Update-

So Nicoles babies are hear & doing well. I'm so glad that she had a good experience with the c-section. I know that she had been worried but it all came out fine. She amazes me!!! Carrying around two babies for 38 weeks-----WOW. She did an amazing job!

As for us, not much new is happening. Justus felt pretty good all week long after the antibiotics kicked in. But we had another rough night. His temperature got back up to 104. Very annoying b/c nothing else was wrong. No coughing, sneezing or any other symptoms. He was awake from 2-7am; I'm exhausted but he was fine!!!!


This weekend we are FINALLY going to the Biltmore House!!! It's time for the spring flowers to be in bloom---yippee! I will be taking every allergy medicine known to mankind with me. Justus will be staying here with family-should be interesting. This will only be the third & fourth night away from us in his entire young life. However, we need it before the new baby arrives. So if you think of us this weekend say a quick prayer for us, Justus & the weather. There is a 40% chance of rain this weekend.

Spring is such a busy season around here & we have been staying pretty busy with church activities. It's nice that Justus is at an age where he can watch a 30 min. video or entertain himself (somewhat) for a while!!! So I'm going to try and enjoy the next few months of being "involved" before my baby gets here. I know change is coming just not sure how drastic it will be.

One more thing before I go...my next appointment is on monday for those of you who have asked. Boo- who; I will find out how much weight I have gained. YUCK. I have gotten considerably bigger in the past three weeks. When I lay down I can't breathe for the first minute & it is no longer an option to sleep on my tummy. I'm only 23 weeks...someone refresh my memory; I remember being uncomfortable this soon! Or this big. YIKES!!!!!!!!!

On my own

Sam is gone this weekend to Aquire the Fire with the youth. It hasn't been to bad so far. Brandon (nephew) came to spend the night with Justus and they had a blast-I on the other hand ended up with a headache. They wrestled, played cars, basketball, etc. And finally crashed sometime after midnight.

They're up again running around so I guess I'll go. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Love each of you!!!

Recovery Time

Since Justus still isn't better we took him to the doctor today. Last night his fever spiked again at 104. I wasn't to happy about that. Poor thing. I threw him into the bath tub & he cooled down pretty quick. The doc gave him an antibiotic, cough decongestant & a nose spay. The diagnosis is a sinus infection. Wierd. He said his ears are red but J hasn't pulled at them once. He throat is OK but anyways I was surprised that what this is. Justus just started coughing yesterday, but maybe this has been coming on for a while and I didn't realize it. Two things scared me...#1 the high temp. and #2 when he cough so hard there was blood in his spit (again only sinus stuff believe me I made sure!). Now that he's on meds we expect a drastic improvement!

Guess that about it from NC. Oh yeah, the weather is wack here.....how about where you are??? It was freezing this weekend & I was HOT today.

Life...

So the consignment sale was not that good to me. Instead of walking out the door with a pocket full of money I left with $150 less!!!!!! Yikes, I know! However I did get some really good stuff!!! For my baby, J-bean, and my nieces & nephews. No word on how much I sold but most of it wasn't that "great" so I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being thirty dollars or less. All said and done, I'm glad that I participated ( I took things off the rack as I was checking for stains, holes, and that kind of thing) and got nice stuff in the process.

Justus has been super clingy today! This morning he had a low grade fever and kept wanting me to hold him. Which I love by the way. When he woke up from his nap his fever had spiked to the tune of 103; it may actually be higher he didn't want to sit still. Now all he wants is daddy. UUUUUmmm, I'm starting to get a headache.

This Sunday is our International Banquet (missions celebration) so it's going to be MAD crazy! I guess I'll be here with Justus unless something changes. We shall see. Busy, busy. Life.

Whoops...

Sorry, I didn't realize that it has been a whole week without an update. March & April are busy months at the church, mix that with (doctors, WIC,etc) appointments for justus & I and well, I just seem to run out of time. Anyways it's not to busy to totally forget about you all.

I just checked in on everyone. Seems us usual "life" is happening. Congrats on Agnes by the way! Praying for recovery for all the sickies. And that all these babies will arrive safely and as fast as the good Lord will give them up!

Anyways-my house is turned upside down. We FINALLY got our tax money back so we have been trying to do some updates on the dungeon.

My to-do list includes: put up molding in the boys room, move the crib from our room to the boys room (j doesn't sleep in it, right now it keeps the clean laundry clean). Paint our "bedroom", & get a new bedset. Ummmm. GET RID OF MORE JUNK!!
For some reason with this new baby on the way I REALLY want to clean things top to bottom. Probably not surprising to you all but I didn't get this way as much with Justus. Oh yeah, pay for circumcision & car insurance...and the list goes on.

Things marked off the to-do list.....clean the carpets (two years between cleanings is WAY TO LONG!) , get a dvd/vhs combo for the boys room & a wall mount. With such a little room for two of them this adds a lot of space, plus justus can't mess with the buttons. Buy maternity clothes-well at least I have one pair of jeans that fit. Develop 6 "throw away cameras". Yeah, some memories that I didn't know I had/forgot about. Started easter shopping for the kids j/niece/nephews. And whatever other junk we bought but I can't remember.

Well, its past my bedtime & I've got a long day tommorrow. We'll catch up more later. Love ya!

Things you may not know....

I got this off of a survey I did today. It was kind of scary how much I thought I knew but wasn't right on target. Take the test & don't cheat. Answers are at the bottom.


Get on Board with Child Safety
Injury Prevention Educational Survey
(Data source for Qs 1-5 is the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control)

Unintentional injuries – or accidental injuries – are the leading killer of children ages 1 to 14 in
the United States.

A. True
B. False

What is the leading cause of (nonfatal) unintentional injuries to babies aged birth to 11 months?

A. Motor vehicle crashes
B. Poisoning
C. Suffocation/airway obstruction
D. Falls
E. Fire/burn
F. Drowning
G. Bite or sting

What is the leading cause of death to babies aged birth to 11 months?

A. Motor vehicle crashes
B. Poisoning
C. Suffocation/airway obstruction
D. Falls
E. Fire/burn
F. Drowning

What is the leading cause of (nonfatal) unintentional injuries to toddlers aged 1-4?

A. Motor vehicle crashes
B. Poisoning
C. Suffocation/airway obstruction
D. Falls
E. Fire/burn
F. Drowning
G. Bite or sting

What is the leading cause of death to toddlers aged 1-4?

A. Motor vehicle crashes
B. Poisoning
C. Suffocation/airway obstruction
D. Falls
E. Fire/burn
F. Drowning

A baby should ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until:

A. He weighs twenty pounds
B. He reaches one year old
C. He is one year and at least twenty pounds
D. His feet touch the back seat of the car
E. All of the above

It is safest for a toddler to ride in a forward-facing child safety seat until he reaches:

A. 25 pounds
B. 30 pounds
C. 35 pounds
D. 40 pounds

It is safest for a child to use a booster seat in the car until he is:

A. 8 yrs old and 80 pounds
B. 7 yrs old and 70 pounds
C. 6 yrs old and 60 pounds
D. 5 yrs old and 50 pounds
E. 4 yrs old and 40 pounds

Children can safely ride in the front seat of a car beginning at what age?

A. 8 years old
B. 9 years old
C. 10 years old
D. 11 years old
E. 12 years old
F. 13 years old

To avoid a baby getting his head caught, what is the maximum safe distance between bars in a
crib?

A. 1 and ¾ inches
B. 2 and 3/8 inches
C. 3 and ½ inches
D. 3 and 2/3 inches

What is the maximum safe opening of a window to prevent window falls?

A. 4 inches
B. 4 and ½ inches
C. 5 and ¼ inches
D. 6 inches
E. 6 and ½ inches

What is the highest temperature at which you can safely set your hot water heater to prevent
burns?

A. 100 degrees Fahrenheit
B. 115 degrees Fahrenheit
C. 120 degrees Fahrenheit
D. 132 degrees Fahrenheit
E. 145 degrees Fahrenheit

Where should you place safety gates in your home to prevent your child from falling down the
stairs?

A. Top of stairs
B. Bottom of stairs
C. Both top and bottom
D. Neither top nor bottom

How often should you change the smoke detector batteries in your home?

A. Every year
B. Every month
C. Every three months
D. Every six months

At what age are children at the greatest risk of unintentional home injury?

A. Under 1
B. Ages 1 to 4
C. Ages 5 to 9
D. Ages 10 to 14

Children can drown in as little as how much water?

A. One foot
B. Six inches
C. Four inches
D. Two inches

Which of the following actions is NOT an effective way to protect your child from firearm injury
in your home?

A. Using trigger locks
B. Storing firearms and ammunition separately
C. Placing firearms and ammunition on a high shelf
D. Keeping firearms and ammunition in a locked safe

Which of the following can cause poisoning in young children?

