Less silly prayer request

A went to see a dermatologist this morning. She had some spots that would come up, and if they were opened, they would become badly infected until we forced all the junk out of them. They were diagnosed as a type of Molluscum, which is nothing to really worry about.

However, the doctor looked at 3 other spots that had been around longer. With those, we were give two options. Watch and wait or biopsy.

I called Michael and both of us agreed that a biopsy was the right thing to do since it is better to know than to wonder.

A did beautifully through the biopsy. She had a lollipop and talked through it all. Until the stitches. Then she cried the most heartbreaking cry I think I have ever heard from her.

Ice cream made everything better.

We should have the results of the biopsy in a week or two. The stitches will come out on the 10th of May and I need to schedule a follow up with A's regular doctor for the 10th or 11th as well.

Please pray that the results show nothing serious or something easily treated.

Silly prayer request

********UPDATE********
The A/C IS FIXED!!!


Two of our major appliances are not working well. Plus, we came home last night to discover that our A/C was not working.

Michael's parents arrive this afternoon.

See where I'm going with this??

Please pray that we can figure out what is going on with our A/C, dishwasher, and dryer. And that it is an easy & inexpensive fix.

I hate to think that our landlord may end up having to replace all of the appliances that are in the house during the 3 years we have been here. We have already replaced the refrigerator and the microwave.

One to go

One funeral to go. Tonight's service went well.

Thank you for all your prayers.

Jenny, Jessie & Cole

Please pray for these three over the next two days.

Cole's grandmother died on Good Friday this year and his great-grandfather died yesterday. The funeral for his g-gpa will be on Friday.

Jenny and Jessie have arranged for a memorial service to take place for their mom tomorrow night. Please pray for both of them as I know it is a difficult time for both of them.

Recovery

The process has been slow, but it is beginning.

We throughly enjoyed the time that our family was here and the camping trip had some tense and exciting moments. Add that to the hard emotion of grief, and we have been on a rollercoaster ride over the past two weeks.

We praise God for the very tangible way His presence has been shown during this time.

I will admit that I have struggled since I stopped my antidepressant just days before the rollercoaster began. Driving past the tree where Cathy crashed her car has been difficult and I have begun to find other ways or reasons not to pass it whenever possible. For a couple of days, I have felt so weighed down that I didn't think I could even get out of bed. And once I did, all I wanted to do was to go back and sleep to escape. Today was better. And I pray that tomorrow will be even better than today.

We Will Dance

Sing a song of celebration, lift up a shout of praise
For the Bridegroom will come, the glorious One
And oh, We will look on His face
We'll go, to a much better place

Dance with all your might, lift up your hands and clap for joy
The time's drawing near, when He will appear
And Oh, we'll stand by His side
A strong, pure, spotless bride

We Will dance on the streets that are golden
The glorious bride and the great Son of Man
From every tongue and tribe and nation
Will join, in the song of the Lamb

Sing aloud for the time of rejoicing is near
The risen king, our groom, is soon to appear
The wedding feast to come is now near at hand
Lift up your voice proclaim the coming Lamb

Note from me: I want this song played at my funeral. You can click on the title of the song to hear it.

In which I cry...

again.

Jessie was able to be reached and gave consent for Cathy to be removed from life support. Cathy died sometime yesterday. (Saturday) Jenny was in church this morning and seemed okay. She did mention to me that she wants to make a scrapbook so she can remember all the things that God has done throughout the past few days. I know she is hurting, but she is also seeing how God continues to work.

Ken, one of Michael's friends & who trained as a chaplain at the hospital Cathy was taken to, preached this morning. The message came from 1 Thess. 4:13-18. While we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Miss Patsy, who loved our children and watched them grow under her care in the nursery, died on April 2nd. Cathy, my friend who struggled with many things, died on April 10th. And Miss Riki, the lady we helped raise funds for a lung transplant, also died on April 10th. (see posts here and here.)

Yet, we have the hope that we will see each of these precious ladies again. The amazing ways that God has shown His great love for us over the past few days have been simply breathtaking. As I told Jenny this morning, if only we could, would, see the ways God works during our every day lives, instead of just being amazed during times of great joy or sorrow.

Latest update

Cathy was declared brain dead today.

