About Ian

I thought I would take a moment to share about our middle child, Ian. Although he can absolutely drive us crazy he can also be such a delight. I'm going to share with you a little of both!

Last weekend, Ian complained of his ears hurting and since we'd been to the pool, we put some alcohol in his ears thinking that would help. The next day he was still complaining of his ears hurting. Well, Tuesday afternoon he and I were standing outside waiting for his coach to pick him up for practice when I, for some reason, looked in his ears and could, clear as day, see something green in his ear! Later, I looked in the other one and could see something in that one, too! So, the next day I made a doctor's appointment and we went knowing that they probably wouldn't be able to get it and we'd have to get a referral to an ENT (we went through this last year, too). Well, I was right so we waited to get a phone call about when we could take him to the ENT. Thankfully, we were able to get an appointment for the next morning and the doctor pulled the piece of green crayon out of his left ear and a piece of some sort of thing out of his right ear plus some wadded up paper. Ian promises he's not doing it and I'm trying to believe him because I also know he likes to scrape crayons with his fingers and then he gets stuff in his fingernails and scratches his ear so it's possible he's not doing it on purpose. While we were there the doctor checked his hearing because he's got some fluid in his ears. He would like to have Ian's hearing checked again in the fall because apparantly his right ear is on the edge of not being "average" and we may end up having to put tubes in! Wow - I thought we were past the age for that sort of thing! We'll see. So, anyway, that is one thing that annoys me about Ian - having to now take him to the doctor two years in a row to have stuff removed from his ears!!!

Something about Ian I love, though, is his willingness and eagerness to be helpful with almost anything and especially his sister! The three of us went to the commissary the other day after his doctor's appointment and he was so helpful - with the shopping and keeping his sister happy! Plus, after we got home, he brought all the bags in for me without me even asking him to!

One more thing...Ian has been saving his money for some time now. We have a bank for him that's divided into three sections: church, store and bank. After Christmas he had a pretty good stash built up and I told him if he saved his store money he could buy something "big" like a Wii or something else more expensive that he wants. So, he thought that was a good idea. Well, this past week our neighbors were out of town and had asked us to look after their dog for them while they were gone. Ian did a great job and would check on him a couple of times a day plus, was excited about scooping the dog's poop! Well, when they got home they gave us a couple of souveneirs from their trip plus a thank you card with some cash in it for Ian. It was just what Ian needed to put him at enough for a Wii! So, yesterday we went to Target and got his Wii! With baseball last night and this morning he hasn't had time to play it much but I'm very proud of the way he saved up and achieved his goal!

More on Ellie

Well, I wanted to update everyone to let you know that Ellie got over whatever it was she had and has returned to being the sweet (yet demanding) girl that we are used to her being so it must have just been some sort of virus or something. She has been so pleasant and we are enjoying watching her grow and learn. It's the cutest thing because she can now do what a cat and dog say. I've got to get it on video because it's just too cute! She is also almost to where she says "Dada" and "Mama" we're still working on it a little.

I will say last night was a little rough for some reason. She took a good late afternoon nap but that usuallly doesn't affect her going to bed on time. Last night, though, she didn't get to sleep until about 11pm and was up around 7am and she woke up with her eyes being almost swollen shut! I've given her some homeopathics plus put some breast milk (sounds weird but breast milk has very healing properties and it's what is recommended to do) in her eyes. They looked a little better later but she's currently napping so we'll see what they look like when she gets up! I'm not sure if it's pink eye or an allergic reaction because I did give her a little pizza last night (which has cheese on it) and she did have little bumps on her forehead for a little bit last night. I'm just praying that it'll heal up soon and we won't have any other complications!

(I thought this picture was cute because she has a pen and paper like she's ready to write or create!)

