Ella's First Dance Class

Monday night Ella went to her very first dance class. We are so thrilled that In His Steps ministry is local. Yes it is a ministry. Their mission is “To share the message of faith, hope and love of Jesus Christ through the performing arts.” This is a FREE dance class that happens weekly. But not only do the girls learn dance but there is also a time for a Bible story & prayer. How exciting! You’ll have to check out their website www.ihsdance.com
I don’t think Ella really knew what she was going to do. We recently checked out a book at the library about a dance class so I was hoping she had some small clue. All she knew was she was excited about going to “dance class.” Her best friend Cara was going too. The girls were so cute holding hands & their Bibles as they walked to the room. Then they stood together, danced together & observed the craziness of other girls together. I have to admit it was a little chaotic this first time. But this was the first night everyone was getting registered, several moms & siblings were in the room and basically most of the girls were just full of energy and excitement. But the most important part was they had fun! I believe they will learn 2 or 3 dances and have a performance in November & another one in April.
After the class Ella & I went to a parent meeting. While we were waiting for it to start I asked her what she did. She said, “I don’t know. You tell me.” I had to explain to her that I wasn’t in the room because I had to take Vance out in the hall because he was wild with energy. Then she suddenly blurted out, “I fly like an airplane.” After that she showed me what she did. It was so cute. I’m excited to see what other things she will learn, how quickly she will pick up the dances and the fun she will have sharing her new dances with others!

I'm doing something, I just couldn't tell you what it is I am doing:-)

We are ready to dance!

What exactly are we supposed to be doing?

We are having fun! Just not sure about the rest of you.

Ever Wonder

Ever wonder why God doesn’t always give us things the easy way? I think today I got a small glimpse of why He doesn’t do that.
Of course I’ll have to give just a little bit of history in order to share what I learned. I’ll try to be brief. When Ella was a few months old we established a bedtime routine. We would rock, read books, sing, pray & lay her in bed. This worked. She would go to sleep on her own. All was well. Then we went to FL to get Vance & stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. They didn’t have a rocking chair so I had to bounce her but she still went to sleep on her own. We came home & went back to our old routine till Ella asked to be bounced. This became a pattern, so out went the rocking chair & in came the exercise ball. Then around the time Ella stopped taking naps she often fell asleep before Byron or I finished bouncing her. It was EASY for all of us. It was also convenient when we had something to do or somewhere to go after the kids were asleep to just bounce her till she fell asleep. But…that has now created a problem. She only wants to go to sleep being bounced and now if/when she wakes up in the night or super early in the morning the only way she knows how to go back to sleep is being bounced. NOT GOOD! So the easy way has actually begun to hurt her. She is often tired throughout the day because she doesn’t always go back to sleep. If she were going to sleep on her own then when she woke up she could go back to sleep on her own.
So back to my initial question…I think God knows that through our struggles or times of waiting we learn things that will help us in the next stage, trial or experience in our lives. So not giving us the easy way is just another one of His ways of loving us. I am so glad I am loved by my Heavenly Father.
Now must begin a new way of loving my daughter. Tonight we will begin going to sleep without bouncing. Pray for us please!

Sweetest Thing

The sweetest thing happened today as we were playing this morning. Ella was laying on the floor. Vance walked up to her & said, "Hold me." Ella reached out to him and he bent down & they hugged one another. Then he stood up, grabbed her hand to help her stand. Once she was standing they once again reached out to one another & stood there (for what seemed like forever but I'm sure it was only a few seconds) holding one another. Of course I didn't have my phone or camera on me so I just captured the image in my mind but wanted to share the experience with all of you. I pray my kids will always love one another, care & support each other. I am so blessed!

Labor Day Fun

Yesterday we enjoyed spending Labor Day with MawMaw & Grandad at their house. The hour drive up there we enjoyed listening to all the new Smalltown Poets Christmas songs. It was fun hearing the kids sing along to the ones they were already familiar with. Ella was very excited about getting to MawMaw & Grandad’s house and knew once we turned off the interstate that we were close. Within minutes of our arrival the kids found the toy basket & began playing. They found toys that even MawMaw didn’t know she had. Guess we don’t get up there often enough for her to know what’s in that basket. We will try to change that!

