Where have I been???

11 days into the New Year with no post...I know, I know. But I have to say...we have been all recovering from colds here in the magnolia household. Harrison and Dan were hit the hardest. Harrison got his first EVER ear infection at 4 years old. I could hardly believe it!! Anyway, things have been great besides the colds...

Resolutions? How do I top 2008's resolution of running a marathon? I don't know...but I am going to start doing at least one a year. I have my eye on either the Disney (Goofy Challenge, Jen? I'm up for it if you are) or the Charleston Marathon, which may or may not happen. However, these are both in Jan 2010, so technically not this year....So I came up with a list of things that I'd like to do or change for this upcoming year...

1. Lose the remaining 5 lbs and be at my wedding weight...I would love to accomplish this!!
2. Be in the moment with my children...they are growing up way too fast. The twins will be two next month. What happened to my babies?
3. Continue to grow the photography business
4. Continue to eat healthy...leafy greens, whole grains, fruits, veggies
5. Try a detox cleanse..thinking about the Blueprint Cleanse
6. Work on getting rid of all the hormonal havoc that happened to my skin. I'm working with someone and am obsessed with Dermologica products. Trying to conceive, while good for having babies, not good for my skin. (i.e. mask of pregnancy is still on my forehead...)
7. Continue to run 4/5 days a week and strength training 2 days a week.
8. Have fun! Be positive!
9. More date nights with Dan....went to S.N.O.B. downtown the other night and then drinks at Cypress...WONDERFUL!!
10. Surround myself with good friends and family!!

Looking forward to 2009...I promise to post some Christmas pics soon!

Miles and miles to go before I sleep...

I haven't talked about the "Training" in a couple of days...mainly because I am ready to get it done. In the last couple of weeks I've done 12, 15, and 16 mile runs. Well, this weekend is my 18 miler and I'm dreading it. It's only 2 more miles than the 16 miler, but I'm doing it alone. The 16 miler alone was long enough, but I don't know how I'm going to get through this 18 miler. Anyone out there have any suggestions to make it go faster? I have about 5 weeks until the actual marathon. My thinking is that by now if I can run 16 miles solo then I can run 26.2 with several hundred people-piece of cake, right?

I seriously could not do this without the unending support of my wonderful husband. Every Saturday while I'm out there pounding the pavement, he's getting the kids dressed and fed, not to mention when I have my runs during the week. He is the most important piece of the puzzle to all of this marathon training.

I get several questions from people about what I'm going to do to celebrate once I'm done...not sure yet, but I'll have to think of something special!?!

Who knows if I'll want to do another marathon after this. My goal has always been to do one, but we'll see if I catch that bug I hear so much about. I wouldn't mind doing Marine Corp one day, since we lived up there for 9 years...most of my adult life so far.

Anyway, been super busy with our photo sessions as of late. It's great, very great...I don't think Blakely and I ever expected to be this busy. We are having a lot of fun with it! Once again, I don't think either of us could do it without our husbands. Which is why they will be having fun at "man day" in our neighborhood this coming Saturday...I'll post about that later.

9 wonderful years...

It seems like yesterday that we were getting married. Hard to believe all the incredible things that have happened these past 9 years....Let's see, 2 states, 5 cities, 1 apartment, 1 townhouse, 3 houses, 1 dog and 3 beautiful children! I'd say it's been a blessing for sure! I love you more and more as each day passes. You are a wonderful husband and amazing father and I could not ask for anything more. Here's to many, many more wonderful years together! Looking forward to our dinner out here tonight!

Happy 9th Anniversary sweetheart and love of my life! It has and continues to be an amazing ride...I love you.

The time is NOW...

I don't know why I've been so sentimental these days. Maybe it's because I've heard some stories about children losing their parents or parents losing their children or it could be that I'm reading The Last Lecture but I feel like doing all of these things that I say I will do "someday". I admit I'm a pretty busy woman but I when I feel the urge to tell my children I love them, I do. Most of you know that I lost my sister 10 years ago in a tragic car accident and because of that I realize how short and precious life is. It can be gone in an instant. Sometimes I find myself worried about what my house looks like or what I look like or what the boys are wearing and I stop myself and realize that IT SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER. I'm not dying or anything but I want to live my days as if they were my last. I want my boys to see me as a happy person who had no regrets. I want to be nice to people and I want to have fun! Spending time with the people you love is so much better than decorating your house or obsessing over material things. I recently read a blog that my friend Slacker Mama shared on her blog. This mom lived right down the street from where we once lived in Northern Virginia. I could have seen her at church, the grocery store, Target, the park, etc and now she is in the hospital fighting for her life with a husband and two little girls-2 1/2 and 6 months old-at home. Her husband wrote something on his blog that sent chills up my spine and had me in tears...

