Take it for granted..

His laugh

His smile

His constant motion

His kisses

His hugs

His crying

His spit up

Saying no 100 times a day

Watching him pull up

Watching him laugh at the dogs

Watching him chase his brother

These are all things that I take for granted and did not see on Friday.

As many of you know, Jackson had thrown up once Wed. evening. All day Thurs., he seemed completely fine. Thurs. night, he threw up again. By the next morning, he was not wanting to wake up and he was close to being non-responsive. He would look at me when I called his name and then his eyes would roll back in his head and he would fall back asleep. He was like a rag doll. I called the Dr and they asked "How far are you from the office and do you have a car so that you can leave now. Come on, we will be ready." I somehow got things ready quickly and took off to the office. When we got there, they had a room ready for us. After looking at him, he was slightly dehydrated. I am still not sure how that happened since he only got sick 2 times in 2 days. He was a sock baby. As I looked at him so pitiful, I was reminded of how blessed I am. I am so thankful that he is feeling better. It was a scary few hours! I hve held both boys a little tighter since then!

Random thoughts

Life has been so hectic lately. I feel as though I can hardly breath some days. Brad is traveling quite a bit right now. I am just thankful he is not still working in Chicago Monday-Thursday every week like he was 2 summers ago. Anyway, I will write a few things that have been running in my head.

This economy crisis is driving me nuts! I know so many people that are loosing their jobs and there is no real end in sight. I really feel for those that are feeling the hits. I know some of you that read this are in that boat. Please know that I pray for you often! I have been in a position of stress due to money.

I cannot believe how fast Jackson is growing up. He crawls, sits himself up, says Ma-Ma, and pulls up to his knees. This will be our last child, unless God decides something different. I really kind of wanted him to stay a baby at least the normal time. Instead, he is quick to grow up. I have always heard, "Time goes fast once you have children" and it really does. Well, some days seem like they will never end :).

Well, now that I have bored you all, I guess I will get back to work. I have so many things to do. Blogging and Facebook should not be on there.

Update

Okay, just in case anyone reads this, I will update you. Jackson is now 6 months old. He is SO active. He is already crawling and is moving anywhere he wants to go. He has also started pulling himself up to sitting position in his bed. He is working on doing that on the floor, too. He wears me out!! He is much smaller than Todd was. Jackson was 26 1/4" and 17 lbs 2 oz. Todd weighed 20 lbs 8 oz and was 26 3/4" at the same age. Todd looks a lot like my baby pictures. I was on the small side if you can believe it. I think part of it is because he is so active and he has had so many eating issues. He is in the process of getting off of his acid reflux medicine. We will be transitioning him to soy formula soon (we hope)! I am loving the interactions between Todd and Jackson. They are priceless. Tonight, Todd and Jackson were chasing each other crawling. They ended up crawling behind the couch. Both were laughing so hard, they couldn't move. Anyway, I will leave you with a few pictures. Maybe I will update more soon!

My 2 boys!!

He was unsure of the photographer. He cuts his eyes often. I think it is because his mom is a teacher!

I look at this picture and can't believe this is my baby Todd. He is growing up so fast but he has the heart unlike anyone I know! He is so gentle and tender!

This is Jackson on the go. The Boppy pillow was no challenge for him Don't you love the fat rolls!!

Remove Promptly

Okay, I am behind in blogging but this came to me tonight and I decided to share.

Brad has been out of town since Monday so I have been home with the boys alone. I was trying to get some laundry done today and things have gotten in the way.. take Todd to school, feed the baby, eat lunch, pick Todd up from school, do homework.. you get the point! I had a new jacket in the load and as I was moving it over to the dryer, I decided I needed to check and see if it could be dried. I read the tag and it said "Wash in cold water, Remove Promptly, and dry on low setting. Now, I have seen these words frequently but I had to laugh because today promptly was not going to happen. Then, I started thinking about how many times I would like to be removed promptly and it doesn't happen. Sick- remove promptly, no job- remove promptly, bad economy- remove promptly, depression- remove promptly, pain- remove promptly, death- remove promptly. You get the point. There are many times in life I have wanted and will want God to remove me promptly. However, he laughs and says, not today. Because just like me today, there are things that are still to be done. I need to be taught compassion, patience, trust, faith, joy, and love. It was then that I was drawn to these scriptures..

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 (New International Version)
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

James 1:1-3 (New International Version)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

1 Peter 1:5-7 (New International Version)
5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Some of these verses are very hard! I am still striving to get to the point where I count it as "pure joy" and thanking God for not removing promptly!

Abs of steel and you might be a teacher's kid if...

No, I'm not referring to me. I think that is what Jackson is working on at an early age. He has sat in his swing many hours. When he wasn't sleeping, that was the only place we had a chance of getting any rest. He has spent quality time talking to his mobile. However, it is almost time to say goodbye to the swing. Look for yourself...

Before: Calm, sleeping baby.

Now: Pulling himself to the sitting position using the toy bar!

He actually pulls himself all the way to sitting up. He hates to lay back and this swing does not sit anymore upright than it is now. He cracks me up!!

On another note, Todd is obviously a teacher's child. Today, Jackson was screaming. He has been doing that all day. He is teething and is in pain. Todd was playing the Wii. I overheard Todd asking Jackson to please quit crying. I finally got the bottle ready and went to get Jackson. I said to J, "Are you driving your brother nuts"? Todd looked at me and said, "Yes, he is crying and I can't focus"! I almost busted out laughing. Focusing on the Wii is very important!

My boys

Last night, Todd was laying in the bed and asked for Jackson to lay beside him. We all 3 piled in the bed to talk. I love these moments. I love the time that we can just sit back and enjoy one another and not worry about a schedule. We have had a lot of time together since Todd was off for "snow days" Tuesday through Friday. Today, I am going through Todd withdraws. I love to spend time with him. I love his personality. His laugh brightens my day. I can't wait to see what Jackson will be like as he matures. In the meantime, I will sit back and enjoy every moment of my two boys!

Wake up call

Have you ever had those moments with your kids that is God waking you up and teaching you a lesson you needed? Well, I had one of those moment last night. Todd came in from school and things were going normal.. homework, Ar book, etc. We were on the "go to church schedule" which is a mad race since we start at 6:30. Due to the early time, we meet Brad at church. Long story short, Todd lost his chance to play the Wii on Wednesdays because he would not get off when he was supposed to get off, which was making us run late to church. We get in the car and he starts asking if he can earn his time back with good behavior. We have allowed this under certain circumstances, but he obviously was not learning the lesson by earning it back. I told him no. That set off the bomb of temper! Many minutes into his fit and losing the Wii for today, he says," Why can I not earn it back?" I quickly and angrily reply, "Because we don't get second chances in life to earn things back!" Suddenly I realized what I had said. It was at that moment that this scripture popped in my head..

Romans 3:23-24 (New Living Translation)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Ouch!! That really hurt. Who am I to say that we don't get 2nd chances. If that is the case, I was done with long ago. Thankfully, the Lord has poured out His mercy upon me and I have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc chances!