Our Memorial Day Weekend

I can't believe it's already the weekend again and I haven't even written about last weekend! I'll try to keep it short (really, I will! :)). Last Friday night Josh ended up having some friends over to spend the night and we (Brian and I) took advantage of the first Friday night in a couple of months that we haven't had a planned baseball practice, to go on a date. We ate dinner at home, got Ellie ready for bed and headed out around 7:15pm. Boy do we know how to do it up - we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohl's then went for dessert at Ruby Tuesday and were home by 10:30pm! It was nice just to be out the two of us and we enjoyed ourselves. Saturday we had a VERY lazy morning, Ian had a friend over to play in the afternoon, Josh had work and our neighbor opened up her swimming pool to us so we enjoyed a refreshing time at the pool. Sunday we went to the later service at our church so Brian and I went jogging that morning beforehand and we met some friends for lunch after the service. We then enjoyed some more time at our neighbor's pool later that afternoon. Monday Josh had to work later in the afternoon but we took what time we did have to try and do something. Brian took the boys to a Memorial service around the corner (Ellie was napping) then picked up lunch on his way home. We enjoyed a Chick-fil-A lunch then headed out to Fourt Toulous/Fort Jackson to do some looking around. The boys and I enjoyed taking some funny pictures - here are a couple to share with you! That evening Brian, Ellie and I enjoyed some more time at the pool and then a quiet evening of grilled porkchops (and you saw the earlier post about how that all turned out). So, it was a relaxing weekend which is just what we needed before all the craziness starts! Hope you had a good weekend, too, and took time to remember all those who have gone before us to make our country great.

Funny Story!

I plan to tell about our Memorial Day weekend but first I must share a story of something that happened last night!! Josh had to work yesterday from 4-8pm so he wasn't here when we ate dinner but we fixed him a plate and had it waiting for him on the table. Well, when he got home we told him where it was but that he'd probably want to heat it up since it was cold. He went in to the table then went back in to the kitchen and went to the refrigerator. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was getting the rest of his dinner. I asked him, "What rest of your dinner?" and he said, "Well, something's missing from my plate and it looks a little sparse." The picture's a little blurry but here's his dinner:

Brian asked him, "what do you mean a little sparse (we were in the living room)?" And then, for some reason the thought hits me, "Is your porkchop gone? Did the cat get it?" Brian runs into the dining room and, sure enough, the porkchop is on the floor and looks like this:

Do you see it all gnawed up around the edges? Brian starts chasing the cat down and finally corners him in our bathroom and takes him in to view the evidence:

Apparently (since Josh was at work and had not fed him yet) the cat thought he could just help himself to a porkchop dinner! I could not stop laughing I thought it was the funniest thing. Hope it made you laugh, too!

Pool Pictures

Last night we had our last OCF meeting and it was a social at a house with a pool. I got a couple of good pictures so thought I would just share those. Enjoy!

Eliana Update

Well, Ellie continues to be fussier than she was before last Wednesday so I finally made her a doctor's appointment for today just to make sure there wasn't something more going on. It was decided that everything looks good that, perhaps, she's just fussy! If that's the case boy are we in for a long few years!!!! Sometimes she'll just, out of the blue, straighten up and start screaming! I'm hoping that maybe it's just a phase or, perhaps, it really is teething we just aren't seeing the teeth yet! The doctor did go ahead and have us do some bloodwork on her to make sure she's not anemic - because she's so tiny. She weighed in today at 15 pounds and was 27 1/4 inches long. So, she's growing just not plumping up any. The doc also gave me some pediasure for her to try and add some fat to her diet but said to keep an eye out because it is milk based. Well, to be honest, after looking at the ingredients, I don't think I'm interested in giving it to her! The second ingredient is SUGAR! I'm reading up online for some healthier, organic-like ideas. If any of you moms out there have any suggestions, I'm all ears! Remembering that she may be allergic to milk! I still can't believe my baby will be ONE in a couple of weeks!!

Our Weekend

Last weekend went by quickly and slowly all at the same time! We stayed busy but it wasn't without some downsides! Last Wednesday Ellie had a fever all day and it, at one point, got to 103 degrees so we had to keep giving her Tylenol about every four hours just to put it under 102. Finally by Thursday morning it had leveled off to right around 99 but boy was she cranky! I really thought all of it was signs of teething but, here we are a week later and still no teeth! Well, her crankiness continues and that's how we met last weekend!

