Weddings

I love going to weddings. I love to see how a bride's personality comes out in the wedding atmosphere. Whether it is simple or extravagant, elegant or chic, serious or fun.

I went to a wedding today for a girl I used to babysit. We were there for the engagement and we were there today to celebrate the wedding.


I personally think it is a romantic date to go to a wedding. It is a reminder of the commitment I made 14 1/2 years ago. Usually, a emotional reminder.


This was the prayer that was prayed today - I have some connections that allowed me to get a copy of this. ;)

God of Love, as they now become husband and wife, may they know your pleasure.

May their joys be doubled, since the happiness of one is the happiness of the other.

May their troubles be halved, since their burdens can now be shared.

Bless this man. May his strength be her protection, his Christ-like character be her boast and may she find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman longs.

Bless this woman. Bless her with tenderness, understanding, and a great faith in You.

Give to her that inner beauty that never fades, that eternal youth that comes from holding fast to the One who never ages.

May they never make the mistake of merely living for each other.

Together, may they live for You.

May they seek first Your Kingdom, Your righteousness.

And may they do so knowing that You will provide for all their needs.

May their love for You increase their love for each other.

May their faithfulness to you enable them to remain faithful to each other.

Knowing that You alone are perfect, may they minimize each other's weaknesses, be swift to praise and magnify each other's strengths and look upon each other with kindness and patience.

May they learn each day the grace of forgiveness.

May they experience each day the supernatural ability to love as they have been loved.

Give them enough tears to keep them tender, enough hurts to keep them humble,

enough failures to keep their hands clenched tightly in Yours and enough successes to assure them of Your blessing.

May they never take each other's love for granted but always experience that breathless wonder that rejoices to know that out of all the men and women upon this earth, you gave them to each other.

And when this life is almost over, may they still be hand-in-hand-in-Hand with You.

Still serving You faithfully, still praising You for having made them husband and wife,

until at last, one shall lay the other in Your arms....

This we ask thru Jesus Christ, the great Lover of our souls.

Amen

Toothpaste Wars

Do you have a toothpaste war at your house?

This is what our hall bathroom looks like each evening and each morning after the kids brush their teeth.Maybe this doesn't look too bad, and I try not to complain - at least the germs from the toothbrushes aren't touching each other. Oddly enough, the only person that gets his toothbrush in the cup every day is Tavis (that is beyond odd), but notice he puts his brush in the cup upside down and that really grosses me out, but I can't complain because he is actually putting it where it goes.

If you could look closer there is toothpaste on the front cabinet door, toothpaste splattered on the mirror, sometimes it ends up on the floor and sometimes on the pictures on the opposite wall.

And how hard is it to squeeze a toothpaste tub I ask you?I confess, I'm not really good at getting my kids to really clean. I have failed in this department and have failed their future households. Mostly, because it is easier, takes less time and gets done right if I just do it myself. My kids don't do nothing; they make their beds, pick up their toys, empty the dishwasher, take the garbage out, clean up after dinner, some are learning laundry and oddly enough, I'm having to teach them how to put things on a hanger (that is a whole other post).

So, last weekend, I had had enough of cleaning. I told them that each Saturday they would learn a different task. I had Capps dusting every piece of wood furniture he could find. Mollee was scrubbing counters and placemats and sweeping all the hardwood. Daegan was picking up and vacuuming, along with laundry shifting. And Tavis was cleaning the bathrooms. I showed him how to wipe up the counter, cabinet doors and floor and had him cleaning mirrors.

I felt like I had made some progress when they were brushing their teeth that night and someone made a mess and I heard Tavis say, "Hey, I just cleaned off the counter, be careful!"

In A Huff

I hate poor scheduling!

Tavis and Daegan had dentist appointments today at 11:45. You know where this is going. I called to try to get one for Mollee next week and they said I could come in a few minutes early and bring her too. I was thinking this meant they had room in their schedule.

We waited an hour-and-a-half.

It was 1:00, the kids hadn't eaten lunch and I asked, "How much longer?" I was told, "Maybe 10-15 more minutes, we usually get out of here at 1:00 for lunch". Does that make sense to anybody? It was already 1:00, the time they claim to be done for lunch and they still had my three children to see.

UGH!

We left, in a huff! I was so frustrated. I hate having Mollee out of class because she learns better by seeing/hearing first hand. Plus, I had to pick-up others at school at 2:00. If and when they called the kids back, who knows when we would have gotten out of there.