A. Cosmetics and beauty products
B. Cleaning products
C. Household plants
D. Over the counter drugs
E. All of the above



(Data source is the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention & Control)

Answers:

A.True
D.Falls
C.Suffocation/airway obstruction
D.Falls
A.Motor vehicle crashes
C. He is one year & at least twenty pounds
D.40 pounds
A.8 years old & 80 pounds
F.13 years old
B. 2 & 3/8 inches
A.4 inches
C.120 Fahrenheit
C.Both top & bottom
D.Every six months
A.Under 1
D.Two inches
C.Placing firarms & ammunition on a high shelf
E.All of the above

His own version

Justus has his own version of everything. Like when we sing "Old McDonald"...had a farm. Justus' version is old mcdonald had a ARM E-IE-I-O. And when we say our prayers at night he has to come back to momma & daddy twenty thousand times, I love it! We need all the prayers we can get. BLUE's CLUE's is lews-lews. Can't quite get the K sound down yet. There is so much more but I can't think of it at the moment.

I have begun the nesting process so the house is tore up top to bottom trying to get rid of unnecessary junk. And also get ready for a consignment sale next weekend at the church. I'll be getting rid of some baby clothes so I can buy some new for the one on the way. We had a busy weekend & every weekend from now to kingdom come is full.

We still haven't used our tickets to the Biltmore House that our youth kids bought us for Christmas. I'm ticked!!! I wanted to go before the baby got here or before I so big I couldn't enjoy it. That doesn't look like its going to happen unless some event gets canceled or we can weasel our way out of it. I would really like a "vacation" before the baby gets here. We'll see!

Sam cut his hair. It was HUGE!!! It looks OK but after three years of growing it out I'm still trying to get used to it. He started growing it when we found out that I was pregnant. It's getting to hot to let it grow out more so that's that.

We're going to have a baby shower for me & my sister in law next month. I'm so excited! The theme is luau...lots of good food. I don't know if I should register or not. I have almost everything I need for a boy. But there are a few things I didn't have last time that would be great this time. Like a sling to carry the baby around. That way I can still chase after Justus and the baby wille be safe.

It's cold here today...my sinuses are so confused. Hot/cold/hot/cold.....arrgghh. Spring/winter/spring/winter. Well I'm ready for the weather to make up it's mind. Other than that things are good here. How about you?????

ps Justus stuck a raisin in his nose today. It was hilarious once I realized what it was. He sneezed it out. Thankfully!

Having difficulties

I can't see my blog. It pulls up my address & a big fat empty screen. I'm trying to figure it out.

It's a boy!

Today we found out that we're having another boy. He is healthy & all the organs and growth look good so far! All good news. I must say that I was the tiniest bit disappointed that we won't be having a girl. For some reason I had it in my mind that's what it was. Probably b/c this pregnancy is so different. I cried for two seconds & then I was like OK another boy. YIPPEE! Every time I feel a kick, I thank God for another blessing!!! He is so good!

We took Justus to the doctor yesterday for his two year checkup. He's doing great! In the 97% for his height & 90% for his wight. The doctor said he should be tall & lean. Sam and I laughed a little at that but hey, it sounds good right?? The good thing is he does like veggies & fruits better than sam or I so maybe the doc knows her stuff.

I having been feeling baby flutters for the past few weeks but last night I felt three kicks! Long enough to know what they were but Sam didnt get there in time to join in the fun. So cool!!!!

Bye, bye baby

Let me start with the fact that Sam & I are overprotective parents. That being said, Justus spent the night away from us for only the 2nd time ever!!! The first was for one night during our youth ski trip. That was when he was almost a year old. He stayed here with my parents & kept them up all night. There aren't tons of people around here that I will just drop off my kid to. And since we live with my parents it's not exactly a treat for anyone & I am very careful about taking advantage of them being 12 steps away.

Anyways my sister was here doing hair cuts a week or so ago & Justus cried when she left. And asked to go with her. Well I guess he caught her by the heart & she's been talking about it ever since. A year ago I would have NEVER sent my child home with her but , she had gotten her act together so.....bye, bye baby.

Justus screamed when she got here to pick him up & was ready to run out the door bare foot and all. I made him stay long enough for twenty thousand kisses & a couple of hugs....shoes & jacket. Then he was out the door without a glance back. I almost cried. I had two hours before sam got home so I cleaned the kitchen & watch American Idol & Olympics.

All in all it was a good night but I was up until 3am. Couldn't sleep. The upside was that Justus wasn't here to wake me up so I slept extra late. He should be home in the next hour or so...I can't wait!!! I know that I am a silly momma. Oh well.

ps Staci, dont do this to yourself. Find a few people that you can trust!!! ( I know I've probably already told you this, please ignore me if this is unwanted advice!!).

One down, one to go. (I think)

So here is my confession about not being the world's best mom. There are two things that Justus should have outgrown by now but I still let him have; a bottle & a passy. Part of me wants him to "get over it" and grow up. And of course then I want him to be my baby for as long as possible.

Personally I would rather Justus suck on a passy than his fingers/thumbs. That's probably because I sucked my thumb for forever, I think I was 10-12 before I stopped!!!! I definetly don't want my boy doing that!!!

Last night he was looking for his passy before bed. We couldn't find one anywhere! Then he found one- he is teething again and had bit a hole in it so it had no sucking power. He asked for a different one. Which we did not have. Keep looking. He found another with the same problem. Blah, blah.

Anyways I told him if he didn't want those nasty passies to throw them away. And he did!!!! He went to bed without it, to MOPS without it, all day without it! Each time he asks I remind him that he threw it awy. He repeats me & goes on to something else!!!! I have tried this approach before, finally with results!! So we will see how it goes & how long it lasts!!!!

Now if only I can figure out how to get rid of the bottle!!!! He hates sippy cups & only wants a regular cup which ain't gonna happen any time soon!!!!

Sam only took a couple of pics on our camera since we had a student leader take them on her camera. It looked very nice once all the candles were lit & lights were down low.

Some of our student leaders helping set up for Valentasia


Our pretty tables






One bit of info. I forgot to share was that a centerpiece caught on fire 15 minutes before start time. People were already starting to arrive. Fortunetly we had everything pretty much together. Anyways Sam pulled a "wheeze" and picked up the flaming mass to take it outside. For the most part he was OK but there were a few burn spots on his hand. Good thing we had some cream for 2nd degree burns. The only other mishap was when I realized one tray of chicken cordon bleu didn't make it into the oven. YIKES. Three people were kind enough to wait an extra 10 minutes for their entrees. Luckily we had defrosted the chicken so we kicked the oven up a knotch & whala...presto, chango- it was ready.

Happy Birthday Justus...again

Today we Justus birthday party. It was a family affair. And lots of entertainment from the kids. They crack me up!!! Here are a few pics from tonight.


Noise maker #1. Thanks Aunt Beth!


SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!


Jaiden. 9 months old. He is starting to stick out his tongue like a giraffe, funny funny! He is also in cruise mode.


Noise maker #2. This was mommy & daddy's idea. What were we thinking???


Justus favorite toy of the night. He loves this one b/c he can carry it around all by himself. Thanks Chris & Staci...you got a great gift!!!


The "spill proof" bubble tumbler. We'll see!

Wants vs. Needs

I'm having some major "moments". The main thing is I WANT A HOUSE...but I know I also need to be content in what is being provided! LORD HELP ME!!!!!! The scripture that talks about being content in all things is my motto for keeping a good attitude. Then the scripture about God giving you the desires of your heart, well that comes up too. ARGGGGH.

Item(s) of the week...

This week the item of choice has been peanut butter. I have ate pb every day twice a day for 6 days in a row now. I'm not really a fan of pb unless it's combined with chocolate. But I've had a pb & j, pb crackers, pb on pancakes, pb toast. I'm sure you get the idea.

The other thing I've really wanted to eat this week is cucumbers. How wierd is that??? Sam was supposed to bring some home last night but forgot. That meany!!!

I didn't reallt crave much with Justus but this time it's seems like a different craving every couple of weeks. One week was KRAFT mix up, cheap maccaroni. Then all I wanted was salad. This week is pb. And cucumbers. What will it be next??

Happy Birthday Justus...my 2 year old baby.

Sam's grandma holding Justus, he was two weeks old here. He looks like a baby doll!








This is one week before Justus was born. One of the few pregnancy pics I have.

Thank you for, 5, 6....

Tonight as we were saying prayers Justus made me laugh so hard. He's done this before but I forgot to tell you. Every night we say our prayers. We pray for family, friends & if we are lucky a few special prayer requests, like for someone going through a rough time. Then we say thank you for....tonight Justus repeated what I said until the thank you for our blessings. His version was thank you for 5, 6, 7,.......a good laugh right before bed.

He says lots of funny stuff. I'll try to keep you posted on the latest.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello all. I've been reading everyone's proposal stories. FUN, AWE & all that. I guess I'll share my story too. It's not all that amazing. Dana, I understand your pain. And want for storybook romances. But Sam just isn't that way either. He's a last minute, fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. I'm just now starting to except that. Haven't got to the point where I appreciate it yet. So here is our short story.

We spend Thanksgivings at with his family & Christmas at mine. But for some reason we had to do it backwords our second year of MC. So we were here in NC for thanksgiving and I got sick as a dog. Some flu like stuff. And that's when he proposed. Saying something like he wanted to do something to make me feel better & then he asked me to marry him. Sweet yes. Romantic, NO!!! I was excited & disappointed at the same time. I couldn't even give him a kiss. But it did make me feel better for a few minutes.

I got my ring when we were at his mom's for christmas. And that's our story. YIPPEE.

