Chest X-Ray is good!

The nurse from my Dr's office called me today and told me that my chest x-ray is clear. Praise God!

How little nothings make somethings

I love the character, Kathleen Kelly, from You've God Mail. I was reminded of how much I enjoy that movie after watching some of it last night before I went to bed. It was on ABC Family, which I never watch, and I just happened to see it on while flipping through the channels, waiting for Patrick to put all of his clothes that were laying on the bed in his suitcase in preparation for our upcoming trip. I find it ironic that I had sold my only recording of that movie at my garage sale on Saturday (for a quarter!) and wished today that I hadn't so I could see the remaider if it today. In watching the movie, I chuckled at Kathleen as she "dialed in" to AOL on her 1-inch thick Mac to check her email. Oh, how technology has changed since the late nineties!

And by the way, the 1949 musical version of this movie, "In the Good Old Summertime", is SUCH a great movie and must be seen by all who love "You've Got Mail". Van Johnson reminds me so much of my grandpa...

Anyway, I've been spending the day at home today, cleaning and preparing for our trip. It's been a while since I've had an "at home day" where all I've done is keep house, play with the kids and meet other in-home obligations. I realized today how many little things the kids do that make my heart quicken with love for them, even if those things seem like measley nothings to most people. Here are some of the "nothings":

-Ethan loves to crawl on me. I can lay on the floor and watch TV or read a book and he'll have a ball crawling OVER me. He'll do it for at least 20-30 minutes.

-While I was laying in Mallory's room reading my devotional book, Mallory was immitating me by laying next to me reading her Mulberry Bush book.

-Mallory loves her Bible stories. They are color-coated in her bible story books and knows a lot of the stories by color. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I've been reading more stories that SHE chooses.

-Ethan will laugh if I do a fake sneeze.

-Ethan will follow me around the house all day. He likes knowing where his mommy is.

All of these things are precious to me. Blogging helps me record these little things so I can sift through them in the future to remind myself of God brings me joy through the nothings.

Another fun photoshoot

Another family who let me take pictures for them...

In and Out

I was in and out of diagnostics within 15 minutes, which was nice. I should find out the results of my x-ray early next week.

I did have OK sleep last night. I fell asleep fine and woke up a few times in the night, once to help Mallory find Doggie amidst her tousled covers...Anyway, I did have good rest. Thanks for the prayers!

Please Pray...

I have been feeling a weird mild burn in my lungs whenever I inhale, sort of like the sensation I've been breating in cold air. It's been like this for about a week, the intensity being different each day. I went to the DR on Monday to talk to her about it. I had an EKG (which came out fine) and chest X-Ray done and I just got a call that they want to repeat the chest X-ray to rule out a possible shadow. It's unclear on the X-ray if it is a shadow, so I'm going in tomorrow morning for another X-ray.

Pray for:
1. Good sleep tonight
2. That the X-ray will show nothing
3. That the LORD will heal

OH, and I had a pregnancy test and it's negative. :-)

Some time for Mallory

As I look back on my posts, I realized that I haven't posted much about Mallory lately. Boy, is she growing up quick. I can't believe how fast time flies until I realize how much Mallory has grown both physically and intellectually in the past several months. She had hardly any words in her vocabulary last April and is now talking up a storm. Here is a list of some of the things she's now doing:

• Mallory prays for her family every night before she goes to bed, going something to the effect of "Bless Mommy. Bless Daddy. Bless Ethan. Bless Gommy. Bless Poppy. Bless Grams. Bless Pops. Bless Aunt Amanda. Bless Uncle David..." and sometimes adds a blessing to Giraffe or Doggie in there too. And the order of blessings always change.
• Mallory has learned her first scripture. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind one to another". We say this a lot. Plus, I know a song to it and I sing it a lot. Along with "Have Patience".
• Mallory knows how to count to ten and say her ABCs. We're now learning how words begin with certain letters. Her fall project is making her own ABC book using pictures I've clipped from old magazines, though I'm having trouble finding pictures that begin with G, J, Q, X, Y and Z. I had trouble finding A pictures as well, so I found a picture of Aunt Amanda and she knows that Aunt Amanda begins with A. She says it A LOT.
• Mallory and her daddy read a bible story almost every night. I would have to say that her favorite Bible story is about Simon and his boat, which goes something like this: one day, Jesus was speaking to a bunch of people and used Simon's boat to go out into the water to speak from there. After Jesus was done speaking, Jesus told Simon to go into the water, cast his net and catch fish. Simon, from his experience, didn't think he would catch any fish, but obeyed Jesus anyway. So, in his obedienc to Jesus, Simon did as He said and caught big fish, little fish and wiggly fish (oh my!, as the storybook goes). The lesson that the storybook gives is that Simon pleased Jesus by obeying him. So, how can we please Jesus? Mallory's answers are "obeying mommy, obeying daddy, and sharing with Ethan. So, whenever I tell Mallory to do something and she doesn't listen, I tell her to remember she needs to obey mommy, to which she answers "Obey Mommy. Please Jesus. Simon and Boat". I love that these little lessons are already working in her heart.
• Mallory loves to sing. Her favorite has to be "If you're happy and you know it", but she also loves "Whole World in His Hands", "Ring Around the Rosy", "Row, row, row your boat", and "I've got the Joy". She also loves the song "Jesus, there's just something about that name". Here is a video (taken this morning) of her rendition...

