Who Needs A Laugh?

Got like 5 min. to spare? Then you must watch this!

Not saying I would have done this at my wedding, but I would really enjoy being invited to one of them! I mean even if you are super traditional, you can't say that doesn't look like the funnest wedding ever!!!!

I have recently learned of my husbands pretty-darn-close-to-a-love-affair with the Thriller video. I am pretty sure he would have been game for doing this.....



I'm too young for all the Micheal Jackson hoopla. And that just tears me apart (insert sarcasm here).

I just wanted to swing dance at my wedding. When you go to theater competitions in high school there is always, and I mean ALWAYS a swing dancing workshop. Needless to say I took several of them and I just loved it! Swing dancing is one time where being very tiny is a huge plus. The smaller you are, the higher the guy can toss you. But alas, there was just too much dress for all that when we got married. Oh well, there is still the vow renewal.... better yet we may just bust it out at one of our kids weddings. That is sure to go over well.

If this didn't make you smile then you may need to check your pulse, just saying ;-)

Use Your Words

There are a few of things I find myself or others saying that brought me to a realization.

I love....
I adore.....
I hate.....
I am obsessed...
I loath...

In today's world, it is normal to use these terms on a daily basis and think nothing of it. Although, in our house we do not allow the word hate to be used. It just does not need to come out of my 3 year olds mouth, end of story. But what about these other words? They don't seem so bad, right?

I realized that on a daily basis I don't give God all of myself when I throw these words around aimlessly. When I have said I love Frosty's, love brownies, love sleeping in.... it just doesn't make it seem so important when I say "I love God". I throw the word love around all over the place, when I should truly love Him. I should adore Him. I should be obsessed with Him. I should hate and loath sin and Satan.

I am going to try to use my words better. My kids need to see me making good choices so they can learn to make good choices. I don't want them to think that loving God is the same as loving ice cream. I want them to know that when they think of love, the first thing that should pop into their head is God. If they can do that, then the other things in life that they do love will circle back to Him.

I want to be obsessed with God. I want to fully love God. I want to adore God above everything else. More importantly, I want my children to. I'm not saying we all can't love other things, adore other things.... for me it just seems that we all go a bit overboard and forgotten what we should really love, adore and be obsessed with. Next time you find yourself using these words, take a second to think if you are using them in the right context for your life.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. -Romans 12:9

Confessions...

I want a Frosty so bad I can barely contain myself....

google image

.... but the kids are napping so I can't go get one right now.

My kids hurt my feelings sometimes even though I don't know they are doing it.

I mean why will they not fall over themselves to play with me like they do with Daddy? Why am I so boring?

Lula Mae's new level of sassy is making me very nervous. We try to call it personality but lets face it.... she is just out of line and we need to correct this before it is too late. Why is she 3 going on 16? Oh dear goodness the teenage years are going to be crazy!

I just saw that the Duggars have another book out and I want to order it really, really bad.

I forgot my shoes on Monday when I went to the gym and instead of going back to get them, I dropped the kids off in the nursery and just took a shower. Yep.

Since I have started the gym I have gained weight. Perhaps I should have gone back for my shoes huh?

For a moment I thought I was ready for another baby.... then I looked at what the budget is going to look like with this whole gluten free thing and it made me realize that waiting until some of our debts are paid off is a much better choice.

Even though I am nervous about my trip with the Hubster, I am really looking forward to it. I am stoked to get to ride the rides with him again.

I have been trying to think of a way to meet Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their amazing
family.... still working in it though.... any ideas?

Today is Tuesday but it feels like it should be Friday..... what is going on????

I feel like such a hypocrite when I tell Lula Mae that she needs to show people that she has Jesus in her heart by trying to be like Him. I need to be a better example to my kids. They deserve it.

Crazy Love is an awesome book.... but it is making me dig deep and ask myself some tough, tough questions. Thought provoking to say the least!

Even after writing this entire post all I can think about is that stupid Frosty!

google image

Sometimes I just need to empty my brain, and my conscience. What better place to do it than on my blog for all my millions followers (or 38....close enough....), well lets be honest all 9 of my readers ;-) You should try this sometime guys. Trust me I love reading a good list post of random information!

Break It Up

Lately, my blog has been pretty serious. Our lives go through seasons, and right now our season has been a bit serious. So to break up all this serious mess I thought I would bring you a nice uplifting post, because lets face it.... we could all use one.