No more tears

Let' catch up. Well on Thursday I was pretty busy most of the day with Justus & then at 2 o'clock I left with Katrina (pastor's wife) & Mrs. Barbara( another p.'s wife) to go to where the pastors & council were having retreat this weekend. UHHHH..we packed a lot into one weekend. Anyways we made dinner for everyone and that was a few fun hours.

We made blackened chicken, with alfredo sauce. Pasta, rolls, & steamed veggies. Strawberry shortcake for dessert! Then we talked about upcoming events. Had devotions & that kind of thing. IT was nice to do something "adult" uninterupted. Of course, I was more than ready to get back to my little fella.

Sam & the other pastors stayed there until Saturday afternoon. Friday night some convict came running threw our yard while Jacob was outside playing basketball with a friend. He told them not to tell anyone that they saw him. UM, yeah right!. We called the sherriff & they were looking for the guy. Within minutes 4 sherriffs cars were in our front yard. They even brought out the the dogs to catch his trail. I didnt sleep to well without sam being here.

On saturday I stayed in bed for a while & then got up to work on stuff for valentasia. That took forever & at 3 o'clock we went to the church to do some prep work . And today was valentasia.

My first banquet "on my own" with out my mom being there to direct everyone. It went pretty well & we got lots of compliments, which is always nice. Here was our menu:

Appetizer: It was a cream cheese based spread served with trisciut crackers
Salad: Hearts of Romaine with pecans, moz/parm cheese, a few peppers & some kind of vinegarette dressing
Yeast Rolls
Entree: Chicken Cordon Bleu, glazed carrots, green bean almondine & mashed potatoes
Dessert: Chocomint Dream Cake....very tasty!

IT went very well & i'm so thankful for all the help I had. There were about 20 workers. Teens & a sprinkle of adults.

Two incidents happened. The first one was a flower arrangement caught on fire. And Sam pulled a McCrary(sp) & picked it up with his bare hands. He has a few spots of second degrees burns. Pray for quick recovery. And less pain!

The second was that a tray of the chicken got left out of the oven . SO a few people had to wait for their food. That made me SO mad but it's just one of those things that happens! All in all it was a sucess.

Tommorrow I have a doc. appointment. I don't want to go b/c I'm too tired to shave my legs...just in case. I guess I should go huh??? After that we have to take sam to get meds for his hands. And then I have a valentine's party to take Justus to.

Tuesday is Valentine's Day & then wednesday is Justus' 2nd birthday. Then thursaday-survivor, CSI, maybe without a trace. Friday we hope to get our taxes done. And Saturday is J's birthday party. So if you dont here from me for a few days, you will know Im just playing catch up.

ps Sorry for your scare Nicole. But at least now the boys aren't breech. Good for you to Staci!!! All things in God timing. Love you all & hope to talk to you soon!!!

Pardon me while I cry...

The past few weeks tears have come & gone so easily. With little or no provocation. Happy tears. Sad tears. Tears of frustration. And tears of joy. Shall I call these pregnancy moments?? Or is that just me in there finally opening up again??

Huh? Just one of the things on my mind lately. Love you!

Momma update

Several weeks ago I asked for prayer for my mothers back. It's been giving her all kind of trouble since October. Since then she has had an MRI & 2 sets of x-rays. They found out she has a bulging disc. YIKES..lots of pain. The is a repeat injury that she has had for twenty years now but only acts up occasionally & usually heals itself. Not this time. Her first doctor gave her pain meds & she was also using a walker or cane for support.

Well yesterday she went to a specialist. He said stop the meds..they're addicting. Stop the cane/walker...they will weaken her mucles. Good Lord, what's she supposed to do to deal with the pain??? He says, physical therapy(expensive) & ALEVE which so far might as well be sugar water cause it just doesn't cut it! The only other thing he suggests at this stage is an epidural so she can build the muscles back up with less pain. Yeah right, with no insurance is anywhere from $1,500 upwards!

So more prayer is needed. I'm hoping she will figure out a way to do the therapy. It has helped before!

God.com

I thought this really relays how I feel about you gals, no matter how cheesy it may be.


God.com


Dear Lord,
Every single evening
As I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little Prayer
Keeps running through my head:
God bless all my family
Wherever they may be,
Keep them warm and safe from harm
For they're so close to me.
And God, there is one more thing
I wish that you could do;
Hope you don't mind me asking,
Please bless my computer too.
Now I know that it's unusual
To Bless a motherboard,
But listen just a second
While I explain it to you, Lord.
You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends;
Inside those small compartments
Rest so many of my friends.
I know so much about them
By the kindness that they give,
And this little scrap of metal
Takes me in to where they live.


By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you
We share in what life brings us
And from that our friendships grew.
Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above,
To bless those in my address book
That's filled with so much love.
Wherever else this prayer may reach
To each and every friend,
Bless each e-mail inbox
And each person who hits "send".
When you update your Heavenly list
On your own Great CD-ROM,
Bless everyone who says this prayer
Sent up to GOD.com

Amen

Praise Report

Justus was able to get some eye drops last night so we wouldn't have to go sit in a clinic this morning. Sam didn't have to miss work/church and Justus had some medicine already at work!!! I was talking to a mom from MOPS, she had some from the last time her kids had it. Thank you Jesus for watching out for us!

Buzznet is driving me crazy. If I try to do a large(regular) size pic it puts up a thumbnail. So I tried the extra large size & it took almost the entire page. URGH! At least it's kind of working. I seriously need to take a computer class so I can do better. Sam is a whiz at this kind of thing..not me. Hope you each have a blessed weekend!

Tigger

I know I talked about painting Justus' room & tigger. Here are a few pics. We still haven't put up the molding we bought 3 months ago. As usual progress is slow around here but that's OK. Justus loves his tiggers.







As you can see they aren't perfect but we had fun painting them. The bottom half of the room is gray. It sounds odd but I think it will look nice once we put up the white molding to go along with the white toddler bed & dresser that we already have. Once we finish I will show you the finished look.

Not much to update on. My cough is almost gone & only bothers me when I try to sleep or when I first get up. Thats an improvement....and my back & stomach aren't sore anymore. I still have sinus problems & the headaches are getting worse! Tylenol sucks!!!! Other than that just living life. Justus is 100% which is good & bad. Mainly good. I'm glad he is feeling better.

Every sickness you can think of is going around. Our pastor has viral tonsilitis. Of course this viral cough, the stomach bug, flu, blah, blah, blah. I'm just thankful that I can stay home & recover. Some people don't have that luxury.







It took 10 minutes to tear it all down & 30 minutes to put it back together. Justus brought me the clothes & hangers. I put them on the hangers and Justus hung them up.

Please pray...

A close friend is going through a divorce, unexpectedly. And I still feel horrible!

Depression Part II below.....

Unamed crudd.....

The doc couldn't say exactly what I have but put me on Azithromycin. Must be some kick butt stuff cause I only take it for 3 days. The pamphlet says it works for an additional 4-10 days. So I am hoping to see a change---tommorrow! I haven't coughed as much today so my muscles are relaxing a little. She said my throat looked like a brillo pad got a hold of it. No wonder it's been hurting. My head is still stuffy but at least I've got some help on the way.

Whatever it is is definetly viral, my mom has it now. Also my white blood count was high so I'm fighting something else too. I guess that's why the crudd has remained unnamed. Justus is a little less severe so he has a cough suppressant to help him sleep at night & something to break it up during the day. All in all I'm glad we went. The end.

To the doctors we will go

I'm not getting better but worse. Sounds like bronchitis but we will see. My back, ribs, stomach, throat, & head hurts. ICK!

Depression Part II

So, as we've seen everyone has their own experience with depression. And different ideas on how to deal with it. Prayer, support, medicine RX or natural, counseling. The only point I want to make is that we should deal with it. And not ignore it. Depression can range from mild to severe. And its effects can be the same. Temporary to very serious.

So I will share a little more for anyone who might want to know what I've found out or experienced. Again, it can be different for you.

First of all resources shared with us by our speaker. You'll have to check them out for yourselves.

Books:
Getting over the Blues by Leslie Vernick
New Light on Depression by David B. Biebel, Dmin. and Harold G Koenig, M.D.
Overcoming Depression by Neil T. Anderson
Honestly by Sheila Walsh (book about her personal battle with clinical depression).

Websites:

www.postpartum.net
National Institute of Mental Health www.nimhnih.gov
American Psychological Association www.apa.org
Depression and Bi-polar Support Alliance www.dbsalliance.org


Depression Screening Site www.depression-screening.org
Christian depressionpages www.Christian-depression.org
Women and depression www.psycom.net/depression.central.women

I haven't looked over these resources so you will have to search for yourselves & see if any of it is useful for you.


Here are some ways to help yourself and others.

Mild Depression:
Read God's word daily*
Face your feeling, don't deny them
Be as good to yourself as you are to other people
Know that you are not alone!*
Walking/exercise is a great way to ward off depression*
Realize that depression is an illness & your experience is real*
Volunteer
Keep a journal*
Provide structure & routine

How to avoid pitfalls:
Face the pain. Pain isn't your enemy; denial is!
Avoid dulling the pain with drugs & alcohol
Avoid "comfort" solutions- overeating, overspending, etc.
Don't insist that you can help yourself....GET HELP

Helping Others:
Don't judge
Don't say "snap out of it" You would if you could
Offer help, don't wait for them to ask
Reach out, so they won't be isolated
Listen!
Pray! With them and for them
Tell the truth, but speak it in grace and love.
Help the person trust God in all this.