During the day they spent time outside with Grandad on the swing and blowing bubbles with MawMaw. We tried to stick to our normal routine of naptime but it just was too hard for Vance to leave the excitement downstairs. So there was no naptime or rest time really but lots of playing with MawMaw and Grandad.


















At one point Byron did wish they would just fall over asleep so we could play cards like we used to. That day will come. That day just isn’t right now! We did relax for a few minutes while the kids played with MawMaw & Grandad!






We stayed for supper where we had hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and green beans. All Vance safe food! After a little more playing we gave the kids baths, put on their pajamas and hit the road. We knew Vance would fall asleep on the way home so we decided it was best to be completely ready for bed. That ended up being the right plan. Vance was asleep within 10 minutes. Even though he woke up as we approached home he quickly went back to sleep in his bed. Now Ella on the other hand, who was clearly tired fought sleep the whole way home. She wanted to go back to MawMaw’s house so bad that she kept saying she had to pee or poopy in order for us to turn around and go back. We didn’t but we assured her more visits to their house would happen soon!

Me Time

I know many of you read this blog (if you are still reading it) to catch up on the kids. I do have a lot of updates & some cute pictures to share about the kids but this morning I want to share a little about me & what’s going on in my life & heart right now.
Yesterday a dear friend said to me, “I know you don’t want to hear this but there is no more me time.” She said this in response to me being a mom. She meant well & I was not offended or put out by her comment but I couldn’t put it out of my head. I do need me time, but not just for me. The “me time” I need is to read my Bible, to spend alone time with God. If I don’t have that time then I end up not being a very good mom. I am still trying to figure out how to be a good wife, mom, Creative Memories Consultant, friend & especially a friend to those who don’t have kids. I can tell you I haven’t figured it out. But I know that the first step is making time for God.
When I am not involved in a Bible study I am reading a chronological Bible Byron bought for me several years ago. I have really enjoyed reading it this way. I feel like I have a better picture & understanding of what was going on. Yesterday I started reading Jeremiah. As I read today there were a lot of things that stood out to me. They all seemed to focus on people forgetting God. Jeremiah 2:32 captivated me the most. “Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.” The Message Bible says, “But my people forget me. Day after day after day they never give me a thought.” Wow! How easily that can happen if we focus on our responsibilities, our to-do lists, our entertainment, etc. I get that “me time” as I knew it before is no more and I am perfectly happy with that. I chose to be a mom & I love it 100%! But I don’t want to go day after day after day not giving God a single thought! I want my thoughts to go to Him first so I can be a good mom! I also want to encourage others to remember to think about Him…to give Him a thought!
Prime example of why I need to have “me time with God” in the mornings. Ella just woke up. I heard her so I decided to go back and greet her instead of taking a chance that she would wake Byron up (he got in at 1am) or Vance (who just went back to sleep 10 minutes ago after trying for over an hour). It didn’t go over very well. Not exactly sure why. Maybe she wasn’t fully awake but she was ugly! She got mad, screamed & made all kinds of noise. Because God was on my mind I just whispered a prayer for calmness & guidance. I remained calm and we worked through it. She doesn’t love to say the words, “I’m sorry,” but once she had a clear head she kissed me over & over. Her way of saying I’m sorry. My natural instinct would have been immediate frustration & probably some loud talking. But today I didn’t go off my natural instinct. Today I let God guide me. I want Him to guide me all day every day. I want Him to be in control. I want Him to help me parent. I want Him to help me to be a good wife & homemaker. I want Him to guide me in my business. I want Him to help me be a friend. If I want that to happen, then I need to continue to make time for Him in my day. If my kids wake up early (during that time) I need to find a way to meet their needs AND still read my Bible and pray. I guess I can do what I did when Ella was a baby. I can read the passages aloud to them and explain what they mean. It’s never too early for them to hear more than the typical Bible stories kids learn. Whatever each morning brings, sleeping kids or awake kids, it will find me with my Bible spending time with God.
Thanks for letting me share where I am at. I pray that you too are making time for God. Whatever your life stage, we all need God to help us through each day.

