This was on my Facebook feed posted by someone else this this morning - and I also have a piece of art with this saying in our home hanging above family photos. This couldn't be more true.

Money comes and goes. Sometimes you have a lot of it (or if you are really fortunate, you *always* have a ton of it), sometimes you are at the bottom of the barrel like I was at times growing up in my teens. Regardless of your situation, don't let work or a job rule over you and the time you spend with your spouse and/or kids. Don't let work take all your time away from family dinners, vacations, reading bedtime stories, helping with homework, talking, etc. These moments go all too soon.

In four short years Bradley will be 18 and off to college somewhere. It could be in Florida or it could be across the US for all we know. Jacob is already six years old and is getting out of the stage of wanting to be held and cuddled.

This quote is something very important to me.

We try to do things and communicate with Brad no matter the topic. We hold Jacob and watch kid movies with him. We try to do family dinners as often as we can. We do mini weekend trips. We go to free festivals and farmer's markets. Hans and I still have date nights and time together as a married couple and not just as "parents", whether it is out at a restaurant or at home after the kid are asleep. These are just some ideas and not all have to cost money.

If you take anything away from my little "soapbox" moment - take this: Love your spouse and your children. Spend time with them. Don't put every waking moment into something else and ignore the family you have. Before you know it, children are grown and moved out of the house and those moments you may have had with them young won't come again.

Magic Kingdom with Jacob (when I was a blonde!)

Riding the Peoplemover with Brad

Home Depot building workshops with Jake + Hans

You're never too old to take out Zurg on Buzz Lightyear

Teaching Brad how to make Jambalaya

Date night with Hans at Willow Tree Cafe in Sanford, FL

Jake loving on Mommy for a "selfie"

Why I Love My Husband...

So again, to reboot my blog, I am going to get back into the habit of making the lists of things I love about my husband. I might do this weekly, bi-weekly, or when the mood permits. :) I started 1-10 previously so this one is going to be 11-20.

• He does laundry way better than I can and he doesn't  rarely complains ;)
• He checks on me when I am not feeling well and is considerate when I have a migraine.
• He has a "new" (to him) 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder that he totally loves. His affection for that car is adorable!
• He doesn't mind that I watch and love dorky shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock. He generally doesn't care for them but doesn't mind if I watch and doesn't make fun of me for doing so! :)
• He loves his parents and his family so much. There is rarely a day that goes by that he doesn't call his mom and dad. 
• He knows that pajamas and tumblers with straws are my favorite gifts ever, so each Christmas for the past few years that is what he has gotten me... and I have been exuberantly happy each time. 
• I have been wanting to go back to school for my Bachelor's degree for some time, and he fully and entirely supports me doing so. 
• Even though she isn't a "Golden Retriever", he absolutely fell in love with our rescue dog Clara - who is a German Shepherd mix - when we met her at an adoption event in February. She came out of her cage and immediately laid in his lap. Since then, he is her "favorite" and she lays on his lap on the sofa when we watch TV at night. (Yes, "Clara" from Doctor Who, for those who care :oP)
• He is so smart. If he doesn't know how to do something, he will research it or ask someone who knows how until he learns to do it himself. For example: oil changes on our cars to save $, fixing his own fuel line on his car, etc...
• Seeing him hugging the kids melts my heart. The smile he has on his face each time is as big as the smile the kid's have on theirs. 

Updated Photos of the Family!

I now realize it has been a while since I have posted any updated photos of Brad & Jake or myself & Hans on here. It always goes straight from my phone to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. In an effort to get back into blogging here we go! Photos galore! :)

Hans and I - April 5th - Run or Dye 5K in Kissimmee, FL (before)

Myself flexing posing after the 5K :) 

Jacob ready for t-ball! 4/5/2014

My guys - March 2014

Jacob and his friend Douglas (left), March 2014

All four of us at Universal Studios Orlando, 2/2014

The newest member of our family, our baby girl Clara! 

February 2014