"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-12
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
His Grace is Sufficient For Me
Yesterday, my mom and dad watched the boys while I went out food shopping! I even did a little bit of their shopping too! I was so thankful for their help - it may have only been an hour and a half, but they basically gave that extra time to me - thank you both!
I have also been able to enjoy the moment that I am in, and not be concerned about what is going to happen next. I do need to prepare, but when I am spending time with people, I need to be there 100%!
One other thing that has been resonating inside of me is, "His grace is sufficient for me." Along with this phrase, is the rest of a song that I sang growing up:
Jehovah Jirah, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me,
Jehovah Jirah, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me.
My God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory,
He will give His angels charge over me,
Jehovah Jirah cares for me, for me, for me,
Jehovah Jirah cares for me.
He does care for me, and He will provide for all of my needs. He is a good God.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
December in a Nutshell
So often during this year, I felt like I was running, trying to catch up with what was happening, but always feeling a few steps behind. I have felt isolated at times and just plain busy. There are many reasons that I can think of that could be linked to why I was feeling this way: our family had only one car from October '07 - August '08, so I stayed home most of the time with our new baby that was born in January and with my toddler/pre-schooler. Going from one to two was definitely challenging for me at times, and I was just lacking sleep a lot of the time.
December was definitely a month that was very tiring and I have felt worn out. I feel like I have been just going, going, going since Thanksgiving - and I am still going! I have had a lot of fun too - but that has been coupled with being tired. This is basically what has been going on (I need to write it in list form - it just helps it to flow better for me):
1. We hosted Thanksgiving here - we had a great time with the family that was able to come.
2. The Monday after Thanksgiving, Smiles had surgery.
3. After his surgery, he would wake up in the middle of the night every night, somewhere between 2-4am, and he would not go back to sleep unless I nursed him - he took a whole feeding, so I am assuming that he was hungry - I just was wishing that he would get all of his calories during the day! He was not awake from 2-4am, he just woke up somewhere in between those times. This went on for at least 2 weeks.
4. Smiles finally started to sleep completely through the night during the third week of December - I know that many prayers were going up to the Lord for this to happen!
5. At the end of that week (Friday before Christmas), he got a high fever for three days, which then showed itself as roseola. During this time, he started to wake up at night again - probably from being uncomfortable.
6. The Monday before Christmas, Smiles woke up at 11:30PM screaming and I had to nurse him in - he would not relax and go to sleep if I did not. He then woke up at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 and 5:30. Needless to say, I was exhausted the next morning - thank you mom for your help on Tuesday! Smiles woke up at 11:30 PM again on Tuesday evening, and I was happy to have children's benedryl to give to him - that seemed to help him get through the rest of the night!
7. Christmas day was spent with my family, then I had a day to try and recoup a little bit, then Christmas with Dawson's family was on Saturday - which was great, then our friends from CT arrived on Sunday morning and stayed until Monday morning (again, this was great, but I felt like we were still going!)
8. Tomorrow is decorating cookies for the grandkids at my parents' house plus I need to do food shopping (and CVS too - we need some toilet paper, and I have two great coupons to use - thanks Thrills!)
9. Wednesday evening (New Years' Eve) we will be at my parents' - food to make!
10. New Years' day we will host family at our house - more food to make!
11. January 2nd is Brady's birthday - we will have a cake for him...when will I make that???
12. On top of all that has been going on, Dawson had to work late every night for at least two weeks before Christmas, so when he got home, I usually did not feel like going out shopping for presents (hence the last minute shopping that I had to do with the help of my parents!)
This month has been tiring, but also filled with a lot of fun family time too. I am just looking forward to having a vacation...I am not sure what that means, but I am looking forward to one! Dawson was joking with my tonight, saying that he should send me to a cabin in the forest - but I thought that it would be lonely, and I would still have to make myself food and clean everything up. I am not sure what I need, but I have to say, that when I go on a vacation, I really like my family to be with me! I love them so much! I think that I need some sleep, and more time with my hubby.
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading and hearing what has been going on in my life during the month of my tiring December. I am ready for some rejuvenation!
Monday, December 29, 2008
The House is SO Quiet!
We had a lot of fun together! Ulysses and Dawson went to college together, and were friends ever since. Besides the four adults, there were four kids all under the age of three! There was cute little E - she is 6 months old, her brother C is 19 months old, and then we have Smiles who is almost 12 months old, and Brady who is a few days shy of being 3. They had so much fun together! I think that this was the first time that all four of them interacted with each other in some way, and it was so cute!