Sweet Play Time

I had the best morning playing with Ella. Vance was there too but he was just doing his own thing.
Ella decided she was going to cook me some apple pie. She wanted to know if I wanted pepper or milk on my apple pie. It was her creation so I told her whatever she thought was best. Then after she asked another time about milk I finally said, "I like ice cream on my apple pie." I tried to get her to use her imagination and get the ice cream out of the refrigerator but she wasn't going for that. Then the light bulb went off. She remembered she had ice cream cones in her food box. She took the ice cream off the cone but said the pie wasn't ready yet.
Before eating she covered my legs with a blanket and gave me a spoon. Then she handed me her delicious apple pie with ice cream. I began eating it & she felt it needed something more and poured syrup over top. I occasionally shared my pie with Vance as he walked by and she shared her piece with Baby Sharon (her baby doll). Once I was finished she gave me another piece with ice cream & syrup. Then she kept giving me the "last bites" of her piece of pie. When we were finished we placed our bowls & spoons in the dishwasher and the ice cream in the imaginary trash can that was between us. I love that in the pretend world you can eat as many pieces of apple pie with ice cream as you want.
This alone was fun and special but the play continued. Next we had story time where she read a few books each one began with "once upon a time." Then she told the story based on the pictures. As a former teacher I thought this was great!
Once story time was over she said she was tired so we both stretched out on the floor. She quickly popped up, covered me with the blanket and then began singing. At first she just made up her own song to put me to sleep. Then she sang over & over, "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood His mercy reigns. Unending love, Amazing Grace." When I realized that's what she was singing my eyes filled with tears. It was precious. I was thankful my little girl was singing a praise song to God. I know that she doesn't get what she's singing right now. But I long & pray for the day she gets it and celebrates with us God's amazing grace.
This went on for a while till she felt I needed to be in her bed and she needed to be the one to put me in the bed. Not sure I can paint the picture well but I'll try. I was walking on my knees to the bed. She had her arms around me from behind. Then she kind of lifted/shoved me into her bed. Too funny! She continued singing to put me to sleep but now the fun was waking me up after I closed my eyes. We did this over & over again.
I love that at this age the little things are fun no matter how many times you do it and doing it the same way every time is best. I am so thankful that I get to stay home and enjoy these precious, fun and silly moments with my children. I am blessed that it's me and not someone else.

Unbelievable

This morning I was on the phone with the Vet. Then I had to help Ella finish up in the bathroom. I knew Vance was in the living room/kitchen area. After Ella & I came out of the bathroom I didn't see him. I expected to see him in the kitchen opening the cabinets because the safety locks no longer work for him. Instead I saw him inside the cabinet! Seriously! There is no stopping this kid. I just had to take a picture! However, I quickly realized this showed approval and had to squelch Ella’s desire to climb in just like her brother. Oops!

I do believe I am going to have my hands full with this adorable, very determined & into everything son of mine!

Determined

That is the word I would use to describe Vance. He may be small but that is not going to stop him from getting to what he wants. Last Sunday I watched as he pushed the footstool down the hall to the bathroom door & then to our bedroom door (where Daddy was napping). He pushed, climbed up & tried to open each door. Fortunately he couldn’t turn the door knob. But the need & ability to get to those out of reach objects increased each day. I want to correct him & tell him to stop but I can’t. It is too entertaining to watch him as he spies his next feat then patiently pushes that stool to the exact right spot. I’ve even seen him climb up, get down & push it (not even an inch) to get the stool in the right place. A couple of times today I placed my foot in the path of the stool. That did not make him happy. He pushed & pushed and one time went around me. DERTERMINED! That is my little Vance. Surely that has to be a good quality to have in the future, right?

I will say the frequency of this has increased and the places he’s trying to reach are starting to be an issue. I have now removed their “kid sized” chairs out of the kitchen and I’m contemplating the removal of the foot stool. The lamps in the living room have already spent much of the last few months on top of the couch because he would NOT leave them alone. Since he couldn’t reach them from the floor he figured out how to climb onto the couch and reach them. Again, my son is determined! Maybe the ability to finally get to those unreachable places will become his new obsession and my lamps can return to their normal home.

I guess all this means that sooner than later I should stop him. Or I can continue to move things further up the shelves or pushed back against the wall where his little arms can’t reach or tucked away in a safe place. Nah! That just sounds like too much work. I’ll have to stop him!