And now for a little something personal. My thoughts on my experiences. To begin with, my stomach is in knots. I don't want to blab it all out but I do want to share what will help others.


My first memories of depression are from my early teen years. I had little self worth, lots of tears and was very isolated. Most of this was caused by my fathers outbursts; which I eventually learned how to deal with. During that time I often thought of suicide but knew it was wrong in God' eyes. And I was too scared to go threw with it.

So I wrote stupid poetry. And went to church every time the doors were open. Music was also good therapy.

Christmas was always a hard time for me. I had very mixed emotions. It was my favorite time of year family wise. Somehow we were able to get along and be nice to each others. But it was difficult socially. I felt like I didn't fit in. I wasn't loved. This was during high school.

The answer then, EAT & isolate. I've always been overweight and been a loner so to speak. Off & on in high school those habits seemed to escalate. However, as God is so good I always had friends who were there to support me. My mom was always willing to listen whenever I told her anything.

Again church & a few close friends were enough to do the trick.

During the MC years there was very little time to get the blues. But once we moved to Ohio I had a hard adjustment. You go from being surrounded by support & friends to being the New one in the bunch. Sam & I were very close those first few years. We did all kind of silly things to keep ourselves busy. But anytime I had a pity party some food joined me too.

Most of the above bouts were just up & down times that lasted a week or so at a time. Nothing major or long lasting.

Next came Florida. I pretty much did OK while we were there. Our first year we were extremely busy putting together our MC program and the second year I was pregnant with Justus so I pretty much slept all I could. This is where my biggest battle began. Sam and I were growing apart and I had a lot of anxiety. Something wasn't right. But I didn't know who to turn to.

When Sam lost his job we were both devastated. Talk about being depressed! I lost interest in everything but Justus. I was angry with Sam, constantly looked into the past with all the what ifs. etc. I wondered where God was, felt helpless. Every little thing was overwhelming. I felt guilty for my thoughts, ate everything in site & was constantly tired! Of course Justus was two weeks old so I guess some of the tiredness could be explained away.

This has lasted for almost two years. Many of the symptoms come & go. Not all of them hitting at the same time. But there is always something in the back of my mind asking "what's next". Many times Iook forward to what's next. Many times I just get scared. Do I consider myself depressed??? No. But I do know that I must deal with the symptoms. As they come or they may overwhelm me again.

What attributes to my sucess?? Friends, family, and faith! This disease runs in my family. My great grandfather commited suicide, my grandfather attempted it & my father spoke of it often when I was growing up. My mother has been on medication at extremely difficult times in her life. I have seen depression in myself, my sister and brother. It's not going away.

But, I have HOPE! I have FAITH. I have GOD. SO far medication hasn't been needed but if it comes to that I will carefully consider the pro's & con's. Weigh it out & pray for wisdom. Again, I don't consider myself depressed. But I know I deal with tendencies, I know my own personal pitfalls & limitations. I don't hestitate to ask for prayer. Or pick up the phone for help. Dang, I even share some of my junk with you. And for that I am thankful.

God has provided the tools I need to live a life for him. He has been so faithful, around every corner I know he is there. And around every corner it is him who makes a way. So I leave off with a verse I shared earlier....

Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Isreal who summons you by name."

And I have found it to be true. Having been through the darkness I am able to see others who struggle. I recognize much easier. Darkness isn't always so scary, if you know whom you trust.

Later in this same chapter it say this : " I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. I equip you, though you do not know me. I form light and create darkness, I make well being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.

That is from several verses, pieces that shot out at me. Reminding me that he knows & understands, he allows things to happen. For his own reasons. Even when we are far, he is near. When we are unaware, he has a plan. Not trying to babble but just say that good or bad, there is a reason. There is a way to make it through. And God already knows the outcome.

Depression Hurts

Have you guys seen those commercials lately??? I have seen them alot. It asks the question: who does it hurt? Answer:everyone. And so on.

Well, yesterday our MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) guest speaker spoke about depression. The myths & truths of it all. This lady came prepared with more than a dozen books she had read through and 3 years worth of testimony about her own depression. And of course what God had done in her. Including how she deals with depression even now.

Since I have dealt with depression myself I wanted to share some highlights & maybe a few low points in my own journey. And of course share what our speaker helped us to understand. Since April you have shared in some of my low points and have been a great support for me.

That is a great step in dealing with depression. Having a support system. The neat thing is that you don't have to be side by side to support each other. It's kind of intersting to think of b/c when I was a new Christian I prayed that God would send me friends to understand me. Who I could "run" to in time of need. It seemed that HE wasn't enough b/c he wasn't physically there. Now I know the true meaning of friendship I am thankful for each of you. And a God to sticks closer than a brother even when we can't see!


So here is a sample the technical stuff.

#1Warning lights:
Low self-esteem, self-worth. Loss of interest, things (forgetfulness).
Irretable, Isolated, increase of appetite, identity crises
Guilt- God where are you? Guilt over anger
Heredity, hopelessness, helpless
Trouble planning, tears, tired,tasks become overwhelming
Sad, sickness & self talk (I'll be happy when, I can't, what- if thinking)

As always everyone is different. Having some of these sign doesn't necessarily mean you are depressed. They could be warning symptoms resulting from issues you have dealt with or aren't dealing with but need to, etc.


#2 Things you should know about depression:
1 in 5 women will experience depression in her lifetime
Depression is the number one cause of disability in women
20% of women will experience postpatum deprssion ANYTIME during the first year.

The impact of untreated depression on the brain is enormous. There is an area of the brain that generates new cells, untreated depression is associated with irreversible damage to this area. Depriving the brain of the ability to replace aging & dying cells. The brain effects of untreated depression can affect other organs of the body.
(Getting over the blues pg. 23)

* That point scared me a little bit b/c most people don't want to admit depression. Knowing that it doesn't only affect your thoughts but your body as well made me listen really closely.

#3 Other symptoms of Depression:
Aches & pains not explained by other medical conditions- physical
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, extreme fatigue)-physical
Constant dissappointment with self or others-emotional
Feeling NUMB-emotional
ANXIETY-emotional
Trouble making decisions-mental
Inability to concentrate-mental
Feeling abandoned or rejected by God-spiritual
Lack of purpose, sense of emptiness-spiritual
Withdrawl- relational


What can you do???

Make yourself a priority!

*Talk with others: Women are relational, we function best when well connected with each other.
*Learn to identify & change patterns that may have contributed to depression.
*Stop blaming yourself for physical limitations and/or weaknesses.
*Let go of emotions that paralyze you: guilt, self pitty, anger. Whatever they may be.
*Be able to say NO! Don't let others agenda's throw you off of what God has for you. (easily said, hard to do!)
*Consider that pride may be an issue, not being able to recognize ourselves as imperfect.

What about anti-depressants?

We tend to completly cut this thought out as soon as it is suggested. WHY? Fear of addiction. "I'm a christian, I'm stronger than that". Not being able to be in control...not knowing how our body will react. I personally have thought ALL of these things.

Simple thoughts:
Depression can't be cured by taking medicine alone.
Research has shown that individual therapy to be as effective as medication
Only GOD can give us the unfailing love we crave!
He loves us not because we are worthy but because he chooses to. We don't have to prove ourselves to him. His love is unconditional.
Recognize the strengths God has developed in you through experiencing depression.


Verses of comfort:

Psalm 91:4 " He will cover you with his feathers, and under his winds you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield & rampart."

Isaiah 40:29 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Isaiah 45:3 " I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Isreal, who summons you by name."
THIS IS MY FAVORITE!!! (above)

So many times I have felt darkness all around me. This verse reminds me that there are treasures there too, even when I it is too dark to see them.



OK, I've decided to do a part two. This is getting way to long. Sorry if this is of no interest to you. I just need to share.

Obviously still having problems posting pics.

To see them at a normal view go to tma.buzznet.com There are 10 or so new pics I put up today. Sorry it's such a pain! Or do it the easy way as I just found out & click on a pic. It should take you directly there.

Promised pics of the "orpan annie" do

These are pics on day one of my cold, this past Sunday on a decent hair day, & then this AM after a horrible night of sneezing, coughing, & snot. Definetly the works of a tired, pregnant woman. The normally sane me wouldn't put these horrible pic up for the world to see.

My stomach hurts from sneezing so much & I need to change shirts, that junk just flyes out everywhere. Blah!

Pet peeves & weird things about me

1.All my clothes must be on the same color hanger (black) and face the same way.
2. At night the following items must always be at my side: bottle of water, chapstick, & flashlight. Also a drink & extra diaper for Justus in case he wakes up.
3. I hate it when parents scream at their kids in public. However, I have been so close to doing the same I can understand it.
4. Bathtubs gross me out. I have to clean my tub with bleach BEFORE every bath. I also rinse off in the shower afterwards, just in case.
5. I have an odd habit of picking my feet up off the floor. When I sit in a chair my feet are almost always resting on something else.

6.Long preaching ticks me off. I almost always lose interest, no matter how good it is.
7. I hate to be tickled. I seriously get angry.
8. I still prefer side hugs & get confused when a guy gives me a regular hug.
9. Dirty fingernails make me gag!
10. I am a stinky housekeeper. Which is even worse now that I'm a stay at home mom. When J was born all my organization skills skipped town and haven't returned!