Well, I am sure you all want to know if he got to earn his Wii back. He can earn back the Wednesdays by following directions. He did not earn back today because it was totally out of anger and lack of self-control. I did correct my no 2nd chances, but I explained that mistakes have consequences and that his consequence would be to have no Wii tomorrow. I explained that his 2nd chance was to prove he could handle it on Wednesdays.

All My Heart

Jackson has gotten where he watches every move of Todd's. If he hears his voice, he begins the search. When Todd speaks to him, he gives that grin that melts hearts. Yesterday, Todd spent a lot of time talking to Jackson explaining homework and the benefits of it. (No, he really doesn't like it but says it's for learning.) Jackson was just looking at Todd as if he was taking it all in. Later that night, Todd was explaining the art of walking and that he would fall some, but it would be OK. After minutes of discussion, explanation, and modeling, Todd looked and Jackson and in the sweetest voice said these words that would blurr my vision.. "Jackson, I love you with all of my heart. I would love you with all of my body but I save that for God and Jesus. They are the most important but you are next" I could not believe that. Not only was he saying something so sweet to Jackson, but he was expressing his love for Jesus. That was a moment I hope is forever etched in my mind and a relationship that I hope continues throughout their lives. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams!

Misc. ramblings..

This was a busy week! I had something going on every day. I had to take Todd to the dentist this week because he had 2 permanent teeth coming in behind his baby teeth. We though they would push them out, but they got tighter. Due to our insurance, we had to visit a general dentist before we could see the pediatric dentist. After much prayer, the general dentist referred us to the pediatric dentist. Thinking it would take a month to get him in I called the same day. They informed me they had an opening then. Long story short, Todd had 4 teeth pulled (so his big teeth would have room), a small cavity filled (guess brushing wasn't good), and his 6 year molars sealed. He ended up getting a busted lip from sucking on it when it was numb. He was a real trooper and never complained. I am so lucky to have such a great kid! The only thing he said was "I will be glad when they are done so I don't have to worry about it anymore!"

We also got Jackson's 3 month pictures done. I was so happy with them! He smiled and acted much older than he is. time is going so fast!

We also had our nephews spend the night. This is the first time the youngest has spent the night at our house and the first time either one has since we had Jackson. They were so good!! They all had a good time. Brad and I laughed at the thought of having 4 kids. You would never get to rest! The Wii was there favorite thing to do. They loved playing Mario Kart!

One Year Ago today...

It was a year ago today that I received a phone call that shook my world. I was told that my dear friend had passed away in her sleep. I remember how I felt. My legs gave way and I felt like I was going to pass out. Immediately, I wondered why. How could God take her and leaver her 3 young children behind? How could he take the rock for her family? How could he take the supporter of our church? I admit I was angry and confused. I could not put my hands around this.

A year has passed and there are days I still wonder why. I see the eyes of her children and wonder how this was part of God's plans. I just want to hear her voice. I want to see her tiny figure bouncing into church. I want to see her at our ladies dinners. I want to talk about the life of being a minister's wife again. I want to have her friendship again. Unfortunately, I will not have these things on earth. I will have to look forward to the day when we can all be home together! I long for that day. A day where there will be no sadness, no fear, no worries, no pain. Oh, what a happy day!

I am a fan of Steven Curtis Chapman. I always feel his lyrics are encouraging. I came across a song from a while back and boy did it speak to me tonight. Like my friend Kristin says, he was so speaking to me! If you do not know this song, click this link. It has reminded me again that He is the one in control and I need to give it up to Him even when I don't understand!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_GQsVQikXE

Christmas

I am so behind these days! We had a great Christmas this year! My parents have kept the kids on the 23rd the last few years. That is very helpful for Santa and they get to be wild at their house for a night. Then, we all come over on Christmas Eve in time to open presents and then eat dinner. We stay until bedtime and let the kids play with their new toys. It is great! As usual, we are so blessed to have so much!

On Christmas Day, we stay home and enjoy the toys. Because of the age difference, we did Santa in two rounds. Todd was round one and Jackson was round 2. It was a great day! I hope you all had a nice Christmas, too.

Our Little Santa!

Santa has come!

A Happy Boy!

Me and my Christmas present!

The best gifts ever!

The Gifts

As many of you know, Brad and I have wanted another baby for 4 years. After many heartbreaking months and a miscarriage, we discovered we would be blessed with another baby. This Christmas has been different for me. I have to say that I am 100% content. A few days ago, I was looking at a tree that has plenty of presents under it and was reminded of my precious gifts. These gifts are irreplaceable and are my life wrapped in adorable skins. They are my biggest joy! As I looked at Jackson tonight, his innocence reminded of several things..
1). God has blessed me with 2 amazing sons. I pray that I can teach them to love and cherish our Heavenly Father.
2). I reminded of the awesome sacrifice that God gave up for each one of us. The thought of having to witness either one of my sons going through what Jesus endured is beyond my comprehension! There is NO ONE that is worth their lives.. much less a stranger.
3). I am ever more thankful for His sacrifice and the true meaning of Christmas.

I do not know if I will write again before Christmas, if not, I wish you all a merry Christmas. I pray that we all have safe travels, priceless times with family, and a true focus on what Jesus did for us!

Santa

This is our Santa picture this year. I am so excited that Jackson was actually awake! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and take time to reflect on our Savior.

Bath time

I was looking at old picture tonight. The top picture is Todd and the bottom one is Jackson. They are very similar in age. Do you think they look alike or different?

So very different

Todd at about 3 1/2 months old.

Jackson at 2 months old.

As you can see, Todd was a pacifier kid. He loved it and depended on it. Jackson comes along and he is going to be a thumb sucker. We have tried pacifiers and he does not like them. He works so hard to get that thumb in his mouth. In the last few days, he has gotten good at it.

I have mixed emotions about the thumb sucking. I do not have to keep up with it and worry about him dropping it during the night. However, I fear the day we have to break him from it. We can't just put it up and take it away. It looks like we have no choice.

2 months

It is hard to believe that Jackson is 2 months old! Time is going so fast. I wished I could slow it down. I look at Todd and realize just how fast life is moving.

Jackson is doing much better. He now sleeps at night at least 4 hours straight. He is so much fun. He has begun to coo and smiles a lot. He is much happier now that he is not having problems with formula. He has had a bad stomach virus, though. He lost some weight and actually had blood in his stool yesterday (microscopically). We are having to watch him because this can mean he is still having problems with his formula. If that is the case, we have to move to prescription formula that can only be ordered form the manufacturer. It will cost $80 a week. Please pray that this is not the case. That would be a car payment a month. I guess it is good that we just paid our car off!!

He was 22 1/4 "and 11lbs 13 oz

Smile

Jackson is really starting to smile and coo. I just love all of those sounds. We finally got a good smiling picture. He will smile even bigger, but this will give you an idea of how cute he is smiling!

Thanksgiving

I always love Thanksgiving. It is not the food. To be quite honest most of your typical Thanksgiving food is not my favorite. I just love the thought behind Thanksgiving: pondering our blessings and spending time with family.