One of Lula Mae's new things to say to me is..... "But give me a because Mommy!"
Basically she has reached that all to fun stage of "But why?".... gotta love it! Well, when I say "Because sweetie." she likes to come back with "But give me a because Mommy!" What can I say, the girl wants to know every.last.thing ... she is an information junky ;-)

Evey now and then you take a picture that you just know is a keeper. It's a picture that you know someday your kids will hang their heads and say "Mom did you really do that to me? You were terrible parents you know that right?". And when Jayce sees this picture he is sure to say that, and much more....

And I will be rolling on the floor laughing in hysterics.


Lula Mae has once again shown me how much of my OCD she has inherited.




She made all of her figured take a nap the other day. She was sure to make all the Toy Story figures nap together and all of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figures nap together.

For the record, we don't just put Jayce in a wig all the time. He loves to play with Lula Mae's dress up stuff sometimes. Tell me he is going to turn out normal? Right?

General Randomness About What Has Been Going On

Today is day 3 of Jayces gluten free diet. I am keeping a journal of how each day goes so that I can truly see how this is affecting him. Not to mention that if we have to see a specialist the first thing they will say is.... "Well what I want you to do is take 10 days or so and do a food journal.... blah blah blah blah blah".... so I am just getting a head start.

The first day was technically not "gluten free". I didn't know about the change in diet until after his breakfast. The first day was also tough because the child was diving for bits of food he couldn't have (what can I say the boy loves Cheerios and goldfish, sigh).

The second day was better. We took a trip to Bi Lo and took advantage of the very small gluten free section. We have a few options now and it is making it easier to feed Jayce. By the end of the day his skin looked different, better.

Today I have changed a bazillion poop diapers. I can tell his little body is detoxing. His skin looks even better. He seems to be enjoying the foods we have gotten. Luckily he loves avocados, bananas, kiwi, strawberries and a few other fruits. Going fresh is the easiest way to avoid gluten.

Gluten free = EXPENSIVE! I just got our grocery budget under control, and this is going to really throw it into a tailspin. That's okay, this is one of those adjustments that isn't due to wants.... it is due to needs. This is going to also make my shopping more difficult. I may need to drive about an hour away once a month or so to stock up on a few harder to find things.

I say this, but there is a chance that after the next 10 days we find out this is not the answer. Can I just say though, I doubt that. Reading up on gluten intolerance really nails him on the head. He has all the symptoms and honestly I hate that we didn't find this out sooner. Moving on...

I have been blown away with God over the past 3 days. Completely overwhelmed and blown slap away. I have had 2 complete strangers send me an abundance of information and tips on gluten free living. These people don't know me, they don't know Jayce.... and yet they spent there precious time compiling tips and tricks and websites to help me. God is giving me so many answers through some really wonderful people. I wish that I could show them how grateful I am yet all I can do is send them a simple thank you. It just doesn't seem like enough.

So we are taking this one day at a time. Even though this diagnosis is not 100% for sure yet, and it wasn't anything I ever imagined Jayce having, it is nice to have something. It is much better than just being in the dark and hoping for the best.

Jayce has learned to say "cheese" at the camera... we just have to work on him not looking totally terrified while saying it...

Jayce Update

Jayces blood test results came in today.

His vitamin D is completely normal, which is very good and I am very grateful for that. Or at least I thought I was.

And then everything changed.

The nurse told me that the results show that Jayce may be gluten intolerant. In the back of my mind all I could think was "Why could it not just be vitamin D, that is an easy fix".

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Gods word does not say we might have trouble, it says we will have trouble. Life is not easy and God did not intend it to be. Anything we go through I truly believe is Gods will and is never an accident. If it were something easy like a vitamin D deficiency how would my faith be tested? Hard times, death, sickness, difficult news, financial struggles, marriage problems and even finding out that your baby may have something wrong with them gives us a chance to show God, and ourselves, that we trust Him and rely on Him.

When I got the news I called the Hubster and a few other people to tell them what we knew so far. So far we know that for the next 10 days we need to get Jayce on a gluten free diet. We know that there may be more testing to come. We know that there is a possibility that Jayce needs to see a specialist about an hour away.