One Happy Daddy

Vance has never been an overly affectionate child. He would always snuggle with us for naps & bedtime but he was never one to give or receive kisses, until recently. I’m so fortunate to be with him all day & I saw him become more loving with stuffed animals & Ella’s baby dolls. I tested the waters and found out that he would now give kisses. I didn’t fill Byron in on this little fact. The next day as he was telling the kids good-bye before work I told Vance, “Give Daddy a kiss bye-bye.” Oh my goodness! He kissed Byron and my husband lit up like a light bulb. Byron kept asking for kisses & Vance kept giving them. Byron was so giddy that Vance was too. These pictures capture the joy in both of them.

Where have we been?

Here is a quick update on our lives over the past few months. I can actually sum it up in two words…SLEEPLESS & SICK! Since the middle to end of April my precious son has not been sleeping again. He either takes hours to go to sleep or is up for hours in the middle of the night. It has been very reminiscent of the first 9 months of his life. He is miserable, in pain & we cannot help him. It has not been easy and I feel so bad for him. It is beginning to take its toll on Byron & me. We need sleep just as much as he does.
The month of June was the worst. As a family we had 9 doctor’s visits and one emergency room visit. All but 3 of those visits were for Vance. June 1st he was diagnosed with reflux and they started him on medicine. Two days later he managed to get an egg shell out of the trash can. I had to administer the Epi-pen and rush him to the hospital. Five days later he had an ear infection and breathing issues while Ella had walking pneumonia. The next day I finally went to the doctor with a sinus infection then took Vance back to the doctor for an allergic reaction to Amoxicillin. The next day Byron was treated for a sinus infection too. Three days after that the doctor prescribed medicine for Byron to prevent the onset of pneumonia. At some point we finally started feeling better and Vance had a happy doctor visit. He was officially cleared of a corn allergy which opened up a whole new world of foods for him.
I have no “official” idea of what is going on or what started all of Vance’s problems. However, my mother’s intuition tells me that when something unacceptable enters his body it flares up his insides. It then takes a LONG time for his body to get back to normal. This all started when he took an over the counter allergy medicine that didn’t agree with him. Then the reflux started. Then he had the egg exposure followed by the ear infection. It was just way too much for his little body to handle. Now we pray daily for God to miraculously help him sleep. Because what is the number one thing our bodies need to get well? SLEEP! Since we can’t physically make him sleep we have to turn to God to make it happen. We had a few nights earlier in the month of July where he slept all night and we praised God for a full night’s sleep. But it hasn’t happened on a consistent basis. We would greatly appreciate you praying alongside us for Vance to sleep again.

Mommy & Ella Evening Out

This evening was so much fun! Ella & I were invited to a Mommy, Daughter & Dolly Punch & Cookie Party. It was a fundraiser for my friend Tia McNelly's family who is going on a mission trip this summer to Kenya. My wonderful in-laws came to watch Vance so Ella & I could go. We started the preparations by painting our fingernails & toenails. Then Ella napped so she would be well rested for our evening out. We put on our dresses along with Baby (her dolly) and headed to the "cookie party."
When we arrived they had gloves & hats for the girls.


I don't know who was happier to be there, Ella or me?


Now that she was properly dressed it was time to find the cookies & punch.

The cookies & punch were a real treat for Ella since we rarely eat them at our house. She asked for seconds & thirds but I stopped at 2 cookies & 2 cups of punch that had to have the raspberries in them.

The cookies were adorable.


She looks so grown up here drinking her punch like a big girl. I was amazed she didn't spill it on her dress.

During the party the girls played with their dolls, painted, made necklaces and of course ate lots of cookies. Tia is very passionate about the Kilgoris Project & the work they are doing in Kenya. Ella & I are going to support them by hosting our own Mommy, Daughter & Dolly Punch & Cookie Party. If that name is too long for you go with Ella's version, a Cookie Party. If you live close I hope you & your daughter will plan to join us for our party.

After the cookie party we went to Chick-fil-a. We don't get to eat out since Vance has food allergies. This was a special treat for us. Ella & I enjoyed chicken nuggets & waffle fries. I have to say she did really well. It wasn't till the last 10 minutes that she became obsessed with seeing the cow & did not want to sit still. Sadly, the cow was sleeping. We'll have to go another time to see him.


This evening was just another reminder of how blessed I am to be a mom. I look forward to more Mommy/Daughter outings and future date nights with Vance. God is good! He really gave me my dreams!

Too Sweet!

