It's Been a Long Time...

HELLO WORLD!

It's been a while since I've written anything so I thought I would do a quick update...then make the New Year's resolution to actually blog more!

We'll start with the obvious...Christmas. It was good, very VERY busy but good. We tried to take Maddie to see Santa and that didn't work, at all! She screamed and had a death grip on my coat. She kept screaming "no thank you, no thank you mommy!" So needless to say, no picture with Santa this year. She was all about him bringing her presents though. She knew she wanted to ask him for a bed for her baby Abbie and cake. Yes, you read that right...cake! Well, she got some cookies from him and that was her favorite present all morning! She ate 4 of them! She was also all about leaving Santa cookies and milk and the reindeer an apple. The first thing she asked about when she woke up Christmas morning was "Santa eat cookies? Drink milk?" She was a little sad when she came down and they were gone...she wanted to eat them. She had started eating them as we were setting them out...along with the apple. So to her dismay (till she realized Santa brought some for her), the cookies and apple were "gone".


She was excited to find her bed for her baby, along with a swing, car seat, highchair and a book. Mommy and daddy got her a few little things and she was happy!

Our busy was the 12 services that Tim and I worked at church. They were amazing and we love doing it...it's just very tiring. I know the RCC team that did "Imagine Christmas" knows what I am talking about! This year we did a service entitled "Christmas Has A Face". Basically, we asked people to decide how much they spend every year on Christmas, pray a dangerous prayer to ask God what He'd have them do with their Christmas money and then listen to what God tells you. Basically, we were trying to get people to consider our mission work and raise money to save lives instead of buying aunt Susie something she would probably never use. As a result, as of right now (we'll get a final number here in a week or so) we have raised a little over $800,000.00! I don't say that to toot our horn, but I was moved to tears every time I saw that number, and honestly, if felt really good to have less under the tree and know that I was helping a child/children or families in Kenya, India and down in the Brightmoor region of Detroit. It's just amazing to me how many people listened when God spoke!

The last week or so has pretty well been a relaxing, not do much type of week. The two days after Christmas we holed up at home and did nothing. We needed the break. The Friday after Christmas we did Christmas with Tim's family where Maddie received her favorite Christmas present of the year (and the only one she really plays with at this point), her kitchen! Complete with dishes and food and stuff to "wash" her dishes and a mixer and phone and everything you could think of, she got it to go with her kitchen! It's amazing! It's hours of endless play for her! It's kinda nice to not have to worry about what she's doing...I know where she's at!

We stayed home for New Year's. We just wanted to relax and enjoy the eve by ourselves. It was nice. We put Maddie to bed and watched a movie, then kissed at midnight. Especially with the roads being the way they were going to be, staying home was nice! This morning we bundled Maddie up and took her out to play in the fresh foot of snow we got! She loved it! She doesn't like sitting in it, or laying in it, but she likes to throw it up, eat it and blow it out of her hands!




Hope everyone has a great New Year! I promise to write more!

Why Does Life Have to Be So Complicated?

I am just feeling like I want to vent. I just am so tired of life having to be so complicated! Some days I feel like I want to live in the 50's!

I guess this feeling started coming back on Halloween. I was Trick-or-Treating with Tim, my brother and his girlfriend and we were talking in between doors and John was telling us about how city's out in Colorado had cancelled Halloween due to the rise in registered sex offenders. That, and it wasn't religiously correct. Yeah, I think I just made up a word. But anyway, our thoughts were why? Are you letting your children in to the homes of people you don't know? I understand older kids, and some younger for that fact, go on their own, but I really don't believe it to be an issue. Many law enforcements do house checks the day of and the day after. If you're worried about it, be a proactive parent and get off your butt and go with them! And don't get me started on the religiously incorrect subject...that just leads to Christmas.

Have you heard the latest for Christmas this year? They want Santa's to look leaner to help promote healthy living in America. OK, if you are looking to Santa to see how you should be, we have other issues to help you with. Oh, and here's the greatest, they want Santa's to say "ha ha ha" instead of "ho ho ho" so that it doesn't offend women. I laughed at that one. I mean really? Then let's not forget Happy Holidays...no Merry Christmas because God forbid we offend anyone!