Hope this is satifying to you...I enjoyed reading yours!

Vision casting

That is basically what our pastor did today and it was geat. He didn't really preach but covered some points that God spoke to him during this week. We had a churchwide fast this past week and several things were confirmed in the hearts of our people and our pastor. Pretty Cool.

Praise & worship was good. And after that we announced the partners in vision (new members). After the service was the new members dinner. Our church is pretty small but after only a year I'd say that we have gained around 75 new members. It's pretty neat watching this small group grow.

Within the next two years we will be building a new sanctuary. Something that our pastor has been talking to us about since we have been here. The way he put a seed of vision out today was really eye opening. The place where the new santuary will be built is right by the road. The only thing on that space is an apple tree which represents the fruit that our church will bare. It is also the space that we use for our outreaches now, so there has already been seed planted there. A cool thought to me.

Justus went straight into his room without one single tear and stayed the entire time. I thought I heard someone screaming once or twice but it wasn't him. Yeah, I get to go to church!!! One quick prayer request, Justus & I both have colds. Sneezing ,coughing, headache & sore throat. Hopefully it wont last too long.

More pregnancy moments...

Today was my doctors appointment, all is well so I will get to that part in a minute. I guess I'll start from the beginning. First I had to shave my legs just because I was going to the doctor. And I wasn't sure what all would be happening this time. I noticed later that I missed a few spots but am overall glad I took the extra time.

Secondly, we were running slightly late. Our babysitter cut out on us & we had Justus. So that made it more interesting. On my way in from the parking lot to the office I stepped ankle deep into fresh concrete. I shook most of it off but that made me cry b/c it's one of the few pairs of pants that fit. Thankfully most of it cleaned off in the bathroom but I made some poor woman mad because it took several minutes to get that crap off my pants & shoes. Then clean up the sink and the floor.

Then they were running late. I was there at 10 o'clock & went in for the ultrasound by 10:30. It was an internal.......had NOT planned for that. I only had one ultrasound w/Justus. And it wasn't internal...remember Justus was with us today so that made it extra special.

After that was the wait to see the doctor. It took forever, she was running late. I waited another 2 hours to be seen by her. We didn't leave until 1. I was starving but happy that it was finally over! Then we went to Olive Garden & used our last gift card from Christmas. The food was great & now I have heartburn.


And now for the report: We got to see the head, body, arms, legs etc. And most of all the heartbeat. That was the first thing I noticed. So cool!!! The heartrate was 160. No twins for me. They changed my due date from mid July to the 28th. That didn't make me too happy. But what can I do. I go back in a month for a regular check up & in 5 weeks to try and find out the gender. Hope that works out.

Oh yeah, I lost two pounds. My doc said that is normal & the most I need to gain is 20 pounds. I hope to stay closer to the 10 pound number like I did with Justus. Don't worry, starving myself is my style. I just eat healthier when pregnant. That way I have less heartburn and more gas!!

Have to give props to you stack. I'm not sure how you put in your 10-12 hour days all the time. By 4pm I was pooped!!! I layed down for an 1/2 hour and felt refreshed so that was nice. And that's about it for my pregnancy moments for today.

Oh wait I take that back. For all those who puke your way through pregnancy, I finally had my moment. I had some mucus junk at the back of my throat today. When I coughed I got gagged & up came all the water I had been drinking along with some of that nasty mucus. Puking is the most disgusting things ever. YUK! Another pregnancy moment.

Bad Hair Day

SO I got a perm a few weeks ago. And as you know having perfect hair just isn't my thing. I most liked my hair when it was long enough to put it in a pony tail & forget it. Sam begs me to grow it out like that again but I'm in the frame of mind that fat girls dont look so good with long hair. So I have tried many things. Highlights, dark brown hair, short & spikey, etc. So I decided to get a perm & now I look like orphan annie when she first wakes up in the morning. Big fuzzy hair. Oh, well. I tried.

Since getting the perm my hair actually looks best when I wash it, put a lil' bit of gel on it & then sleep on it. So wierd! YOu haven't seen a pic b/c I can't get my pic thing to post my pics to my blog. I contacted the peeps but so far no one has responded. Anyways I will try to get sam to take a pic of orphan annie put it up on buzznet.

LOL

This morning before we got out of bed we were having Justus point to his body parts. Hair, eyes, elbow...then I said where is your neck??? He put his fist in the air & said "NAKED!!!!!!!". It was so funny at the moment. Not sure if it translates so well but sam & I laughed for several minutes and Justus joined in just for the fun of it.

He also says funny stuff like- Help you or hold you instead of help me/hold me. And outside, me go. It's neat to see him "talking" in sentences.

Krispy Kreme Fiasco

OK pregnancy is a pain in the butt for the husbands too. For example: Two weeks ago I mention that KK sounded good but we were running out of time so I said maybe next week. The next week Sam asked if I wanted some & I said no, they just sounded good at the time. So on Friday he brought home donuts. He wanted to surprise me. Poor guy didn't get the kind I liked & I was a BUTT! HE just went to the other room and sat down. Truthfully I tried no to say anything but he asked what kind I liked & I told him. He discovered that he didn't get the specific kind I had been craving. And said I just wanted to surprise you. And I said something smart alec. BAD ME!!! Eventually I ate some of the donuts he got (after pouting for an hour or so) and they were GREAT. I apologized! We ladies aren't the only ones with a rough 9 months.

Kaboom!

Last night I finally had my first cry since being pregnant. Sam & I are going to look for stuff for our Valentine's banquet coming up. So I made sure he didn't have any plans for Saturday so we could spend the day together. So when all of the sudden he said "we'll be back by 4 and I can watch the football games" I got my feelings hurt. And he's like WHAT?? what's wrong?

I don't know, maybe I just want a day for the two of us. He said we should be back by then so what was the problem??? The problem for me was that he was already making plans to do something else. Instead of enjoying our time together. Maybe it's the pastor in him, always trying to think ahead. But for that time, I just wanted a husband dang it!!!

This happens pretty frequently so I shouldn't really be caught off guard but it just hit me the wrong way. Last weekend we decided to use a gift card to go eat. We had a good time, Justus made us laugh the entire time. I thought that maybe we could go rent a movie or something. As soon as we got it the car he said, I think I'm gonna ask the boys to play basketball. OMG, can't you wait to do something with others!!!!!!!

We have had several discussions about this but I can't seem to say it in a way he understands it. I want time with you for myself!!!!!!! Or just familt time with the three of us. So, I cried for a few minutes, sniffled, coughed & eventually could breath again. I hate going to bed like that-we were already there. So I prayed for a few minutes before finally just waiting for sleep to claim me. I didn't sleep to well, so today should be just dandy!

uuuuurrrgggggggghhhhhhhh

Justus is driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!! IT has been ONE of THOSE days. As much as he usually amuses me today he has driven me crazy. Here is the short list of stuff we've dealt with today.

1. Throwing toys out the window that has no screen into the rain & dirt.
2. Pulling clean clothes off the hanger & throwing them onto the crumby floor
3. Why is the floor crumby?? B/c daddy gave Justus a piece of cake & let him walk around with it while mommy went to the bathroom. (I had just vacuumed too!~)
4. Climbing onto the dresser, & getting the lotion which is now everywhere. Carpet, concrete, J's hair.etc.
5. Pulling the pennies out of papa's change container & throwing them all over the place while mommy helps clean the kitchen after supper. (No other adults were around to stop him).
6. Taking 15 minutes to pick up blocks instead of 2.

Now for the good my baby did:

Helped me with laundry- I hand him the clothes from washer & he puts them into the dryer and shuts the door.
Took a nap for an hour so I could too.
Helped pick up the toys he had scattered around all day.

Maybe I'm just having a bad day. IT doesn't really have much to do with my youngen'

The Downy Ball

Everyone jokes about your brains going to mush when you are pregnant. I personally think it's true. What they don't tell you is that you rarely recover your full brain capacity. ON the up side your heart grows much, much bigger. And your patience, even if you don't want it to.

Today I put the clothes detergent in the downy ball instead of the fabric softner. At least I caught myself before it was too late. But that load of laundry got an extra dose of detergent. I couldn't quite figure out how much detergent went into the ball before I dumped it out.

I used to use dryer sheets but someone said it can cause your dryer to go out faster. NOT sure if its true but once I used liquid softener I was hooked.

I found the ledger...now to work on the numbers. Sweet relief!!!

Quick praise report...

My sister got a job & started today!!! God is really looking out for her. THanks for your prayers.


In other news...no ledger, & no report from mom's MRI. Keep praying!

Yikes

I have misplaced the ledger book for MOPS & it's time to do the budget for second semester. Not a good thing. I spent 3 hours last night looking for it. To no avail. My house needs a good "spring" cleaning so I guess that's what I will be doing this week. Oh lord, please have mercy on this pregnant woman.

I thought all the money stuff was together but I was WRONG. I've got to find it quickly!!! Our next meeting is the 24th, two weeks from tommorrow.

3 in a row

I'm doing OK on my goal to be more commited to spiritually important things. Today was my third week in a row making it to church. I ended up in the nursery b/c we went to the first service and the workers did not show up. IT was still good though I got to know one of the teenage spanish girls. She brought in a little girl and I played with her for a while. After that she & Justus entertained themselves which was nice. Hopefully next week will be a sucess too!