Nap time went well for all the kids except Brady - there was not room available for him to nap, so we just kept him up and he ran an errand with me (I think that he made up for the lost nap today - he had a solid 3 hour nap today, and I had to actually wake him up!). Our friends were also able to get a little nap in while the kids were napping, which was great because they left for CT this morning around 10:30ish!
We finally got all of the kids down for the night (by 8pm!) - Brady slept in our room, Smiles in his room, C slept in Brady's room, and E and her parents slept in our family room. Overall, they went down fine. We decided to not play any board games, but we did stay up talking until about midnight. Little E could hear us talking and kept waking up, so we all finally decided to hit the sack!
We usually get to see them at least two times per year, but this year it was actually three times! We wish that we lived closer to them, but we know that it is not going to happen. So, we enjoy all of the times that we see them throughout the year, and we may try to visit each other a little more often with a long weekend here and there. We are so thankful for our friendship with this family.
Praying For Comfort and Peace
When Dawson returned to work today, he found out that a co-worker past away on the 23rd. My heart breaks for his wife and two daughters. Dawson went to the viewing tonight and he is planning on attending the funeral tomorrow. This was a sudden death, which makes the situation even harder for the family and the people that worked with him.
Every time I think about it, I get choked up and tears fill my eyes, and I have been praying for the family many times throughout the day. Praying for comfort and peace for the family.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
What Do You Think About Crocs?
They took X-rays and really did not see any reason shy my foot is hurting (on the bottom of my foot, south of my big toe). It could be bunion related, but I only have a slight bunion. He gave me a shot of cortisone, and told me to come back in three weeks...which is in about a week and a half away. Let me just tell you that the cortisone did not fee very good at first, the pain increased! The next day, my foot was feeling a lot better, but now it is starting to hurt again. So, we will see what he says come January 5th.
Anyway, one thing that he suggested was that I buy a pair of crocs to wear around the house. I have never owned a pair of crocs, so my question to you is:
1. Do you own a pair of crocs (or have you ever owned a pair)?
2. What do you think about your pair of crocs...and what type do you own?
3. Where do you suggest that I look to buy a pair of crocs?
Thank you for your input! He told me that they are soft and have some good cushion support in there. I also have arches that need support - so...
4. Do you think that they provide good support in the arch area!
Thanks again!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
It Was At Least 20 to 25!
After dinner, we were in the kitchen talking and getting ready for dessert. My sister was at the sink and I was across from her, leaning against the counter while watching Smiles crawl around the kitchen. I had just followed him in from the family room, and I am so glad and thankful that I did!
I have to tell you that he took his first official step the day after he was 11 months (December 9th) - which is exactly what his Brady did! Since Smiles, he would stand up, get his balance while not holding on to anything and then he would smile (of course) as he took between 2-4 steps towards me, while falling into my lap. I figured that he would walk soon, but thought that it was a few weeks away.
Ok, back to the kitchen. Smiles crawled over to the fridge, and climbed into his standing position. I got my sister's attention to look at Smiles, and I am sure that she is glad that I did, because then he did something that he had never done before. He started to WALK!!! He walked from the fridge, to her sink, then somehow turned around and walked back to the fridge!!! He probably took over 20-25 steps - maybe even 30-35, and even steadied himself a few times!!! I was so amazed and excited...and Dawson, my mom and Brady walked into the kitchen while this was happening, which made it even better! We were all so proud of little Smiles, and so we all clapped for him, and he joined us with the clapping, which was so cute!
I am so proud of my little guy, and I am so excited that I was there and got to see the whole thing! He has not taken that many steps again since then...but, watch out world, here he comes! :)
Friday, December 26, 2008
Our Typical, Wonderful Christmas Day
After we wake up on Christmas morning, we start our day by reading the account of Jesus being born. This is a tradition that both Dawson and my family had, and we are happy to continue it! Eventually, we will read the story straight from the Bible with each person taking a turn, but this year, we decided to read one of the picture books that we have for the kids, just because of their age. They definitely enjoyed it. Then we went down stairs to open presents together (and I found Smiles' stocking right before we went down the stairs! (It is SO much nicer than the one that I has Dawson pick up at the dollar store!).
The boys were so excited when they saw a stuffed animal at the top of their stocking - Brady had Curious George monkey in his and Smiles had a hippo. We had the boys open up some of their presents - Smiles did not completely understand what he was "supposed" to be doing, but he did enjoy the bag that we were putting the torn wrapping paper in - it was really cute! very typical of a baby's first Christmas! We took a break from presents (put Smiles down for a nap) and Dawson and I began to get breakfast going.