Brian and Ian had baseball practice and Josh was at a friend's so it was just Ellie and I and she would get so cranky that the only thing that seemed to make her happy was going outside! By the time they got home I was ready to put her to bed and, thankfully, she obliged! Saturday morning after getting Ellie, Brian tells me he's not feeling well and heads to the restroom. Ian had a game that morning at 10:30am so he was supposed to be going with him. Well, he ended up not being able to make it because he was still ill. Josh, Ellie and I went to the game and it was a beautiful morning for it! Ian ended up hitting 3 for 3 and had a couple of good plays at 2nd so it was a good game for him - his team did win, too.

That afternoon we were supposed to go to a social for GOE for Brian but he still wasn't doing well but suggested we go instead. BUT, the only car we had available (because Josh had to work and was taking the Grand Prix) was the Catalina and I've never driven it and didn't plan to start SO I called a friend whose husband is also in GOE to see if I could get a ride and they said "sure" so they ended up picking us up. I'm not sure if that ended up being a good decision or not, though, because Ellie fussed most of the time there and ended up throwing up everything she'd eaten so it wasn't a very fun time for me, unfortunately. Ian, on the other hand, had a great time!

Sunday my nephews (who live in Atlanta) were in their churches children's musical and we decided that since we're so close, we should go because who knows when we'll get another chance to do it? So, we left for ATL that morning (Brian was feeling better, PTL) and arrived there in time to eat lunch with them. It was supposed to be a surprise but my parents (who were already there visiting) decided to tell them to make sure there would be enough food (which was fine). The boys were surprised and happy to see us. Ian (and even Josh) enjoyed playing with them. Around the time the boys had to leave, Ian started saying he didn't feel well. So, after they left he layed down and took a nap. We woke him up when it was time to go and he still said he didn't feel well. We were at the church waiting to try and check Ellie in at the nursery and Ian started throwing up! I rushed him into the bathroom and he still didn't make it to the toilet so he threw up on the floor in there. Brian came in (he had been parking the car) and I had him go with Ian (he was in the boy's room). Brian ended up telling us to just go on and if Ian felt up to it they would sit at the back of the church, just in case. Matthew and Andrew both had speaking parts as James and John (the two disciples that were brothers and fisherman) and the musical was called "Simon Says: The Rockin' Trial of Simon Peter." It was pretty cute. I've attached a picture I took - the girl in the middle was the judge and they were giving their testimony. (Andrew is on the left and Matthew is on the right). Shortly after the program we headed out (Ian ended up seeing the whole thing and felt better). We stopped and got dinner at McDonalds and didn't even think to tell Ian not to eat it all but he did. About 22 miles from home, Ian ended up throwing up again! Not fun. Monday he woke up feeling fine and went on to school and has been fine since. I'm now wondering if he was car sick but I'm really not sure!

Oh, and Ellie was still fussy all day Sunday at their house so I'm not really sure what's going on with her!

Ian's Awards

On Wednesday, Brian and I had the pleasure to attend Ian's class program as well as the Elementary Awards presentation. We had been notified that Ian would be receiving an award but weren't quite sure for what. Well, he ended up being recognized four times! He was recognized for being in the "select" elementary choir (he auditioned and was selected earlier in the year), he got a "Talent for Music" award from his music teacher, a certificate for being on the A/B honor roll (math got him and that was the only B he had), and a certificate for being on the "Student Conduct" honor roll. We are very proud of his achievements and look forward to seeing how he does being homeschooled! I'm attaching a couple of pictures from his program - one is the whole class with all their costumes on and then of Ian and his lion (he was Daniel).

Something fun that DID happen last week!

