Still Alive

Just a quick update. We've been in KS since Nov 5th. My mom's mother passed away the 3rd so we drove down for the funeral and just figured we would stay till Dan's wedding the 30th. She was 91 with her physcial and mental health steadily declining the past 7 years or so. We were praying for a peaceful departure into the sweet rest of the Lord and that's how it happened. It's encouraging to know she is fully herself again yet without the burden of sin.
The trip down was not great, I couldn't get Isabelle to take her bonine for motion sickness, it gags her, it was windy and she puked on the drive. And when we stopped at mcdonalds, I begged her to try again to take it, she tried, gagged and a couple seconds later, puked all over the table and booth. poor thing, and disgusting for us all.
In encouraging news, I can say that Christian has been 100% potty trained this past month. Dry pullups every night, pooping and all so that is wonderful. I don't think I can take any credit for it since Isabelle had a tougher time and wasn't poop trained till 2 months before turning 3.
So that's all for now as I type for Aunt Kathy's!

Congrats Dan and Bethany!!

All I have to say is I am blessed with great sister in laws!! ( I have four now and I couldn't ask for better) Dan(my youngest brother) made it official this weekend and we are so happy and excited for them!! Bethany is a sweetheart and I'm blessed to have her as another sister!

The wedding is Nov 30th. This Nov 30th in Texas. So it's going to be pretty crazy but exciting as well!!

In other less glamorous news, Christian continues to potty train like there's no tomorrow. I'm shocked, I can't take credit, he is just getting it. I thought it was going to be long and drawn out. Mom said Tom potty trained in a week and I couldn't fathom that. Until now, I'm amazed. He wore a pull up to church and told me he had to potty and he actually went on the toilet at church, and he was dry till we got home and he came home and used the potty, met me on the stairs with the potty bucket with a special poo present, he pooped on the pot again today and I'm so thankful!! I can't believe it and it's encouraging admist our busy life right that God's caused Christian to catch on. Oh did I mention he was dry saturday morning??? Maybe the difference is this time I prayed about it instead of forcing my agenda for a change... who would've thought.

Here is a random funny thing Christian said last week. He was at the table and kept throwing down his napkin and I was distracted and kept picking it up. Finally he was whining " my napkin!!!" I said, you threw it, you need to get down and get it yourself. " I'm not going to play anymore MOM! You're not FANCY!!!!"

Also he has retained something Mitch told him a month ago I guess and Mitch was impressed when he brought him one of hot wheels and said " it's a dodge charger" He loves cars way too much. It's definitely his thing. "see my race car? it's really fast."

Fall Leaves and Tinklings

First some really pretty trees from across the street, we can see them out our front window.

The next update has to do with big breakthroughs in potty training. Tuesday I thought I would try the naked buns techinique. I'm not crazy about the idea but I thought I would try that with Christian since he seems to not want to potty onthe carpet. So I put a potty in the livng room and in the basement for easy access. The first day he had one pee accident and he pooped beside the potty ont he floor.....progress though. The next day was grocery day so it was diaper for the shopping and he pottied int he diaper and pooped in the diaper as soon as we got home, but after that cleanup, we were back to naked buns. No pee accidents for evening and he pooped on the potty, not IN the potty, but on it, the little turd was on the rim. We're getting closer lol. That night he was not able to relax to go before the bath ( he has many time sitting on the potty with nothing) he told me he wouldn't potty int he tub, and when he got out, he said he had to go and he did!! yea!!! Last night he did the same thing, holding his potty through the bath, dont' ask me how, but pottied after getting out. No pooping yesterday and he had one pee accident. He kept saying he had to go poop which I could tell but he didn't relax. I expected poo in his diaper this morning after he woke up. But no... so far today no accidents and we are still naked bunsing it. AND he pooped in the potty like 20 minutes ago!!!!!! SO EXCITED!!!! I don't know how it will be once we put on pants but this is a lot of progress for us!

Baby Steps in Pottytraining

I can't remember which morning it was this week, but at 2:37 am Christian woke up in the night to try to get in bed which he often does, I took him back to bed to hear him cry again once I get in bed. I go back to the room, " I have to go potty" I think, hmmm sounds like a ploy to me.. but ok. He went right in, sat on his little potty and went! So at 2:40am we're headed to the kitchen for 2 m&m's. Then in the morning, he was dry and Isabelle helped him go in to potty and he went again! That was it for the day but, progress. And last night he actually told us he had to go before he went, usually it's " I pee peed on cinderella" which he does say pee pee now insteadof poop. :) Anyway, encouraging.

