing the craziness he is going to be dealing with for the next 18 months lol!

Let me just tell you what my days consisted of this week! I woke up at 6 a.m.(which can I say is NOT MY THING, I am not a morning person, but I think I am going to have to learn to be.) Anyways, I started my coffee, ate some yogurt(or a bagel, or cereal, or a bananas,or whatever was closest) and gave my self some time to wake up. I got dressed, did something with my hair, put some makeup on and then woke the boys up. Derek was up by then and has helped me get them ready each morning, and then it was out the door. The first day, I was so antsy. The whole drive to the boys school I couldn't help but wonder what my little bear was going to think about all the things he was about to experience. Although he seems to always adjust to things very quickly, he has always only stayed with family or close friends and so this would be a new ball game for him. When I arrived I got the boys out, brought them in, and they sat at their table to eat breakfast! I forgot my camera(BOOOOO) but I did manage to snap a few pics on my phone!
I think the fact that he walked in and immediately was greeted with a yummy pancake helped Camden to warm up to the place very quickly! I kissed them both several times and told them I was leaving. Camden gave me a puzzled look, but never cried(thank goodness) and it was off I went. I was thankful that I got out of there without any tears, but once I got in the car my eyes started to water a little bit. I guess it was the realization that Camden is getting to be such a big boy, and experiencing so many big boy things now. Anyways, I arrived at school at 8 a.m and from that point on it was pretty much non stop. Yes, we did get breaks for lunch, bathroom, water, but other than that it was GO GO GO. As I left school, I had to rush to go get the boys, get home to start dinner, then baths, bed for the boys, and homework for me. The next day at 6 am this all started over again! Yes, its crazy. I know this is just the beginning, but I am still super excited! I am waking up each day, excited to see what it brings. I have a feeling next quarter I might be singing a different tune, but for now I am liking the "newness"!

I know you didn't think it was going to be that easy with Cam's new adjustments? You are right, it wasn't! As the week progressed, Camden started to realize this was the real deal. I called several times to check on him, and they told me he was struggling a little bit. They said that he knows Carson is in the other room and that every time someone entered Camden's classroom he would scream for his "bubba!" and get hysterical. Do y'all know how much this hurts my heart? I know it is something that he will have to get used to and in time he will, but man does it tear at the my heart strings to know he is missing his brother. His teachers are SO amazing though, and they reassured me that this is normal and he will get used to the idea of being separated from him. They also assured me that once Camden calms down a little and is a little more adjusted, that they will indeed let him go see Carson for short visits. They said that they know how strong sibling bonds can be, and want the siblings at their school to be able to interact, as long as its not causing issues. I know this is really going to be great for Camden in the long run, but it is hard knowing he is so upset. Most people think of daycare in a somewhat negative sense, and If I didn't know first hand, I probably would too. Thankfully, I can assure you Noah's Ark is nothing like some of the horror storries you hear though. They are a christian learning facility, and are dedicated to teaching and helping these children learn to be independent and love Jesus. I fully trust them with the boys, and know that I couldn't leave them in better hands. I know that anytime of day I just "pop in" they will be doing exactly what they should be doing. I know I have just surprised them several times in the middle of the day and I come to find them reading the children bible stories, or working on arts and crafts, or teach the children their colors and numbers. Carson has truly learned so many awesome things there, and I am so very thankful for the workers there. I think knowing what I know about the place, is helping me adjust to too. I know they are safe, loved, and in a great environment to thrive.

Derek and I have also discovered there is NO WAY we can do this with one vehicle. Yes, Derek has a work truck, but it is not big enough for the boys car seats. I have already seen there will be days I need to be at school very early, and many nights I will be there long past 5:30(when the boys must be picked up). We really aren't in a financial position to go purchase another car, but we feel its best to find something cheap, but reliable just to get us through the next two years. We are looking for something that will cost $4000 or less and hopefully be great on gas mileage. An older Honda Accord or civic would be IDEAL, but that may be hard to find in this economy. All we know for sure is, we MUST have another vehicle if this is all going to run smoothly.

So, week one is over and I am pooped! I won't lie, its been exhausting for everyone. I am ready to embark on this journey though and face this new chapter of life!

Whats wrong?

I know lately I have been a little bit of a "Debbie Downer" if you will. I probably have freaked LOTS of you who are my friends on Facebook out, with all the negative and sad posts. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I know I probably had some of you thinking I was diagnosed with an uncurable illness, my marriage was falling apart, or something was wrong with my children....NONE of which is the case. Although I cannot lie, some things have been going not so great in my life, I know things could be ALOT LOT LOT WORSE!

I cannot really elaborate on the situation, but what I can tell yall is that *SOMETHING* took place recently that could of completely crushed all my hopes, dreams, and plans for going to school. This *Something* was really serious, and could not be easily fixed without God's true favor, and my faith. When I say that I was completely DEVASTATED, that would be an understatement. The thought of all my hard work being flushed down the drain was heartbreaking and I was truly wondering what in the world was happening in my life.

Thankfully, the situation resolved itself and today all was made good and right in the world for me! :-)

GOD IS GREAT, and so are all of you who sent a little something up to the man in charge in my name!

Revamped

So, I have revamped my blog! I changed the name, description, backround...EVERYTHING!! Today I was really in a wierd mood, and I began to ponder who I am. I mean other than HALLIE, I was trying to think of WHO I am becoming and would like to become in the future and that is when the whole "Mommy on a mission" came to me. I am a mommy on a mission to do lots of things. I will probably always be on a mission to accomplish SOMETHING in my life, so I couldn't think of anything more fitting!! Hope those of you who actual READ THIS THING, keep enjoying as I continue to update about my daily adventures!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!...I cannot say that mine has been extremely HAPPY so far, but I am holding on to hope and promise that God is going to unveil some unbelieveable things for everyone this year! BE BLESSED!