First, life is very tenuous - very fragile - and very fleeting. I would give anything to be able to interact with Hyatt again... to hold her, talk with her, smile and laugh with her - and share the joy of life with her. Please do this with your family right now. Stop what you are doing - stop all the busyness of life and go spend some time with your loved ones.

So true, so very, very true...everyone please go tell your children that you love them. Go. Right now!!

Lady Luck

I believe that I am one lucky lady. I have three beautiful (or handsome) little boys and an amazing husband! Tonight I took Harrison to see the Backyardigans. He liked it, but what I truly liked was watching him watch hit. Seeing it through his eyes made the whole thing worth my time. I love having one on one time with each child and as Brady and Jack get older we will be doing it more often with them too. I feel so blessed everytime I look at Dan and the boys. I am so thankful for all that I have been given. As I type this the rest of the house is sleeping and I should be too. I put a load of cloth diapers in the wash a little too late, but at the time time I am enjoying this time of reflection. I just checked on all three of them and they all looked like sleeping angels. I could literally have stood there for hours staring at them. Don't you just love them when they're asleep? Even Harrison still looks like he did as a baby when he's sleeping. However, my 6:00 am run will be here before I know it, so I better get to sleep. Night-night!

Viva Las Vegas

We had a great time last week. It has been forever since I've posted but between coming back home, doing laundry (lots and lots) and re-stocking the pantry...I feel like I've been playing catch up since last week.

Let's see. Last Saturday night was my cousin's wedding. It was so much fun catching up with people I hadn't seen in a really long time. After the reception, it was off to Charlotte to drop off Harrison at his aunt and cousin's house. Sunday morning we flew out bright and early with no issues at all. It was so neat flying into Vegas because it's such a different landscape than what I'm used to. Lots of red clay mountains, no trees, no vegetation....It was hot, hot, hot! 111 when we arrived in Vegas around noon. We quickly checked into our hotel and walked around for a while. Our first stop was Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay for lunch. It hit the spot! Afterwards, we ventured our way down the strip going in and out of hotels, shops and casinos. It was a lot of walking and I certainly was not used to the dry heat-it's still hot-even without the humidity. We walked through The Bellagio and watched the fountain "show". It was pretty cool, this particular one was set to Frank Sinatra-so that was pretty neat. We also walked through Caesar's Palace where I played the slots. That's really all the gambling I did...not really into it but fun to watch. For dinner we went to Mesa Grill-owned by none other than THE Bobby Flay! It was awesome-so uber-trendy and the food was quite good. I enjoyed myself at $12 margarita (the drinks in Vegas were outrageously expensive!) but it did not disappoint...we were pretty beat so hit the hay pretty much after dinner.

The next day, Dan had to work (after all this was a business trip for him) and I decided to hang out poolside in the morning. It was nice just being by myself at a pool with a book and magazine...AAAHHHH! Later on, I showered and walked back down to Wolfgang Puck's Spago located in Caesar's for lunch. I even sat at the bar, my choice and loved every minute of it. Afterwards, I walked into some of the upscale shops in Caesar's and Bellagio just for kicks...Jimmy Choo, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, Carolina Herrera, Fendi....of course I did not buy a thing from there, but it was fun to drool....I mean look! By the time I was done with my sight-seeing, Dan was done for the day so we sat by the pool at our hotel and sipped on a mojito and people watched. People watching was my all time favorite activity while we were there! I was amazed at how many drunk people there were and how many kids I saw. It's too darn hot for little kids to be there, not to mention pretty inappropriate...but anyway. We then got ready for dinner where we went to Mario Batali's San Marco restaurant located in The Venetian. It was OK, but did not in any way compare to Bobby Flay's restaurant. We were excited though, because after dinner it was off to see the show LOVE which is set to Beatles music at The Mirage. It was amazing!! I highly recommend seeing a show if you are in Vegas. We had an great time in Las Vegas, just the two of us, able to reconnect for a couple of days. Really we could have been anywhere, just being alone with Dan was worth it! Soon it was time to come home to our children, who did very well with their grandparents (thanks mom and dad for keeping Brady and Jack) and their Aunt Debbie (thanks Debbie for keeping Harrison). We missed them so much...but are so glad we got to get away.