This morning Ella woke up & walked into the living room like usual. But she paused at the door and looked around. When she finally walked in she asked, "Where is Daddy? I see Daddy." I explained that he had to leave before she woke up but that he was sad he couldn't see her this morning & loved her very much. Next Ella said, "But I give Daddy a hug." So I convinced her to settle for a phone call. While talking to her daddy she kissed the phone then wrapped her arms around it to give him a hug. That was so sweet! Later when Vance woke up she kept kissing him and saying, "Good morning Vance!"
What a great way to wake up. It is precious to see my little girl become so loving. I hope that continues.

Go to work with Daddy

I couldn’t resist sharing this. The kids are sitting beside me as I type this. Normally I wait till they are asleep but I didn’t want to forget any detail.
While I was changing Vance’s clothes Ella brought in a pair of socks & hand-me-down shoes that are at least 5 sizes too big for her. She sat on the floor & began putting them on. She then announced, “I going to go to work with Daddy.” Now Daddy left for work almost 2 hours ago. She then explained further, “I going to drive Mommy’s car and go to work with Daddy. I’ll be back in a little while with Daddy.” I asked her if she thought she could drive my car & with confidence she thought she could. So then I asked if she knew how to get to Daddy’s work. She said, “I drive Mommy’s car.” I informed her I knew she was taking my car but did she know where his work was. Ella replied, “In the TV (said like TB).” I tried hard not to laugh and explained that yes when he is at the race track it is on TV but today he was in the office. So she proudly said, “I go to Daddy’s office.” I tried my best to explain that I just didn’t think that could happen today. Then once again with the determination that she was going to go to Daddy’s work she said as she stood next to the baby gate, “I got to hop over so I can go with Daddy.” Even though this isn’t going to happen today her desire & determination has not slacked off. Since starting this several times she has said, “I gotta go work for Daddy. I’ll be back in a little while.”
I love the mind of a child. I love that she wants to be with her daddy. I love that I get to be home to experience all these cute sayings of hers.

Ella's outfit for work!

Grandma Nails

I hardly ever paint my fingernails, even though I like the way they look and so does Byron. But there was something about painting my nails this time that made me want to do it. I figured Ella was big enough that I could possibly paint her nails. I mentioned it to her but she didn’t really get it. Then when I sat down to paint my nails with extreme excitement she shouted, “Grandma Nails!” She had just seen Grandma with her nails painted and that was the first thing she thought of. So after my nails were dry she very willingly sat in my lap so I could paint her nails and she too could have Grandma Nails. She very proudly showed them off to her friend Lauren at Bible Study and couldn’t wait for her daddy to see them when he got home. We actually had to touch up a few nails before Daddy could see them. At the end of day two with these new nails of ours she pointed out that one of them needs redone. That is the very reason why I don’t typically paint my nails I hate that within days they are chipped and need to be repainted. I believe my future will now be spent frequently painting & touching up two sets of nails and I don’t think I will mind. I look down at her precious hands and smile. Those are the hands of my daughter and she wants to have nails like Grandma! This is one of those special little treasures God has given me with the title of Mommy.

Just a Little More Time with Grandma

This is a week overdue but I had to share the finale of our trip to Grandma’s house.

My plan was to get up at 3:30am in order to leave between 4 & 4:15 to head home. I went to bed at a descent hour and slept great till about 2am when Ella woke up…for the first time. Not sure how long I was up that time but she woke up again & finally at 2:45am she was clearly sound asleep. I was looking forward to the last 45 minutes of sleep before my alarm would go off. I glanced at the monitor to check on Vance. Sadly he wasn’t curled up sound asleep like I hoped. Instead he was sitting up banging his head on the side of the pack-n-play. He was quiet so I decided to close my eyes and hope for the best. The best was 15 minutes. By 3am he was wide awake crying. I jumped up, went into his room, found his paci on the floor and tried desperately to get him back to sleep. Nothing I did worked, not even the rocking chair. Fortunately my mom woke up. She offered to hold him so I could get ready & load the car. Since I wasn’t the one holding him I turned on….. BARNEY! I know that is cruel & unusual punishment for an adult, and who should really do that to their own mother but like I said, I was desperate. I tiptoed away to get ready when I heard the cries of Ella. Yes, it was 3:25am & my alarm to get up had not even gone off and BOTH of my children were WIDE AWAKE!! I walked in and with the cutest smile she said, “I watch a movie.” Normally there would be no movie watching at 3:25am but since I had to load the car and Vance & Grandma were already up watching “a movie” I let her. I instructed her to quietly go in the living room and sit on Grandma’s lap. Thankfully they both enjoyed this extra 45 minutes of Grandma-time while I got us ready to go. Even though Grandma was exhausted I think she too enjoyed having just a little more time with them.