After hanging up the phone my first instinct was to get on the computer and research, research, research. Something stopped me. Instead I finished up lunch with the kids, played dress up with Lula Mae, read a few books with Jayce, did some puzzles, sang a few songs and generally had a great time with my wonderful kids. When nap time came I sat with my Bible and I read. I read and I prayed. I just didn't need the internet to give me my answer, I needed God to. I know that He will give me my answer. These next 10 days I will be listening and praying. Sure I will read up on this and educate myself, but I am learning that my first move needs to be to God.

In case you are wondering, Jayce is doing great! He is laughing and playing again which is so nice. He is not eating as well as I would like, but we are making progress. We are one step closer to making him healthy. To all of you who are praying for him, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. It is so humbling knowing that you are helping us through this.

Monday Mugs

Are you in need of a mindless Monday Blog post? Are you struggling to deal with the weekend being over and can't muster the strength to type a single word? Well, Monday Mugs is for YOU! I may or may not "borrow" ideas from IheartFaces and post my interpretation of their weekly theme. Without submitting my photo for judgement and without being forced to follow the rules.

Mondays are hard! Blogging on Mondays shouldn't be!


I am linking up with Oswald Cuties for her Monday Mugs! Head on over and link up too!
This weeks theme is yellow.

Since I have neglected to show you any of our Disney pictures (I know, I know!) I thought I would show you some of our yellow ones!

Jayce and Belle (why does he look so afraid? He really did love it....)

Lula Mae and Belle

Lula Mae was STOKED that Special Agent OSO was on his way to see her at breakfast!

This is Lula Mae and her cousin Nathan with OSO

Lula Mae's loves Handy Manny!

I don't know that Lula Mae really knows who Winnie the Pooh is other than from a few books, but she was still excited to meet him. She and Jayce both adore characters!


Important talk with Minnie Mouse at Disney Hollywood Studios


This is my very favorite Disney picture! Jayce sleeps with a stuffed Pluto and when he got up to Pluto he just laid all over him. He didn't want to let him go. Too cute, I know!

We all had fun ;-)

I hope you all have a great Monday! Yesterday Jayce was 100% back to normal! That really made it a great day! He still isn't eating quite as well as he was before the sickness, but we are getting there. That was a loooooooong 10 days worth of sickness folks. Enjoy your week!

Letters Of Intent

What a week! I am soooo glad it is Friday..... awwwww wait, Charlie has AT for the next 2 weeks so technically it isn't much of a Friday around here. Well enough of my whining and onto the letters!


Dear Kid,

No I don't know your name, and really I don't care. I was not in the store for even half an hour and yet you made me want to pull my hair out. The fact that you were running around bouncing a ball was the biggest part of that, but it also had a lot to do with the fact that you seemed to be following me. Let me just translate our recent encounter for you since you seem very confused by the whole thing.....

Oh, excuse me.
Hey you just hit me with that ball you are bouncing around the store but I am going to be nice to you because it very well could have been an accident.

5 min later....

Excuse you.
Okay that time you meant to hit me with that stupid ball. Go away!

5 min later...

Hey, look out please.
Did you really think you could squeeze through there???? Really???? Touch my kid again and I will punch you!

3 min later....

(giving the kid the stink eye)
Oh my goodness where in the world is your mother????

2 min later....

Really? What are you like 10? Aren't you too big to be playing in a store?
Really? What are you like 10? Aren't you too big to be playing in a store?

1 min later....

GO AWAY!
GO AWAY! YOU ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!

30 seconds later....

Please stop running out in front of me.
If you don't get out of my way I am going to run you over with my buggy.

1 min later...

Grow up!
GROW UP! WHERE IN THE WORLD IS YOUR MOTHER?????

Then when I was leaving the store you point at me and laugh. I can tell that you are going to be a very active member of society. You made the roughly 18 min I was in the store torture! Do you realize my son has been sick for the past week and I have barely been able to leave the house. I finally get to enjoy a trip out and you just mess that all up for me. Way to go.

Sincerely,

Annoyed By How Many Parents Don't Care What Their Children Do

PS-
Seriously, Where Is Your Mother????

Where We Are

There is no hiding that Jayce is a high strung baby. He has been since birth, and I am certain he will be for the rest of his life.

Again I will say, he is not a bad baby. He is cuddly and loving. He can be goofy and sarcastic. He is just a needy little guy. He needs touch. He needs attention. He just needs more.