We had a great 4th also. Went to a friend's house for a cookout and fireworks. The boys all had a great time because everyone slept in until 8:30 the next day. We really needed the sleep. Anyway, sorry this has been a book...

Seriously, Y'ALL have to try this stuff...

Ummm, yep-that's what you think it is...Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and it's made right here in Charleston. This stuff is absolutely the best liquor I've ever had. If you ask for it with water and a splash of lemon (and on the rocks), it tastes just like a glass of sweet tea. Not too sweet though and you can't taste ANY alcohol-NONE, zip, zilcho- so they are dangerous. Sip slowly!! Last night we had MOM's night out and a few of us ordered one and I think I quite possibly have my favorite cocktail now. Unfortunately right now they are only sold in 6 or so states and they are literally flying off the shelves in S.C., but hopefully they can keep up with demand so everyone can sample this stuff. Makes me proud to be southern I tell ya, I tell ya.

We are off to my cousin's wedding tomorrow night. It should be a blast. I feel like it's going to be like a reunion. So many people I haven't seen in a LONG time (since high school) are going to be there and then Dan and I are off to Vegas on Sunday. Can't wait to share details about our trip! I'll be back online next Thursday-have a great weekend!

Vegas Baby!

Dan and I are off to Vegas in a little over 2 weeks for a couple of days. I CAN'T WAIT!! Special thanks to my mom and dad for watching Brady, Jack and Bailey (our golden retriever) and to Debbie (Dan's sister) for watching Harrison-it means a lot!! So, for all of you who have been to Vegas, where do you recommend we eat? What shows are good? Dan's been there a couple of times with work, so I'd like to go to places where he hasn't been before...(he's going for work again, I'm just tagging along with him). I'm really just looking forward to flying alone, sleeping in and spending some quality time with my husband....the rest is just a big bonus!

A year in review...

This time last year I ran for the first time with a mission. You see, it was my first run post-partem from having twin boys. They were six weeks old and I had gained 63 pounds with them. 63 pounds on a small frame, 5'3" woman is a very big deal-in other words my body was a train wreck!!! With my older son I had gained 55 pounds-and he was only one child. Why, you ask? I'm not sure-I didn't gorge myself with that pregnancy, the weight just came on. I actually did not even gain any weight in the last few weeks, I was just very swollen with him-it was August!!

Anyway, this time last year I could barely run down the street without stopping. I could definitely feel pain just running a little bit. I have been running for several years, but for not very long distances-the longest race I had ever done was a 10K! I had put my weight loss efforts on hold until we were done having children-my body tends to go a little haywire in the hormonal department when I lose weight. Well, my friends, we are done and I wanted my body back.

When I started running, I set small goals for myself, "run to the tree, stop, take a break, walk a little, then run again". I would come home and tell Dan, "well, I only stopped once or twice". Slowly, I didn't stop anymore, I just kept on going. Surely enough, the weight started melting away. I'm happy to say, I have lost all of the weight and more. Since February 12, 2007 I've lost a total of 72 pounds and I owe it all to running, weight training and eating healthy. I honestly feel better than I have my entire life. I have 3 beautiful children, an amazing husband and my health back. My story doesn't stop here though-I've put my pursuits on doing a marathon in December. I'm so excited about it-I'll also do a half-marathon along the way too.

I don't run with the boys either. I have a hard time running with a jogging stroller and also living down here in the south-it can get very hot even in the early morning. I run for me, by myself, before Dan goes to work. It is my time to either think about saving the world or nothing at all. I am a better mom because of it. I want my boys to look up to me, I want them to want to be healthy. It takes discipline knowing that it's just me telling myself to get up, no one else is holding me accountable. But now it's like nothing to do. It's in my routine just as brushing my teeth or showering is....

