My crazy boy child!

I don't have anything super silly to share about Alex recently. He is my crazy sports nut! He played coach pitch in the spring and wanted to try soccer this fall so that is what he is doing now. I would have to say he is doing really well for never playing it before in his life. Last week he got a goal for the 1st time so he was very excited! (So were Ivan and I) I absolutely LOVE watching him play sports. Of course when he gets a bit older that might change because I will be worried of injury I'm sure... (might have to take a xanax beforehand or something) ;-) He has his 3rd game tomorrow and team pictures also, should be a good time (except the cold weather)

Alex is not that into school. He loves math but I think that's about it! He struggles with reading but is actually a pretty good speller. The main thing I can say about Alex is that he has the sweetest and most sensitive soul. He is so caring about others! He loves Church and sharing his love for Jesus with others. Other than that he is most definitely 100% BOY... he loves all things boy: hunting, fishing, hiking, racing, sports.... DIRT... you name it! Oh and he LOVES his sisters... He is such a good brother. He won't really stand up for himself but yet he will chance kids down older than him for picky on his big sister... lol and he plays with them both very well (for the most part, of course they have their days) He's very much a family boy... he loves his WHOLE family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc)

My sick little Princess

Hadley at the Dr. today

(She picked out her own clothes and

everything said Princess on it)

When I came back to bed this morning after getting the older two off to school I realized Hadley was burning up. I went to walk back down the stairs to get the thermometer and heard one of those awful cries so I ran back in the room just in time as she was about to puke. I picked her up and ran her to the bathroom... poor thing couldn't even stand up and she was very shakey/trembling, not to mention white as a ghost, not an ounce of color in her little body. We walked downstairs and took her temperature (101.8) and I listened to her lungs (pretty clear). We went back to sleep and I brought her to the Dr at 10:00. She ended up having microplasm (which I had to google). It is a bacteria with no cell wall that is treated by antibiotics and can cause respiratory infections and such. So azithromycin for 5 days... We then went to eat lunch with daddy at work. I think we all enjoyed that.

I went to put her in her car seat to leave and she was sitting on her strap, I said "Haddie pick your big butt up" She goes "No mommy that's my little one". Yes you are right Hadley your butt is very little! lol She is now weighing 34 lbs and is 39 inches tall... I can't believe how big she is getting!

She just now came up to me and said "mommy is it past my bedtime?" I said "No why are you tired?" She said "yah I am ready to go lay down, and can I please sleep with a baby?" Well of course Hadley especially if you are willing to go to bed at 8:30 at night, you can have whatever you want! lol

Even not feeling well she has a smile on her face that lights up my day! She probably said she loved me 100 times today, gave me tons of big hugs, and want to snuggle most of the day!

I love her imagination too. She plays with her babies all day, gives us pretend snacks, and tells us stories about her little tiny puppy Lola...

Here's a funny story: One day Hadley and I had to run errands. She had her baby with her and her pretend puppy Lola. Well we had been in and out of the car a number of times already and with each trip we got out Hadley had to set her (pretend) puppy on the seat and the whole 9 yards, and every time she would ask can Lola come in... and I would say to that "No sorry puppies aren't allowed in the store" Hadley bought it so all was good ;-) to my defense I needed a break from the pretend dog while we were in the stores because in the car that's all she talked about! So when Ivan got home I asked him if he had met Lola yet. He said No I don't believe I have. I said "Oh well lucky you, because she went EVERYWHERE with us today" and I was telling him the whole story with little Hadley details, so I got to the part about telling Hadley Lola couldn't come in the store because puppies weren't allowed, I thought Ivan was going to die laughing at me. I was like "what? It's believable right?" He goes "Um yah I'm not sure which is funnier or sadder, Hadley having the pretend puppy and going on and on about it in such great detail about it, or you going along with it and talking to the pretend dog also"!! Anyways~ It was pretty funny, you just had to be there! ;-)

Oh the Joys of Motherhood... sarcasm and honesty

I absolutely LOVE being a mom, don't get me wrong, but discipline is not easy! Yesterday I had to take Cheyenne's phone away for 2 days. You would have thought in all honesty the world itself was coming to an end! The tears were flowing, the pleading on her knees was out... Full drama from the drama queen herself! It was sadly pathetic... Short story is, she has been warned all week about being disrespectful and having a poor attitude... It is so hard because she is just never bad, we rarely ever have to discipline her more than a time out or something... So when I had to ground her it was painful. She apologized perfusely and just didn't understand why she had to be in trouble... So after much explanation she understood and got over it! (Thank God, it could have been a long 2 days otherwise)

Anyway~ She really is a good girl and I love her to death! God definitely knew what he was doing by giving me the perfect baby, toddler, and mature child first. She helps me quite a bit with Hadley and has become pretty responsible especially for a 9 yr old. (I can't expect much more)