Then my personal reason for being irritated...my brother's ex-fiancee/mother of my nephew. She is the dumbest, most unqualified person to be a mother I have ever met! My brother started the process of taking full custody of my nephew about 2 months ago. Well 3 weeks ago, his homeless ex-fiancee (living with her parents and 3 sisters with my nephew, her new flavor of the week in there cramped 3 bedroom home so it looked like she had a house) wouldn't give my nephew back. She told him if he was going to hurt her like this, she was going to hurt him like this. All my nephew is to her, and all he has ever been is a pawn. So for 3 weeks, while she works 2 jobs, well 1 now because she got fired from the other one, I know she's handing her son off to everyone except his father. It's hard, but hopefully things will clear up soon. My brother's lawyer filed for a temporary full custody hearing for next Wednesday. They have since found out my nephews mother does not have a lawyer to represent her. Honestly, my brother isn't trying to hurt her, he's just trying to get stability in his life and in his son's life. Before her keeping him from my brother, this girl never wanted to take him, and she'd throw a fit when she did have to take him. She doesn't want to be a mother, so my brother is trying to be the best father he can and give this little boy a decent life!

Life is complicated...I hate complicated. When people say to me "it's complicated" I just want to scream. Is there any reason why life has to be complicated???

Yay for Halloween!

We took Maddie out last night. Her first Halloween she was 6 weeks and we dressed her up in a bunting costume as a sweet pea and just sat out on the porch at my parents house and passed out candy. Last year, I just dressed her up in her U of M cheerleader outfit. Tim couldn't go with us last year but I had Jason and Michelle Steckel to help. At that point she was 13 months old and in and out of the stroller. This year, she could walk and talk and Tim was there and it was perfect!

Maddie went as Daddy's Little Angel. My mother-in-law started making the costume to be used as a play costume and I thought it was adorable! So I asked her to get it finished for Halloween because that's what I wanted her to wear. I didn't have to buy a thing! She did a great job I think!

Maddie did great! Especially considering she only had an hour nap for the day...an hour compared to her 3 that she usually has! Anyway, we had been working with her for a while on saying "Trick-or-treat." She said it at EVERY house. She started getting into saying "Trick-or-treat please. Thank you, bye" and would wave as she walked away. She cleaned up pretty well doing that! I was proud of how she did! So looking forward to next year! Yes, we are those parents that take their small children out even though they can't eat the candy because that means WE get to eat the candy! Although, most of Maddie's candy is getting donated to the tech team, we don't need it...but it was fun to go! Here's some more pictures...

I'll Error on the Side of Caution

I don't know if this is completely true, can't find anything about it on Snopes but if it's true...I totally won't be supporting it!

Something worth knowing about. . .this movie is being highly touted and "sold" really hard to the retailers. The retailers are looking forward to huge Christmas sales from this.

You may already know about this, but I just learned about a kids movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. I believe it's called The Golden Compass, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children's books about killing God (It is the anti-Narnia). Please follow this link, and then pass it on. From what I understand, the hope is to get a lot of kids to see the movie - which won't seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for
Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up. I'm going to tell everyone about this movie. I hope it totally bombs because we were all paying attention!

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp compass.asp> (SO I GUESS THERE WAS SOMETHING ON SNOPES, I JUST DIDN'T LOOK IN THE RIGHT PLACE!)

So many things look so innocent, but the deeper meaning threatens our traditional core values. Something to watch for when it comes out. Better to be informed than to just go along with the
crowd. http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/blog/us/

I am not trying to offend anyone who might like these books...but I obviously don't like things talking about killing God!

Please Pray...

I have a prayer request if you may...

The fires in California have been on my mind day in and day out but haven't seemed to worry me too much. I have been praying for those poor people who have lost everything and have to start from new. It's horrible. Even more, it's horrible to even think (apparently in the news in the last couple of days) that someone would do this on purpose. But now, my mind has turned to worrying about a family that I wasn't so worried about before...

My aunt and uncle moved out to Coto De Caza CA in March for my uncle's job. Now, I know some of you haven't heard of that but it's an hour south of L.A. right around the Irvine area. In fact, they are close enough to attend the Saddleback church (home of Rick Warren...Purpose Drive Life author). We received an e-mail a few days ago telling our family they were fine. They weren't in any danger, although the Irvine/Santiago/Orange County fires were 3 miles from Saddleback. So, I didn't worry. Today we received an e-mail saying that they were a little more worried now and asked that we pray. They can see the glow of the San Diego fires over the hills of their home. They can also see the glow of the Irvine/Santiago/Orange County fires on the other side of them. As they put it, they are surrounded by a ring of fire. The worry is not for the later, but for the San Diego fires. My uncle said the odds are workingin their favor in the case of the Irvine/Santiago/Orange County fires. Wind direction, number of houses in between them and all around weather conditions. The San Diego fires he said are troublesome because there is only brush in between them and the oncoming fires.

They still don't think they will have to evacuate, but they are more worried now. They said they have a plan and their memory boxes and important things packed and ready if the need should arrise. They have 3 small children. One who is only 4 months old. Just please pray for Mark, Ellie, Riley, Mason and Connor Harvill. I will keep you all updated as I know more! Thanks!