This year we were at my parent's house. We all got together for lunch and did not leave until after 8:00 that night. We just spent the day enjoying family and letting all of the boys play.

I hope you all had as great of a day as I did!

All fo the boys dressed up as soemthing different. We had a pilgrim, indian, turkey, and pumpkin. Jackson was not going to be left out!

I'm thankful for...

I have really been bothered lately about the state of our country right now. There is so much negativity. I find myself worried at times and then refocus on the fact that God is in control and he has given me promises for a better life one day! It was because of these worries that I decided to come up with 32 (that is how old I am) things I am thankful for. I wanted to get myself focused on the great blessing He has given me. I know this is a little early but I wanted to have plenty of time to truly focus on Him and these blessings.

These are in no particular order and some are major blessings and others are not..
1). The Grace that my Heavenly Father has given me- For without it, life would be hopeless!
2). My spiritual heritage- I have a strong family of believers that has helped pave the way for me and my family.
3). My parents- God blessed me with AMAZING parents that have supported me in so many ways. I love you both!
4). My brother- I have always looked up to him. He has been my entertainment, my leader, my teacher, my best friend, my confidant, and my example for many years and will always be. I love you!
5). My sister-in-law- She has been a good fit for our family! We have shared many things through the raising of our boys. I am blessed to have her since I never had a sister. I love you!
6). My husband- God gave me the perfect match for me. We have laughed, cried, been silly, struggled, and worshipped together for 11 years. He is my support and our provider. He allowed me to fulfill a dream- have children and stay at home and raise them. He is a true spiritual leader for us. I love you!
7). Todd- He is a shining light. He has taught me many things that I needed to learn. He has a heart of gold. His laughter is what makes my day. I love him and cannot imagine life without him. He is truly a special gift!
8). Jackson- He was an answered prayer after 4 years! He has a smile to melt my heart. He is the completion to our family. I look forward to seeing his personality emerge! He is also a special gift!
9). Faith LeeAnn- She is the daughter that we lost in 2007. Although it was a huge disappointment to lose her, she is the daughter I always desired. I look forward to meeting her one day. She is in the best place to be! I love you baby girl even though I have not seen you face-to-face.
10). My church- I am thankful to have such a great place to raise Todd and to develop my spiritual walk.
11). My friends (both new and old that I have reconnected with)- You all are the ones that have helped make me who I am today. I love you all!
12). Brad's job- He has been blessed with a job that pays well and that he enjoys!
13). My home- We have been blessed with a nice home that we have been able to add on to this year.
14). Our 2 cars
15). The freedom to worship without worries of persecution
16). My family living in the same area so that we can spend time with one another
17). My health
18). My youth minister growing up (Randy)- He helped develop me into who I am today. He helped me grow and stretch spiritually. I do not think that I would be as strong as I am today if it weren't for his guidance.
19). Our youth ministry job- though it ended rough, it taught me to appreciate my children's youth ministers one day and it allowed me to see what a talent Brad has with teens.
20). My teaching jobs- They taught me compassion, patience, determination, unconditional love, and thankfulness. Those kids were some of the most amazing kids on this earth!
21). My financial security- We have been blessed with great financial security this year. That is such a blessing!
22). Seasons- This allows me to see the beauty of God. They amaze me every time!
23). Phones, TV, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, etc- These are so convenient and useful!
24). Todd's school- The principal and teacher are Christians. The school is safe and provides what he needs academically.
25). Harding University- This helped me find my husband, allowed me to get a degree, and helped me grow spiritually.
26). All of our moves- I have moved 6 times (in 5 states) since I was born. Each move, though some were very hard, taught me something I needed to learn.
27). My childhood- It was happy, safe, and enjoyable.
28). The Bible
29). Our military who protect us daily
30). Christian music- That is just about all I listen to. I gives me encouragement.
31). Prayer- I can express my concerns and thankfulness to God.
32). God and His sacrifice- Need I say more?

I could give more. I have to admit that at times I had to think pretty hard. I would love to see what others are thankful for even if it is not this long!

Roll Tide!

As many of my high school friends know, we are HUGE Alabama fans. Bama is having an amazing year. Usually, my family gets together to watch some of the Alabama games. This year has been different because my dad and brother got season tickets. However, we got together to wath the LSU game. We took some pictures of the boys in their gear. Aren't they cute?!

Todd is in the grey shirt.

Our newest Bama Fan. Roll Tide Roll!

Sleep At Last!!!

Well, we have had 2 good nights of sleep in a row. I hope and pray that this continues. Jackson has been eating at 9:30is and then again at 2:00 ish and then at 6:15 ish. I will gladly take that!!! I feel so much better. Maybe I can get this giant stack of laundry done now.

We found out a big reason he was not sleeping. He was allergic to the formula we were supplementing with. We had already figured out he could not tolerate diary. I have cut all of that out of my diet since he was having trouble. I also cut out broccoli, garlic, onions, tomato based foods, spicy foods and lettuce because he has had trouble with them. Yes, eating is not fun right now and VERY bland. Well, we had put him on soy, which is what Todd had to take. Within a few days, Jackson had a rash appear in his face. I thought it was baby acne. It got worse and began to spread and he was spitting up as much as an ounce of his bottle. I took him in and they said he was allergic to the soy formula. Now he is on some weird, nasty formula. He is so much happier and comfortable. We feel bad that he was having reactions to what we were giving him and could not rest. I hope this fixes things!

Halloween late..

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. We did not take Jackson out so we did not get him a "true" costume. Todd went to my brother's house with my mom on Halloween. He did not go trick or treating that night. They wanted to pass out candy. All of them had already done 2 trunk or treats so they had PLENTY of candy!

Our Indiana Jones.

Jackson is awake to celebrate Halloween.

My 2 precious boys!!

Pictures at last!!!!

I finally got around to loading some pictures of Jackson. He is 3 weeks old today. Boy the time goes fast!Todd kissing his baby brother. He does this a lot in a days time.

This is what we tend to see at 2:00 am. Isn't he cute?

Jackson taking control of the remote. No, this was not planned he did it on his own! With 3 boys, I have no chance at holding the remote.

It's been a while

I will try to quickly update things. I really plan to post some more pictures soon! Here are the highlights:

• Todd has adjusted amazingly well. After all, he was an only child for 6 years! He wants to hold him and kiss him constantly!
• Jackson does not sleep at night. He has stomach issues from 11:00 pm to 4:30 am. Yes, I have to hold him that entire time or he cries, no he screams!
• I am feeling good now but had to get on an antibiotic because I was running a fever if 101 for several days. Brad stayed home and worked from here so he could help. My mom did a few all night watches so I could sleep. I am feeling much better now!
• We took Jackson for his 2 week check-up yesterday. He had grown 1/4 of an inch and weighed 9lb 5 oz. He obviously doesn't have problems eating.
• We were told we couldn't take him to church until he was 2 months because of flu season and cold season. That is a downfall to having a baby in the fall and not the summer. The doctor said if he ran a fever at his age, we would hospitalize him immediately. We don't want that so we will keep him in.

Well, that sums things up for now. I am off to do a couple of things while he is asleep. This is his time of sleep!