I called Jason and he said leave.

See the problem is, our dental insurance runs out Monday.

Time to find a new dentist and I'll just take one kid a month (to spread out the bills), for what will seem like, the rest of my life.

Not Much To Report

I just want to get my last entry from saying "Bomb Threat". :)

It has been a long week getting back into the swing of things after a snow break. Jason worked six long days this week, so that made the week seem even longer. They are calling for snow again this next week, but I'm really hoping nothing will accumulate.

My mind is frozen and I can't think of anything to say.

Enjoying one more Sunday of football. Then the Super Bowl, then nothing for months - so sad!

Don't worry, NASCAR starts soon!

Bomb Threat

Tavis' class sang in chapel today, so I went to school to support that. I decided to stay for lunch and eat with the kids. As I was packing up, I got a text on my phone from the school about a bomb threat that they were investigating. At that time I could see the teachers around me getting lock-down messages on their CB radios.

I headed to the front office (where you exit the school) and asked what Mac and I were supposed to do. I was told I could join the lock-down in an office or get out, but if I left the parking lot, I would not be allowed to come back until they got an 'all clear' from the authorities. Since the kids were already in lock-down there was no way I could get my children, so I just went to the car and waited. There is no way I was just going to leave.

I knew there was nothing I could do, but I really couldn't imagine, hearing of a bomb threat, knowing my children were inside and just driving off. I didn't think it was responsible of me to stay in the school either, just in case something did happen, there was no reason to put Mac and I in harms way.

So we waited!

We watched as cops blocked every entrance to the school, not letting anyone onto campus. We then watched as the bomb squad got in uniform and entered the school with their dogs. What a crazy feeling. Then ambulances joined the police cars and bomb squad in the parking lot and they just sat there waiting too, just in case!

It was so weird to me. I just sat there, in the car, waiting. It was a little stressful to think about, but after an hour passed and they sent a text that high school and middle school were secure, another 45 minutes or so and the elementary school was secure.

Thank the Lord, they found nothing.

Apparently, there was a note with the threat. After discussing it with the authorities, they decided to have the lock-down. I know no other details. I am so thankful for a school that, I feel, handled things wonderfully.

Not sure who would do such a crazy thing as a bomb threat at a school, but people don't always make sense. Just hoping they can find the author of that note.

Another day in the life of me!

3rd Grade Choir Chapel

With the bomb threat excitement, I didn't post pictures from Tavis' chapel. So, for the family books:Tavis is right in the middle of the middle row

Mac's other parties

I forgot to post this after Mac's "real birthday".

Birthday with the Brown's

I love this one of Daegan reading Mac his card

Birthday with the Caines'

Since I am usually the one taking the pictures, I get a picture with the birthday kid each year

Faithfulness

As many of you know, we've been sick. I got shingles and all the kids have had the stomach flu. All the while, we've been stuck at home because of the Winter Storm of 2011. It has been a long week.

There was much debate about who should go to church this morning. I won't bore you with the drama, but I knew I needed to go. I needed to get out of the house, especially for worship.

Here was our Confession of Faith today:

Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 26

What do you believe when you say, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?"

That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who out of nothing created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, Who still upholds and rules them by His eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ His Son. I trust Him so that I do not doubt that He will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and He will turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this world. He is able to do this because He is Almighty God; He desires to do this because He is a faithful Father.


Then, during the sermon, we were directed to James 4:2, 3

"...You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives"

It isn't common for someone my age to get shingles. Do you know what would cause someone like me to get shingles? Stress!

I know, I know, you can't imagine I would have any stress. I don't think that just normal stress would cause such a reaction as shingles. Without going into too much detail at this time, Jason and I have been making some very big decisions lately. It has produced a lot of late night discussions, a lot of planning, some more discussions and a lot of stress!

I've prayed, but in hindsight, I've prayed with an attitude.

Worship today was exactly what I needed. The Lord is faithful. I know that. We've been through a roller coaster of self-employed jobs over the last six years. He has always taken care of us. I've got stories. Yet, when a new challenge is in front of me, I waiver. I never can imagine that the details will work out, yet they always do. Of course, they work out according to the Lord's plan, not mine. Sometimes it takes me years to see how His plan is better than my plan. He is faithful and I should never doubt Him.