Please continue to pray for Jenny & Jessie. Especially as Jessie returns home from Afghanistan.

UPDATE

Cathy was supposed to have surgery this morning to fuse the C3 and C5 vertebrae. The surgeons were unable to do the surgery because Cathy developed a high fever and her blood pressure remained very low. They have been unable to stabilize her enough to do any surgical procedures as far as I am aware.

Please continue to pray.

Jenny is on her way home to find some clean clothes to take back with her.

Jessie was reached in 2 hours through a Red Cross message and should be home within the next 2-4 days (depending on travel times)

EXTREMELY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

My friend Cathy was involved in a single vehicle accident late last night. I was on a camping trip with a group from our church, including Cathy's 17 year old dd, Jenny. We were about 4.5 hours away from home.

At about 12:30 am, a man with our group and I drove Jenny to the hospital where her mom is. We arrived about 4:30 am and a surgical resident spoke with us around 5:30 am.

Cathy's worst injuries are a head wound, from which she lost a massive amount of blood, swelling around her brain stem, and one or more crushed vertabre (sp?) in her neck. She also broke some fingers, an arm and shoulder.

Cathy has been unresponsive since before she was removed from the car. CT scans & MRIs show that she should at least be able to respond to stimulus to her face, but she has not even moved. She has not been sedated at all as far as I am aware.

The major prayer requests would be:


•that Cathy will begin to respond

•that Jenny is able to cope with her mother's injuries and the stress that comes along with such news

•that Jenny's sister Jessie will be able to return home from Afghanistan very quickly


The major praises in all this are:

•that I drove my truck to the campground instead of riding the church bus so I was available to drive Jenny back

•that I had someone who was willing to drive with us because I had gotten about 15-20 minutes of sleep

•that we had a man with us who had trained as a chaplain at the same hospital that Jenny's mom was taken to who was able to talk Jenny through the process that particular hospital went through with major trauma cases

•that we also had a man with us who was able to get things rolling for a Red Cross message to be sent to Jessie

•that our pastor left last night to drive back home so he could hold a funeral service for a different member of our church, so he was already here and able to give Jenny support

•that Evelyn did amazingly well with being woken up at midnight to drive back.

•and finally that we also had one of our youth leaders who was able to meet us at the hospital to be with Jenny and as a Marine, she was able to very quickly find and pass on all the information to have Jessie brought home on emergency leave


I am amazed at how God had everyone in the perfect place to support Jenny and her family in all of this.

Train Museum & Airlie Gardens

Note to Mom: If you are able to come visit North Carolina in the spring time, do your best to visit Airlie Gardens in Wilmington. It is absolutely beautiful and there are tulips EVERYWHERE!!

The day started out like any other. We got the girls up and off to school.

Once everyone else was ready, around 10 am, we headed down to the hotel where Laura & Scott are staying. On the way there, Michael looked at me and told me that he thought we should take the girls out of school and bring them with us. I had thought about it earlier, but I decided that N really needed to be there. We ended up at the hotel and Michael decided that since Laura & Scott's van seat 8 people he would send Miss E & me with them and pick up N & A.

So, we headed off in different directions. We arrived at the train museum around noon and the children enjoyed a scavenger hunt with a display in the gift shop area. When they each had found all of the items, they received a prize. I believe most of them picked a train shaped eraser.

Michael and our girls arrived just as we were finishing up with the last pictures outside on the caboose. We decided lunch was a great idea for our next activity. We pulled into a Chick-fil-A that literally had only one parking space the first time we drove around. But, enough people left for us to park.

After lunch, we headed for Airlie Gardens. Airlie Gardens is a beautiful place. Originally it was used by a very wealthy family for entertaining their guests. Later, another family used the property as their primary residence. In 1999, the family sold the property to the county which has restored it and had it placed on the Historic Register. Even the children enjoyed exploring the Gardens. Miss Arty-Pants (Laura's oldest) especially enjoyed sketching the flowers that were blooming.

I apologize to my family for not discovering this beautiful place until now. I would love to have all of you visit in the next few weeks so I can share spring time with you!

And of course, pictures to come as soon as I get them downloaded onto the computer!

The invasion has begun!

Laura and her family arrived safely last night.