A little more about Cheyenne.... She loves school especially reading. She tested out of Elementary reading 2 years ago. She got above average on all of her TCAP scores last year... She pretty much has been teachers pet since she started school.... Cheyenne also loves animals. She has a gerbil, a rabbit, and takes care of both cats.... she is now convincing me she needs her own fish and since ours just died tonight she will probably get her way! Some of the reasons we butt heads... she isn't very confident in herself, she loves making excuses, she isn't very organized and can be lazy. Reasons she butts heads with her dad: because they are exactly the same!! lol

Life as I know it

True Story: Last night Ivan and I went to bed. Which means Ivan lays down in bed and I go brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, wash my face, etc. So I come out of the bathroom and say "You better not be asleep already" Because he falls asleep at the drop of a hat and its just irritating ;-) He says "Nope not yet" So we start talking about Hadley and how she is so funny and I can't even remember what else. Next thing you know Ivan says " Fine I will get your clothes so you will quit crying" (kind of sarcastically) I of course say as I'm laughing " What are you talking about weirdo I have my p.j's on, I don't need clothes" He them says "Oh sorry I must have dozed off, and I guess was dreaming you were in the shower and needed me to grab your clothes". Well that's nice honey that you dream about me I guess but REALLY right in the middle of a conversation you can fall asleep and start dreaming and talk in your sleep... LOL I know that was T.M.I but it was SO funny I just had to share (and he will really appreciate it... bahaha)

This morning I went back to bed after getting the kids off to school and Hadley was in our bed sleeping (of course). My alarm goes off at 8:50 so I hit snooze. Two seconds later I get a kidney shot with one of Hadley's feet and before I can recover I get a full blown kick to my full bladder. Needless to say we were both awake then... Me from being in pain and really having to pee and her from me yelling out in pain.... She instantly woke up saying " sorry mom, sorry, really sorry mommy" Yes I think she knows when I yell in pain it's from her! lol

After we get up Hadley wants to get dressed and she boldly states " I can do by myself mom" Ok Hadley you get right on that... so she gets dressed and I say "Now come here so I can button your buttons" "No mom I can do it" "Alright" I said "go ahead and try it" after trying for quite sometime she finally gave in and let me do the button but as soon as I was done, she hanked her coat out of my hand and said " Now I CAN do this myself".... well la di da ... Guess she told me!!

One of the cats runs in my room this morning and I told it to get out. Hadley said "Why is the cat in you room?" I said "I don't know Hadley, did you ask her?" She said "yes I did" " well what did she say?" Hadley: "She said she wanted a drink"... (The cats come in our room to get a drink from sink or bathtub) Oh well good Hadley I'm glad you can communicate with the cats, will you tell them not to meow so much!!

I got a phone call from Cheyenne's teacher today while I was at work. She asked me if I could bring in a pumpkin for Friday's project. Then she followed with "While I have you on the phone I just have to say we love Cheyenne so much, she is such a joy to have in class, she is so intelligent, she gets everything right, and she is so funny she keeps us cutting up all day... We are just so blessed to have her this year. I hadn't had a chance to tell you that yet so I wanted you to know."

Wow I was one proud momma, and my heart just melted... This makes every year that I have heard this from her teachers! (NOW why can't she be that way at home?) ;-)

Well to end our night we went to Life Group which we absolutely love because we get to get together with some great friends and share life, pray for each other, and talk about God's word.

Unfortunately tonight we got called to come pick up Hadley who wasn't feeling well. She seems to be doing better now that she is home and laying down. I read her a Dora book and as I was counting she said "Great Job counting mom"... Ah thanks Hadley... its really good that her mom can count to 8!! lol (Considering she is 3 and has been able to count to at least 30 for quite some time now)

Hadley talk

Today has been a good day! I worked from 8-2 and then went to pick up Hadley from daycare. There is nothing better than walking in and her face lighting up and saying "yay my mommy is here" and running to give me the biggest hug ever! I just love her more than words can say! She is such a ray of light!

So her and I ran to KARM and she got a few new books, then to Kroger.. I am parking the car and I say "Hadley I really have to pee", "I'm about to pee my pants"... She says "Mommy that really wouldn't be good".... No Hadley I guess it wouldn't!

Alex wasn't being nice to her when we got home. Tormenting her with a toy or something... and I said "Is Alex not being nice Haddie" She goes "No hims being willy wude!! (really rude)

I can't even recall right now all the hilarious things she says in one day but she keeps me laughing and happy all day long!

My day ended with an Esther meeting and it was very powerful, overwhelming, and relaxing all at the same time. I am just so excited to see what God's plan is for next weekend!

Oh Monday!

First of all the other day I was saying "I really wish I could tape my life everyday so I could go back and watch the reruns", so I decided I would just try to blog everyday about either my day, or what funny things my kids or husband say, or God stories... Whatever the day brings I guess.

So yesterday was just "One of those days"... you know the ones you just want to crawl back in bed and forget ever happened??!!