Oh the Joy of Being a Mother Part 2

So the saga continues...although this will be a shorter saga.

Praise Jesus, no more throwing up! That was a huge answered prayer! But the fever continued. I had to give her meds on Sunday, and she was pretty lethargic all morning Sunday, so we stayed home from church. She perked up and played for a while and took a good nap so I took her to my in-laws to stay the night so Tim and I could have a night out and to ourselves.

We called yesterday morning to see how she was doing, a fever again! This time it spiked up to 101.5. It hadn't been like that since Friday night. It was hanging around 99-100 all weekend. They also said she just wasn't acting like she felt good. I decided to call the doctor's office because this is the first time since she was born that she has ever run a fever for this long. They said to bring her in. Well, the last few times I had taken her in with a high fever it was nothing they could do, just a cold. I was afraid that was going to be the case this time, even though she had been running the fever for so long.

Well, the doctor asked us some questions and started to examine her, and when we lifted her shirt to listen to her chest, she had a red rash every where. I told the doctor the rash wasn't there when I got her dressed to bring her the hour prior to us coming. OK, now we're dealing with something.

She checked her throat, really red. So they had to do a strep test. The test came back negative, but the culture was sent out because she said the test can come back negative but the culture (which is more accurate) can come back positive. So we will find out tomorrow if she has strep. In the meantime, if that's not what it is, she has something called Roseola. The rash is what makes her think Roseola rather than strep. She has all the symptoms of Roseola...the rash deal is with this particular viral infection, the child has a fever for 3-5 days then when it finally breaks, they get a rash. The picture in the book matched what Maddie had on her chest and back. I don't think there is anything they can do for it, it just has to run it's course.

Luckily, she isn't contagious anymore...no more fever. That, and if it is Roseola (more than likely that is what it is), it's a childhood infection, so we shouldn't get it anyway. I guess most children from infant to 2 years gets it at some point. Where she would have gotten it, I have no idea, probably from some kid at church. Not too worried about it...but the rash spread to her face this morning and her face is just red and it looks like hurts. I don't think it does, she doesn't act like it does...but she looks like Rudolph!

The Joy's of Being a Mother

Last night when I went in to check on Maddie like I do every night before I go to bed, she popped up and asked if I would rock her. I told her I would since I really didn't say good night before she went to bed. When I picked her up, I could tell immediately she had a fever. I took her into the bathroom and gave her some Ibuprofen and took her into our room and let her lay with me in bed. A few minutes later she asked to go back to bed, I took her and that was that.

At about 1:30 Tim woke me up holding her saying she had woken up crying for us so he brought her into me because she was asking for me. He wasn't feeling good, headache and felt like he was going to throw up so he went back down stairs. She fell back asleep with me in our bed and about 2o minutes later I took her back and put her in bed.

At about 3:00 I heard her crying again. You have to understand it's been since probably August since we've heard her cry out in the middle of the night...it's been a good while! So I went in and she asked to come sleep with me. So, figuring this is the first time that has ever happened, it's 3:00 AM and she isn't feeling that great, I would let her. She slept with us till about 6:00 when I opened my eyes to check on her and she was looking at me wide eyed..."hi momma" is what I woke up to! Needless to say, at that point I moved her back into her bed and she went back to sleep.

Today, she ran a slight fever on and off and played and ate great. I thought maybe this was just random, and my mom had told me one time that when my youngest brother got overly tired he ran a fever. So I figured it was nothing.

Fast forward to tonight. I took her to church because she had had a good nap and wasn't feverish again and thought things would be good. So we went to dinner after church with my parents and she started getting really lethargic. She also started feeling feverish again. I thought, OK, we just need to eat and get home. Well, while we were getting our food I feel and hear the sound of what could be puking coming on. I whip her up off my shoulder just as she proceeds to throw up on herself and me at the dinner table. What scared the crap out of me was that it was all red...I thought why blood and was about to freak out when I remembered she had just downed a glass of fruit punch. Lovely still, I was worried it was going to stain! I ran her to the bathroom in case there was more (there wasn't) and started wiping her and I down. Poor baby fell asleep in my arms after that.

I didn't get to eat my food (had to wait till I got home and she was in bed), I now had puke all over me (on one of my favorite sweatshirts...and it's fruit punch!) and I was praying to God she wouldn't do it on the way home! It's all the joys of being a mother!

She's in bed now...trash bags on the floor next to her bed, a towel covering her pillow and sheets and a glass of water ready to wash down the "uckies" as she kept putting it every time...oh yes she threw up again when we got home...this time on Tim...she threw up. I won't sleep well tonight because I will get up every hour to check on her to make sure she is not sleeping in her puke. Let's pray she doesn't throw up again! Oh, and the fruit punch came out of every one's clothing.