The fun begins today!!!

coming soon!

SPRING BREAK IS ALMOST HERE!!

We are so looking forward to the break. Michael's sister & her family are coming up for a visit. I have been working on cleaning the house for their visit.

The girls are getting excited about the visit. N & A asked me today who was sleeping where. All the sisters are together. The brothers & their parents will be staying at a hotel nearby.

There are so many things that we can do while they are here, it is difficult to figure out what to do. I think the one outing I am looking forward to most is the adults only dinner. We have a babysitter lined up and trying to reach another one to assist. It has been 7 months since Michael & I have gone out together without the girls. And I have no idea how long it has been for Laura & Scott.

Can hardly wait for Friday!

Pics from tonight

Once again, we had a blast with Daddy tonight!

Daddy's home!!!

Michael has been working some crazy hours this week which has resulted in him seeing the girls long enough to kiss them goodbye as he walks out the door to go to work.

Tonight, the garage door began to open at 7:50pm. Shouts could be heard from all corners of the house...

"DADDY'S HOME!!!!"

So, Daddy got cleaned up from the day and snuggled with his girls for a while. Then they all got up to play Wii. 100 pin bowling ROCKS! They had a great time laughing and playing together.

I, of course, served Daddy some dinner and took pictures of the family.

Now to get the pictures onto the computer. Look for an update to this post later on this evening.

We are thankful that we had the opportunity to spend time together tonight.

Dear Grammy,

Guess what? I have a new thing that I like to do. I pull my knees up like I'm going to sleep on my tummy, but I don't go to sleep. Instead I like to rock back and forth. It is really fun. I giggle a lot when I do it too.

I love you,
Miss E

Success hurts!

Now, don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful evening.

I got up at 7am to feed the littlest one. By 8, I was in the kitchen working on dinner. At 9:45, we drove out of the garage on our way to pick up a few last minute items and pay a couple of bills.

We were home by 12:30 at which time I fed Miss E again. By 3 we were at the church with pans of Orange Cake and a crockpot full of meat for the Pastichio.

A few missteps later, I had the cream sauce going and the pasta cooking. Unfortunately, I didn't get done as quickly as I had thought I would. Instead I spent almost 2 full hours stirring the cream sauce. First to heat it up, then to cool it down. I placed the pot with the sauce over a larger pot filled with ice and water. It took much less time to cool than it did to cook. Dinner was in the oven by 6 and we were eating by 6:45.

Since I was standing with the cream sauce, I missed A's soccer practice and got Michael in a bit of trouble. We are not supposed to leave children A's age at practice without a parent. Which totally does not work with our schedule. N has art lessons on Mondays at 5pm. A has soccer practice on Mondays at 4:45pm. Michael has not been home to help with the dropping off, but he was able to pick the girls up tonight. So, for about half of A's practice, I have to drive N to art and then drive back to the soccer fields.

We ended up with a total of 17 people at dinner tonight instead of the 35 or so that had been invited. It was a wonderful time.

But, now that I am home and sitting down.... I hurt! My legs, knees, feet, ankles... they hurt! But it is totally worth it!

Trying again

Dinner is back on!

We need to run get the final touches, but as of 8:04 am EST everyone in our home is well.

I am really looking forward to this.

Pray it goes well??

Gluten Free

Since my dear sister has a child who is allergic to wheat, I've sent her websites/blogs that I run across that deal with that subject. I was reading a blog tonight and I have copied several recipes that look amazing.

I'm going to try these over the next couple of months. If anything turns out good, I'll share.

Hopefully we will be able to find some things that my nephew can eat when he comes to visit. Which I hope will be often!

Photo Roundup

A had her 1st soccer game this past Saturday. She did much better than we expected, but she still had her moments. Like this one...drawing in the sand while the rest of her team was off chasing the ball.

The windup.

Her 1st goal kick in the game.

1st corner kick

Before the 1st game. (they played 2 games on Saturday)

My birthday celebration was small considering all of the sick kiddos in the house.

N sat down one afternoon and read a book to Miss E.

Snow day! N was packing snow for their "snow princess" as A called it.

We don't usually see this much snow. Two years in a row was somewhat amazing.

A was ready for her 1st practice. All dressed up and ready to play some soccer!