A hi-light for my week last week happened last Thursday night. It was my last bunco night here and I was looking forward to having some adult time with the ladies. I was still feeling the stress of the week but knew it's what I needed. I dropped Josh off at work around the corner from where we were playing that night and there was a pretty good storm that was moving through. Before we even got a chance to play, lightning hit a generator and the power went out. We are die hard bunco gals, though, so that didn't stop us! Our hostess got out all the candles she had and we proceeded to play in the dark - aw, how romantic! We ended up only playing two rounds and in the last hand of the last round, Josh called and asked me to pick him up because their power was out too and they'd had to move the ice cream to another location and they were closed. So, I quickly drove around the corner and picked him up then went right back and got there just as they were starting to tally the points. With the way my week was going, I really didn't figure I'd win anything and was just happy to have a fun evening out. Well, when they announced the most wins - it was me!! We were playing for more money since it was our last night and I won $60!!! I couldn't believe it! After the winnings were all handed out we played another little dice game that we hadn't ever played before. We had just started when some of the ladies started saying - aw, how come you won't let Josh play? I said, I don't mind if he plays if you guys don't mind so they asked him if he had $3 (the price to play the game). He only had $2 so they said, "Joy you won all that money you can spare $1 for your son!" So, they let him play. Well, in this game it continues until only one person has $1 left and then that person gets the "pot". It took a little while since there were 21 of us playing and then, at one point, it got to where it was only Josh and I with $1 left. I said, "Can't we just say it's in the family and be done?" But they wouldn't let us since there was still the potential for someone else to get our dollar. So, we kept rolling and Josh ended up having to give his dollar to someone else. Then it was she and I rolling and finally she rolled out so I ended up winning another $60!!! I still can't believe I left that evening with $120!! (I gave Josh his $2 back.) Say what you want but I totally credit the Lord for that little blessing!!!

Mother's Day

It has been a wonderful, relaxing weekend and today is another beautiful day! I am blessed by my husband and blessed to be called mom by three good-looking kids. Our message at church today affirmed me for the things I'm doing right and definitely convicted me on the things I need to work on. This past week has, for me, been a challenge in a pretty big way as a mom and I thank the Lord He gave me wisdom and grace to handle the situation as well as friends to mentor and pray for me. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me. God is definitely at work in our family and I'm excited to see where it all leads! I can tell you this - God is good and God is faithful. He has been my strength this week and without Him I would not have made it. I know I'm saying all of this without details but there are some things that don't need to be shared with the world - just know that we are all okay and are growing in God's grace. My eyes have been opened to seeing things from a different perspective and showing unconditional love with no strings attached. As a mom I realize the awesome responsibility I have to show my children God's love and forgiveness. If I'm not in the Word growing closer to my Savior it is impossible for me to impart His truths to my children. The same is true of them - if they aren't in the Word, they will be unprepared for whatever the world throws at them. Being a mom also means letting our children "grow" through their own mistakes - even if it grieves us to watch them go through it wanting to say "I told you so!" I've realized I want to "fix it better" and have had to realize that I can't, only God can and believe me that is very hard for me to do. He is at work and I must let Him continue it for His purposes, not mine! I have such a huge appreciation for my parents after this week and want to take a moment to say, "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving me, showing me God's grace and His unfailing love."

We watched the movie "Flywheel" last night and there was a term from that movie that we are adopting for ourselves - Serene Chaos. It is feeling like things are out of our control but trusting God is in control in the midst of it all. That sums up our life this week and this Mother's Day has meant a lot to me for it. I hope that all of you Mom's out there have a wonderful day too and realize all of the amazing things that being a mom entails - the good and the bad.

Josh's Award

Yesterday, we attended a lunceon for Josh. We got word a few weeks ago that Josh received 3rd place in a poster contest for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and we were invited to attend for free this lunceon at which he would receive his award. He received a plaque of appreciation and accomplishment as well as $100 from the state. One of his friends from school and his graphics class won 1st place (there were three divisions: junior high, high school and college). So, we were able to sit with his friend and her mom plus one of the other award winners and her mom and teacher. I'm including a picture of Josh's poster that won 3rd place as well as some pictures from the luncheon. It was in the tallest building downtown in a nice "club" on the 22nd floor so we had a great view! We went outside to the balcony to get a couple of pictures and boy was it windy as you can tell by my hair!! We're very proud of Josh!

Alabama River Cruise

Here are the pictures from our "River Cruise". Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Concert Photos

Although I don't know what all these pictures are and Josh could probably tell me, I've decided just to post them as a slideshow. Josh said the concert was "AWESOME!!!" and they have a few stories about some over-excited fans almost crushing Jaynie and Josh having to come to her rescue. Plus, they threw out some of the drumsticks used and Josh caught one so he was excited about that. For those of you who don't know Skillet and TFK are Contemporary Christian Rock bands and Brian said it was pretty cool to just take a moment and realize they were in an audience of people who were singing praises to God in their own way.