Update

Okay, we have been busy and I have not posted anything. We are doing well. Jackson does not care for the night sleep too much but he seems to be sleeping better today so I hope we can get some sleep in tonight. Todd has been at my brother and sister-in-law's house for 2 days. this has made things easier. He is crazy about Jackson. I will [post more pictures when I have a few minutes.


Oh, I also had to make a trip to the ER on Friday night. Things seem fine but my incision had some discharge (TMI). They said it was normal so I did not have to do anything. Overall, this surgery is MUCH easier than it was with Todd! I am getting around well. I guess it is a good thing since I have Todd to take care of and Brad going back to work.

Anyway, please continue to pray for healing and health!

Jackson Is Here!

Here are picures of Jacskson Ray Beasley. He was born at 1:04 pm and weighed 8 lbs 12 1/2 oz. He was 20" long. Todd is crazy about him! Everyone is doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers! I will post more pictures later!

Busy Day

Okay, today is already proving to be way busier than I hoped it to be. First, it is my birthday. I am 32 today. Does that really seem possible? That sounds so old to me! I have also already made a trip to the pediatrician's office this morning. Todd ran a low grade temp Friday night. It quickly left so we assumed things were fine. Last night, he began to complain about an earache and a sore throat. Keep in mind, Todd had strep 4 times last year. I decided we had to find out if he was contagious because we don't want Jackson sick. He ended up with a sinus infection. That is east to cure and deal with. We were VERY thankful about that. Then, I am trying to complete things here before tomorrow. My mom will stay at our house so that Todd will be in his bed at night and we don't have to board the dogs for the week. Finally, at 1:00 today, we close on the addition to our house.

I guess all of this proves one thing...
I am old and the thought of all of this makes me want to take a nap since I haven't slept well all week!

By the way, please keep me and Jackson in your prayers tomorrow. I am scheduled for the c-section at 12:30. I will post news as soon as I can!

CRAZY WEEK

Okay, this week has been crazy. First, our phones were messed up which made my Internet out of commission. Can I just say that I am really dependent on it! I was able to use Brad's at night. The problem with that is that I am so tired at night that I could not function. The only thing I really did was check on my friend's baby who is in NICU. Please keep them in your prayers. I cannot imagine how exhausted and emotionally drained they are!

On top of that, I have been trying to get ready for Jackson's arrival. I have done so many loads of baby laundry getting ready. We had a shower on Sunday and got lots of cute outfits that I washed up. We got some really good stuff that we needed like blankets and things like that. We are blessed to be a part of a wonderful church family!

After all of the prep time, I am now realizing just how close October 7th is. I told Brad that we will see just how much difference 6 years make. I pray that recovery is as fast as it was for Todd. I find it funny that I feel like a first time mom again. It has been so long. I feel anxious just like I did with Todd. We are very excited, though. God has blessed us with another little boy and we can't wait to meet him.

Well, as you can see, I am tired and rambling so I will stop now!

Cardboard testimonies

If you go to church with me, you may not want to look at this blog because it is something that we are doing on Sunday and it may not be as effective!!!!

This is something that we were exposed to through the youth group a few weeks ago. The teens watched the video that follows and wrote their own cardboard testimonies. I tried to link the video and it did not want to cooperate. Please take a minute to watch this if you have not seen it. It is amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ


This made me think about my cardboard testimony. I believe every Christian has an amazing testimony. Sure, in the world's standards, there are some people that have more drastic conversion stories. However, we all have a story. God has changed all of us. So, here is my question, what is your cardboard testimony? How has God used you to change this world? How has God impacted your life and are we letting Him use us? I know there have been times when I have not allowed Him to use me. I pray that we all will allow Him to use us to reach a lost world. I love what the man ask at the end... What if this was our welcoming committee.

C-Section date changed

Well, I went to the Dr today and we moved the C-section up. The ironic thing was he said either the 6th or 7th. The 6th is my birthday so I opted for the 7th so that he could have his own birthday. Brad informed me it was more like I would have my own because he would have taken over that day! My blood pressure was better but the doctor was afraid I would not make it to the 10th. That is not many days different but at this point, it is a little bit earlier and that is good with me. It does make me lose a few days, though. I guess I should get busy. Brad and my parents are painting Todd's room this weekend so I need to go vacuum and get it ready. Todd decided after the nursery was painted that he "hated" his room color. He has chosen a BRIGHT YELLOW for his room. I started to argue and decided it would not last forever and he has loved yellow for a long time now. I guess I will just invest in some good indoor sunglasses!

Update

First of all, to all of my high school friends, I will post stories of my junior high years one day. It was a difficult time for me!

On another note, I have been put on modified bed rest until Thursday. I will go to the doctor then and we will see what he says. This came because my blood pressure has crept up little by little. Saturday night, I had a migraine so bad that I could not sleep. On Sunday, I checked my blood pressure and it was 135/91. My normal is 110/upper 70's. I have had some trouble since then, but not as bad. I am not good at taking it easy but I am trying very hard. I want to make it to 38 weeks if I can! That is September 30th. Anyway, I had this trouble with Todd but it was when I was 38 weeks. That is why they took him 10 days early. We will see what happens on Thursday. Please keep me and Jackson in your prayers. I guess we will throw Brad in that mix since he will be picking up a lot of the load for a few weeks!

Tagged

I was tagged by my friend Kristin. So here we go.

I am suppose to tell you 6 things that you may not know about me. I will give it a try.

1.) I am terrified of snakes. It is almost a phobia state. I think they are ugly and scary.

2). I do not walk over drainage crates on the road. I have always been scared that I would fall in and be left to die in their. Todd now avoids them as well.

3). I have always wanted to get a degree in American Sign Language. It fascinates me and I tend to run into people with hearing impairments that I could translate for to help them. I am able to help some, just not as much as I would like.

4). The profession I have always done, teaching special education, was not my original degree. My original degree was elementary education. I added it only after I needed more credits to be full time. I did not intend on using it, but got into it and love it!

5). I do not eat fish of any kind. Yuck!

6). I was rebellious in my junior high years. I was a habitual liar and did many things behind my parents back. Thankfully, there were lots of people looking after me and I got caught every time. So, I never got into too much trouble! I think this is why I like Jr. High to this day. I know it was a tough 3 years for me!

There you have it. Not too exciting. I will tag anyone that wants to do it. Most of you were already tagged.

Ike Continued

Here is a new picture of the damage done during Hurricane Ike. This is literally blocks from my father-in-law's house. These houses that remain were the very expensive homes that were much higher off of the ground. I cannot imagine going to my home and seeing this!

I guess this is a reminder that our home is temporary and that the structure we live in is just a house. Our home is a place of refuge, comfort, support, and love. When the house is gone, we should rely on the people that make it a home. I guess this is a modern reminder of the song we have sang for years about the wise man building his house on the Rock. Despite the destruction, our Lord is still there to mend their hearts and pain if only they will let Him. That is my prayer for all of those suffering right now. I pray that they will have a peace that only He can provide!