Around here we know this about Jayce. We are aware that he is difficult to keep happy. But last week we hit an all time low for Jayce. It all started with a fever. It was a bit high, roughly 103.5 F, so I knew something was up. Teething can cause a fever, but not a high one. Not that I have experienced at least. So, I waited and watched for more symptoms to reveal themselves.

3 days went by.

Nothing.

No runny nose, no cough, no evidence of an ear infection... nothing. Yet the fever continued and would spike throughout the day. Ah ha! Diarrhea, a new symptom, but nothing that pin points to something specific. Then all of a sudden he had a strange rash around his eyes. Hmmmm, weird.

This fever it getting crazy! Why in the world would a child have a fever for this long with no real other symptoms. Oh and did I mention that Jayce was more miserable than usual? He was just whiny, whiny, whiny. I could do nothing to make him happy. Literally nothing. Not to mention he had not been eating well. At this point I was one tired, frustrated Mommy.

So I prayed. I prayed for patience and answers. I prayed hard and all day. Luckily it worked. I was so patient with him (and Lula Mae for that matter). More patient than I have been in a few weeks, or months even. I felt so at peace while caring for him.

Then the rash started. It was this weird raised rash. I could tell it wasn't his eczema. It started off small and then began to cover his back, legs and stomach. He was inconsolable all day long. Strangely though, his fever was controlled. Weird. All night long he cried and tossed and turned. I researched a little and was certain I knew what I thought was wrong with him.

Morning came today and the rash was worse. The fussiness was worse. I called the doctor right away and got him seen within the next hour or so. She quickly confirmed my suspicion and diagnosed Jayce with roseola. Praise God we have a reason for all this mess. I told my husband that if we went in and they told me it was "teething" that I would cry... and I was very, very serious.

Now we just have to ride this out. There isn't much we can do for him, besides comfort him and love him. It is all he really needs at this point. I am so grateful that it was not something serious.

But every cake needs icing, right? While at the doctor we were informed that Jayce has fallen off of the growth chart. He is below the 5th percentile at this point, still weighing in at 18 lbs. We now are faced with the realization that he is categorized as failing to thrive. He is small, we have known that for a while, but I never really thought he was not thriving. Kinda makes me feel like I am not doing something right for him. So today they sent us over to the hospital to have some blood work done on him. They are checking to be certain of the roseola diagnosis, and also checking for a vitamin D deficiency. When they run a panel on your blood I assume they check more than just that, but those were the ones we talked about. We have a follow up appointment in a few days to go over everything. I am not a parent who never takes my kids to the doctor. I am one who believes that my doctor is a great gift to me and can be used in lots of ways. I am so grateful for the doctors God has put in our lives to help us.

I know my little guy is healthy. I know that God is handling all of this wonderfully and that I have no right to worry. And somehow, I am not worried. Me... the-one-who-worries-that-leaving-the-house-while-the-dryer-is-running-will-burn-down-the-house, is not worried. I feel God in this situation and just know that everything is fine. While Jayce was having his blood drawn, I stood in the doorway and prayed for him. He barley made a whimper the entire time. he was calm, I was calm, the nurses were calm.... everything was fine. God is in control and that is such a great feeling.

Pray for Jayce as we get through this next few weeks. We don't know what they hold exactly, but that is just fine by me. One day at a time.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

A Little More Progress

As time goes by, more things on our big "to do" list get accomplished. Which I am glad of that because my family is celebrating Christmas together at our house this year. Therefor I would like for as much of 1992 to be removed before then. Here are a few before and after photos for you. Sorry the lighting is horrible in the second one.... hey, it happens.


Let me point out a few of the changes we have made so far:

*Paint
*Boarder removed in kitchen above chair rail
*Removed the plastic shutters off of the dining room windows
*New carpet
*An actual piece of furniture under the TV
*TV wires hidden in the wall (way to go Hubster and Eric on that one)
*New light hanging above table (hard to tell in the picture, more on that project soon)

*Vertical blinds have been removed and new curtains put up.

And that is just the living/dining room! Boy it seems like a lot now that I write it out.... wow. I have also been changing out little details. All of these dated gold knobs have been replaced...