Quick update

My appointment was fine without any big happenings. Did the pee in a cup, bloodwork, family history thing. We listened for the heartbeat but couldn't get a good sound. It did show up on the nurses monitor so that was enough for me.

Moms MRI was OK. She got through it & doesn't want to do it again but they didn't have to drug her or anything like that.

And my sister Bethany has a interview for a new job on Monday.

Thanks to each of you who made a comment, said a prayer or gave me a call. I really appreicate it so, so much!! Thank you my friends!!!!!!! I am so blessed!!

Prayers

I have a lot of prayers on my heart today. The first on my list is my doctors appointment tommorrow. I'm excited about hearing the baby's heartbeat. That to me will be the best confirmation of all. We are leaving Justus at home with my mom and brother so it shouldnt be overly stressful.

Secondly I talked to my sister today. She has been on my mind for several days but I just hadn't gotten around to calling her. Today I did & now I know the reason she was on my mind. She quit her job. This in ordinary circumstances wouldn't be great. But since she is the only one working it's extra scary.

Bethany has this pattern. Do good for a while & then blow it. It's a self-destruct thing she does. And it's very frustrating to see her goes through this. Especially since she has three kids. Good news is that she is already out looking for another job instead of wallowing in self pity.

She such an awsome girl, I wish she could just get it into her head that God has awesome, wonderful things for her. She needs major guidance but she has to be the one to seek it. We've all tried to share with her but she isn't very receptive. Even though she knows the truth.

Lastly is my mother. She is scheduled for an MRI this friday to the tune of $3,500! Yikes!! Medical care is riduculous if you don't have insurance. She is very discouraged that "she" is going to put the family in debt. I've tried to tell her that she has been taking care of everyone else for years & now it's time to take care of herself.

So I'm praying for comfort & that she won't freak out while the tests are being ran. I'm going to go with her, even though I won't be able to be in the room she will know I'm there.

There are my thought for today.

A pregnant women's thoughts..........

So far this has been a different kind of pregnancy for me. I've had lots of extra gas(sweet revenge) & other stomach problems we won't discuss. My sense of smell is way EXTREME, one body wash that I use fairly often bugs the crap out of me now. And I don't sleep as much as I did while pregnant with Justus even though I want to.

Is this a sign of a different sex or is every pregnancy just different?? I guess I'll just have to wait & see. I go for the routine pee in the cup, weigh-in etc. this week and I'm glad that the insurance junk is finally in order. I'm twelve weeks & haven't even seen the nurse yet. Since I'm this far along I will get to hear the heartbeat this time.

I remember with Justus they couldn't find the heartbeat so they did an ultrasound. I was scared to death until we saw it. In the back of my mind I'm a little scared something similar could happen this time. I've been praying for peace a lot. Sam is very reasurring but I'm naturally a worrier.

However I do "feel" pregnant: waves of nasau(sp), hungry every hour on the hour, & lots of headaches. Sad as it is those symptoms have brought me some comfort. Oh yeah...I fell FAT!.. And the worst part is_ I am. I never lost weight after Justus only gained it. So now some of my maternity clothes don't even fit. That really sucks b/c as you know they are way to expensive.

Having said all that I am so EXCITED about being pregnant so I'll take the good and the bad and roll with it.....yipee I'm gonna have another baby!!!!!!! Yea, thank you God for this blessing!!!!

I will also go for an ultrasound later in the month, it will still be to early to tell the sex but I'm still excited to see the "alien" baby. And we have decided that it doesn't have to be a boy after all. A little girl wouldn't be all that bad. That's a big step for us cause we really wanted two boys. But Justus has such astrong personality I think a little sister might mellow him out some. Who knows.

I could keep on rambling but I'll save some for next time.

Redeeming the time

Happy New Year to each of you! Today has been good so far. Justus stayed in the nursery again...yea!!!! And he only cried for five minutes. When I dropped him off they asked me how long to let him cry, I said 15 minutes. That's a long time to listen to my child- he's very loud. Fortunately he stopped sooner rather than later. It's getting easier for him to be without me. And that's just fine with me.

Our pastor spoke about the new year of course with emphasis on redeeming the time. I personally have a lot of redeeming to do. 2005 did not mark any spirtual highs at all. I basically struggled through the entire year with a bad attitued knowing I should be doing better.

PD (pastor dave) spoke about knowing the will of God for your life & not getting all worked up about it. But that it is our responsiblity to simply obey. And follow the voice of the master. That sounds so difficult! But having gone through the past year I think that obeying just might be easier than ignoring God's plan.

Being in God's will can actually be a lot of fun. So that is my goal. And my confession. What are your goals for this year???

We had a wonderful christmas! My brother & sis-in law were here from Friday -Monday afternoon so we did all the family traditions in three days. I actually think it is better this way rather that an entire week. Friday night we went to see Narnia together while the kids went to their Nana sue's for christmas. I really enjoyed the movie!

When we got home the bake-a thon was on. As is a norm for our christmas we baked and talked about christmas' past. Then we were off to bed. Sometime around 2am.

For christmas eve we spent the afternoon with my grandmother. Her gift to us all was a song that she sang. It's a very special memory that I will keep forever! After she left we let the kids open their presents. They went crazy of course and Justus got overstimulated & grumpy.

Then on christmas morning we got up & ate quiche...then I got ready for church and slipped out when Justus wasn't looking. It was nice sit in church uninterupted. Staci and Chris came and I tried to keep quiet even though all I wanted to do was talk to Stack. We havent' had any time together yet. The music was great and the sermon short. My kind of service!

After church we stopped by Sue's house to tell everyone that we're expecting. That was fun! And then it was home for lunch. YUM YUM! After everyone settled down a little bit the adults opened their presents one couple at a time. It was faster than usual but we still didn't get done until 4pm. And then it was time for Football!

We had cheese & chocolate fondue for dinner. So good. Lots of fruits and veggies. Ummm, tasty!

The day after christmas sam & I went shopping for wrapping paper, ornaments etc. That's my way of saving for next year & having Christmas all year long. I Iike to get an early start so i won't freak out next year.

My gift this year was a new vacuum cleaner & oh did I need it!!!!! And sam got a radio controlled car (VIPER) and I surprised him for once!!! Somehow he always find out. I guess that's partially my fault. I could have surprised him about having a baby but my big mouth just couldn't wait any longer.

So there is my run- on tale of this years christmas celebration at the adams house. I've enjoyed reading about your christmas time. And I too am glad that things can get back to "normal"!

Attention, attention

I have an announcement to make...Staci & Nicole I just have to say I want to join your club in a real bad way. Wondering if I could join this pregnancy duo, is there room for me? Can we make it a trio??? Please, please, please...................

OK, ok I'll stop "trying" to rhyme. In case you haven't guess yours truly has joined in all the pregnancy madness that seems to surround us. I told Sam about a week ago & tried to keep it a secret until Christmas. You blogging budies are the only ones I was able to keep it from. (We told all the family this week & friends in town today.)

Due date???? July 21st. Exactly one month after my sister-in-law is due. And exactly one month before our friends Nathan & Traci expect their first baby. According to the calendar I am 11 weeks today & it's gone by so quickly, I can hardly believe it.

So, Merry Christmas everybody, hope you enjoyed my little secret if not my pathetic poetry skills!!! Love each of you & hope you had a very blesses Christmas!!!!!!!

Still sick

Things are exactly back to normal yet, I've washed my sheets for two days in a row now. All I can do is pray that this bug passes & that there are no lingering effects when my brother & sister-in-law get here on Friday. Since she is 13 weeks pregnant barfing wouldn't be anything new, but to have it coming from both ends doesn't sound like a Merry Christmas to me. I haven't felt all that grand today but so far no signs of sickness.

More great adventures

Well, today wasn't such a great adventure but we did go to Raliegh to pick up Staci & Chris!!! Yea, that meant I got a whole 2 hours with Stack and as is the norm we yacked the entire time. Sam drove around the airport while Justus and I went in to get Stack and her hubby. It's so good to see them!!! And just so you know I think she looks great at 22 1/2 weeks pregnant~!

I had a good time listening & sharing pregnancy memories and all the things staci is feeling. Our real adventure though happened on the way to pick them up. We had picked up biscuits to eat on the way. Justus only ate a little and I said several times that I couldn't believe he hadn't ate more. Little did I know what was around the corner.

Moments later he began to spew sausage and egg biscuit all over himself, carseat & Staci's moms car. YUK. The smell almost made me loose my breakfast too! So, we pulled over, changed clothes and cleaned up as best we could. I prayed the whole way that it was just some phelm or something that made him gag. He didn't throw up again thankfully!

Of course once we got home the other end of things got started & two baths later things have calmed down for the night. It's sad to say but I will miss the MOPS christmas party and a doctors appointment (still trying to get all the glass out of my finger) tommorrow but I really don't mind. I just pray that Staci or Chris doesn't catch whatever bug j-bean has. That would stink so bad!!!!!!!!

SOrry Stack!!!

COOOOOOkies!

Tonight is the cookie exchange & I have my 72+ cookies. It really didn't take too long. Seventy two cookies was only 3 trays full, not all that bad and I even had a few left over to send down the hatch. I made peanut butter blossoms with the kisses in the middle. Justus loves them!