Here is a quick recap of the actual ride home.
- Vance cried uncontrollably when he left Grandma & her cell phone
- After drinking some milk & listening to the Sing Over Me CD (which is the best lullaby CD ever) he drifted off to sleep within 30 minutes
- Ella stayed awake quietly for about an hour
- Then she started to get loud, not wanting her to wake Vance I gladly put in the Choo Choo Soul CD to calm her down.
- Ella slept from 6:00-6:42 & never went back to sleep in the car
- Vance woke up around 7ish.
- I had to pee about 2 hours into the trip but Vance was asleep & I wasn’t going to wake him up. Even when he did wake up I refused to stop.
- We arrived home happy & safe around 8:15.
- I ate breakfast, left the kids with their daddy, went to Bible study (alone) and then out to lunch with a friend (alone)

It was great to see Grandma & PaPaw but I have to admit since the kids were sick I was very, very tired when we returned home.

A Much Better Day

Today was a MUCH better day! No diarrhea through the night! No diarrhea all day! Yeah!!! Both Ella & Vance slept all night & I got 8 hours of sleep! Yippee!
This morning we went to church with Grandma. Ella & Vance had a good time in the nursery. Well, Vance did after he stopped crying because I left. Ella & Vance met several of Grandma's friends who have heard a lot about them & prayed for them. Vance took a good, long nap when we got home (that's why he is not in the pictures above). We had a great afternoon playing with Grandma & PaPaw and watching the race. Both kids went to sleep early and I plan on going real soon! So thankful God allowed this sickness to pass quickly!

Not Quite Healthy at Grandma’s

The day started out great. We all had a good night's sleep… well, Vance woke up early & Grandma took care of him so I could sleep. (I know I am spoiled.) No fevers. Both kids ate a good breakfast and kept it down. We had fun playing this morning & even got out of the house for a while. When we got back I turned around to unbuckle Ella from her car seat and realized she had runny poop on the front side of her clothes. The diarrhea I had thought escaped us didn’t. Poor thing, she never even said anything to us. After we got out of the car with minimal mess I rushed her to the bathroom, hosed her down then let her take a bubble bath. Grandma pulled out a bathtub Cabbage Patch Doll that floats and has its own shower. Ella loved it! Just what my sick little girl needed. Then she snuggled up on the couch with her dolls, both blankies & a stuffed sheep (Grandma’s decoration) to watch a movie. Unfortunately the diarrhea didn’t end there. It felt like I changed her diaper 10 times in a 2 hour block of time. Her poor bottom was red & raw. I finally put her in her pajamas & night time diaper in hopes that it had stopped for the night. She was so tired she fell asleep before I finished singing in our night time routine. Both kids were asleep in their beds by 7pm.
My challenge tomorrow is going to be figuring out how to put the car seat cover back on. It had to be washed! The problem was I unhooked so many things I am hoping it will make sense in the morning when I put it back together.