Hurricane Ike

I cannot imagine what a hurricane would be like. I have experienced the edge of a tornado and it was bad. Winds of 100 miles an hour and rising water sound like hell on earth to me. With that being said, I cannot imagine why people would not evacuate! I would pack up the things that are most important and get out of town. I would not wait to see if it was going to get bad.





My father-in-law is from the Galveston, Texas area. He let but he did not go too far. He is in a suburb of Houston and is still without power. We have talked to him briefly. He is safe but was told that he would have nothing left. He is in his mid 60's and has lived in this area since he retired. He was a hard worker and saved a lot of money. However, now so much of that is gone. He asked Brad to be watching for pictures or video of his area. I have included a picture of the part of the peninsula that he lived in. As you can see, there is nothing left.

I will post some more pictures later. It is hard to even comprehend such destruction.

One word... Huge

For those of you that do not read facebook, we had an ultrasound today. I am 35 weeks and 2 days as of today. After the measurements, they have predicted that he is 7 pounds 7 ounces! Todd was 8 lbs 1 oz at birth. He was only 10 days early. Jackson still has 4 weeks to cook until the scheduled c-section. If the stats are true (that they gain 1/2 lb week), he will be 9 1/2 - 10 lbs at birth. My doctor was not in the office today for me to discuss it with him. He had kidney stones yesterday. I do not know if they will take him earlier or let he be half grown at birth. Also, my blood pressure was 125/86. This is high for me. I was 113/85 just 2 weeks ago and that is higher than my normal. I am not sure what that will mean. I am going to try to get things finished up as much as possible just on case I am put on bed rest or taken to the hospital earlier. Please just keep all of this in your prayers. We are very excited about Jackson. We have prayed for him for nearly 4 years!

Decisions

Can I just say that I am terrible at making decisions. Sure, some are made fast ans with very little thought. Others, I take forever and question myself on them a million times. We have been adding a 300 sf foot den to our house. Some things have been easy. However, most things have taken me a while. Flooring was the last big decision. We had one option that was $600 less than the other option. However, the more expensive was a little better match I thought. I went back and forth trying to decide. Finally, I decided on the more expensive. We should be done with the addition next week! I am ready to have my house back. It's been as good as it can get, though. An elder at our church has done it. He is very nice and I had complete confidence in him! It has also been a very clean group of people working on the house. I am excited that it will be done! We look forward to more space for those swings, bouncers, etc. Babies really do take up lots of space.

By the way, I have an ultrasound Thursday. I have been having some pains. We will find out more then. I am anxious to see how much this baby weighs!

Weird post

Okay, I posted something new today and it put it down several posts. I am interested to see others views on this so go to the post about eyes and let me know what you think.

Smiles all over

After school yesterday, Todd came in and went to his room to play. He had been playing Star Wars while listening to The Lion King soundtrack. I had gone in to check on him because he had been in there for about an hour without any communication from me. He was just totally involved in light saber fights. I returned to my room to continue laundry. In about 10 minutes, Todd comes in covered in smile stamps. His arms and legs were total smiley faces. I laughed and did not think much about it. In a minute, he returned and had continued the stamping to his stomach and face. At this point, I thought it was getting out of control. He ran into his room and was going to add some more but stepped in the ink pad. He then got it on our wood floors and his carpet. Now I was not happy. I toted all 58 pounds of him to the bathroom and went to clean the wood. Thankfully, it came right up. The carpet was another story. As I went to put the lids on the stamp pads, I realized that only one of them was washable. It was then that I began to panic. I mean, he was COVERED in these stamps. I put him in the tub and began to scrub. Thankfully, most of them were the washable and came right off. The others came of with some scrubbing except one. He now has a perfectly stamped smile right on his butt check. Yes, he had managed to put on there and it is the one that will not come off. I guess he has a smile tattoo for now. I should have taken a picture of his modest stamping but when it was getting on my floor, I had to get it off. When Brad asked him why he did it, Todd replied, "I was just so happy to have a long weekend!" I guess who can blame him on that. I thought I might need to watch Brad since he was happy to have some time off, too!

The Results are in..

I went to the Dr. today and FINALLY got the test results back from my whooping cough. The verdict was that I am not immune to it so I could catch it. However, it did not look like I had it. They could not tell for sure because you show traces of it if you have been immunized. Basically, I am fine unless I start hacking my head off. Then, I probably have it. He did say that the baby would not be harmed. All in all, that is good news.

Also, I will have another ultrasound in 2 weeks to double check things with the 2 vessel cord. He wants to do one final check before the c-section. I am anxious to know what his estimated weight is going to be.

As always, please continue to pray that Baby Jackson is safe and healthy!

Prayers

Yet again, I have another issue with this pregnancy. I got a note in the mail from Todd's pediatrician saying that when he was in for his well visit someone treated him that was contagious with whooping cough. He is up to date on his shots, so he should be okay. I haven't had that shot in years. I had to go today and get the blood drawn (16th tube this pregnancy)to see if it is positive. They have not even told me what they will do if I have it. The scary thing is that I had to take medicine for coughing since then. Please keep me and baby Jackson in your prayers. It will be several days before I hear anything. I will keep you up to date!

In Your Eyes

I have always felt like every person has been given special talents that should be used for God's Kingdom. I know that for some people these talents are easier discovered than for others. I, however, have seen this in a different way lately. I have been drawn to the thought that God gives us "different eyes" that allow us to see different people in different ways. I feel like as a church, when we use those eyes, there would be no one left out or excluded. I think that we could not have enough room in any building to seat all of those that we could reach.

Brad and I have spent some time discussing what "eyes" we were given. I have no doubt that Brad was given the eyes for teens. Not only does he do well with teens, he does well with teens that struggle or whose parents do not attend church. He can convince many teens to come to things that do not do anything. He can build relationships with them quickly.

My "eyes" are 2 fold. I have a talent with children with disabilities. Unfortunately, I have never been in a church where this has been used. I have reached many people through my jobs with this gift. My other view is teens. I love their minds. I love that they are trying to find their own faith and are not afraid to be honest when they don't get something.

Here is the thing that frustrates me about all of this... I think even though we are given different eyes, we are still from the same Father and should have the same mindset. I may not have eyes for foreign missions, but I still appreciate that mission and support it because it is someone's passion. It seems that many times, we get wrapped up in our vision that we forget to support others vision. After all, isn't that the purpose of church?

So, what are your talents that you feel that God gave you? Do you think that it is easy for you to use this talent in a church setting?

Double personality

Okay, I wrote about Todd's fits lately. It is driving me crazy. He was good tonight but the 2 nights before were terrible. The thing that makes me frustrated is that the arguments do not even matter. Last night was one of those nights. I was so angry that after Brad got home I left to take a minute before I lost my cool. He actually managed to lose going to see Clone Wars this weekend, lost his Wii for more days, and can not go spend the night with friends Friday night all over a stupid issue.