Around 9:30, my parents came over and we ate breakfast together which included homemade waffles, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and of course some egg nog - we always had egg nog Christmas morning - and decaf Colombian coffee (my favorite). It was a really nice breakfast.
After breakfast, we exchanged presents with my parents - and Smiles woke up right before my parents were going to leave. So, he was able to open up the presents with them, and it was so worth it for them to see how much he enjoyed the ride on toy that they gave to him. It plays the ABC song, and he was dancing to it - so cute!
So, after my parents spends time with us, they move on to my sister's house (ahead of us), so that they can spend some time with them, before we head over there. We then have enough time to get everyone dressed and head out the door to my sister's house.
At my sister's house, we had so much fun, exchanging gifts, and eating LOTS of great food! We may not be Italian, but we definitely know how to make and eat delicious Italian food - all props to my sis and her hubby too! Dinner was delicious - chicken parm, sausage with peppers and onions (for those who wanted some!), three veggie dishes, bread with her dipping oil mixture, and wonderful family to enjoy it. Simms' family was also there as well.
We had a wonderful time, and I think the great gift that I received that day came from my son Smiles - which I will write about in another post! Brady also gave me lots of snuggles and hugs, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
I love my family and I am so thankful that we were able to have a wonderful day as we celebrated the birth of Christ.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
I am so Thankful
It's not about whether your house is perfectly decorated in every room,
Or if you STILL do not have a skirt for the Christmas tree,
Or the fact that your presents are still not wrapped,
Or the fact that you have misplaced the stocking for your second born that was made by his great aunt,
Or the potential that your youngest's first Christmas pictures may be a little "spotted" (he had roseola this weekend - I thought that the fever was due to teething, until he broke out in a rash yesterday).
No, the focus of our Christmas is on Jesus. We enjoy coming together as a family, exchanging gifts with each other, and remembering what this holiday is truly about.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas!
(and to all, a good night sleep - especially Smiles, and me!)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Turkey Hill, Anyone?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Noah's Ark Craft
Obviously I said yes - they were on sale, so why not! So, after we put a cotton ball on our "Christmas Countdown" lamb, he asked if he could play with the Noah's ark animals. The first day that I got them out, he dumped all of them out and then he started to separate them according to what type of animal (or ark or Noah) it was. I was thinking that we would do something else with them, but then he piled them into the center and we cleaned up.
Here is a photo of Brady focusing on separating the animals.
After Brady was done with placing the stickers on the paper, I asked him to tell me the story of Noah's ark - as he started to tell me his version, I started to write down what he was saying as fast as I could. I wrote down the first two versions and then I caught one on video.
Here is Version #1 that he told me:
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas Countdown Part 2
Friday, December 12, 2008
Countdown To Christmas!
So, I searched the Internet and found a sheep project (Here is another cute one.). I printed out the sheep on card stock, and then used a nickel to make 25 circles on the paper. I used tiny foam letters in different colors to spell "countdown to" - it was Dawson's idea to use these colorful letters and arrange it like a string of lights.
I wrote out the word "CHRISTMAS" at the bottom of the paper (as you can see) and then I scanned it for you to see what it looks like - it came out a little dark, but you get the idea.
On Thursday, Brady found this on the dining room table and was SOOOOOOO excited - he loves animals! I told him that we would be doing a craft with it later, and he got even MORE excited! So, this is what we did. I gave Brady a Ziploc bag that contained large foam letters to spell "Christmas" and eleven cotton balls. He dumped it out and then he began to peel the backing off of the letters and placed them over the letters that I wrote - he did a great job (I have not downloaded those pics yet!).
We worked together on the cotton balls. Brady told me that he did not want to get glue on his fingers, so I put the glue on the number and he placed the cotton ball on it. We also practiced counting and recognizing all of the numbers while we did this craft. He recognizes 1-9 and can count from 1-12, 14 and 16, so this will be a good activity to do and practice saying the numbers each day. Today we added another cotton ball and did another craft with Noah's ark foam (that Brady picked out at the craft store).
Brady and I had so much fun doing this activity together, and I have two more ready to go! Amy totally inspired me to start doing more crafts with Brady and I am so excited! I actually went to the craft store on Wednesday and bought some things to get me started: googly eyes, foam sheets, foam letters and foam Noah's ark, pony beads, and pipe cleaners! I am going to go back and pick up a few more things - like little pom-poms for noses! Now, I am going to need to find some more activities to do! :)
Do you have any suggestions for easy and fun toddler activities?