Road Trip to Grandma’s

The kids and I planned a visit to Grandma’s house for a few days. I decided the best time to travel was early morning. Hopefully the kids would be asleep or would fall back to sleep quickly then I could have a couple hours before they woke up. My goal was to leave at 4am. When I went to bed after 10:30pm I realized a 4am departure was not going to work. Instead, I woke up at 4am, got dressed, loaded a few last minute things in the car, fixed my coffee then woke Byron to help load the kids. Ella woke up as he made the tiniest sound in her room. Not what I wanted, but I was able to put a dry diaper on her. Byron took her to the car while I got Vance. I soon discovered he was soaking wet!!!! This never happens. I changed his diaper and took him to the car. My efforts of making sure the path to the car was pitch black so neither kid would wake up was wasted time. But they were both dry which could alleviate a stop on the way and they were quietly sitting in their car seats until….
We were driving down our street and I hear, “I want my daddy. I want my daddy.” I reassured her it was okay and that we would see him soon. Then I hear, “mmm, eeee.” Followed by a 2 year old much louder version of “mmm, eee.” Next I hear, “What happened?” after I touched something in the car that made a sound. Then I heard, “too bright” as we approached some street lights. Then there were giggles followed by a few more statements from Ella. Finally silence. It was over an hour before Vance finally gave in and went back to sleep but my sweet Ella stayed awake for the entire trip.
My goal was to get half way, stop at a Cracker Barrel (something about those places makes me feel safe) & give them their breakfast I prepared before I left. I would go through a drive-thru for myself then we would be on our way. I was not planning on getting out of the car. That was before I had to use the restroom. I kept telling myself I could hold it till I got to my mom’s. But the closer we got to our stopping spot I had to GO! This wasn’t going to be easy with a 2 year old & a 1 year old but I had to find a way to make it work. To further complicate things it started raining, heavy rain. Stopping at Cracker Barrel didn’t work the parking spots were too far away (both kids were in their pjs & Ella’s shoes were in the suitcase). I pulled up to the front door of Burger King. Unbuckled Ella & put her in the front seat. Jumped out, unbuckled Vance then grabbed Ella and we ran to the door. I set her down once in the store but now we had to go to the bathroom. All I could think was, “Unclean, unclean!” I stood them both in the bathroom stall and strongly instructed not to touch a thing. Within seconds Vance sits on the floor then the hands head that way. I stopped him & managed to keep from any further germ disaster. After much hand washing we made our way back out to the van. With one kid on each hip I got us quickly to the car. They both cooperated beautifully as I put them back in their seats. Of course, they both knew breakfast was coming. I put the plastic bibs on them & filled the pocket with pieces of bacon & pancakes. They were happy. I was no longer in pain and ready to fill my tummy with breakfast as well.
After that the only drama on the road was the unbelievable amount of rain falling from the sky. We made it safely to Grandma & PaPaw’s house. The kids were so happy to see them. They played, ate, took naps and then at 4pm when Vance was about to eat supper he started vomiting! No kidding! He was pitiful. He vomited up all of lunch (broccoli & cauliflower). He continued to vomit off & on the next hour or so. Then after he was asleep he woke up vomiting. Ella fought sleep for a while. Finally at 10pm both kids were sound asleep & I crawled into bed. At 1pm I woke up to discover that Ella had vomited in her bed, in Grandma’s bed & then all over herself. My sweet mom had cleaned up everything & changed her pajamas. Her only concern was whether or not Ella had a fever. I decided it was best to sleep with Ella on a twin bed & Mom slept on the bed in Vance’s room. Ella tossed & turned till 3am and then finally settled down. We were able to sleep soundly till 6am.
That wasn’t quite the first day experience I was going for with Grandma. I will say that today has been better. No vomiting! They drank Pedialyte and kept down small amounts of food. Unfortunately they both had fevers today but took very LONG naps. Vance was in bed by 7pm & Ella was sound asleep at 7:22. Grandma & PaPaw were in bed a little after 8pm. I’m heading to bed now but I just had to share these experiences with you before doing so. I am hoping for an uninterrupted LONG night of sleep and some happy adventures to share with you this weekend.

The Things My Kids Eat!!

My greatest adventure in a day is finding food for the kids to eat. Vance can't eat anything made with milk, eggs, nuts of any kind or soy. His blood panel showed a possible allergy to corn & tomatoes as well. So this wipes out ketchup or anything made with cornstarch. So what do my kids eat? Basically fresh fruits & vegetables and some meats. Ella could eat anything. However, Vance is very aware when someone is eating something different than him so we feed them the same thing.
Thank goodness there is a website, www.foodallergy.org where I can find recipes without eggs, milk, soy & nuts. I found a pancake recipe that is actually pretty good. So Vance eats pancakes every morning along with a safe meat & usually a banana. This morning I crushed up some steamed apples & added cinnamon to the pancake batter. Oh my goodness! My kids ate 8 pancakes between the two of them! They weren't super big but not too small either, bigger than the palm of my hand. I started to get concerned about the amount. Then Byron & I realized that they don't eat many starches so it should be okay.
Apple cinnamon pancakes are delicious but I have to admit I have given my kids some interesting food combinations. My latest creation is what I call Hawaiian Rice & Beef. Vance doesn't care for dry food. So I mixed brown rice, roast & crushed pineapples. The kids loved it! I try to always get Vance to eat the steamed veggies first but if he decides he doesn't want to I have (more times than I care to admit) mixed it with applesauce & pureed pears. It sounds disgusting to me but he loves it.
My prayer is that he will grow out of these food allergies very soon. But in the meantime I am thankful he will eat my interesting food concoctions! If I come up with anything else interesting or disgusting I will share it with you.