Miss E didn't think too much of her first bite of cereal. But she has eaten well and very quickly figured out how to protest when she thinks I am not feeding her quickly enough.

Admiring her Daddy.

Hope you have enjoyed the photo round up from the past few weeks!

Made it!

We all made it to church this morning!! I feel as though I have not been in a month.

It was so refreshing to be in the worship service and just listen to the people praising God.

And the fellowship in Sunday School was wonderful as well. We laugh and have a good time, especially when our leader (R) and one of the ladies (L) disagree. Our leader tells her that he is ready to debate and lets her talk. It makes for some very interesting discussions.

This morning we talked about how Jesus' message never changed and how our churches seem to be meeting society halfway and compromising the message. R asked if holding Christian concerts and the like were a compromise. Well, L stated that Jesus varied the delivery of His message, but not the message itself. We agreed that the delivery of the message does need to be tailored to our audience, but not at the expense of the gospel. If the gospel is changed, then the delivery of the message is worthless.

On another note, I'm getting photos sorted off of my camera and will have some pictures posted very soon!

Just when I think we are on the mend

Miss E starts coughing...

The runny nose has to be the worst part though.

I wore her today in the wrap.
Facing my chest.
With a runny nose.
And she kept giving me "kisses".
With a runny nose.

EEEWWWWW!!!!!

Please continue to pray for my family as we try to recover from everything that seems to be floating around our house. I am so glad that tomorrow will be sunny. Gray skies and illness do not make a happy mommy!

24 hours

No one has gotten sick in the last 24 hours. If they have, no one has notified me with the "Mommy, I threw up" line.

N went back to school today and A will return tomorrow.

I will get to fold the 3 dozen or so loads of laundry that have piled up in our living room. These were washed as vomit and drool and runny noses were cleaned up.

I think N's mattress was salvaged! I will have to double check in the morning, but I believe the stain & the smell are gone.

In other news, we took N back to the doctor today to follow up about her headaches. We ended up doing an allergy screening for her and should have the results in about a week. N did not like having her blood drawn. And since I don't remember if I updated after the eye doctor... N does NOT need glasses!!! She may have her daddy's eyes which would be a wonderful thing.

Thanks for all the prayers over the past few days.

6 Hours

We've made it 6 hours without incident.

If anyone else gets sick... I quit!

I let N jump on the bed today. Found instructions online on how to clean a mattress. It said spray it with a cleaner made for cleaning urine, etc and then to have the heaviest person in the house stand on it until the towel was no longer wet. I took the mattress to the garage & told N to jump to her heart's content.

Never thought I'd ever say "Go jump on your bed!"

Now we are praying that Miss E does not get sick too. And Michael because he left for work this morning telling me that he did not feel well.

I have washed 3 more loads of laundry in an attempt to wash everything that might possibly be contaminated.

I think I have a bit more to do since I don't want the girls reusing their blankets tonight without them being cleaned.

2 steps forward, 1 step back

Yep... I heard those words again this morning.

"Mommy..."

"I threw up..."

This time it is A's turn.

Dinner is canceled.

I am disinfecting the house.

I think I will have washed about every pillow in the house.

I have cleaned 3 mattresses.

I have held hair out of the girl's faces as they throw up.

I have slept on the floor.

I wish for one birthday that everyone would be well.

Pray for me?

And the sick kiddos of course.

10 Hours

Since N last threw up! Celebrating any progress toward health!

Just the words you want to hear...

...at one o'clock in the morning.

"Mommy..."

"I threw up..."

Please pray for our girl. N is not handling this very well.

And I have had a tough time cleaning her bed, bedding, clothing and toys.

I thank God that Michael has a strong enough stomach to help me out.

Recent Happenings

Let's see...

We had some friends come for dinner on Feb 18th. Their daughter had just started showing signs of a cold that afternoon. The little girl was playing with a microphone clock that N has. She was putting her mouth all over it as she talked and sang. After they left, I walked back into the house to find A talking and singing with her mouth on the microphone too. Which of course, led to the transfer of germs and A getting sick over the weekend.