A Little Humor For The Day
We had just finished a craft and Brady was playing the the little nativity pieces that we had received from church. I guess you can now imagine why baby Jesus was flying. It was funny to watch, and the greatest part...I was video taping him at the moment, so I can show it to Dawson late (and to Brady when he gets older!) :)
I have so much more to tell you about - I just have to find the time to do it!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Giveaway: "Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction"
Turbo Tax is kicking off their second annual nationwide search for America's Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction. The winner will receive a United States savings bond worth $5,000 (up to $10,000 upon maturity).
In order to be eligible for the contest, the parent or guardian would need to:
1. Have your baby born between Dec. 1-31, 2008
2. Enter the contest and submit a photo of your newest "last-minute" tax deduction at http://www.cutesttaxdeduction.com/
Baby Owen was the winner last year, and you can check him out in the following video:
Now, for the GIVEAWAY! This is open to anyone who had a baby or knows a baby that was born in 2008 and would like to share this little "present" with them! Here is a photo of the romper/onesie that I have to giveaway:
Turbo Tax has given me FIVE of these rompers/onesies to giveaway. The size of the onesie is six months, so if your baby will fit into this now (or in the future) you are eligible to receive one of these!
To enter this giveaway:
1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Be sure that you have left a way for me to contact you - either through your blog or email
This contest will be open until December 31st, 2008 at 11:59 EST
The winners will be announced on January 1st (or really soon after that! My son's birthday is the 2nd!)
Here are a few other interesting tax tips for you:
1. Any new baby in 2008 could deliver a $1,000 child tax credit. This is a gift that keeps on giving until they turn 17.
2. Be sure to file a new W-4 form with your employer to claim an additional withholding "allowance which may help boost your take-home pay.
3. There's also a tax credit, worth as much $11,650 in 2008, to help offset the cost of adopting a child.
Friday, December 5, 2008
A Trip To The Dentist
Brady was really well behaved. He stood by my chair and watched the dental hygienist clean my teeth, and then he put his head on my arm and hugged me - so cute! When I was telling him to be careful, etc., the hygienist said to Brady, "You could sit on Mom's lap if you want to, you just can't bounce."
I was thinking, "ok, we will see what this is like!"
So, Brady climbed up onto the chair, and he smiled at me, and then he laid down on my legs and hugged me! It was so cute! He stayed like this most of the time! Of course, he would sit up and watch what was going on - but I have to say that it was one of the most fun times that I had at the dentist! I loved those snuggles and hugs that Brady was giving to me!
After I was finished, Brady declined his own ride in the chair, but he was excited when they gave a new Diego toothbrush to him!
So now, I am praying that the appt. in June will go well - and that Brady will be excited to get his own teeth cleaned! I think that I will have to try and find a fun book and video about a trip to the dentist before then...any suggestions?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Update on Smiles
Today, I was able to take the bandage off of his incision, and then next week he has his post-op appt. I am very thankful that he has not been bothered by the bandage at all this week - he only touched it a couple of times yesterday, but did not try to take it off...I think that it would have been too hard for him to do on his own anyway. You see, his incision was actually covered with gauze and then some type of plastic that "sticks" to his ear, skin, and hair!!! I was not really looking forward to taking this off of him, so I waited to do it tonight, when Dawson could help me out...and I am SOOO glad that I did!
The plastic stuff was sort of like tape, meaning that it was sticky...and it was on some of his hair!!! (BTW - they had to trim his hair a little bit when they did his surgery and they put it in a little plastic bag and gave it to me! I thought that was so sweet! I guess they could tell that he has not had an official first haircut yet!).
I thought that the sticky plastic "tape" would come off easily...boy, was I wrong! Dawson first tried to hold him in a sitting position on his lap while I tried to peel the tape off - that was not working. We tried having Dawson hug Smiles - that did not work. So, finally, we had Smiles laying belly down on Dawson's lap, while I tried to peel this "tape" off. There was a lot of crying and a lot of praying - and Brady was also telling Smiles, "It's okay" and trying to comfort him. So sweet.
I think that the worst part of taking this "tape" off was when I got to the hair. I almost decided to get the scissors out and just cut the tape off (that would have looked "great!"). However, I feel that the Holy Spirit reminded me of how I would get something out of my hair with as little pain as possible. So, I held his hair down with my fingers, so the roots were not being pulled, and then gently pulled the tape away and then I would move my fingers up to the next spot and I would repeat what I did. It went somewhat quickly and the crying did not increase, it stayed at the same level. Then, the gauze seemed to be a little stuck to the incision!!! So, I got a wet wash cloth and water helped to "unstick" it! AHHHHH!
It was a little stressful to me, but I was so glad when it was done, and after I rocked Smiles for a little bit and snuggled with him, I eventually got some smiles from him - it made me smile.
