It's a Passion, not just a job!

I am so incredibly proud of Ryan for his hard work and dedication to his job.  He has a passion for it and still loves to do it after 13 years.  He still loves going to work everyday and enjoys helping others! Not many people can say that they still love their job after that many years!! I have complete confidence in his ability to perform his job correctly and safely.  And I completely trust the guys that he works with!

Ryan is an amazing Fireman!  Being a fireman isn't just a job it is a calling and a passion! He enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes along with the job too!  There is no way to know what the next call might be or how long it make take.  He is always looking for ways to better his knowledge and skills as a fireman.  He is an amazing man that I am honored to call my husband!
Here is 13 years with the Brandon Fire Department, Captain Sanford!  You do an amazing job and I am proud and blessed to call you my husband!  The boys and I love you!!

We shall walk by Faith!

It amazes me where and when God talks to me.  It isn't always during prayer.  Ryan and I have several things going on right now that we are praying about.  This morning while I was playing Words with Friends with Ryan, this is the only word that I had that I could play!  Was it just chance that I had this word?  NO, it was a God thing.  He knew that I needed to be reminded to have Faith!! We can't always use our sight to get us somewhere.  There are MANY times where we just have to have Faith and trust in God!!

God has been so faithful!! I surely didn't think that I would ever be in nursing school.  I always said that there were enough nurses in my family! BUT God had other plans for that too!! We never thought that we would be able to make it without me working!  We thought there was no way possible for me to go to Nursing School full time BUT God had other plans.  God has shown us time and time again that if we put our complete trust and faith in him that he will always see us through and provide.  Does that mean that there won't be storms that we have to go through? No!  God never promised that everything would be smooth sailing.  In fact, he tells us that we will face trials and tribulations but that he will never leave us nor forsake us!  Ryan and I, along with our families, are trusting and believing in his faithfulness!!  We are beyond blessed to have an amazing Lord and Savior, each other and great family and friends!! May we all give God all the glory!!!

Randomness

Just some random pictures from my phone over the last few months!  I don't have much time to post but I want to remember things and the craziness of nursing school, being a momma and a wife!

A picture that Colton drew

It's not child abuse if he WANTS to do laundry is it?  :)

Being goofy and having fun

I gave birth to a monkey :) Seriously, this child LOVES to climb things

Lunch date with my sweet "sister" and

precious nephew!  Love them to pieces!

This is what a study session looks like!

One of many study sessions!!

Sweet boys watching a special on 9-11 while I was getting

dressed for church!  We had a great service at church. 

Daddy was in Nashville doing the 10th Anniversary Stair Climb!

• Hard to believe we are almost at the end of October
• It melts my heart when my boys are sweet to each other and enjoy playing together (the small things)! Cause that isn't always the case around here!
• LOVES clinicals and everything about school!!
• My friends and I were adding up the days that we have left in school: 5 lectures, 7 clinicals, 2 alternate clinicals and 3 tests!! WOW!!!
• In less than 2 months I can say that I am a 2nd semester Nursing Student!!  All Glory to God!
• I have an amazing husband that is so selfless!!
• Colton is a math whiz!! Where did he get that from?  Def NOT me!
• Pierce has lost 2 teeth
• Will my baby really be 7 in less than 2 months?
• And will my first born really be 10 in less than a year??
• My family and friends have been the best cheerleaders for me through this school journey!
• Do you know that if you leave your laundry unattended to for 1 day that it multiples 10 fold if not more??  Seriously.. I don't suggest you try it!

Ok well enough randonness for now.  It is time to get back to my mommy duties.  I have spelling words to review with both boys and reading to do with them.  Then it is back to the books for me!! 

It's that time of the year!

Taking the boys to the fair comes close to Christmas.  Seeing their face light up with excitement is one of the best things about being a parent!! The only downfall this year was the fact that instead of being cool like the fair normally is, it was HOT!! It almost made you wonder if the fair changed dates of when they came! But in general we had a GREAT time!! We had company too.  Pop joined us for the fair, he says we never invite him to do anything with us, so we decided to change that!
One of the biggest differences, as far as the boys go, was that they were tall enough to ride all the "big" rides.  Which excited them.......at first :)! We all rode a mini roller coaster together, which we enjoyed.  Well, with the exception of Pierce.  He said he made his stomach feel funny!  Bless him!  The only thing Colton said negative about it was that it looked like we were going to fall off right before it would sling us around a corner!  There were other rides that they said looked fun until they saw them in motion and they quickly changed their minds.  In time, that will come.  So for now I am going to enjoy them being little!!

Colton in the line to ride the Yo-Yo

Pierce in line (you see a pattern with his faces and eyes in pictures?)

Getting all buckled in!

No you aren't seeing things!!

Both of the boys smiling AND in the same picture!

Even daddy wanted to join in the fun! (if this picture were larger, you

would be able to see what I call "the Sanford tongue". Ryan and Pierce

both stick out their tongue when they are concentrating on something!

After they had fun in the play house, we all rode another ride called the Orbiter.  Man, its been a long time since I have been on a ride!! I wasn't sure how the boys would react since it went a lot faster and spun a lot more than any ride they had ever ridden, but they were troopers!! I thought Colton was going to get sick on me at first, and then realized that it might be me that got sick.. Wouldn't have been fun at all! All in all, I got the same responses, Pierce said it made his tummy feel weird and Colton's back rubbed against the back of the sit the whole time, with his skinny self :)! Colton seemed a little "drunk" at first when we got off but he was ok.  Next, Colton and Ryan rode the Ring of Fire, which is a big ride!!  Colton was excited to ride with his daddy! However, he was scared that he would fall out cause those sits are really big.  So he cuddled up to daddy and rode that way!! Daddy didn't mind at all!!

I think Ryan might have outgrown the slide.  What do you thing??

These 3 have my heart!!!!!

Love pictures with my sweet boys!!

The excitement on their faces make all the hassle of the fair worth while!

Fun was had by all and lots of sweet memories were made!!  Thank you Lord for my precious family!!