N had her final Quiz Meet for Bible Quizzing on the 20th. We were supposed to travel to a town about 4 hours from here, but we were able to arrange to hold a separate meet at our church. N is in the more difficult group. They have 2 or 3 rounds of 20 questions. N only missed one question out of all of them. She also was able to say all of her Bible verses correctly. So, the next step is the Quizzing Finals in March. If she continues to do as well as she has been, she will be on track to attend the Regional Meet in April.

N has also had some pretty bad headaches over the last month. We are not sure if they are from allergies, eye issues or something else. Right now, she is taking allergy meds to see if they help. We are also taking her for an eye exam even though the screening shows that she is only slightly nearsighted. As the doctor said, she doesn't think N is nearsighted enough to cause the headaches.

Michael is getting excited about the move. I am not sure if it is because we will be moving away from this duty station, though he wishes he could take the church with us, or if it is because he has been told that Galveston has been the best duty station his soon to be boss has ever been at. I'm just excited that I'll get to hang out with my sister on a more regular basis.

As for Miss E... well, she is growing up. It is hard to believe that she will be turning 6 months old tomorrow. She has discovered her toys, her toes and people's faces. She has also decided that she really likes eating "big girl" food. So far, she has enjoyed oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and peas. Since A is staying home from school today, she will be getting to help me feed Miss E. A is practically insisting that Miss E eat pears for lunch today. I'm thinking we will just stick with the peas for today.

I am planning a meal for 15 adults, 8 children, and 1 baby. Every year that we have lived here I have tried to get some friends together for a meal and fellowship for my birthday. I didn't want a party, but I just wanted to have a good time with friends & my family. It looks as though this year we might actually be able to pull it off! I have wanted to provide a dinner for Michael's Bible study group for some time now but it has not ever worked out. So, I decided that since his group meets on Mondays and my birthday is a Monday this year, maybe I would be able to combine a birthday get together and a dinner for the guys into one event. I am really excited about this. Except for the part about figuring out how to make Pastichio for 23. No worries though... it should be fun!

Oh yes, pictures to come...

helping with the laundry

Pretty girl helping with the laundry.

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to my one & only Bear!!!

Love you lots!

Snow much going on!

And no, that is not a typo in the title! We have snow. It started falling around 8 this evening. We were at dinner and as we traveled home, the snow got heavier. I praise God that we were able to make it home safely. Especially considering the number of bridges we had to cross to get home.

Another big praise is our tax refund. It arrived today and we are $7000 closer to being debt free. Michael is finally on board with this and it feels great! Now we just need to figure out how to set up a recurring transfer online. Michael has to be the one to set it up it if we go in person. Then we can turn our regular payments on what we paid off into extra payments on what we have left! I thank God for the blessing that He has given us as we work to pay off our debt. And that we can pass that blessing on to others a little sooner.

Finally, Michael talked to his soon-to-be boss today. We are definitely still moving to TX. But, Michael may not make Rachel's birthday party. Apparently Michael will be deploying for 6 months very shortly after we arrive. I am pretty sad that Michael will most likely not be home for Miss E's 1st birthday. But, I am grateful that I will have Rachel & her family nearby, as well as Andrew, Shery & Laddie.

Krispie Kisses

We just did probably one of the coolest activities with A's preschool class. We make Rice Krispie kisses.

With my hands covered in Rice Krispie treat mix, I was not able to take pictures, but when A brings her treat home, I will snap some then.

All we did was follow the recipe for the Rice Krispie treats. Instead of pressing it out into a pan, we put them into funnels to shape them like a candy kiss.

The kids had a great time and the adults all decided that it was a treat that we would make again.

Out with the old...




In with the new!

It has been nice to have a computer that works well. We can actually use the screen instead of the TV.

Orders have arrived!!!!!

This summer we will be moving to....

...


...


...Galveston, TX!!!!!

We will be about an hour from Rachel and her family as well as close enough to visit Andrew & Shery regularly! Not to mention Aunt Laddie lives just a short way from Rachel too!

Rachel is excited because I will be able to bake her birthday cake this year instead of her having to talk Andres through the process. I'm just excited that I will be living near enough to my family to celebrate birthdays and other events with them.

Michael will be gone at least half the year with his job, but living with family close, we can get by just fine.

We do ask that you pray for us as we begin preparing for our move. We are already in the process of cleaning out our garage and home of the items that simply taking up space.