Anyway, after he has acted this way, I go to meet him for lunch today. Since I use to teach there, our meal gets interrupted many times by teachers. I was talking to my assistant from last year when Todd's teacher came to get them from lunch. She asked how I was feeling and then told me something that just about made me fall over laughing. She said, "He is so sweet. He is the sweetest thing. I ask him to do something and he does it with a smile. I just love him." I wanted to say, "You do know that Todd is my child, right?" It cracked me up. I guess he is taking after me. I could be throwing a huge fit and turn it off just like that. My teachers always said the same about me. Now I know why that drove my mom crazy. I would rather him act that way with us and not at school. I guess he uses all of his energy to be good at school and has to get it out of his system!

Perfect Day

Today has been such a beautiful day! It has been sunny and 84 for the high. It is this weather that makes me get ready for fall and my favorite sport: football! I have such fond memories from this time of year. This year will be no different. Jackson will be born before we know it. I am less than 9 weeks from the latest he will be born. It is such an exciting time of year!

Today has been one of those mornings. It has been a time of pregnancy raging emotions. It all started when Todd got up not wanting to go to school. One thing about Todd, he is very smart and is at the top of his class, but he HATES school. He is often bored and it does not work well with his love of moving and exploring. He often does not want to go to school, but today was hard for me. Last year when I taught at school with him, we had a set routine. We would walk in together and at one particular spot, we would hug and share our "have a good days" and then he would head for the gym and I would go into the teacher's lounge to do all of the morning teacher business. Now, I pull up to a door, get a hug from the backseat and drive off. It seems so cold and lonely for us both. Today, as I pulled away, he mouthed "I will see you later" with his smile on his face. I just wanted to stop grab him and take him back home. I knew he was walking in to a place that he was dreading. I did not want him to have to dread his day. I know that he has to go and that he will have a good day, it is just hard when they do not want to go. I know he will have to encounter many things he does not want to do, but must do them. Anyway, I guess pregnancy hormones have taken over today, because I have cried today over stupid things. Oh well, I am going to surprise Todd and meet him for lunch. Perhaps that will help us both!

No, Not that

For those of my readers that are parents.. Have you ever seen a characteristic in your child that is so much like you and you wished you could change it? I had a night like that tonight. Let me explain!

As a young child, I had a TERRIBLE temper. I would hit my head on the floor in anger and tear up my favorite toys. I was awful. My mom worked with me and never gave up. I claim that I would have been labeled emotionally disturbed or behavior disordered if it weren't for her. Sad to admit, but I still have some temper that I have to work CONSTANTLY on to keep it under control. So, tonight when I saw a HUGE temper out of Todd I wanted to scream. I wanted to beat it out of him so that he would not have the struggles I have had and still have to work on daily. As I took away the WII (his favorite thing ever) and then watched him nearly lose his chance to see Clone Wars (something he has talked about since April), I wanted to help him to see the way I see it now. Unfortunately, he can't yet. I wanted him to see how this entire fit was useless and would not end with him "winning" He would only lose things and still do it my way. Yet, it took many things being removed before he got the picture. As I came into our room, I told Brad, "I thought we were done with this phase from his terrible 2's". Unfortunately, he has to learn how to make a mistake and move on. He and I tend to get so mad at ourselves when we mess up that we make more bad decisions. I just hope that I can help him see this like my mom did for me.

Parenting is so tiring and scary! I know tonight I will say an extra prayer for wisdom for all of us. I think we could all benefit from more prayers for each other!

The Fall

As I have stated before in previous blogs, this pregnancy has been very different from the first. I have had complications, stresses, and concerns that I did not have before. Saturday night was no different. I was tired and had just put Todd to bed. We have been going to bed later than usual so I was very tired. I went to walk into our living room and fell flat on my stomach after tripping over a mop handle that was laying in the floor from where we had been cleaning earlier. I tried to catch myself but still hit my stomach. After a few minutes of being mad at myself and referring to my What To Expect book, I decided to call the Dr. I thought they would say, "NO blood, no big deal" but instead it was, "go to the Er and get hooked up to the monitors just in case". We got Todd out of bed and drove to the ER, where my parents met us and took Todd home. After 3 hours of monitoring, a urine sample, 5 tubes of blood, and the sounds of a screaming woman giving birth, we were discharged. We were out of the Er at 1:30 am. I was put on "bed rest" on Sunday as a precaution. I did not follow it too well because Todd's meet the teacher was that afternoon and so I wanted to meet her. I guess all of that will be another blog entry!

one really sad part to the whole story was Todd's reaction to the fall. He had heard me fall and came rushing from his room. He wanted to know if I was OK and then he asked what I had fallen on. We told him the handle and he went right back to bed with no other comments or questions. When he woke up in the hospital room, Brad was going to explain where we were and he said he knew it was because of the fall. He came to the bedside and said in the sweetest, most loving voice, "I am sorry mommy. I laid that mop down. I hope you are OK". I was so glad that the end result was good because I am not sure how he would have handled it all.


Anyway, I am fine and so is the baby. It was just another story to add to this pregnancy. Needless to say, I will be glad when October 15th arrives!!!

One of those days

We all had those days. The kind that you wished you had never even started and was excited that it was finally over. Monday was one of those days. Todd was going to stay with my mom and dad for a few days with my nephews so that they could all go to VBS at my parent's church. I had a few errands to run before getting over there. I agreed to stay and help get them to VBS since my mom can only carry 2 in her car. I was really tired that day because I had not slept well. That made for a negative start. During the day, things went fine. We were busy, but everyone was fine. I took Todd to VBS and went to Walmart while he was there. My mom was there so I did not need to worry about leaving him. I went and took him back home and helped get them situated for the night. It was then that things went downhill FAST. On my way home, Brad tells me that the addition we had already signed paperwork on, might not happen because of easement issues. I was FURIOUS. We had already ripped out a deck, signed construction loan papers and had part of a fence removed and we might not get to get our nice playroom! Brad and I were discussing this. We decided to go outside and see if we could find our property marker and see what we thought. As I walked out the door, Brad comes behind me and shuts the door. Sudden;y I hear him say, "Oh, no, the door is locked. We can't get back in". My response was, "Are you kidding me?!" Oh, I forgot to say that it is 11:00 at night. I had not eaten dinner and I already had a headache from the stress of the issues before. I immediately went to the back door, locked of course. Great. We had no phone on us, no way to get in, and everyone around us was asleep. Brad began to walk down the street to the nearest gas station. He took money to call my parents (who live 20 minutes away). My mom answered and my dad came to the rescue. By the time this was all done, it was almost midnight. I was so tired, mad, and exhausted. I am glad I did not have a Dr. appointment to check blood pressure, I am sure I would have been rushed to the ER with an injection to settle it. Anyway, after all of that, I went yesterday to get a key to hide. Our doors can be opened form the inside and are locked. I am really surprised we have not had more issues like that. And, our room issues were solved and my new addition is in the process. We just have to hope that it is finished before Jackson arrives!!