The Best Husband & Dad

My husband has been out of town for a few days for work. The moment he got home Vance woke up crying. We let him cry for a few minutes to see if he would stop on his own & go back to sleep. It hadn't been long when my husband said, "Want me to go in there?" Really? He just walked in the door from a very long day & he was volunteering to go take care of our crying baby. I think he missed his son and wanted to hold him. As soon as we felt Vance wasn't going to go back to sleep on his own he went back to his room to take care of him. Then in the middle of the night Ella was at her door crying out with a weird panic cry. Who do you think jumped out of bed to get her? My wonderful husband. I just woke up a few minutes ago, looked in the monitor and he is sound asleep in the bed with her. I don't know who is luckier, my kids or me. I am truly blessed to have a husband who wants to help me out & give me a break when he can. (Besides he does know how cranky I can get when I don't get a full night's sleep.) My kids are also blessed to have a daddy that loves them whole-heartedly and longs to spend time with them.
I thank God for the family He has given me!

“I love you both as if you were my real family”

“I want to thank you both for being the best thing that could have happened for me and the kids! I love you both as if you were my real family!” Those were the words from our birthmother in our latest letter from her. Wow!
When we decided that adoption was God’s plan for our lives we had no idea about the relationship we would have with our birthmother. In the beginning of our research we considered a closed adoption where there would be no contact with the birthmother. So glad that was not God’s plan for us. We have been praying for her almost 3 years now, at first as our birthmother & then by name. We long for letters from her and get so excited when one comes in the mail. We love her so much!
I’ve thought about that line, “as if you were my real family.” You know, I think she is our real family. She is the biological mother of our children. Doesn’t that make her family? I think so. So we don’t talk on the phone or take family vacations but we love one another. I love her because she chose to do the most selfless thing in her life & give her children up for adoption. I love her because she chose us to be their parents. I love her because she is God’s creation. I love her because of her love for our children. I love her whether she makes a good choice or bad one. I love her because she is the biological mother of my children.
It is my fervent prayer that she gets on her two feet, drug & alcohol free, with a good support system around her and a good job. I pray that she says no to the temptations that will come her way. I want her to find a strong Christian man who will love her the way she is supposed to be loved. I want a good life for her. And believe it or not, I want her to be alive & healthy the day my children want to meet her.
So she is my family. And I am so thankful God planned it that way!

Time to Catch Up

Well it’s been almost a year since I last blogged. I’ve decided I missed this outlet and wanted to pick it back up again. I can’t promise the frequency of my posts but I’m going to try my best to write more often than last year. I figure the best way to get back in the grove is to fill you in on the past year.
I am the one who always has to say something positive but I feel like as a whole it was a difficult year. We had very little sleep and lots of sickness. I learned to appreciate coffee, sugar free Red Bull & the Disney Channel. But through it all there were so many joyous moments as well. Every day I got to stay home and be mom! I watched my daughter blossom into an adoring big sister & imitator of her mommy. I enjoyed all the baby firsts (smile, laugh, tooth, word, crawling, clapping, etc.) with my son. I was thankful for the times my husband got up in the middle of the night instead of me (he did that often). Even though some of the days & nights were hard I can look back on 2010 with a thankful heart.
Sleep finally entered our home on a consistent basis in November. That is because at the end of October we learned that our son was allergic to eggs, peanuts, milk & soy. Once we stopped giving him milk based formula he became a happy child and could finally enjoy a full night’s sleep. No wonder we had a difficult year. His main source of nutrition was causing him pain and we had no idea. I’m not too thrilled with the food allergies but we are learning to adjust.
The year started out with ear infections & RSV with Ella. It ended with a severe allergic reaction, double ear infection & bronchitis with Vance. I am hoping for a happy healthy 2011. There was much more that happened last year & I may reflect back and share those moments but my children have woken up from their naps. Time to be mom & take the kids outside on this beautiful sunny day!