SO Happy it's Friday!

It's funny how some weeks seem to have lots of free time and others you wonder why you haven't been able to sit down and catch your breath. The last week has sort of been that way. Well, some of the family has been busier than others but when we're apart I just "classify" that as we're all busy. The end of last week is a bit of a blur and it's continued until today! Last Thursday Josh and Brian (along with some friends) went to Birmingham for a Skillet and Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK) concert. Josh had been looking forward to it for at least a month. Because of where it was and when it started they ended up not getting home until around 1am!! Josh was then a little disappointed that we made him go to school the next morning!! Friday Brian and Ian had baseball practice and Josh worked until 7pm. He and Brian were then supposed to drive to a town an hour away and spend the night so Josh could get up the next morning and take the SAT's. Well, Josh and I made a last minute decision when he got home from work that he'd rather sleep in his own bed that night and make the drive in the morning. So, that's what they did. They had to leave the house around 6am so Josh could be there at the appointed 7:30am start time. Ian had a baseball game that morning that we weren't quite sure how we were going to get to because our car was still in the shop from Josh's accident, Brian and Josh took the van and although we had the Catalina I've never driven it and I didn't plan on starting while Brian's not here! In God's amazing way of working things out, He brought in a big rain storm that canceled the game and we didn't have to go anywhere. I was supposed to go to a baby shower at 1pm but come 12:45pm Josh was just finishing up and with an hour drive still to go I realized I wouldn't be making it. So, they finally got home around 2:15pm and we had a little down time until we went on an Alabama River Cruise with folks from school. The rain had cleared out and it was a beautiful evening. We got to see the sunset and everything. Sunday all we had was church so we were able to relax that day so that was nice. Monday brought some stressors and the rest of the week has followed suit. So, all of that to say I am so glad it's Friday and although we do have a make-up baseball game tonight and another one tomorrow morning and possibly even another one tomorrow (due to an unfinished game last night because it got rained out and it was a tie game) I am so glad it's Friday and I'm really looking forward to the weekend! I plan to post a couple more things today with pictures from some of the events I've mentioned...

Ellie

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted any pictures of Ellie so I thought I should do something about that. Here are a few for you to enjoy! The one on the left was at a Biscuits baseball game and she's being a silly girl. The one in the middle was yesterday and if you can tell she's standing (she can pull herself up to standing now) and only holding on with one hand to the coffee table. The one on the right is her playing with her toys - plus she's wearing her Dayton Dragon's tshirt that our friends Dave and Dominique sent. Although you can't tell by looking at her the girl loves to eat and currently loves black-eyed peas and rice and spaghetti plus just about any fruit you give her. Oh, and she's definitely a meat eater - she will also eat just about any meat you give her. When she's hungry you definitely hear about it (can't imagine where she gets that from) and she gets testy if you're not feeding her fast enough. She loves to clap and wave and seems to try and say something when she sees either Josh or Ian. She's getting so big!

Baseball

I've made mention of all the baseball Brian and Ian are doing but I haven't said much more than that. Well, their team is doing very well. In fact, they are currently undefeated! They've played 8 games and on Saturday beat the only other undefeated team in their division. So, I guess all the practicing is paying off. I haven't gotten a lot of pictures but here is one of Ian ready to run at first base and Brian crouching down after someone had a hit (he's the pitching machine coach). Ian is playing 2nd base and has made some important end the game catches but I think he'd still rather be playing catcher. We had a break this week because there's not a game tonight and since there wasn't a game tonight, they didn't have practice Tuesday evening (Ian would've missed it anyway because he had a program at school that night). He does have a game Saturday, though, so they will have practice as usual on Friday. What I can't believe is we still have another month to go of baseball! Perhaps even more if they continue to do well...

A Working Man

Josh finally got a job. He's applied at a few places here but never got called back. He put in an application at Bruester's last week and got called back and started Tuesday. He seemed to enjoy it. I can tell already one down side is he smells like waffle cone when he gets home and then it makes me want one! Here's a picture of him in his uniform. Pretty snazzy, huh?! He hates the visor. Maybe he'll be able to help pay for his car insurance now!