Weekend in Review

We had a fun and eventful weekend. On Saturday, we went to my nephew Landry's Upward basketball game. He played with all his heart - he has the most positive attitude on the team! Afterward we went back to my sister's house and had a little Valentine party. It was a little early, but I don't think the kids noticed. The other kids in the picture are Anne's (used to be Patton), a friend of ours from Mexia whose husband now goes to Dallas Theological Seminary. The kids had a blast with cupcakes, toys, and just all around fun!

Jonah and Logan playing "Star Wars".

Yesterday I walked in the kitchen where Jonah was eating yogurt, and found him sitting like this singing, "Rudolph the yogurty reindeer, had a very yogurty nose!" He didn't even know I was there and he was just dying laughing at himself!

Misc. Stuff

Well, I'm probably gonna be all over the place on this blog - I have lots of topics to write about today. Nothing too "change the world" but nevertheless important to my little world!

These next pics are of our trip to the children's museum in Commerce with our friends Brooke and Gus. It was a wind chill of 16 degrees that day, but we were bound and determined to get out of the house! It has been so cold lately and with Jonah's stomach virus Monday and Tuesday we were getting cabin fever. Brooke is also a stay at home mom and there is only so much "cooped upness" you can take before going cuckoo! If you ever get a chance to visit the Northeast Texas chidren's Museum, it is definitely worth your time!

Jonah showing off his farm creation...

This is Gus and Caleb busy doing...just busy!

This is Jonah in the Rocketship - how cool is that. There is even a mission control and everything!"So do you think this is a catfish or a guppy?"

We also went to Jonah's GI doctor today for the first visit. They did some bloodwork and other testing and we got to talk to the doctor for awhile. We don't have any answers yet, but hopefully pretty soon we'll narrow down the options for his stomach issues. There are about 4 or 5 things that it could possibly be, and I'm not really too excited about any of them but I'm mainly just ready to get some answers. I'll fill you in when we get results back.

On another note, the other day Adam took the boys out to a little pond to fish a little. Well, as always Caleb takes off in the other direction. Adam takes off to chase him while Jonah is fishing. About 15 seconds later Adam looks back around and a horse was 2 inches from Jonah's face looking him eye to eye. Surprisingly, while holding a fishing pole, Jonah calmly says "Hi, Mr. Horse" and continues to fish...You just never know with that boy!

Also, I wanted to tell a story that I've been meaning to put on the blog, but I've just now remembered it. While Jonah and I were at the hospital, Adam was putting Caleb to bed. Our usual routine is Mom reads a book, Dad tells a story and then we do our verse, pray and go to bed. Well, Adam was tired that night so he just went straight to telling the story since I wasn't there. As soon as he started "Once Upon a time" Caleb runs toward him puts his hand over his mouth and then heads straight for the bookshelf to grab a book...That boy may not talk much, but he knows how to get his point across!

By the way - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA GINA - WE LOVE YOU!

PEEK -A-BOO!

I came around the corner the other day and this is what I found - two little munchkins popping out of the laundry hamper "Surprise!". I love the fact that they are starting to actually play together now. Caleb is also starting to say all kinds of new words like, "nana' (banana), "mo cheeth" (more cheese - which is his favorite right now), juith (juice), shooths (shoes), and all kinds of other cute phrases that I can't at all remember right now. There's also a lot of
"plgbvvspalkapoiejalkjieo" that none of us are real sure what it is but Caleb is very sure! I'm hoping that Caleb will actually be able to carry on a conversation soon, to help take some of the "conversation time" with his wordy older brother.

But then along with the cute playing together stage - there comes the training time of how to play together nicely. Some days there is a lot of grunting and squealing on Caleb's part, and a lot of giving back, helping him find something else to play with, and learning to walk away before there erupts a fight! It's a lot of work, but all worth it to walk in and see two little brothers sitting together in a little recliner. They do love each other so much, and I'm so thankful to watch that love each day!

Well, I spent this last weekend painting my kitchen and living room. It's amazing how filthy your walls get with two little ones. It was definitely an undertaking and I volunteered for the job, because I love to paint (theoretically, but not at the moment) and frankly I'm just plain faster than Adam! So my great husband Adam toted the kids around while I was busy at home. I think I painted for about 20 hours over a 2 day period. Needless to say, I was pooped and my whole body hurt from constantly staying in one position. It looks so great though and I'll post pictures when I have a couple more touch ups done. I actually had fun for the most part, just being alone and listening to podcasts of all my favorite preachers and listening to great worship music. I told Adam I think I needed a break to myself, because I would have enjoyed shoveling maneur at that point! Adam enjoyed the first day of kidwatching - but I think the second day they gave him a run for his money! I'm so thankful to have a husband who always supports and helps whenever he can - that is definitely not the norm. We even got to stay a couple of nights at a local family's "missionary house" that they provide for missionaries on furlough. It was open at the time, so we spent a couple of nights out there away from the paint smell. It was so relaxing and it was encouraging to see such a lovely home with so much love put into it, reserved specifically for those in ministry. What a beautiful heart that family has! I should have taken a picture of it - but give me a break - I WAS a little pooped!