Need prayer

Michael and I have been asked to make a decision that will greatly affect our family. Please pray with us over the coming days.

Thank you.

Soccer

We got the call tonight...
1st soccer practice: tomorrow, unless it is raining - with an 80% chance, I really don't think practice will happen.
1st game: Feb 20th... when we will be out of town for a Bible Quiz meet

And what did I think of earlier today? That I need to get cleats... and shorts... and shin guards... and balls... and...

Oh yeah, I need to get 2 of each since both N & A will be playing.

A's practices will be on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, we will have some interesting scheduling on Wednesday nights with practice and dinner.

Dinner with friends

There is a couple in our church whom we have not seen much of recently. Chris is working on a fishing boat and is out both night and day. His wife, Catherine, teaches Sunday School and is currently a stay at home mom.

God laid it on my heart to invite them to dinner.

Nothing fancy, just good food and conversation.

Something to let them know that we still care. We are still concerned about their lives. That we want to remain connected.

So, I invited them to come. And once Chris heard I was planning Lasagna, he was committed to coming. Even when his boss asked him to show up at the boat 2 hours earlier than originally planned. Chris was coming for lasagna!

Since we had leftovers and I knew Chris would be out tonight, I set some aside in 2 containers to send with him. Instead, Chris thought to take one to another person in our church who would appreciate it as well.

It was nothing fancy. Just some lasagna and garlic bread. But, we enjoyed the company and the time together. I am thankful that God laid them on my heart and prompted me to invite them over.

Pictures

I have updated with pictures from Thanksgiving and Christmas. They start with Christmas Take 4 at the top and end with Thanksgiving near the bottom.

I hope you enjoy them. There were way too many to choose from.

Christmas Take 4

And finally, making new friends. The ladies in the following pictures I have known for a couple of years, but we finally met in person in 2009! Terryl, in the 1st picture, enjoys photography and we have shared pictures over the years. She takes some amazing photos. And to make it even better, she is absolutely wonderful in real life!

Kim and Hope were amazing as well. Mom came to dinner with us that night and in talking with Hope, found out that they knew some of the same people. And Kim is just so sweet. I loved meeting both of them. Makes me kinda sad that I know so many people that live so far away...

Christmas Take 3

We'll help with the candles! Happy Birthday to a very special Grammy!

We went to the zoo and I thought this was the coolest toad. Ever.

I touched her foot! Alex & Miguel were sweet about touching Miss E.

Amazing picture of the eagle.

I'm glad that we were meeting this guy with a fence between us!

Christmas Take 2

Familiar skyline.

I give up!

Me too!

I'm not leaving until I get LUNCH!!!

Too many cameras to look at. Don't drop her... don't drop her...

Christmas

Making the Gingerbread House Set. By our very own Theatre Designer.

Storytime with Grammy and a beat up copy of The Polar Express.

Fighting over the baby. Round One.

Love at first sight.

Sunset on the drive into Texas.

Thanksgiving part 2

Finally had a good picture taken.

The sights of home.

The "funny face" picture. I was nice and used the one with Grandmama smiling instead of the blackmail photo...

Let's see... 5 different cameras, 4 different photographers, and no one is looking in the same direction. You do the math.

Thanksgiving

Organizing children for a family photo.

Seeing friends from the old days... not that they were that long ago! :D

Snuggling with Daddy and trying (successfully) to go to sleep.

Swinging at the park.

And glaring at her sister because N was big enough to get onto the swing by herself.

Catching up...

Now that I have a moment to breathe, before I start the paper chase for the EMS report for E's birth certificate, I thought I would play catch up. Photos will be in separate posts.

We went to FL for Thanksgiving this year. It was a fun time with lots of late nights and early mornings. Miss E loves to eat around 5:30-6 AM.

Michael's family was able to meet Miss E and I think she made a favorable impression.

While we were there, we tried to do some family photos. It was interesting to try to coordinate 16 people. But we got some really good shots.

For Christmas, we traveled to TX. We stopped in Asheville, NC for a night and had about 2 inches of snow in the back of the truck by morning. Then we traveled on to Memphis, TN where we spent a few days with one of our friends from back in the Marine Corps days. Bret was very excited to show us the city.