So why am I telling you this? Yesterday a friend of mine told me she wanted to start running and I got so excited about it. Anyone can be a runnner if you set your mind and heart to it. From someone who could barely make it to the end of their street last year...to now being on her way to training a marathon.. YOU CAN DO IT!!! All things are possible, just believe you can!!!

Just because...

It's the little things that mean so much to me...

-thanks for making me hot chocolate with a little splash of Bailey's last night.

-thanks for getting the boys dressed in the mornings so I can go for my runs before you go to work.

-thanks for always helping to unload the dishwasher, fold laundry, get breakfast ready, dinner, etc. even though I always insist I can do it.

You are the greatest father and husband! I know I may not say it often but I appreciate everything you do and after being together for 12 years now...I am still just as in love with you and actually even more!

I love you Dan! Your boys love you too...

Handy Danny

So, I told my husband this morning that I've upgraded him to being handy. This weekend, he along with a few neighbors (but mostly him) put together the wooden playset for the boys in the backyard. I'm so proud of him...I may start calling him Handy Danny!

We had such a good weekend, busy but good. The weather couldn't have been any better. Saturday morning I ran 5 miles. I'm on week 4 of a 32 week training for a marathon. It was gorgeous weather! I really wish I had a running partner though. I know it's going to be tough when I get into the long runs 14-15 and up. Afterwards, I went and got my haircut again. I'm loving the chin-length bob. I don't know if I'll ever have longer hair again. I've gotten so many compliments and I told my hairdresser that it's the best haircut I've had in a long time...I never thought it would suit my face shape but it does. I have such a love/hate relationship with my hair, so this is a big deal for me. In not so good news, I have been pulling a grey/silverish hair out of my head every day for the past couple of days...sheeesh!

Saturday night we went out with a couple of neighbors to Red's on Shem Creek. Very laid back, on the water, perfect for kids...however, the service wasn't that great...very slow! Slow is not good for kids. It's a great place to go in the summer and watch the boats pull in while you sit outside and sip margaritas! Harrison had been to a 3 year old's birthday party that day and enjoyed not one, but two pieces of cake...so needless to say there was a bit of "sugar" crashing going on at dinner. Brady, who loves to hear his voice, especially in a shriek-y high pitched scream, wanted to make sure everyone heard him. Fun times were had by all!

Sunday we went over to my nephew's 1st birthday party. He was born on the same day as the twins. (Yes, my sister and I delivered our babies on the exact same day. How cool is that?) He had a great time smashing his cake. We are looking forward to the boys party next weekend.

We have a busy week this week. Tonight I'm doing a babysitting swap for a neighbor and she is watching our kids tomorrow night while Dan and I go here for dinner. We don't usually go out on Valentine's Day because restaurants usually overcharge for a Hallmark holiday, but we do go around it. Hey, I am a romantic...Tuesday is the twin's birthday! Yikes, I'll post more about that tomorrow. We have family coming into town this weekend for their family party. So hard to believe, but I'm sure all of you with children know exactly what I mean. Time really does fly...

What would you do?

Watched this on Friday night. Such a good movie-great love story and a message that is still with me! It's about this couple who meet and both have terminal cancer and don't know about the other until later in the relationship...it really made me think about living my life in the moment and as if I didn't know when my last day on earth would be....What would you do? I cried my eyeballs out! I love movies that I still think about days later.

We had a great weekend. Despite the all-day rain, we loaded up the boys and went to Five Loaves for lunch. YUM! They have the best soups, salads and sandwiches. The boys got lots of stares and comments and definitely loved flirting with everyone. Afterwards, we stopped at a mattress place. We are in the market for this mattress. Anyone have one? Any comments or complaints? We also went to Lowe's and picked up some paint for the powder room, which Dan painted later that afternoon. Go Dan! Now we have the kitchen, family room, office, powder room, our room and half of the dining room done-thanks to Dan! My job is to keep the boys happy while he paints. It rained literally all day on Saturday so I made a black bean and chicken soup in the crockpot which hit the spot on a cold and rainy day. Dan caught up on Wii Saturday night while I read my US Weekly. Sometimes I love nights like this...