Surviving Along

Life is busy. Mitch worked 59.5 hrs the week before. I don't think he's had less than 50 hrs all summer, except for our TX trip. We had one date this summer, to Chicago. One date in September. Christian doesn't nap. Our toilet leaked under our lanolium and reaked of urine so this would-be recovery weekend turned into Mitch tiling our bathroom floor. He was up till 2:30 am Friday. And if you know tileing, he finally was done around 6 pm on saturday night,he mowed the front lawn after that, he still has the trim to put back up. Church this morning, which was worth going to forsure, mowed the back lawn, raked leaves, but then yippee a business meeting tonight at church, which I don't go to because we end up getting home at 9:30, with kids... then he has to go to a church library meeting tomorrow night that I'm begging him to get out of, it's a half hour drive to church. so we are both beat, Mitch is run into the ground and I feel like a single parent when he works so much. So pray for us as we consider what God would have us to do to shift into a more simple life and have my husband home more so he can feel like he isn't living to work. NOBODY works harder than this man, nobody. If there was a give it your all, all day, all evening trying to squeeze in time with the kids, still bring your wife flowers guy, he's it, but nobody can stay on a pace like that, it makes us all tired. So we're looking into options and I will update as updates become available, I just want to be right where God wants us and living within the funds that a regular human who works 40 hrs or heck even 45 can provide. Souls last, people last, we'll never get this time back with the kids and there is so much more to life that always working to get more because when you die, you won't think, gee I had a lot great stuff. Give me the simple life any day. A nice supper at the end of good days' work, relaxing and enjoying family time.
Through all the possible changes and current stresses though, God is so faithful and the peace He has given me is wonderful. I want to look at the whole mountain but I try to remember the wisdom that Jesus spells out in Matthew 6, the Lord knows you need these things, sufficient for the day is it's own trouble, who by worrying can add one day to his life's span?? It has helped not to unnessessarily overburden myself with future things and things that may not happen. Do I plan?? Heck yeah! Do I obsess? I try to reign my natural tendencies in. The past couple months I've had a couple small anxiety attacks that were short lived, about an hr in the middle of the night and they've been during my period. Naturally when they occur, I want to start worrying, because everything seems overwhelming when you just don't feel right, but trying to take my thoughts captive and think ok, I wasn't worried about this during the day so I'm not going to worry about this now. I know it's corny but I visualize gathering up my pressing issues that concern me and giving them over to the hands of Lord. We sang In Christ Alone, not the one you'd think, it was written in 2001, anyway that song made me cry today to in church when in the first verse it talked about peace because I'm so thankful to the Lord for the peace He's given me.
In other news, Isabelle wrote her name this week, as in, really good, in a line, and I didn't have to tell her what letter came next. It's a big deal for us anyway!! She loves doing school lessons and we've done one so far this year... one... sigh... oh well, getting it one way or another still make s a difference I can tell, she loves one on one attention. I told Mitch if she could scoop poo with you she'd love it because she's doing it with you.
Christian pottied on the potty once this week, our pastor's wife said she just sits her little boy on the potty 4 times a day or so and I thought well i 'll just sit Christian on a few times a day and expect nothing. So once is better than nothing. He will tell me, " I poo pooed (which means all pottying and stinky means poop to him, don't know why) on tweety bird mommy. I poo pood on cinderella."(can you tell we're using Isabelle's old pullups??) He answered me today with " yes, definitely" Other quotes " you're the best mom, you're the best" " stop it Mom" stop it Isabelle"I quit!!!!" " do you want to play with me mommy?" ok..."you do?" " I want some bacon, that's what I like"
"Mommy, hold me, I scared"
what are you scared of?
" I scared the train"
why?
"it's looking at me"
"waaaaaaaaaa" I laugh at him he says " I crazy Mommmy"

And the words to In Christ Alone:

In Christ alone my hope is found;He is my light, my strength, my song;This cornerstone, this solid ground,Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.What heights of love, what depths of peace,When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!My comforter, my all in all—Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,Fullness of God in helpless babe!This gift of love and righteousness,Scorned by the ones He came to save.Till on that cross as Jesus died,The wrath of God was satisfied;For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,Light of the world by darkness slain;Then bursting forth in glorious day,Up from the grave He rose again!And as He stands in victory,Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;For I am His and He is mine—Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me;From life's first cry to final breath,Jesus commands my destiny.No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,Can ever pluck me from His hand;Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

awesome

Operation Pottytrain Status : ABORTED

That's it, I gave up, for now on pottytraining little man. I feel that since he is enraged at his potty, I need to work on his many temper tantrums right now instead. I'm DONE. I will close my ears and eyes when I hear of younger children pottytraining and just except that is where God has my child at this time. I can only force my structure on him to a certain extent. So I can ruin my life now... or just wait till he's ready. Which trust me better be before 3, but I can give him 2 and half at least right?
I'm now reading Loving God With All Your Mind right and I found a few things encouraging that I will share with you. Gensis 41:52 " God has made me fruitfull in the land of my affliction" Now orginally I thought that this verse would be encouraging to Mitch since his job can really take it out of him, mentally and physcially. But today my kids are afflicting me!! Ok so it's minor, I'm not living in cancer but I can't even seem to be fruitful in these things today. I got ENRAGED when Christian dumped a whole bag of goldfish out, he knows not to do this, and he threw a fit and said no when I told him to clean it up, and this was before breakfast... then Isabelle gets gum on the carpet....AAAHHHHHHh I was ticked, and I don't think pmsing helps either. I'm so ashamed at myself for not controlling my anger. I had to apologize to the kids for the cracker incident to which ISabelle says with a hug, " I forgive you Mommy" and Christian hugs me and says " I love you Mommy" you'd think I would've learned my lesson but I lost it again over the gum incident, I am down here trying to do bills, balance the checkbook, see how bad the budget looks, Christian's throwing a fit upstairs not wanting to take a nap. Isabelle comes over, " Mommy, I got gum on the carpet... forgive me..." I was still ticked....humbled by my own sin, ain't it grand... the Christian walk is a such a stumbling journey. God will break you if you're not broken already I am finding out. When I'm broken, I walk in a more careful manner, talk etc; more sensitive to Lord and His Word etc; when I have it together, I just go stomping, ranting and raving, till I fall on my face and get back where I should be again....
ok so now my other quote from the book, she quotes a pastor

see God as the God of the Bible-supreme, sovereign, and sensitive....The Christian life is kept fine-tuned by biblical theology. We should always interpret experience by truth-we should always filter every pain through the lens of deity. When God is in sharp focus, then life is also undistorted.

Talking So Much, Potty Training SO Little

While I'm thinking I thought I should blog Christian's latest cute sayings... while he says funny things all the time, he really does NOT want to potty train. I've been having him sit on the potty every night before his bath that's how Isabelle started out and also when Christian had his 2 and only potties EVER. I guess I should be glad for at least two. Anyway I've tried everything, got cool Thomas Train undies, I told him I'd buy him a new hotwheels, give him marshmellows, be really happy, sad if he didn't. Begged. please Christian, he says, I don't want to, can I get down now? He got m right up this morning when I heard him say, I need to go potty. He sat on the potty and Isabelle got up and needed to go to which he said while sitting there It's my turn now, Izzy. He didn't go after like 5 minutes of sitting, oh yeah we even sing songs while on the potty, look at toys and books to no avail, oh well...I think put him a (girl left over from Isabelle) pullup, he went a few minutes later... so I don't know I give up for now except for the sitting before tub part.

Other things he says that I'm recalling, he likes to go around saying this word Jumba J! I ask him what does jumba j mean??? Ina know what it is..." but it's funny anyhow.

This morning, he gave Isabelle a big hug to which Isabelle got annoyed because she said it was making her fall over. I told her that wasn't very kind to her brother trying to hug her. And Christian says I love you, Izzy. So sweet!!

And while Christian seems to be the funny man around here, the other day Isabelle did make me laugh ( I had the news on) and she comes into the kitchen saying with a big smile like she thought she was funny Barak Obama,Barak Obama. You know you're watching too much politics on tv when your 4 year old pics that up and we don't even have cable!

May Updates

Here are some MORE pics I took of our beloved lilac bush. :) And of the kids in their stylin' new sunglasses.