Once we left Memphis, it was another long day into Houston to see Rachel & her family. I am not sure what the best part was though. Getting to see everyone or getting to see my mom meet Miss E.

We spent about 12 days at Rachel's and had a wonderful time. Once again, late nights and early mornings. But there were also some serious cribbage games and lots of laughter. Plus Laddie and the Wii...

But mostly, there was time spent with my mom. It was incredible to see her after 2 years. I never realized just how much I enjoyed, and missed, the visits with her each year regardless of where we lived.

There is so much that has happened over the past few months and I don't have words to share it all.

I just pray that each of you have a blessed year.

Lesson learned...

Don't leave the hospital.

When Miss E was born, I was very glad to have paramedics available to help with her birth. I figured there would be some difficulties because of her birth being on the side of the road, but I wasn't sure what they would be.

Little did I know it would be in the form of her birth certificate. It took 6 days to finally get the correct information on the form I had to sign at the hospital.

Last week, I spent 2 days trying to figure out if E's Social Security number had been issued since we had not received anything in the mail regarding it. In the midst of all of that, I had to get her birth certificate as part of the documents needed to issue a new card.

And sure enough, as I looked at the certificate the information, which I had the hospital correct twice, was incorrect. Again. Though I do have to admit that they did not try to show that she was born at the hospital this time.

Friday, I will be filling out the request form to receive the EMS report and I will hopefully receive that next week. From there I take the information to the Vital Records office and apply for an amended birth certificate. I am praying that since it was their mistake that I will not be charged for the amended certificate. If I am though, it will be a small price for accuracy.

So, the lesson learned... don't leave the hospital. Things get complicated when you do.

conversation

N came into my room yesterday crying and holding the side of her head.

I asked what had happened.

She told me she had hit her head on the clock in the dining room.

I asked her how she managed to hit the clock because it was fairly high up on the wall.

N's answer... "Mommy. I'm tall."

Overheard

Last night as I peeled oranges for my girls to eat, A approached me with 2 orange slices.

When she told me I had forgotten to take them apart, I told her I thought I had gotten all of the slices separated.

Her response..."You surely did not!"

What fun things have you overheard lately?

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Fall and girls...what else?

Fall is in full swing. And yet we still are using our a/c on occasion. The leaves are changing and dropping at a rapid pace.

She may not be a thumb sucker, but she sure likes her fingers! Miss E was sleeping when I walked in the first time with her 2 fingers firmly in her mouth. Of course, when I came back with the camera, she was waking up.

A likes to pose for the camera.

N did fairly well too. But she was much farther away so the flash did not really reach her. But thanks to the brightness tool on our photo software... we can now see her instead of a lighter spot in a dark picture.

Photos are up!

I'm getting some photos up on the new blog.

Some of them are repeats, but I did get up a few from when Michael's group performed at the Harley dealership.

I tried the CD again and there is absolutely nothing on it. I am hoping that I have another one around here with the same label and pictures!

Enjoy.

Update to the update

Michael and A seem to be just fine. We are tapering back on A's breathing treatment and her cough is almost completely gone. Michael was sent home on Monday to rest and it seems to have been good for him. I don't remember him coughing at all last night, but I could be wrong.

N is still having a bit of trouble getting over the cough. I am hoping that in the next few days that she will be much better. She has already improved from last week.

I am still miserable. I think the cough will be with me for a little while longer since I was the last to start. I was able to breathe through my nose this morning. We are taking each day at a time and being thankful for the small things.

And now for Miss E...

I spoke with E's doctor yesterday and he told me to keep doing what we are doing. Breathing treatements every 4 hours and pushing fluids. She has been coughing a lot over the last couple of days and spitting up a lot of mucous. When she first came home from the hospital after she was born, Michael made the observation that she seemed to have a few different levels of crying. The first being a soft cry that gradually became more insistent and loud. When she got sick, her cry was at about Level point 5. Now she is up to about Level 5 at her loudest. We think her previous high level was Level 11. The increase in her volume combined with the increase in her appetite has been quite encouraging.

Thank you for all of your prayers over the last week.

Happy birthday to my big 5 year old!

You have grown so much since we moved here. From playing your "guitar" to going to school. I am so very glad that you are my daughter!