Lyrics:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus. Like the fragrance after the rain.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Let all heaven and earth proclaim.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.

A photo shoot!

A plug for some of my work...

Ethan's first haircut

Ethan was looking pretty motley when we headed down to FL, so I gave him a haircut on Friday. He looks like a little man. Since the "after" pics taken, I had to make some corrections to some of my uneven clippings. I was pleased with my first attempt to do an all-over-the-head trimming!

Before:














After:

Hoe-down

Ethan is 10 months!

I took all of E's 10 month pictures before I left for FL and am just now getting around to posting them. For those of you who don't know yet, I weaned Ethan about 2 weeks ago and we're both used to our new routine. There are times when I miss nursing, but for the most part, it's SO nice to NOT be nursing. Anyway, he's a mighty big boy and lives up to the meaning of his name: strong and impetuous one.

Love ya, buddy-roe!

Our little monkey

Back home!

We arrived home yesterday afternoon around 2pm. It was good to see Patrick and Mallory! And it was good to be out of that plane! I dealt with a little bit of vertigo last night that was not very comfortable, but I feel MUCH better today.

Here are some pictures from my trip. I almost didn't bring my camera, but I'm so glad that I did because nobody else was snapping pictures and there were many "kodak moments" that I'm so glad we didn't miss. Amongst the many pictures, you'll see my sister and I with my grandma's sister, June (who lives outside of Galveston, so keep them in your prayers!!!), some fun in the pool, the iguana that LIVES in the screen porch that the pool is in, family dinners, Ethan in the swing, Ethan playing, our family "hoe-down" with my uncle on the harmonica, and grandpa with the "grands". We had a great time despite that the occasion was for my grandma's funeral.



Mom is still down in FL helping grandpa clean out some of my grandma's things. One thing I asked for from my mom was one of grandma's pie plates. She used to make the best pies. I'd love to bake a pie in her plates and think of her while doing it. Mom is heading home tomorrow, which I'm sure will be difficult. It was a week ago today that she headed down there knowing this was the last time she would see her mom. Anyway, life goes on and God is faithful through all things.

Here are all the grands:


















(L-R)
Backrow- Kenzie, Melanie, Amanda, Grandpa, Aaron, Jeremy, Nathan
Lap kids - Ethan (great-grand), Elisha, Parker(great-grand), Peighton (great-grand)

Kenzie and Elisha are sisters (daughters of Mike).
Amanda and I are sisters (daughters of Dawn).
Aaron, Jeremy, and Nate are brothers (sons of David).
Ethan and Mallory (not pictured) are mine.
Peighton and Parker are Aaron's.
(my Aunt Donna does not have any kids.)

A day of ceremony

Today was my grandma's funeral. I can't really go into too much of my emotions now since I need to go to bed soon and get some rest to prepare for tomorrow's trip home. But, it was nice and I think my grandma would have really liked it; it was a traditional catholic mass without some of the pomp and ceremony that usually accompanies it, though still very "catholic". My sister and I did get to sing "In the Garden" during the mass and my mom wrote and read the eulogy, which was a beautiful summary of her full life. My grandpa was very sad and his lip was constantly quivering. We were all trying to be strong for him.

The day was very nice despite the reason why were were all gathered. But the only living family members not present were Patrick and Mallory. That was pretty cool. It was neat to have everyone together remembering times with grandma. We had a traditional family dinner (cold cuts, cheese, rolls, cold salads, devilled eggs, desserts) after the service. Grandpa stayed busy with all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren around. Though he sat on the couch the whole time, people constantly buzzed by him making sure he had enough to drink and eat. We even got a nice picture of all the "grands" with grandpa. I think that will be a nice memory.

We're leaving tomorrow around 9am (or earlier) to make it back to Sanford in time to catch our noon flight. We should be back home around 1:30ish. I can't wait to see my hubby and daughter!