They had them 2 for 5$ at The Children's Place. Today Isabelle had her 4 year old check. Her stats are 39.25 inches tall and 34 lbs. Both 50%. The dr said her 5 year apt will be 3-4 shots, blood test for lead. It's going to SUCK!! The past 2 years she has thrashed enough they have to redo her flu shots. She trys to be strong up until that last second. So I don't know if anything short of a straight jacket is going to work for 3+ shots. Looks like Daddy will be along for that one. Other cute kid updates Christian has been singing Jesus loves me and today he did all this " Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong..." He can sing all the parts but usually he can't do them consecutively. And the potty training, ha ha ha YEAH gave up there for now. I kept catching him right after or right before. He says ow every time I put him on his winnie the pooh seat... if I asked him if he should go potty he said " again??.. oh boy"

We have fun things coming up this summer. Trevor (Mitch's bro) is getting married Aug 2nd and Mitch and I are going to meet Bethany ( Dan's girlfriend) in Chicago and stay at the marriot downtown for a night since she will be there for business training the week prior in June. We also get to meet her sister Kari who's husband goes to the same seminary our Pastor went to, she works there too (Al Mohler's). We'll be without the kids so that will be a fun little get away. We are looking forward to it!!!

Other random updates I keep forgetting, my thyroid was a little low in April so they upped my dose to 75 mcg. I felt like I put on a couple lbs I shouldn't have and they have finally come back off... I also had one small anxiety attack one month from when I had my last one. I felt kinda weird and less tolerant that evening but it was short lived. I'm not sure why. I held onto Mitch's arm in bed and prayed and tried to just focus and pray for my loved ones. I thought I am going to fight this!! I knew my mom could have them and they not last all night. So why it didn't last that long, I'm not sure why but I'm thankful for God's grace. Also just like last time, I was half-way through my cycle and the next day had some cramping which doesn't make sense since I'm on the pill. I also read in my book, Intended for Pleasure ( ha sorry discreet people) about pms and anxeity attacks being one of the symptoms and most women's worst pms is in their late 20's early 30's. I'm 28 so that makes sense. Anyway I am so thankful that they seem to be tapering off! It's random this verse has encouraged me lately If we are faithless, He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself 2 Tim 2:13. It's easy to forget as time goes how much we need Him and things are going alright. Also random, last week I was thinking of the song My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholely lean on Jesus name, on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. I know it's referring to salvation but it still means a lot to me in my daily life, a reminder of where my strength and hope to get through life's issues is supposed to come. I find myself weaning my self from close close communion with the Lord when life gets back to "normal" again. Such a natural thing to do just like another hymn says Prone to wonder Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. The Christian life is a struggle to keep our eyes where they need to be. It's so easy to get caught up and fill my life with things that will burn and won't amount to anything in the end. Anyway back to the solid rock song I was thinking on last week, well the following Sunday we sang it in church. I love those special little bonuses from the Lord.

Isabelle Audrey is 4!

My first baby turned 4 May, 4th. She was born May, 2004 at... I think 8:48 am. She was 4 days past due and weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz and was 19 inches long. We had her birthday at Grandma Linda's, we didn't know what the farming schedule would be and we thought it would be easier to have it down there and that way Grandma Irene and Grandpa Dean could come too. Her favorite present was probably her umbrella from us. She got lots of clothes, dress up stuff, light up flip flops, a Dora hot wheels thing that we have taken on walks. She is learning to write her letters and her name, but S is challenging for her. She also is learning the sounds. She loves to cook. She and Daddy planted some green beans this weekend, like I say, she is a helper. We also call her Mom Jr. since she is always mothering Christian which is convenient a lot of the time but we had to let her know she doesn't have the authority to discipline. :) At least I know when they play if something goes awry I can be sure she will let me know. She is a girlie girl, emotional, overly dramatic, and she is becoming a perfectionist and I'm trying to free her from the bonds of that!! A little is good... but you can drive yourself and people around you crazy if you don't put thing in perspective. Speaking to myself here....Here is the facebook link to the pics, don't have to have an account to view these, I messed up the first time but corrected it a few posts ago.In other random news... I haven't had an anxeity attack for... it will be 4 weeks if I can make it to the weekend, so praise God for that, it's been wonderful!!!!I don't know if I posted this already but Christian has pee peed on the potty twice in the past month, the latest, last night. Baby steps. :) I have tons of left over girl pull ups and put him in some today, it looked so wrong lol and had him try throughout the day but I seem to have him try after he goes or probably right before....we'll see how it goes this week and maybe put it off if it just doesn't seem to be happening.