Beautifully Imperfectly Me: November 2011

Here is a few recent pictures of our little Family!

This is the most creative picture we have! I absolutely love this picture!

This is to our past,Present, and Future! Our backs represents our past, holding hands represents the bond of our family and our unity and our present, and looking forward to what our future has in store! ♥

Our boys! Gaige posed himself! That must mean hes way to used to pictures and knows what to do!

Taylor did this one!

The bond between a daddy and his boys is a very special bond! I love this poem!
Father And SonYou're standing in the doorway.
Your workday is all done.
He waits to see you everyday,
this boy that is your son.

He hopes you will go fishing.
He hopes you'll shoot the gun.
He just wants to be with you,
this boy that is your son.

He is your spitting image.
To him you are ''The One''.
He hopes to be just like you,
this boy that is your son.

You show him what a man is.
You teach as you have fun.
You are admired as well as loved
by this boy that is your son.

You've got a friend forever.
Until the world is done.
Then, still you will be holding
this man that is your son.
- Mary Nagy

Gaige is 19 months!

This picture made us all laugh! Taylor is trying not to let his belly show and hoping his pants dont come down, Gaige is laghing hysterically as Im trying not to fall backwards, and Justin is holding Taylor as if he just caught a big fish!

Taylor is 8 years old and 4 months!

This picture is one of my favorite of me and the boys!

So I also threw in a few random ones of the boys! This picture was taken in August 2010 right after Taylor got home from being gone all summer long with his mom. Taylor has just turned 7 in June and Gaige was 5 months old!

Then in September 2011 I won a free 8x10 and a 10x13 dream print and a super saver package through our local Olan Mills and we did the same pose. This will be one of the boys and our families signature poses from now on! We Love it! We also did this pose with my nephews and our boys for my in laws for christmas! Then when we did our mini session to see if we like the photographer we did it with Justin, Taylor, Gaige and I! We just loved our new photographer and have another picture day set in a month! I so cannot wait to see what she comes up with! S. Beal Photography!!

About two weeks ago I had posted on facebook that I wanted to have or go to a Halloween party that was kid appropriate. Another friend Leah had posted on my status saying that she wanted to be a part of it and added me to a group on facebook of other woman and their husbands saying that I had wanted to do a Halloween party for kids but she and I thought it was too much for one mom to do. Everyone was so responsive about it and thought it was a great Idea. A few days later a few of us ladies

got together to work out the details. We thought of a piñata, minute to win it games, face painting, a wii game contest, water bottle knock down, a bean bag toss (which I brought), a picture booth, picture frames that the kids to color and decorate, lots and lots of candy and food, and hot apple cider! Well in this whole process I have met a bunch of wonderful people! I’m hoping and praying for lifelong friendships not only for myself but for Justin and the boys! The husbands of these women are men of god and welcomed Justin with open arms. They talked for hours and so did the woman :) I hardly saw Taylor all night he had such a blast with all of his new friends. Gaige danced all night, played games, kissed and played with some of the women as well, and was also scared of one of the men in his gorilla costume.

A few days before the actual party I had gotten on to our group page and there was a post on there saying "What is your gift?

My mind began to run. "What is my gift?" I had so many things run through my mind it wouldn’t shut off so after a few moments I posted, "I think God gave me the power of forgiveness, seeing the positive in people and situations, that I can give good advice, even when I sometimes can't take my own..Some people say it’s my down fall. I also am a good hugger! I try really hard to be a good mommy, daughter, fiancée, and friend!" Then a few others posted then I posted again, "I trust to easily." I got a response from Leah that said, “I LOVE good huggers, girl. Hug away! I could see you being very wise considering all you've walked through yourself." "Brittany, I was just talking tonight with a gal about us easy trusters. We get hurt a lot more, but we also experience a lot more love. I love that about you." ;)