So, I have 3 dozen for everyone to taste, & then three dozen for people to take home if they like them. I will come home with a plate full of cookies & a belly stuffed with sugar. Gotta love christmas!

Ice box

Well its nice & icy outside but no snow. Today the high was supposed to be 43 but it never reached over 33 degrees. Everything was coated with ice when I woke up and it rained all day. At 5 o' clock the sky turned a funky pink, a nice change from the norm. Just thought I would tell you all about my oh so interesting day with the ice... guess it really wasn;t all that interesting.

Cookie Exchange

I just got the rules for the cookie exchange, OMG what a bunch of junk! Such as, no NO bake cookies...what? Those are my favorites! If you mess your cookies up you must go to a "real" bakery & buy them. What the crap does that mean??? The instructions also said to bring six dozen.....am I made of money??? Ummmm, NO! I'm supposed to be making the peanut butter blossoms. The BIG bag of hershey kisses for the middle cost $5. There better be 60 stinking kisses in that blasted bag. Or else they will just get what they get.

I know that this isn't any major thing just thought I'd share my pessimistic thoughts.....sorry for the crappy spelling!

Hold you momma, hold me.....

My little j-bean is sick. He slept until 11:30 this morning and then went back down for a nap from 2-4pm. Holy cow, I hope he sleeps tonight. Anyways he has wanted to be held all day. Walking around saying "hold you momma, hold me." Too cute.
I think we are both getting a cold, something else to share with all you who have been sick the past couple of weeks. I hope that this passes quickly, cause as you already know ----it's not much fun!

I have a doctors appointment this friday (I have a piece of glass stuck in my finger& she has to give me a referral to some kind of surgeon who can take it out) so, if we're still sick I guess we'll pass up the whole finger thing & concentrate on breathing!

Amazing Race Finale

It's sad that all the finales are happening but I guess we just have to gear up for more great TV. I'm glad that Danni won Survivor, I think Steph. got to cocky!!!! But for tonight I hope that the florida family wins, if not them then the girls & their dad. The Linz's are too mouthy for me. What's your vote????

Christmas Parties....

I'm sure my list will be nothing compared to Staci's but to me it seems plenty. Here is the list of upcoming Christmas parties we will be involved in.

1st is the children's party my sister & I are having for a few kids. This party has been somewhat costly but a lot of fun to plan. Hopefully all will go well. It's this friday

2nd: Church staff party this Sat. night.

3rd The youth christmas party, that's the following Wed.

4th Christmas cookie exchange at our pastor's house. It's for women onlly so I'm sure that will be fun.

5th Young adult christmas party, for the young couples in the church.


EMMMMMMM I know I'm missing something but five is plenty for me!!! Oh yeah, the family get together with my grandmother on dads side, then the one with gma on moms side. Of course we already did christmas in Bama. Wish we could come again.

So, what kind of celebrations will you be part of this year??

A weekend out

Hello all. It's almost Christmas!!!!! I have a room full of gifts that need to be wrapped. Anyone have an elf I can borrow???

Well, we went to Alabama this weekend. Surprised????? No you didn't miss the memo, I didn't tell anyone b/c I wasnt sure if it would work out to see anyone. We came to see sam's family, this is the one time of year that we could squeeze out a few bucks & now we're flat broke! But that's OK.

Sam's mom & brother LOVED seeing Justus ( and us to I guess). And he recieved a multitude of gifts. It was lots of fun watching everyone interact with Justus. He gave out lots of hugs, kisses & I lub you's. We evern visited the great grandparents & j made them all laugh and giggle at the silly stuff he does.

I'm sorry that we didn't have enough time to make it to Alabaster & say hello. This trip was just to short!!!! We left Friday am & got back Sunday pm. Sam put in a lot of driving miles into a short period of time.

I've been catching up on a few Blogs & that's been fun. Nic, you never fail to make me laugh. And thanks for sharing your christmas pics Crystal. I still have to read a few more so don't be offended if you weren't mentioned. Love you all!!!!

My delima

As you have probably already realized Christmas is is on Sunday this year. Can you guess my delima??? To go or not to go???
Please dont get me wrong, it is the season to celebrate the birth of Christ. And when I go I'll be glad I did.


BUT

my brother & sister in law are here for three days. And all the Christmas traditions are not possible to do if we go to this service. It's at 11am. Complain, complain. I know, not very nice am I????? Well, what do you think?

ps there will be NO nursery for this 1 hour service.

Finally

Well, I'm finally able to put something up. Hello to all, how are ya??? I've written this message several times now but there was something funky going on with the connection.

We had a great Thanksgiving with the family & then played outside after we were stuffed. We also took the kids to the Christmas parade. They loved it!!! I was freezing. Justus did not like the sirens, they made him cry. At least I know he is afraid of something. An odd thought I know, but he sometimes seems fearless.

I am finally done shopping for the family. Now I only need the last minute stuff for stockings. AHHHHHH, what a relief!

I'm glad that is done because between now & Christmas it's mass chaos! As I'm sure you all know. Parties, dinners & food.

What fun this was!

What fun this was!
Posted by: tma.

Chicken Little or Little Chicken????

Chicken Little or Little Chicken????
Posted by: tma on Buzznet

How TO

Has anyone seen the commerical from Lowes improvement store about their HOW TO clinics??? (Lowes is like HOME DEPOT).
Well I saw the add & looked online to see what they were teaching. This past saturday was how to decorate & make a wreath.

I can decorate a tree pretty well but am pretty shakey on the wreath part. I thought it would be fun so a couple of us girls sign up, get babysitters(daddys). We all went to breakfast together & headed that way.

WHen we got there we had no idea where to go.(no directions) So we asked at the front desk. The "manager" told us where to go. We get back there & its a man standing there. No table, supplies, etc. I asked again where to go. He said here.

I asked what we would be doing....& I quote: "We're going to show you how to fluff your tree & show you the decorations we have for sale". I was ticked!!!!!!!! This took planning!!!!!!!

Well the manager heard all about it & said there was supposed to be a lady back there to help. We walked back there but when the mystery lady didn't show up after 15 minutes we talked to the manager again.

I think she was embarrassed. My mom politely mentioned that next year she would teach the class if they didn't have anyone else qualified.

After that fiasco we all went shopping again. And then came home for dinner. YUMMMMMMM!

Addicted

Justus is addicted to the movie Monster INc. & he has been fussing the past 15 minutes while I've been checking email. I think Im learning to tune out that whinning. Though after a while you jus say enough is enough.

I had a pretty good weekend. Saturday was my sisters birthday so mom watched the baby, sam watched Justus & the other kids were elsewhere. We took the day for ourselves. We went SHOPPING! Oh, what fun. Now Im broke.

Bethany wanted to get her nails done so we stopped in & got that done. I got acrylics for the first time. They look nice but my nails were sore the first day. I guess I have two weeks to decide if I really want to keep them or just have them taken off.

Then we had lunch & shopped till we dropped. This year we put a $10/person limit. It's hard to find something real nice at that price but we were pretty sucessful. I started christmas shopping in August so I'm 99% done.

We left the house around 11am & got back at 6:30pm. I was pooped! But we ended up "playing scene" it at a friends house. Guys against girls. The guys won 2 times & we won once. FUN!

My growing child

Lately Justus has been amazing me more & more. Like when he said "watch this mom". No kidding those were his exact words. He usually says one or two words at a time but that little sentence caught me by surprise. Kids are so cute.

After some testing the doctors finally figured out that he doesn't have asthma, only severe allergies. They also said he is still young enough to develop asthma. But for now he has dodged the family curse.

Also, he is now three feet tall & 30 pounds....no wonder he is so heavy!

Pathetic

Well, I stayed home from church & played Packman 3 all day. Pretty pathetic I know. Maybe next week I'll try harder.

This weekend we took the kids to the fall festival

This weekend we took the kids to the fall festival
Posted by: tma.

Hello All

Hello all, I'm a little down tonight. Dealing with issues that I don't take lightly. .....sigh...... I guess that's all I have to say for now. Maybe some rest will help me see things clearer!

Tricked

I was going through some clothes today & found some that will fit Justus now but they need to be washed. So I threw them on the floor in the dirty clothes pile that I am supposed to work on today. Justus decided he wanted to try them on. So he put a few things over his head. So far that is as far as he can get on his own. A few minutes later I didn't hear him playing so I turned around to see what he was doing. Only he wasn't there. I called his name & up from the clothes pile rose my little ones face. He was camoflaged by all the clothes. He thought it was the funniest thing that he had surprised me. We both had a good laugh!

10 "Interesting" facts about me...

I've only had surgery once in my life. When my sister & I were fighting and she broke a light bulb in my left middle finger. I got to flip everyone off for free. To this day there is still a piece of glass in my finger & yes its a pain.

I have twin scars, one on each knee. As a kid I was more of a tomboy...now I'm a wimp!

I write left handed but do almost everything else right handed, including bowling.

Even though I really, really want two boys a girl wouldn't be that bad.

Pink is no longer my most disliked color I actually like it now.

I still don't have a drivers liscense. Yes, it's pretty pitiful. But I'm working on it.

Sky diving & getting a tatoo is on my list of things to do.