I woke up, drug myself out of bed and all the while I was telling myself "yep its Monday, BLAH". So as I am driving with Hadley to Cheyenne's school to drop something off. I am sitting at a red light and I start saying to myself "90% attitude, 10% effort", " Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it"... I think I said this in my head at least 3 times.... 30 seconds later I rear-ended another car... Not exactly what I was expecting as I was trying to change my perspective on the day. Needless to say I knew being on time to work was then out of the question. So I just relaxed, gave the officer my info, got back in my car, dropped the form off at Cedar Bluff Elementary, and ran Hadley to daycare....

When I went into Kindercare I read the sign saying "will be closed Oct. 10th" to find out that is a Monday I have to work so I was irritated.

Got to work 30 minutes late, to hear my client and his wife upset because he was having a health issue. So right away I was on the phone to my Case Manager, Dr's offices, and his daughter (that took about 1 1/2 hrs.) About noon I decided I needed to chart and eat something... and by then the health issue was resolved and ALL was Good in the World again....

Left work, picked Hadley and Ivan up, and went to vacuum our car out. We got all the trash out and took everything we had out of the car, just in time for it to start POURING down rain! Needless to say the car DID NOT get vacuumed....

I came home and went to my BED! But while I was there my mom called me and we just talked for awhile, had some supper, and then talked to my mother-in-law on the phone for a while. It was just relaxing!

Oh and then I almost fell down the stairs but caught myself with both hands... hurt my knee and shoulder in process. ( I blame my mother-in-law for this because she told me after my day to be careful going up and down the stair... j/k I don't blame her but it was pretty ironic)

BUT even in all those situations I sat back and said... It could be worse... Someone could have been hurt in the accident, my car could have been totaled, I could NOT have a job, I could be saying Good-bye to my client instead of making phone calls, I could have managed to break something falling down the stairs... and most of all I could not have my mom, mother-in-law, husband or kids to talk to and make me laugh.... I am just SO blessed that even when I think about just "How bad that day was" It really isn't that bad after all!!!

Oh and come to find out that Monday that the daycare is closed, is the Monday after The Esther Experience and I will be out of town for about 4 days, so I will beable to spend time with my baby girl, unpack, do laundry, clean, etc... so it was exactly what God's Plan was for me! (Why do I always question that?)

John 14:27

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I take this verse with me where ever I go anymore. It took me a long time to fully understand this and to just trust in the Lord.

I use to be very controlling, not towards others but just in general. My house had to be totally intact, clean, sanitized, my children were on a tight schedule, everything had its place, etc. Now I am still a little OCD don't get me wrong but I am learning to let go. Those things are NOT important and you know, no matter how hard you try, you will NEVER be in control. God is in control. I love the saying " you plan and God laughs" isn't it the truth though? How many times have you tried to plan something down to the T but something goes wrong.... weather doesn't cooperate or you forget something important... It happens to us all!

ANXIETY: How many of us have had that or still do? That use to be my middle name... Anxiety attacks like crazy... I would get SO upset over everything.. what people said to me, how someone treated me, whether I upset someone else, the unknown about the future, money, how I was going to pay my bills, school, my kids, my husband and what he was doing or not doing... Lets just say that is very unhealthy!! It took moving 700 miles away from my family and friends with absolutely nothing to realize, God will provide No Matter what! It was a total Trust thing, we prayed for 2 years and knew this was where He wanted us to be! He may not provide WHAT you want but He will provide what you need, and usually it's way more than what we NEED! Anyone who lives in the United States pretty much has more than they need...

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (Can't be stated any simpler than that, now can it?)

I know most of us struggle with money... not having enough of it, how we should spend it, and so on. I know this is one of my many struggles. Not because I WANT more or think or believe what I have isn't enough but its hard when you have been living a certain way and with so many THINGs such as cars, internet, cable, etc that giving those things up is hard, and in America, transportation to and from jobs, schools, stores is pretty necessary... having the internet and tv is the main way to stay connected to the rest of the world esp when you have so many family and friends miles away. But the plain and simple truth is this: Ezekiel 7:19 They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the Lord's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.

Are you one of those people who is always saying or asking "WHAT IF?" We all have in the past I'm sure: whether it's what if I lose my job? what if I can't be good enough? what if it just doesn't work out? What if my husband leaves me? What if someone I love dies or gets sick?

Well I can say I have learned to never say What if? It is all up to God and there is nothing I can do about it, only He can predict the future and knows the path He wants for me... Sure it isn't always easy not knowing, or being patient to hear His word or seeing that open door but its His plan. Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

If my life (decisions or choices I make) don't make sense to you, its because all of my decisions are based on the word of God, what He wants for me, what He has told me... It doesn't have to make sense to anyone else but me. As long as I am doing His work and taking the path lead by Him that is all that is important. I have put All my faith in Him and He has not let me down... The second I made God, my center of my marriage and life, it got a lot easy because "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31