Sunday, I went for a 4 mile run and then we loaded up the boys and went to the Aquarium. It was packed. I think everyone had cabin fever! Afterwards, Dan went home and I did grocery shopping here. I love buying our groceries from here and I'm finding out that milk is cheaper than Publix or Wal Mart as well as other things. Who knew? I am also loving the Brown Rice Avocado rolls in the sushi area and also picked up an organic fig spread that I will put on grilled cheese-yum. It's the little things that make me happy!

Today, is not as upbeat. Brady has some kind of stomach bug. He's been through 5 outfits and I've been through 3 because he's been vomiting all morning. He acts like he feels fine, just can't keep anything down. Poor baby! As usual, lots of laundry being done.

I did manage to make a homemade almond and cream cheese pound cake while the twins took their morning nap this morning. Harrison loved helping me with it! The house smells like a bakery. Hard to believe a few simple ingredients...butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cream cheese and almond extract can produce such a divine pound cake. I'm making it for a family that just moved in down the street. I will definitely have to make another one for us!

A Brand New Year!

First of all, I must tell you, I just had the BEST lunch...in my own home. I put a bed of arugula on a plate, then fresh sliced mozzarella, grape tomatoes, homemade croutons (yes, I made my own!), drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper. I felt like I was in my own little bistro. It may be 30ish degrees out (with a windchill of 16) but I feel like I'm in Italy-a million miles away! The meal itself put me in a good mood...

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone. I just love this time of the year....a fresh start! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I know we did. I ended up surprising Dan with a Wii-he was really surprised and I was surprised that I actually found one without having to wait in long lines-just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I'm telling you it is worth the hype-it is really fun, especially the tennis game. You actually feel like you are playing.

I enjoyed my holidays so much, I think it truly was one of the best ever. It was so much fun watching through the children's eyes.

As far as my New Year's resolution, I really only have 1-to run a half marathon this year. Fortunately it's not until December, so I have 11 months to train. Then next year, it will be to run a marathon. I've met so many people who have run marathons lately, I feel like it is something I can definitely do.

We spent the last day of 2007 on the beach. Since we only live 15 minutes away from the beach and it was a warm day, we took the twins in the wagon and Harrison chased birds and looked for shells. It really was a great day to send off 2007. We had some friends over New Years Eve for cheese and chocolate fondue and champagne and watched our Tigers lose to the Auburn Tigers. 2007 will be hard to top, but I think 2008 will be even better. As a matter of fact, Dan came home yesterday and informed me that our mortgage payment will be dropping $200 because of our much lower tax bill. That was very good news!

I can't believe the twins will be turning 1 next month. Where has the time gone? I sure am a lot busier with them now that they are into EVERYTHING. It keeps me busy. I felt it yesterday when Dan went back to work after being off for 10 days -being a stay at home mom is just as hard of a job as any!

Just looking forward to getting back into my routine. Funny how much of a creature of habit I am. Tonight is Bunco, so should be fun to see the ladies of the neighborhood.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Signing off for the next 2 weeks or so. Dan is home for 10 days and we are going to have a great time together. I'm looking forward to the holidays. I've been doing my 30 day of gratefulness and through it all, it has helped me to look at the little things to be grateful for. Today I'm grateful for this time to reflect and appreciate the life I have. As for the rest of the days I have left-3 I think, I'm grateful for these holidays spent with family.

Here's to you and yours!

You better watch out...

I don't know what I'm going to do after Christmas when we put the Elf on the Shelf away-he's been quite the little helper in reminding Harrison to be on his best behavior! Harrison named him Kris-after "Kris Cross Applesauce"-something they say at school. I guess because it looks like he is sitting that way. He creeps Dan out, but I think he's oh so cute. Maybe we'll leave him up all year-just kidding Dan! Now if only we can figure out who sent him to us...

I'm hosting a cookie exchange with the neighborhood women tonight, so it should be fun. Once again, I'm grateful for my wonderful husband who puts up with oh so much and is so supportive. I love you sweetheart!

Holiday Fun

We had so much fun as a family today. We had no plans so it made it even that much better. While the boys napped, Daddy, Harrison and I made a "gingerbread train". I think Daddy really got into it, but has referred to it as the "70's train"-it's very colorful. I'll post pictures soon. Harrison keeps asking when we will eat it.