Oh Lord, You Have Been Good

You Have Been Faithful to All Generations

Oh Lord, Your Steadfast Love

And Tender Mercy

Have Been Our Salvation

For By Your Hand We Have Been Fed

And By Your Spirit We Have Been Led

Oh Lord, Almighty God

Father Unchanging, Upright and Holy

Oh Lord, You Have Been Faithful, You Have Been Good

Forgive me for praying with an improper attitude,

help me to trust your ways,

help me to remember your faithfulness.

Happy Birthday, Pork Chop!

(still in PJs at dinnertime, just what he wanted!)

My pregnancy with Mac and his birth

(Last year I did a "trip down memory lane" in photos for each birthday, but this year I want to enter in my pregnancy/birth journal, which I have for each kid).


After having four kids (no twins) in three-in-a-half years (who does that?), my body needed a rest. We took a little time off to enjoy our four little ones without morning sickness. I also decided I was going to have a more enjoyable pregnancy next time and get myself into shape beforehand. For almost a year, I worked out daily and counted calories. I got within 5 lbs of my goal weight. Then we decided to get pregnant, thinking it would take a few months - for some reason I wanted a May baby? Mollee was 5, Tavis was 4, Daegan was 3 and Capps was about to turn 2. We got pregnant right away.

I assumed I was pregnant, but we were heading to the beach with Jason's family, so I decided to wait until we got back to take a test. I think we were in Florida for less than 12 hours when I bought a test and took it and it was positive, but we didn't say anything. The beach trip was great, except that I slept all the time. I think we waited until I went to the dr before we told people we were pregnant, around 8 weeks. Due date was January 25.


Nausea with this pregnancy wasn't as bad as with Capps, but it was still present until about 20 weeks. I was able to nap every day and that helped a lot. At 15 weeks, Mollee went to kindergarten. That was very emotional on Mommy, but we got into the swing of school very quickly - of course, it helped that she loved it. I felt the baby some at 16 weeks, but really felt him at 20 weeks and he was very active from that point on. Ultrasound at 18 weeks indicated a definite boy! For some reason, I assumed it was a girl.



I had planned to keep up with my exercise throughout pregnancy, but was just too tired at the beginning. By my second trimester my shortness of breath was extreme and exercise was out of the question. After all the hard work before pregnancy, I gained 55 lbs. total with this pregnancy.


My fundus height increased faster than with other pregnancies, so at 33 weeks they did another ultrasound and the due date came back to January 14, but if it didn't change the date by two weeks, they wouldn't change it on the chart. I was told that the baby would be over 9 lbs. At 35 weeks my sciatica pain was extreme, I was always out-of-breathe and I was miserable. I remember trying to be tough, but hoping my midwife would induce at 38 weeks. I was a little scared of a big baby.


At my 38 week check-up, my midwife agreed to induce the following Monday. I was only 1cm and the baby was still floating, but I was done being pregnant. We had problems with insurance at our hospital of choice that was causing some stress while trying to get induction scheduled. Hospital saying insurance no longer accepted, but insurance saying they had already pre-approved that hospital so we could go there.


We headed to the hospital Monday morning at 6 AM. I am always beta-strep positive and allergic to regular antibiotics, so I'd have to get a different antibiotic that took longer so we'd have to get it started as soon as possible. Antibiotics started at 6:30, Pitocin started at 11:00 - set at 3 and bumped up 3 every 30 minutes. Midwife broke my water at noon and I got epidural at 12:30, in case things went quickly. I felt epidural was too heavy and I got extremely itchy. Because of back labor my nurse made me lay on side to progress labor, but it all went slower than normal and I can remember being very frustrated. At 3:15, I was checked at 90% effaced and only 6cm. A different nurse had checked me and made me roll onto the other side and within 10 minutes I told her to check me again - I was sure I was complete. I was and they made me wait for midwife to get there and I pushed twice and baby was born at 3:37.


A beautiful baby boy: Haynes (my grandfather's name) MacArthur. He was 6 lbs. 15 oz (not 9 lbs?) and 19 3/4 inches. I nursed him right after they cleaned him up, which went well and I nursed him until I had to have my gall bladder out when he was 11 months old and my milk supply didn't survive the surgery. He looked a lot like Daegan was the comment everyone expressed in the hospital!


The other kids are 12 1/2 months, 15 months and 16 months apart, so with a 2 1/2 year gap, we felt like we were starting over - as crazy as that sounds! Since Capps was our "baby" for 2 1/2 years, we feared he would be jealous, but he ended up being very protective. Sometimes too protective.