When we got back to the newly painted house - Adam and I got on our usual spree of changing all the furniture around in our living spaces. We think we are a little obsessed with the whole changing things in our home because a few times a year we just have to switch stuff around. We did a little counseling session with ourselves, and we think it's just our need to see a concrete and visual improvement quickly. For those of you in ministry, sometimes those feel few and far between, so I guess that's how we cope! I guess that's better than a straight jacket or drugs! A good reminder that God always knows what we need, whether great or small! We're still convinced we're a little crazy though!

Chuck E. Cheese

Today I took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese in Sherman. We had plans to go with some friends of ours, Brooke and Gus, but they were sick! We ventured out alone, and we had a lot of fun, because we were the only people there at 10:00 on a Monday morning. I guess there's not a lot of demand for excitement at that point of the week for most people. For us, it was the perfect excuse to have a little fun and ease my worries about keeping up with the rugrats so closely. Caleb just sprints around the whole place climbing on everything, he even found a new way to play Skeeball - He just climbs up on the ramp and puts the ball in the hole! Works for me! It's nice because Jonah is finally at a point where he can at least try the games by himself now - I don't have to show him how to do everything anymore which is a nice relief. Here's our picture from the little picture taking machine there...

Humpty Dumpty

We spent the morning acting out nursery rhymes. Jonah loves to act out ANYTHING! It's great because he's learned so many rhymes in the process. Here's our interpretation of "Humpty Dumpty"...

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...

All the King's horses, and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again!

The End!

A New Perspective

I was just sitting here thinking about a conversation that I had with a friend of mine. Does anyone else out there feel like they are in a spiritual fog? The only way I can describe it would be that I feel like someone is pouring sand on top of me and I want to dig my way out, but I really just don't have the will or energy to do that! I don't know if this makes any sense to anyone else, but I just felt the need to write this.
I'm sure our health issues for the last 5 months have not helped things, in fact I'm sure it has a lot to do with how I feel. After a while you just get tired of the same ol' routine of wondering what's wrong with your kids, going to the doctor, researching how to get them better, putting all your energy into taking care of sick kids, standing in line forever at pharmacies and then being treated rudely, trying to play catch-up with all the chores that you've gotten behind on...then finally feeling like your starting to get a little control again and the cycle starts over! I'm trying not to sound pitiful, but by golly I guess I just am! I just feel like screaming...HELP!!! And the funny thing is there's not really anything anyone can do to help! I guess this is a very good lesson in depending on God in our every need, but sometimes I am just not very good at that! Once again my lack of patience seems to get the best of me.
The boys Pneumonia is all clear -yeah! They do still have their ear infections, so we're working on still getting completely rid of those. Jonah is going to a Pediatric GastroInterologist soon, because he has had mild, chronic diarrhea for a couple of months now, that we or our doctor can't seem to figure out. He's done some tests, but nothing has come out positive so we're moving on to a specialist. Please pray for him. He just really needs healing in his body right now, and we would really appreciate your prayers. I think my brain is tired of thinking about what it could be, and I think I've searched every nook and cranny on the internet for answers. I just need to leave it in the Lord's hands, because I think it weighs on me more than I know.
...It really feels good to get all that out in writing.

Feeling Buried By Your Laundry?

ME TOO! A little embarassing, but hopefully I'll make some of you moms out there feel a little better about yourselves today!!

Caleb "helping" with the groceries!

Home at Last

For those of you who don't know already, Jonah did get to come home yesterday. Thank you for all your prayers and calls - it was such an encouragement to us this last week. The boys are doing better, but we are still in the home recovery stage now...Breathing treatments for both of them, antibiotics, and Jonah is on Prednisone. Jonah is very, hmmm - interesting, on this medicine, so pray for Adam and I as he's on this for four more days. It makes him jittery and extremely moody! Which for a 3 year old is a lot of fun (hear the sarcasm). We're slowly, but surely getting better, but now it's going to be a challenge to keep him inside for the next few days at least - he's already asking to go outside.
And when it rains, it pours. I also have an eye infection that will not go away. I'm on antibiotics, but it just doesn't want to go away. At this point I'm expecting my arm just to spontaneously fall off, and I don't even know if it would phase me much! We're just all trying to keep a thankful heart for the so many other blessings that we have...a great Christian doctor, a warm and wonderful home to come back to, wonderful friends and family who are so supportive, and most of all the peace that God gives in the middle of a storm! There are so many people who have never experienced that kind of peace, and we are so thankful to know the Saviour who offers that peace!...Okay I'm done with my mini sermon now!...
Thank you again to everyone, and please keep us on your prayer list - that we can all get completely healthy and stay that way at least for a while!
*Special thanks to Tootsie for rushing to our help on Monday even though your health is not much better than ours right now, to Mama Gina and Papa John for staying with us and being so supportive, to Mary for being there when we needed your help! We love all of you!

Almost Home

Well, I'll share all the details at a later date, but I just wanted to quickly tell you about our last week. Jonah and Caleb both went in the hospital on Monday of this week with Pneumonia. Caleb got to go home Tuesday evening and Jonah is still there. I stayed at the hospital last night with Jonah and Adam is staying tonight. Please pray that he will be well enough to come home tomorrow. His oxygen level has to get to at least 95 before he can come home. He's getting so tired of being in the hospital and it's especially hard, because he has to stay in one place hooked to oxygen. For those of you who know Jonah...that's a very hard thing for him! Thank you so much for your prayers, and I'll try and keep you updated as time allows.