Afterwards, when the boys woke up we loaded everyone in the car and headed to one our favorite pizza spots, Andolini's, but in another town (closer to the Festival of Lights). All 3 boys were great and we didn't make too much of a mess!

Then we went to see the lights. Harrison loved it-he kept pointing out all the different things he saw-it was really neat to see them through his eyes. They are spectacular, but when you see them through the eyes of a 3 year old-EVEN better. Today I'm grateful for my wonderful family and the great day we had!

TGIF

Today I'm grateful that we have no plans tonight! Don't get me wrong...I love being busy with activities, but this week I've had Book Club, went to a "soft opening" for a new restaurant with a girlfriend (very fun and FREE dinner) and had an ornament exchange with the neighborhood women...all very fun, but tonight we don't have any plans and I'm actually excited. We have a party tomorrow night as well as flag football in the morning and Santa comes to our neighborhood tomorrow before the party...YIKES. Sunday we are attending a joint birthday party at My Gym for playgroup friends and Sunday night is the Mt Pleasant Christmas parade....So tonight we are hanging in, drinking a glass of spiked nog and watching a movie.

Happy 1st House-iversary!

A year ago we moved into our new house. Not only did we move into a new house, we moved to a new state, new town and I was 25 weeks pregnant with twins when we moved in. It really amazes me to think all that has happened in one year...Harrison went from a crib to a big boy bed, he finally got some hair (and now has lots of it), the twins were born (our family went from 3 people to 5 people), we moved from Northern VA D.C. area to Charleston, SC (huge culture change), Bailey was diagnosed and cured of bone cancer, Harrison was potty trained and the twins will be 10 months old next week and are crawling and cruising (well at least Jack is cruising) everywhere. It has been a jam-packed year and that is what I'm grateful for today. I'm so very grateful that we moved to the D.C. area not knowing anyone but each other because we made so many friends and memories, I think it was great for our relationship. I still miss some aspects...but I'm grateful for moving here and looking back on our very busy and fulfilling year! Here's to many more...

our house in VA

our house in SC

Party Like It's 1999...

We had a great time at the party last night. The fried green tomatoes and the mini-lamb chops were amazing. I think I had one too many Cosmo's (open bar, cheesy drink I know, but with the choices of liquors and mixers, it was all I could think of)...but that is either here nor there. They also had a banana's foster and creme brulee station-which was AH-MAZING! They gave out door prizes and we won a wireless mouse, which was nice. (Wish I would've won the massage from Urban Nirvana...)

Afterwards, several people went to a bar to dance...umm, it was fun until...well, I'll get to that later. The wives all danced to cheesy 90's music, think Radiohead, Counting Crows...while the husbands stood around and chatted. Anyway, it was about time to go and we were saying our good-byes when all of a sudden I got groped by a 60 year old (think former stripper looking) woman-yes GROPED and yes WOMAN....it was definitely time to go!

It was fun to get dressed up and go out, but today I'm grateful for being married and NOT having to work the scene at clubs...glad those days are long over!

Oh and I did go for the plunge with the hair....I'll post pics tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Recap and Grateful Challenge

Today begins my "30 days of Gratefulness"....First of all, Thanksgiving was wonderful, of course I ate way too much and my sweet Harrison hardly ate anything...except for a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. The picky eater is even pickier these days...I'm about to pull my hair out. Go figure that he loves dill havarti cheese. Found that out yesterday...maybe he's got a sophisticated palate.

The race was great! There were over 4,000 runners. It was a cool and crisp morning and a very spirited crowd. Finished my best time ever, just over 26 minutes. Not stellar, but my best time for a 5K. Had to rush home afterwards, shower and make it to my sister's for the Thanksgiving feast.

We watched the big game, Clemson vs. Carolina, on Saturday night and I made the Spaghetti Bolognese from the Williams-Sonoma catalog. It was pretty good-my niece had 2 helpings, my picky eater ate none....It was definitely a nail-biter of a game, but thank goodness we pulled it through and got the bragging rights back yet AGAIN!

So, here's to Day 1 of my Grateful Challenge...Of course I am so very grateful for my beautiful family. I honestly never could have dreamed that I would be a mother of 3 little adorable boys. My cup is overflowing with blessings. I am so grateful that I have 3 healthy children and an amazing, supportive husband.