Grandma's Obituary

You can see my grandma's obituary here. What sort of takes me back is realizing my grandpa lost his wife of 61 years. WOW.

We're Here!

I keep forgetting that my aunt and uncle have internet access, so I should be able to give updates during the week.

God put all of the plans for my travel down here in place with such ease and grace. My dad called me about 7:30 to tell my grandma died. I knew it was soon because she was given just merely hours on Saturday. After talking to my dad and figuring out Patrick's schedule, we thought the initial course of action was for me to drive the kids to my dad's house and then we would drive with my dad down to FL today. But, after thinking about that and talking to my mother in law, we figured it would be possible to take just Ethan, which would make the drive easier. Then, my dad suggested that why don't I just fly. You see, there is an airline that flies out of JC for real cheap down to Orlando/Sanford (north of Orlando International) and they only fly on Sun and Thurs. So, I quickly called them and asked if there was any availability. This was around 9:15am. They said there was, but they stop booking at 10. I called a friend of mine who flies with their son a lot and asked if I could borrow her travel carseat, which is a carseat and stroller built into one. She said of course and brought it to church. Patrick's mom was driving up Sun afternoon and Mallory would be cared for. All I had to do was make a rental car reservation, which went without a hitch. So, I had a flight and rental car for less than $400 which is GREAT for such a last minute flight. Since Patrick and I had to teach the preschoolers at church, I had 20 minutes to pack for me and Ethan before we had to be at church. AND so far, the only thing I've noticed I've forgotten is my brush! God is good.

Ethan was GREAT on the flight down here. I still can't get over how a 12 hour trip turns into a 1 hour and 15 minute flight. Crazy. Ethan barely slept at all yesterday, but was a trooper despite his weariness. The flight was full except for 2 seats, and one of those seats was next to me!!! Praise God! I had plenty of room to put his toys and what-nots to keep him entertained for the duration of the flight. I only checked the clock twice to see how much longer we had left. I think that was a good thing! Maneuvering through the airport with the carseat/stroller and my one carry on and purse was a BREEZE (thank you, thank you, thank you Abby!). The airport was only 60 miles from my family's house, but it took almost 2 hours to get here, between potty breaks, the grocery store, diaper changes, and feedings. AND I think we stop ed at EVERY traffic light on the way. Every time I hit a red light, I prayed for grace. :-)

Anyway, we arrived here about 7pm and Ethan was VERY glad to be released from the carseat. My mother was SOOO happy to see us both. My dad is supposed to arrive today, so Ethan and I were the first ones from her brood that she got to hug. When we arrived, there was a mass of family here which was pretty chaotic. I did get to hug my grandpa, though it was brief because of the craziness. He left shortly after I got there, which doesn't surprise me since he barley slept a wink in the last few days. Ethan was up for about an hour before I put him to bed. Actually, mom asked to put him to bed, which I think was a good balm for her. She hadn't seen E in over a month and just holding him and loving on him started a grief process for her that she hadn't been able to come to yet because of all the busy-ness of the hours after the death of a loved one. I got to talk to her for about an hour after E went to bed and it was so nice to hear her talk and learn more about grandma's final hours.

Ethan is taking a nap now and I'm in a quiet house, so I'm going to take this opportunity to spend a few minutes with God. Please pray that my grandpa will see Jesus through all of this. He doesn't feel worthy of God and wonders why Jesus would even give him a thought. Yes, he's not worthy, like all of us, and pray that he'll see God's grace as a free gift and the Jesus loves him, too. Pray that I will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I know this is long, but this was a nice respite for me. Writing things down makes me infuse the memories into my brain. It feels weird being here without seeing grandma. Her funeral is on Wed. Again, all I can ask is for your prayers.

Plans in motion...

Grandma died at 12:15am today. I have a flight down to FL this afternoon. I'm taking Ethan. Patrick and his mom are taking care of Mallory. Please pray and I'll give you more details when I come home on Thurs.

Please pray...

I just found out from my mom this morning that my grandmother has been given days to weeks to live. Grandma has a staph infection in her blood that just can't be controlled. And if they try to control it with antibiotics, the side effects have included bleeding ulcers and blood clots, both of which are not good. My uncle, grandfater and grandmother have all decided that the best course of action is to bring her home and make her as comfortable as possible over the remainder of her life. Hospice is involved.

It's inevitable that she'll be passing very soon. I'm hoping to catch a flight down there later next week, but I was quickly reminded about Ike when I checked the weather forcast. It looks like he's going to hit FL, but I know forcasts change, especially of hurricanes. I need to use wisdom in this decision to purchase a ticket.