Oh the Joys

Since school begins August 1st, the class lists were posted today. I thought that teaching at the same school Todd went to would be a big advantage. Boy, was I wrong. As I looked over the list, I found my stomach turning. I would think to myself, "Oh, no, not that kid". I literally told Brad there was one kid I did not want to be in his class. Of course, there was that kid's name on the list. I told Brad and I will hold my tongue, but I do know all of the background to this student and will not put up with behaviors like last year. Todd was very good last year. He was in trouble 2 times, which is very good. However, he will have a lot of transition this year and has potential to get wrapped up into trouble. He is all boy. I do know this, I prayed that he would get who he needs for this year, even if I do not know that person. He got a new teacher. She has taught before and comes from a strong christian family. Let's just hope she has GREAT classroom management! I guess I will try to put aside my thoughts and go with an open mind. Oh, I only thought knowing everyone was good!

The Baby Borrowers

I had seen this show advertised but was at church each week when it was showing. Brad and Todd left today to go visit his dad at the beach for a few days so I had plenty of time tonight. I realized this show was on tonight in marathon form. I watched it and laughed so hard. The show is about teens that think they are ready to get married and have children. They set them up with babies under 1 first and then toddlers. It was so funny to watch them. They had each age for 3 days and nights. Some did very well but realized they were not ready. Others, could not communicate with each other at all.

Brad and I got married young. We chose to wait for 5 years before having kids. I think that was so wise of us. We were able to develop our relationship before bringing a baby into the relationship. As I watched this show, it made me realize a few things
1). I am glad I was older when Todd was born
2). I am so glad that Brad and I can communicate so well with each other.
3). Children are priceless but are a lot of work.
4). relationships are a lot of work.
5). I cannot imagine my life without the support of Brad and family.

This also made me wonder.. what do you think has been the hardest stage you have had to handle your child/children? Is it the first month of their life, terrible 2's, terrible 3's, etc. I am interested to see what you have to say. And for those of you with more than one child.. was it different with each child?

Happy Birthday, Todd!!

It is hard to believe that it has been six years since God blessed us with such a sweet boy. As I look at these pictures of him as a baby, I am saddened at how fast time has flown by but I am so proud of who he is thus far. I could not ask for a child that could bring anymore joy to our lives than Todd has brought. He is my entertainment every day. As I look at his face, I am reminded of those spit-up drenched clothes, those smiles that still melt my heart, of those tantrums at two, the first time he told me he loved me, the first day of pre-school, and the first day at school. But most importantly I see a precious soul that God has granted Brad and I. When I look at him. I see the true meaning of the lyrics of the song Every Time.

Every time
Words and Music: Philip Organ © 1994 Philip Organ Lyrics:
Everytime I kneel to pray I open up my heart to my Lord
Everytime I close my eyes I feel the sweet embrace of my Lord

Chorus 1:I don't know why so many things seem to get in the way of seeing my God's glory
But I try everyday to see and thank Him for all the things He's given me

Everytime I see a child I see the gentleness of my Lord
Everytime I watch a storm I know the awesome power of my Lord

Chorus 2:I don't know why so many things seem to get in the way of seeing my God's glory
But I try everyday to see and thank Him for all the things He's given me

Everytime I see a cross!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

PS I Love You

Brad and I watched this movie tonight. I will not tell too much about it but at deals with coping with death of a spouse. Thankfully, I have never had to endure this. However, I cried like a baby during parts of this movie.

As most of you know, almost a year ago we were expecting a baby. We ended up losing this baby at 8 weeks. We had genetic testing and found out that it was a girl. We named her Faith. As I watched this movie, I thought about the lose of this baby. I will never know what she looked like or who she acted like. I will also never have a little girl in a physical sense (We are done after Jackson). All of that is sad to me, however, as Jackson was kicking non-stop, it made me realize he would not have been here if Faith had been here. I do not know what the Lord has in store for our family. I do not know what Jackson will be like or who he will look like, but I do know that God has a plan for him. He needed Jackson on this Earth. So, though my heart still hurts with our loss, it leaps for joy at the thought of my baby boy, Jackson! I can't wait to see what God has in store for him!

Baby Update

Today we had our follow-up ultrasound since they could not get all of the views at the 20th week. I was nervous still because of the 2 vessel cord that I mentioned. Today, after much poking, we were able to get all of the views except the profile possibly. She got a picture of the profile, but was not sure if the Dr. would think it was good enough. All of the anatomy was NORMAL!! We are very excited. Today showed that he is 24 plus weeks. This is a week ahead of what we have said. That makes the estimated due date my birthday! He is already 1 lb 8 oz. He is not a small boy.



By the way, I have had some ask if we have a name. Yes, we do. He will be named Jackson Ray. These are both family names. We will call him Jackson, not Jack!



On a side note, have you ever felt that God places situations in front of us to make us rely on him? That is the way I have felt this entire time with this pregnancy. First of all, we were able to get pregnant after many years and a miscarriage. Then, I was so worried that we would lose this baby. Each of the first few visits, they were unable to locate heartbeats so I had to have ultrasounds. After all of that, they told me about the cord issues. Each visit I have had has required me to wait to get answers. Some visits is is minutes others it is days.

I guess these experiences are forcing me to trust. Trust God and no one else. It is also teaching me patience. I have always considered myself patient. I guess this just proves you can always better yourself. In the scheme of a christian walk with Him I guess trust and patience would rant high with Him.

Complaint

I have to say that I hate a modified year around school schedule. I did not like it as a teacher and I hate it as a parent. We got out of school on May 30th. Todd will be back in class on August 1st. That is not enough summer break. It seems like they just get started and it is over. Between VBS, vacation to Brad's dad's house, birthday party, Brad's mom visiting, and Forth of July, there is no extra time. Anyway, I guess I will have to deal with it or home school, which will not happen. Does everyone else have such a short summer?

VBS

Okay, this time last year I was heading up our VBS. I organized everything from registration and advertising to crafts and skits. I loved the imagination part of it and since I wasn't working I had time to bargain shop. This year, I refused to head it up. However, I got roped into crafts again. Since I was trying to finish up my school work, I ignored it for a while. The church-wide VBS is this Saturday and we are doing a small VBS for some girls on Friday. I have good memories of VBS. I really had fun with it in high school. A friend of mine always had extravagant ideas. We would spend countless hours together working on it. Perhaps that is how we became such good friends. However, I think VBS has lost some of its impact. What do you all think. Do you think it is still an effective outreach or in reach? Do you think it may be a time when something else is more effective? I just would like some others feedback.

A weekend alone

Brad and Todd got up early Saturday to take a trip to Six Flags for the day. Since Brad traveled so much last summer, he has tons of hotel points. They decided they would spend the night Saturday night and return home today. Well, I get a call this morning from Todd saying he REALLY wanted to go to Six Flags again today. See, it was so hot yesterday that he spent a lot of the day in the water park. Thus, he did not get to ride all of the rides. Since he is so tall, he can ride things that go upside down and backwards. I told Brad to go to the store and get a Lunchables because they had a free child's ticket. He went and purchased the last box they had. So, Todd and Brad are spending all day today at Six Flags and will return home tonight. My house has been so quiet I do not even know what to do. Yesterday, my mom and dad came and painted the nursery Aloe Vera green. I love the color. I figure we will do something besides blue while we can. I will have to take a picture of the nursery when we are done. It will be several weeks, though. We are going to lay wood flooring before we move everything back in the room.