...with these brushed aluminum ones. Much better! I have also gone through the entire house replacing the beige light switches with nice white ones. All of the non matching switch covers plates are now white as well, which really makes things look more uniformed and put together.

It is amazing to me what a big difference all these little details have made. Somehow, it feels... cleaner... call me crazy! I am excited to be nearing the end of our updates. It will be nice to just live here. This place is feeling so much more like home :-)

Letters Of Intent

It's Friday which means it is time to link up with the wonderful Julie at Foursons and her Letters Of Intent! Head on over to read more great letters!

Dear Lula Mae,

A police man is a very helpful guy. Helpful in times of emergencies. Just in case you are wondering.... needing candy is never a good reason to call 9-1-1, just for future reference. Not an emergency at all my dear. Not even in a perfect world.

Love,

Your Mommy Who Was Glad You Were Using A Toy Phone

**********************************************************

Dear 9-1-1 Dispatch,

I just want to apologize in advanced for any number of "emergency" calls my daughter makes. She is really excited about the fact that you can "help" her.... perhaps too excited. Who would have thought teaching a three year old about calling 9-1-1 would bring on such stress? Again, I am sorry. I promise I will work on defining "emergency" with her.

Sincerely,

"That" Mom

**********************************************************

Dear Netflix,

I have a few suggestions for you, concerning your streaming to be exact. If you could make one, or all, of the following series available:

*I Love Lucy
*Gilligan's Island
*I Dream Of Jeannie
*Bewitched
*Happy Days
*The Brady Bunch

Now that I have finished watching Roseanne, That 70's Show and am well on my way to finishing Scrubs I will soon be needing a new show to watch. I am not thrilled with the selection you have right now. I mean how many different Power Rangers shows and movies are really necessary? I would really love to end my day with a happy go lucky episode from some of my favorite classic TV shows.

Sincerely,

A Sucker For Old TV Shows

School And Such

Now that Jayce does not take a morning nap, school for Lula Mae is more difficult. I find myself doing more "learning as we go" during the day than before. Which that is not a bad thing, just different for us. At night when Daddy gets home we find time for our school time together. We do our board work and sometimes and activity too. I can't lie, it was much easier when I had an entire hour or so early in the day to focus on Lula Mae. I refuse to let the fact that it is "harder" now stop me from one of Lula Mae's favorite things. School. She asks for it all day, talks about it all the time, refers to it non stop.... she is just a little nerd :-) I just love her love of learning! I pray that she keeps this love forever. It can really take her far!

Wondering what we are doing in school lately? Well, we are doing addition, patterns, blends, bible verse memorization, Catechisms, cutting, gluing, math workbooks, more advanced reading.... and so much more! She amazes me more and more each day. I can't believe how smart she is sometimes! She is quite a deep little 3 year old and I am so proud of her!

And in Jayce's world things are crashing and burning. Or so he seems to think anyway. Quite a while back we took his pacifier... cold turkey. Yep, that's how we do things around here. Mean old fashioned parents ;-) Anyway, the other day at our neighbors house Jayce found their daughters pacifier. It just happened to be his paci of choice. He came walking out with it and when we called his name..... he turned around and ran as though he had stolen a car! When we took it away he was mad. He was very, very mad. That night, he cried for an hour when we laid him down. Needless to say he was still very, very mad. And then today, he found Lula Mae's baby doll pacifier. What do you think he did? He took it and hid in a corner in Lula Mae's room and sucked on it until I finally found him! Again, he was mad when I took it. Very, very mad. Sigh. So the poor child has not been "weaned" from the pacifier like 3 times. I am not sure why he is torturing himself like this. Jayce is not the happiest little guy these days, but we are praying better days are soon to come. Praying really, really hard actually.

Moments Like This

Are very rare.

The two of them together.... sitting and reading. I held me breath as I went to get my camera, worried I would miss this very rare moment. Luckily, They stayed this way for quite a while. Reading and talking. Sharing and playing.

And then they began doing what they do best.
Rolling all over each other and tickling.
FYI little kids don't tickle well... it really hurts! Not even kidding!
I enjoyed the sweet, quiet moment while it lasted though. Although, their laughing and playing (though far from quiet) is still a wonderful moment. Lula Mae has an "only child" personality if I have ever seen one. It is nice to see both of them enjoying each other more often. Even if they are semi torturing each other..... hey it works for me!