Anyway, please pray for my mom's family. Pray that my grandma will draw close to God in her final days. Pray that God will remove any fear she may have. Pray for grandpa, that God will show Himself evidently amidst the sorrow that is bound to come. Pray for my mom's siblings (David, Donna, Mike), that they may also see God and His goodnes in all things - even things that are dark and dim. Pray that I may get to see her again in this world. Though this is a selfish prayer, it may not be God's will so pray that I will accept it with a worshipful heart. Pray for Patrick as he will be watching the kids if (hopefully WHEN) I go. His mom is planning to come and help while I'm gone (thank you!!!).

An update...photo style!

Here is Ethan in the beginning stages of walking pneumonia. As you can see, he seems perfectly fine. But, the crust around his nose and the red chapiness was irritating him. Oh, and the bruise? His daddy dropped him on his head. Seriously.



















Here is E partaking in his daddy's delicious pork. Patrick spent the day on Monday smoking a pork "Carolina style" and it was excellent, his best one yet! Mallory wouldn't touch it, but Ethan liked it!

Here is her highness, Queen Mallory performing DR duties on Icky Blue. This was BEFORE she actually went to the doctor. Please don't be under the impression that she finds stethoscopes interesting. In fact, I would say she dislikes them immensely. Ask her doctor.

And since I had been dealing with sick kiddos, I hadn't been able to make my escape to the grocery store like I usually can when I'm about to run out of something. But, I was about to run out or have already run out of very important items like Cheerios, Goldfish, laundry detergent and fruit. I called my dear friend, Dawn, and asked her if she could help me out with picking up some necessities for me. And not only did she pick up groceries, she gave us some wonderful lasagna for us to enjoy that evening. A double blessing!!! It helped me SO MUCH not to cook while manning a sick house. Here is proof that the dinner was yummy:

Sick. AGAIN.

Both of my kiddos are sick again. It seems as though they've been sick a lot lately and it's been very frustrating. I took both of them to the DR yesterday and Ethan was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and Mallory was diagnosed with tonsillitis.

We are downing antibiotics and trying to get rest. Mallory has been battling a fever, it's highest point being 104.4. It's now around 101. Ethan's had a nasty runny nose, but is still getting into everything, which means I'm trying to keep everything disinfected.

Anyway, keep us in your prayers. God is good in providing grace to us in enduring this!

Playing together

Green Frog

First, I have to say that my daughter comes up with very simple names for her stuffed animals. We have "Striped Bear" for a bear with stripes on it. We have "Pink Giraffe" for a pink giraffe. We have "Blue", or "Icky Blue" rather, for her blue dog. We have "Elephant" for her blue elephant. And I'll stop there.

Anyway, this post is about "Green Frog", an ugly, cheaply made stuffed animal that she got at the Appalachian fair last weekend. Patrick and his dad were thoughtful enough to take Mallory to the great Appalachian fair while the family was up for Ethan's dedication. The idea was to let Mallory ride the carousel, eat funnel cakes and corn dogs, and enjoy the fascination of the twinkling lights and spinning rides that are at most American fairs. To sum up Mallory's experience in one word, according to the accounting of the event from Patrick and his dad, was dreadful. She did not like it. Not one bit. From what I gathered, there was a lot of screaming and the repetitive "All Done" and "Bye Bye Silver Car" when she does not want to be where ever she is that is disagreeable to her.

Mallory has one saving grace from the event, though, which is Green Frog. Patrick won it in some silly fair game. He supposedly picked out a stuffed cow for her, which she abhorred. She seemed to be content with Green Frog and it has somehow rallied itself up into the top 5 favorite stuffed animals. Maybe because it was her savior from the fair? I don't know. But, she gets very excited over Green Frog and often carries it around with her beloved Doggie (that is, whenever I LET her carry around Doggie).

So, here I introduce to you, Green Frog.

Grandma's Frogs

My grandmother was a major crafter before arthritis claimed the use of her hands. She used to sew dolls, frogs, quilts, and many, many other things to give to others and to enjoy for herself. She made these frogs for me when I was a little girl. My grandfather made the stool for the frog to perch on. My grandma painted it.

Mallory has grown to like these little frogs and has aptly named them "Pink Frog" and "Blue Frog" respectively. She carries them around with her on certain days when her attachment to them is heightened. I try to keep them away from Ethan because the eyes are a choking hazard, but I let him play with them while I'm in his company.

Anyway, I took this pictures and sent them to my grandma for her to enjoy while recovering from her surgery. She's doing OK, by the way. They're hoping she can go home soon, though she did develop another staph infection in her blood. Luckily it's not MRSA!

More pictures from Dedication Sunday

You can see more pictures from Dedication Sunday here.

Abort! Abort!