Laminin

I was able to hear this lesson live at a Chris Tomlin concert. I was reminded of it this week. This is by a guy named Louie Giglio. He does a lot of teen talks. I have added the video. It is about 9 min. It is amazing stuff. If you get a chance, watch this!

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

It's a ......

BOY!!! Yes, we will have another little boy. We are excited and Todd is saying he will look like him. We will have a follow-up ultrasound in 3 weeks. They were not able to get pictures of a few things and will do it again then. We were also told that my cord has only one artery and one vein instead of two arteries. They Dr. said that happens some times. I made a BIG mistake and looked it up on the Internet and made myself nervous. I guess there are some issues with birth defects when this is present. This baby has given us a run for our money already! Please keep us in your prayers. I am sure things are fine because they would have looked at it sooner if it were really bad, but it still makes me nervous. We can't wait to invite this little one in our family!

I was tagged

I was tagged by my friend Tamara to write a six word sentence summarizing my outlook on life. After thinking on this, here is what I decided: Trust in God at all times.



I have endured many challenging circumstances in my life. Many of these times, I questioned God. I felt like I was being punished. Almost all of these times, I saw later that it was a blessing. I will give you a few examples:

• Brad and I losing our job in Oklahoma with a 2 month old baby: At the time, we were very angry. This is a time in my life I was most angry at God. I did not understand. After all, I had to live with my parents for many months. Now, I see it as a HUGE blessing. One, we were able to move closer to my family, which allowed Todd to be very close to my parents. Two, we were able to make a lot more money. Finally and most importantly, in the long run, we developed a much stronger faith in God!


• Brad getting a job in Chicago: This really stunk at the time. He was gone 4 nights a week. When he was home, he was working on next week's stuff and we had to pay major money because he was self-employed. However, it only lasted 4 months and now he is in a field he loves and makes good money. This opportunity totally changed his career path into something he loves.


• Difficulty getting pregnant: This was hard. I doubted myself in this one. I thought that I was unable to have another child because of my inability to parent. Now, I see that it was in His timing. I realize now that Todd was a difficult 2 year old and needed all of my time and energy to discipline.


• Finally, losing a baby after so many years of trying: This was hard for me to even type. I do have to say that because of some of these other events, I did not struggle with this one like I would have thought. Don't get me wrong, I was caught saying things like, "He must love watching me suffer!" I had found peace with it but still hurt until I took my current job. After teaching children with severe disabilities, I realize that God spared me. He gave me the easy way out. He allowed me to not have to suffer over a child with severe problems.

OK, that was long and wordy! Sorry. Thanks, Tamara for having me think on this. I will tag a few people. I tag Tracy, Franklin, Jeni, and Becky.

Yes, I am here

I just realized how long it has been since I posted. If anyone is still reading, I will give some thoughts.

• A terrible stomach virus has been going around and I got it last week and now Todd has it. Luckily, it is fast moving. I almost ended up on IV with it, though. I hate stomach issues!!!


• We will find out the sex of our baby next week (29th). We are really excited!!


• I only have 4 1/2 more days of school and cannot wait!! It is true that teacher's are just as excited, if not more!


• We are looking at adding on an addition to our house. We want a big play room. I will keep you updated.


• Finally, Sunday was Senior Sunday at church. Since Brad is the youth deacon, we are around these kids all of the time. Todd loves it! There are some amazing kids graduating this year that will forever change a church somewhere. They are very spiritual and strong. In class, they were sharing advice to the younger teens. Being that I am pregnant, I fought back tears the entire time. It brought back emotions of my graduation and all of my friends from school. (I love you all dearly!!) I can remember my feelings. So, it brought me to another realization that these kids were Todd's age when I graduated. I am really getting old!!!

So, I thought it would be fun to get your feelings on the day you graduated and what advice you would tell a graduating Senior today. I will share my stuff in a few days!

Special Olympics

I have not posted any information in a while. I thought I would take a minute and write about my week this next week. I have signed my kids up in class to participate in Special Olympics. This is such a great program. When I was at Harding, I helped with it one year. It is an experience that is unlike anything else. The participants all have major struggles, but they have a spirit unlike anything I have witnessed. It is truly a blessing to participate. If you ever get a chance, do it.

Anyway, we are all participating. The kids are so excited. Now none of them can actually go to regionals this year because of their age, but next year they can. They have never done any kind of sport, so they are very excited. Here is the funny part, I am their coach. Yes, me. The non-athletic, 16 weeks pregnant woman is their coach. I guess it is a good thing that they aren't really competing. We go this Friday. I will let you all know how it turns out. I might decided I was crazy to do this. I doubt it, though!

Finally better

Okay. finally at almost 15 weeks, my morning/night sickness is basically gone! I am so glad. I was tired of being sick every night. Also, I am on my last week of regular pants. Today, I managed to squeeze into my regular pants. I told Brad I think this will be the last time I will be able to do that. I guess it is about time to start showing some. I did not show at all until I was 5 months with Todd. Everyone told me to expect it to come sooner this time. Oh, well, at least I know the baby is growing!

Huge Nightmare!

Let me just start this off and say that this has nothing to do with our unborn child!

I will tell you how the last 24 hours has been for me. Last night, we were expected to get some severe storms. I had followed the weather and knew the approximate time they would arrive. Just like clock work, Todd popped into our room at that time (1:00 ish). There was no way he was returning to bed. Brad left the bed and let Todd in. We had gotten home late because Brad had a flat tire (another good story for the last 24 hours) and so we had not given Todd his Zyrtec. He snored, coughed, and sputtered all night. On top of that, he slept right up next to me. Needless to say, sleep did not happen last night.

After no sleep, I woke up to see how the weather was going to be the remainder of the day. I saw bad storms expected around 10:30. I prepared for the worst and headed to school. During reading, we had a practice tornado drill because we missed it yesterday. We got in our spot in the hallway. 2-3 minutes later, we were back to the letter L. I got 3 picture identified and discussed when we hear this message, "Students, all faculty, and staff, this is a tornado drill." The kids moaned and we were not happy either. This time, we had to go to the 5th grade boy's bathroom. It doesn't get any nastier than that. We had our kids down basically sniffing nasty floors. The drill got longer and longer so we moved out of the bathroom. Finally, we realized that not far from the school, their was a tornado touchdown. Now, keep in mind, the kids think this is practice. As the time goes on, they are getting mad. They are complaining that they hurt. Finally, they told the 5th grade down our hall that it was real. After about 1 hour and 15 minutes, we were allowed to return to class. We missed our lunch schedules and most importantly, my kids missed their playtime. As you can imagine, we did not get anything accomplished the remainder of the day!

So, Jeni, it was taken very seriously. I know that both the principal and the assistant principal were outside watching the storms because we lost contact with central office. We all made it fine, but it was not fun! The funny thing is my poor kids thought it was just a long drill. When I asked Todd, he said he didn't like it because his legs hurt and "I was beginning to think it was a real tornado or something". Some of the Kindergarten even went to sleep!