My response was, “I think I'm wise in my young age! I've been through a lot in my short 24 years! I am very understanding and know God doesn't give me more than I can handle but lately I'm beginning to think he trusts me too much! I love hugs and I feel like if I can make someone feel good with a hug, a good comment, or whatever it might be that my job for the day is done! That my goal every morning is to make someone feel happiness, love and friendship! I do believe that easy trusters get hurt more often, I know I do! I love to love! I love the feeling of feeling it! I love that you are like me and know what it feels like!" "I do however; believe that everything I have been through good or bad that I am a stronger person because of it (Even though some days I don't feel so strong)." About an hour later another lady posted in response to my comments saying, "Brittany, I love your willingness to put yourself out there to people you don't know. I see special in you. Looking very forward to meeting you." I then responded, "Aww Sarah! Thank you! I have gone through more than I think anyone should ever go through and if I can help someone going through something I have gone through in my past then I will tell my stories! I feel like God put me through them then maybe I can help someone learn. I am a very stubborn person and learn everything the hard way...a down fall maybe by. My willingness to help someone understand something I'm there! And thank you. From what I read about you seem to be quite a special woman yourself! I think I could learn a lot from you and maybe you learn something from me... I’m not exactly sure what you could learn from me but I'm willing to try" :) After this conversation I sent Sarah a private message reading,”

Sarah, I really cannot wait to meet you! You are the only one that has truly opened up to me! You acknowledge me on the Oikos page and have tried and succeeded in making me feel welcome and a part of the group. You and Leah are amazing!! Thank you so much for your friendship and supporting my scentsy page! You are truly a blessing in my life and I haven’t even met you yet! You have made me look forward to getting up in the morning to see if you have posted on the Oikos page!! You have brightened my last few days and I just wanted to let you know how every much I appreciate you and your kind heart!!! I can’t wait to meet you! Thank you so much!!" :)
Brittany
Her response was, “I see special in you, for sure. I cannot wait to meet you tonight, as well!!"
Saturday came and we were all so excited! I stayed up late with my mother in law and made Halloween cupcakes and cookie that looked like mummies...well kind of :) I was so excited to meet Sarah, see Leah, and meet the other ladies, their husbands and children. When I actually got there i needed to go over to the next door house which was actually Sarah's house to set up the bean bag toss, take the candy, cupcakes, cookies in and set up my scentsy booth. I walked over with another Lady who was so sweet as well. We walked in and Sarah was flying around her house trying to get everything set up. She yelled, "Hi." Not even realizing who I was. She had only seen my profile picture. When Nita walked into the house she said, "Sarah, this is Brittany." Sarah said,"Oh my gosh, HI!" then welcomed me with a hug. I finished up with my set up, helped Leah with a table and then the night began. All the children were running around like chicken with their heads cut off and having so much fun. As the night came to an end and people left a group of us prayed for another mom that was in need of strength. Her daughters friend was staying the night and told them she was being abused, CPS was called and the little girl had to go back home because it’s hard to prove the type of abuse that she was saying was going on. The lady was hysterically, as anyone would be to hear that someone you love and care about was hurting. The mother of this girl is under investigation and we are hoping everything works out for the mom and family but mostly for the little girl that we prayed for. We sat at a table and chairs for hours talking. Justin and I didn’t get home until 230am Sunday morning. Taylor ended up stay at his new friend’s house. When I woke the next morning I had so many new friend requests. I had one lady post that she was amazed at how much we all had in common and she was so dead on. We all did. We talked about family, our children, "breaking the Barrier" hahaha which I laughed so hard I almost peed! Adoption (which someday I would like to do), friendship, life, acceptance, church, and most importantly God! The whole way home we talked about what a great time we had, meeting new people and that we would want to hang with them more.
The next day, Taylor was having so much fun and Sarah had something’s she was doing around the house, Taylor ended up staying there all day playing. When we met up with them to get him back they said Taylor was so sweet and polite and would like to have him over again soon. We chit chatted for a bit in the Wal-Mart parking lot and went and met my in laws for dinner at Denny’s. Taylor told him all about his night and how much fun he had and that he and his new friend had so much in common. They both had a step-mom and that they both loved to play video games. I’m not too sure about the step-mom part i think he got confused in translation. But he was very excited that he wasn’t the only one that had a step-parent.
The days went by a few post here and there but last night, since its 1:00am now, I got an email that Sarah had sent me saying, I posted a song and had you guys in mind <3 you. She sent it to me and a few other women. This song is the one that is posted here on this blog that started me writing about how it got to me. This song is to everyone who is in need of a pick me up! This is to every woman, you are beautiful, lovely, and perfectly you! Thank you Sarah, Leah and the other Oikos members for your friendship and acceptance! I cannot wait to get to know you all more! For everyone else I love all of you and this is also for you!