The incision area looks great to me! So, I guess now I just need to keep it clean and dry and we will see the doctor next Wednesday!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Somebody Loves Me Too!
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Maybe in a larger house, but I really like the town that I am in! :)
What you’re not? short
One of your wish-list items? To learn what my style in decor is
Where you grew up? Long Island, NY
The last thing you did? watched the British version of Prince Caspian with Dawson - I thought that I picked out the new version, but we quickly realized that it was not. It was still good to watch and next time, I will get the correct one!
Love someone? Many, many people, but my #1 person is my hunny! He is so sweet!
No, My Name is "Brady"
When they arrived at the library, Brady was unpacking/returning the books and DVDs that were due. As he does this, he likes to tell the librarian the names of the books and DVDs that he is returning - it is really cute. The librarian thinks that he is absolutely adorable! (I agree!).
Anyway, while he was returning his books today, the librarian asked,
"Can I call you ___ (it is a common nickname for his real name)?"
Without stopping what he was doing, Brady responded,
"No, my name is 'Brady' " :)
That's my boy! He was not rude about it - just stated what his full name is, and that is what he is called. That made me smile! :)
I love his full name and that is what we call him right now. If he wants to shorten it when he gets older, that is his choice, but for now, we will continue to call him by his full name! :)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Review: Frebreze Fabric Refresher
* Now, it eliminates odors on fabrics and in the air
* New, fine mist spray allows for even application, and the new pump design reduces leaking, nozzle sticking and that "quacking" sound
* Formula provides longer-lasting freshness – up two days of freshening power
The basic directions for using the Fabric Refresher are: spray it evenly on the fabric until it becomes slightly damp. The molecules will penetrate into the fabric and as it dries, the odor is cleaned away and a fresh scent is left in its place.
I was sent the Lavender Vanilla & Comfort scent to review. I decided to spray it on a recliner that is a second hand item. It does not have an odor to it, but I wanted to see how the fabric would be refreshed. I followed the directions, and I have to say that the scent lasted just about 2 full days. The only thing that I did not like about it was that when I sat in the chair (after it was dry), and then got up, I felt that the scent was now on my clothes! So, I suppose that I was refreshed too! The scent did not last too long on me, but I still did not like that it happened. Maybe I needed to wait one full day (or overnight) before I sat in the chair. It was easy to use the trigger and I did not hear the "quacking" noise that some spray bottles make. I also did not notice any significant leakage on my hand, so it appears that the improvements that were made to the bottle really does work!
It also claims to eliminate odors in the air so, I decided to try it out on our garbage can. I had thrown some onion remains into our kitchen trash can and it stank pretty bad. So, before I was able to take the trash out, I decided to spray it with the Febreze. I was pleasantly surprised. The smell was taken away! However, when I went to take out the garbage a little later on, I did notice a hint of onion smell. I sprayed the can after the trash was removed from it, and the can no longer had any onion odor to it. So it did refresh the air and my garbage can too!
The scents that it comes in are: Meadows & Rain, Linen & Sky, Lavender Vanilla & Comfort, Citrus & Light, and Spring & Renewal. The Lavender & Vanilla scent was pretty, but a little too floral for me.
Resting In His Presence
Smiles did fine without his morning feeding. He was so interested in everything that was going on around him - he did not even once hint at being hungry (plus, I fed him at 11:30 pm the night before, which I am sure helped!).
The Lord gave all of us such amazing peace and I continue to declare Joshua 1:9 over Smiles - "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go" (My paraphrasing).
The only time that I heard Smiles cry (before the surgery) was after the nurse turned the corner when she was carrying him to surgery. The anesthesiologist told me beforehand that if Smiles was crying when he was brought into surgery, that it was actually not a bad thing, because he would inhale the anesthesia faster and would be sedated faster - so, I was not worried at all.
The doctor gave Smiles a little teddy bear that was dressed at a surgeon - it is so cute and Smiles liked playing with it before surgery.
We were called back to the recovery room about 35 minutes after we had left Smiles. The surgery took only about 15 minutes (I asked - I am always curious about those things).
After surgery, Smiles was groggy from coming out of the anesthesia, so I nursed him and then held him and sang to him songs like, "Jesus Loves Me" and "I love you, Lord" and he was at peace in his Mommy's arms.
Smiles is now sleeping, so I am going to try and sneak a nap in too (Dawson is already napping)! I have been up since 5:30 am (and did not get to sleep until about 12:30 am), so this momma is a little tired! My mom has Brady over at her house, so for now, I do not need to be concerned about him - thank you, Grammie and Poppy!
Thank you for all of your prayers. I did sense the peace of God all around us!