I rolled in the snow unclothed once...in Finland. Brooke & I also sat in their sauna naked too.

Swimming is the "sport" I enjoy most.

And volleyball is the only sport I can attempt.

I asked Jesus into my heart at age 3. My great grandmother had a picture of Jesus knocking on a door with no doorknob. I asked my mom about & she said that was the door to your heart. She explained how only we can ask Him into our lives & the salvation story. I asked Jesus into my hear that day. When I got married my mom had the pic reframed & gave it to me. Its one of my most treasured possesions.

That was hard!!!! But there you have it.

Rescued

They finally made it home...YEAH. They got home last night , I still haven't talked to them or seen them but at last they are safe and sound. With a bed to sleep in and food in their stomachs!!!

Our little Tinkerbell...aka..Brieanna

Our little Tinkerbell...aka..Brieanna
Posted by: tma.

She usually isn't too keen on pics but she's coming around!

Spidey....aka...Brandon

Spidey....aka...Brandon
Posted by: tma.

Justus was scared of Brandon the first time he saw him with the mask on. They were all too cute!

This weekend we took the kids to the fall festival

This weekend we took the kids to the fall festival
Posted by: tma.

Justus was supposed to be a chicken but at this festival they had the heat cranked up & he was too hot.

DVD weekend

Hello all. Thought I would write a quick note & let you know I'm still here. I havent' had lots of time for internet reading so I'm behind on the times. I hope to catch up sometime in the next few days.

Nathan & Traci are still stuck in Cancun. Their flight out for today was cancelled & are now being replaced by "humanitarian" flights on a first come, first served basis. Who knows when we will see them.

This weekend is Hallelujah House at church but sam is stuck with Justus & I. He pulled a muscle in his back and so he has been resting, watching lots of DVD's from our bed. It's nice to have him around.

Jamie, sorry I havent' put anything up...I'm still trying to think of 10 things.

Cancun update

The last update I got was that N & T had gone 3 hours south to a resort shelter...not exactly sure what that means but I'm still concerned. Nathan's mom has rebooked their flight twice already. If they can't get out by Tues. she'll have to rebook them again. We haven't heard anything from them in 3 days. Keep praying.

Update on mom....she's doing SOME better. She can at least sit on the couch now instead of staying in bed 24-7. Also: keep praying.

One more fun piece of info....someone else is pregnant...NOT ME...my sister in law Aubrey. I think WOW-that was fast!. They're one year anniversary was this summer. Maybe they will move closer so we can see the baby...and them too!

The pumkin patch was CHAOS! It was Justus, me, my sis, her 3 kids & husband. And another relative with her two young boys. Let me just say this- I would not make a good single mom. Justus was being a kid & driving me crazy. I missed sam being there to enjoy & to help me out. We did get a pumpkin but the parents were to worn out to let the kids paint them.

We had already played on the hay mounds, raced on the John Deere bikes, played on the playground, had snack, went on the hayride, & played in a huge "sandbox" of corn. That was really cool! After we got the pumpins we headed home. Justus was out in 10 min!!!!

Yesterday we took the kids to get their pictures taken in their costumes. It took an hour but the pictures turned out pretty good! They won't be back until November, I can't wait to show you! That's about it for the "cancun" update. I guess I got carried away.

Stranded!!!!!!!!

Nathan & Traci are stuck in Cancun! I guess they waited too long to get out & now there are NO flights out. Doesn't sound like the best honyemoon in the world but they'll have a story to last a lifetime. Please keep them in your prayers. The last I heard they are evacuating the coast (where they were). But I'm not really sure where they will be going. Their poor parents!!!! I"ll fill you in on any details as I get them.

ps We're dressing up the kids in their costumes to go & get their pics taken tommorrow. We're also supposed to go to the pumpkin patch this weekend. It should be fun!

Top 5 Christmas Traditions

#1 Exchange ornaments; see staci's blog for more details
#2 Bake like it's going out of style; sharing past memories while doing it
#3 Get up early the day after Thanksgiving & shop the deals; just for the fun of it.
(Sam and I starting doing this when we were in OH & had no family to hang with. There are SO many people there; it's always fun).
#4 Get a tree & decorate it Thanksgiving Day. Since we always get a real tree we have to wait until then. Otherwise it dies too fast!
#5 Open stockings on Christmas Eve. For me this is the most fun b/c you can really get some cool gifts that fit into a stocking. For example I saw an ad today on TV for some cute scarves $1 at the dollar tree. Nice gift, nice price. Emmm...makes me smile just thinking about it!

There are more traditions around here but I want to know what yours are. If you've already written on Stack's thats cool, I 'll just look there. Fun,fun,fun...I LOVE CHRISTmas too!!!

What's up with me

Well as I've mentioned before Sam & I don't get much time together. You ALL can relate I know. One of the things I read in an article from our MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers) suggested writing a journal back & forth between husband & wife. I thought it was a good idea so I'm (we're) gonna try it for a while. What do you do to stay in touch with your man????

Justus is getting bigger all the time. He weighs almost 30 pound now! His feet are humogous(sp)! The kid is wearing a size 6 & their almost too small. His clothes are 2t & 3t. He isn't even 2 yet!!! All that aside, he lots of fun and talking his own language more every day. This is a very fun and strenuous age.

AS for me, I'm feeling more like myself than I have in a long time. Quiet time is better than it has been in a while. And I'm trying to reach out & be a part more in our church.

I guess that is my update for now. Love to you all. And thanks for the prayers for my mom! Keep em' coming!

Sweet Success

The wedding was successful with bride & groom now spending a week in Cancun. The reception, our main focus went well. 300+ guest ate a huge plate of food. Including; veggies & fruit, bread & cheese, meatballs, wings, ham, chocolate covered cherries, and cream puffs drizzled with chocolate. Don't forget the punch & cake. Our only problem was that the wings got a little dried out, I think we had the heat turned up a little to high. They weren't bad with the sauces added on top. (BBQ or ranch).

The sad part was that we were all too busy to spend any time with each other. My brother & his wife came. Rebekah & Paul came with their new baby Gabriel. Nikki & Scott...I know most of you don't recognize the names but for Staci's sake I thought I'd add this part. Anyways it was hello & goodbye. Maybe Christmas won't be as rushed.

We had lots of leftovers; that's good for us! Some of it will have to be frozen so it won't go bad. Nathan & Traci both looked great. And that's all that matters. Their day was successful. Yeah!

Tedious work (sp??)

Well, this weekend is Nathan & Traci's wedding. And my mom is catering for them & I am helping. We have been doing lots of prep work; especially this week. For example: cooking over 1,000 meatballs, 700 some odd chicken wings. Cutting 300+ ribbons to go around 300+ napkins that go around 300+ sets of plastic silverware. We've made a MILLION trips to walmart & sam's club....& the list goes on but I won't in case you're asleep already.

I think that this is going to be a nice wedding & I hope everything comes together. Justus has been great & put up with me doing a lot of extra stuff. Tonight we went to the reception place to set everything up. He played with his cars & balls. Oh, what a good kid!!! Well sam is already in the bed waiting to go to sleep, guess I should go so he can get some rest.

I'll let you know how everything turns out. Goodnight all.

A painting frenzy

Hello all! Well, last night instead of getting ready to paint we went Bowling with my sister,her husband, Nathan & Traci. It was lots of fun & not as much smoke as usual. I still had a headache/sore throat but it was worth. I actually tied Sam in the 2nd game which NEVER happens. He always beats me at Everything.

Now today we are painting. It's going good so far. I hope to post some pics Very soon! I think it will be easier to show than to tell. But it's gonna be a tigger room, with balls b/c J is nuts about balls. Sounds odd. I think it will be OK though!

It's FRIDAY

Yes, as you know it's Friday. Justus is with Sam & I'm again in computer land. Mom & Jake are cleaning out this room so that my brother & his wife have a place to sleep next weekend. (Nathan's wedding).

They are both in a crazy, silly mood. And I'm on the way. Too crazytown. I guess it's all the rain from Tammy.

Tonight is Sam & I are supposed to start painting Justus' room. It's our livingroom right now but we are trying to rearrange to that J can have his own room & we can have more privacy.

I'll try to keep you updated. And I'll for sure take pics. I guess I'm gonna bet out of the way so I see you all soon.

ps sorry this was so boring...oh well.

Dang it!

NOt sure about the title...I couldn't think of anything better! This weekend wasn't too bad. Justus stayed up ALL day long with no nap so he went to bed early at 10:30. I was able to watch a whole movie in peace & finish the book I was reading.

Saturday the kitchen was turned into the beauty shop & my sister cut and colored hair. Did manicures, pedicures & waxing. Oh the fun. She cut my hair a little different but I can't show you since my internet is down.

I really didn't want to go to church today but I did. Me, Bethany & the kids ate out Mexican afterwards & it was so good. And the kids were so crazy. It was fun.

Tonight we did a birthday dinner for my dad, he's 51! We had stuffed pasta, tomato/basil salad & homemade cheescake for dessert.
The cheesecake was made with splenda; it was pretty good.

I watched Sahara & Finding Neverland this weekend. They were decent.

This week is MOPS & I've decided to be part of the steering commitee and help with the finances. It should be fun. I guess that's it. Except I'm really glad that my husband is back!!! I wouldn't make a good single mom!