Mac was a happy and easy baby. He never took a paci, but sucked him thumb from about 6 weeks until 9 months and then just stopped on his own. He had major separation anxiety from the start, and has just recently started going to Sunday School.

I didn't quite remember this, but until 6 months, his weight percentile was around 50% and his height was around 10%, after that he fell off the chart and was too small to be on the chart. He was a poor eater, and still is, but the dr was never concerned because his weight was a higher percentile than his height.

I remember thinking that the Lord's timing was perfect, once again. To have a January baby was much better than having a May baby. I was available to participate (not recovering from birth) in end-of-the-school-year activities. During the summer, I was able to get the two little ones down for a nap and take the big ones to the pool. If I had to choose, January and March (Daeg) were my favorite months for having a baby.

Sorry this is so lengthy. It was fun to go back and read thru all my entries. Today he turns 4. He is a funny character who runs with the big boys, but is absolutely fine playing in his room by himself. He is completely out of diapers (not even at night) and as soon as we can find another set of bunk beds, he will move down to the boys room. He is a snuggler. He has a blanket that he drags around the house with him everywhere and, if I'd let him, he would take it on errands too. Jason calls him R2-D2 because he beeps and squeaks and moans instead of talking (which we are working on), personally I think it is because Curious George is his hero - have you ever seen the show? We also call him Pork Chop, because of a t-shirt he picks to wear every time he dresses himself.
I mentioned in my Christmas letter that he has been a perfect "last child", which is so true! He goes with the flow of me volunteering at school, but he also loves to stay home - especially if it means he can stay in his PJs.

Happy 4th Birthday, Pork Chop! *sniff*

When not in the snow

(due to germs, that was most of the week)

We tried to avoid cabin fever by

watching movies in Mac's bed with the portable DVD player

continuing to enjoy Christmas toys (the Bat Cave)beads, beads and more beads
and puzzles
Daddy at the Xbox concerts by Mac (he is always looking for an audience)'Fun Mom' was sick in bed, but this is how we survived!

And the clouds are lifting

Germ and Snow!

After stomach bug, shingles and nasty colds, everyone went out today to play together in the snow!

but Mac only made it for the 90 seconds it took for these picture!

No school until Tuesday, but the school President has made it clear we will have to make up these snow days!

I'm just glad I didn't have to make the who-goes-to-school-and-who-doesn't decisions this week with all our germs.

And another and another..

Welcome to my infirmary!

Daegan starting throwing up after dinner, Mollee in the middle of the night and Mac after breakfast - we probably won't be playing in the snow today! See Tavis in the background, trying to avoid the germs, and saying, "I don't ever get sick" - dangerous words, my boy!At least I don't feel like we are missing out on life, nobody else is out and about either.

50 hours

At 50 hours, Daegan starts throwing up - forget the 48 hour rule!

Second Snow Play Group

with cousins!!!
and, yes, I played!ElijahDaegan and IsaiahJonah built me a snowmanI even shoveled the sidewalk - Go Me!

2011 Snow

We measured 7 inches!!!

The icy hill next to our house to get out of the neighborhood(I actually remembered to get the recycle out, but they didn't pick up?)

The first snow play groupThe birds are not being fed today

48 hour watch

Saturday night, Jason and I were sitting in the kitchen when Capps came up screaming. He was holding his neck. We kept asking, did you get kicked, did you fall and land on your neck funny, etc..

No answers, just tears

and then a sprint to the bathroom to throw up.

It is funny to me how kids don't know how to express that feeling before throwing up.

That poor boy threw up for 12 hours without much relief. He never gets sick, so this was new to him. Sunday he just laid around, sipping on water and gatorade from time to time. Pitiful.

Now, I feel like I'm just waiting for the next victim. I think I was told once you wait 48 hours before you assume you are in clear. Of course, you never know what germs are lurking where. I have Lysoled every door knob and light switch numerous times, along with the toilet every time Capps visited it. I threw away all the toothbrushes. Everyone is also on strict hand sanitizer watch and I went ahead and sprayed the computer keyboard and the piles of toys that were out.

That is all I can do, and now we just wait and see!

Half Birthday

Capps' birthday is in the Summer. In order to celebrate with his classmates, we decided to celebrate his half birthday, which is today. He took little boxes of Nerds to hand out as his treat (I stocked up on Halloween clearance for easy birthday treats).
Unfortunately, he was looking for birthday gifts tonight?