The BEST part of my day

What is the best part of my day? It's this picture below...

 

 

EVERY morning I drive my boys to school. And NO, my favorite part is NOT sending my kids to school for the day...BUT it is in the minute before I do. At our school we have a super long drive and last year I started a tradition of praying over my kids and their day during this drive.

 

I pray over the school and their safety. Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

 

I pray over their teachers. Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

 

I pray that they are a good friend. Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 3:3 "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act."

 

I pray over the words they speak. Proverbs 4:24 "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips." Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

 

I pray over their minds and that they would work hard and try their best. Proverbs 19:24 "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth."

 

I pray over Brayden's little mouth that doesn't like to stop moving. Proverbs 10:19 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

 

I pray for wisdom and that they would make good choices. Proverbs 4:11-13 "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."

 

 As a mom, it is hard for me to let my kids go, out of my reach, out of my protection...OH, but God loves them so much and can do such a better job than I can. What better way to start the day than to give it to the Lord by surrounding my kids with the peace that surpasses all understanding, to prepare them for battle and to give them the hope and joy that God is with them at all times! 

JARRETT

As I was looking back over the posts for this year...which didn't take long since there are like four of them...slap my hand...I realized that I haven't dedicated one to Jarrett in awhile...or at all in 2013...sigh. So lets take a moment to talk about my ADORABLE red-headed-blue-eyed boy that captures my heart and makes each day a little sweeter.

 

 

Um, can you tell the boy is a charmer. He can be very shy with a group of his peers, but get him around his BFF, adults or kids younger than him and he is all about the spotlight. He loves to make people laugh and has a very sweet and tender-hearted spirit. Whenever we play games and I am losing (which happen quite often) he always offers for me to rub his head because "red hair is good luck."

 

 

Jett started 3rd grade this year. What? When did he grow up so fast? And I might add, 3rd grade homework might be the death of me. Really. No, really! We average an hour a night. Some days are good and some days there are lots of tears, pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth (and Jett gets upset sometimes, too ;) But I am so proud of him and how hard he works! He is such a trooper!

If you know Jett, then you know this one thing about him...he has lots of ideas. Ideas how to do things, ideas on how to have fun, ideas on how to do things better, ideas that get him into a lot of trouble. Take this picture above. This was all orchestrated by one of his great ideas. The kid cracks me up. I love how he puts himself in the back doing nothing while Brayden does everything. SO the oldest child.

Just knowing how he interacts with people, his passion, his gift of ideas and his love for life, I can't wait to watch him grow into the man the Lord has created him to be.

Shout it Out From the Roof Top!

Excuse me a moment while I'm sentimental.

You know the moments in your life where God knocks your socks off?  Maybe shows off a bit:) As you are in the midst of your pain and trial you can't see what He is doing, but once you can step back and look with a new perspective, you can see God's mighty hand upon you.

Well, here is our story...

 

Four years ago over Memorial weekend, Brayden (age 2 at the time) came down with a very high fever.  After a few days we took him to the pediatric doctor (that we had just switched to the previous week) and he said it was a virus and sent us home.  A week later (still with the high fever) he got a swollen gland the size of a golf ball.  We took him to the doctor, he still thought it was a virus and sent us home.  The next week (still with a high fever) his eyes turned bloodshot.  We took him back to the doctor, said it was a virus and sent us home.  That following Thursday I had the boys at a funeral dinner and when I went to get Brayden out of the high chair and set him down, he started screaming in pain.  He couldn't stand or walk.  I called the doctor and they said sometimes viruses can go into joints, so to call them back on Monday if he still wasn't walking.  Around 3a.m. Saturday night Brayden had gotten out of bed and crawled into our room (his only way to get around) and asked for food. As he was sitting on the stool eating his Cheerios, God came to me.  He didn't come by a burning bush, a talking animal or scripted anything on stone, but His still small voice spoke to me as I cried out to Him.  I remember standing in the kitchen looking at Brayden in such a horrible physical state and my heart broke because at that moment, I knew he was dying. In my soul I heard the Lord say, "Your son is dying and he needs help..."

 

So, on Monday morning this mama bear called the doctors office and schedule an appointment informing them I was NOT leaving until they found out what was wrong with him.  They took a ton of blood work and said they agreed something wasn't right and they would have a better idea when the results came back.  They called us that afternoon and said that his inflammation levels were extremely high and had scheduled an Echo for him the next day.  By the time we left the appointment and made it to the doctors office 5 minutes later, we were met by the doctor with the results.  Brayden had Kawasaki Disease.  It is a very rare disease that causes inflammation in the walls of the coronary arteries that carry blood to the heart.  His arteries were enlarged and we were told he was about 48 hours away from a fatal coronary artery aneurysm.  We were shocked.  Shocked.  We rushed back to the hospital and got him settled in for our 4 day stay as they got medicine in him and observed him. That first night was so scary and I will never-ever forget it.  I was laying with Brayden in the bed while his body started convulsing from the fever and the medicine, I just remember crying out to God not to take him and crying to Greg in fear Brayden was going to die, and crying out to the nurses for help.  The most terrifying moment of my life.  However, within a few hours his body started to calm down, the medicine began to work and his fever started to decrease. And then we spent many hours and days watching Thomas the Train and him driving this car around the pediatric floor.  Isn't he adorable.

 

Every time I look at these pictures tears blur my vision.  Not only does his sweetness make my heart tighten and overflow with love, but I just want to stand on the roof top and shout what God has done.  I truly believe God spared my child.  Looking back I can see so many times where God moved throughout our situation.  From speaking to me...to the technician that did the Echo and saw the problem right away, identified and reported it immediately without having to go through the heart doctor and taking more time...to the fact that research states that after 10 days of the disease the child's heart can be damaged - BUT after having it 21 days, Brayden's heart is healthy! Amazing! To God be the glory!

When Mommy's Camera Gets Hijacked...

 

Gotta love my Angry Bird lovin' boy.  Brayden turned SIX years old in February.  It was a tough decision to have to pick out his birthday theme this year...OR he's been planning it for the last five months...

 

Brayden enjoys watching Angry Bird videos on YouTube and he came across this Angry Bird cake last fall...and has asked...every single day since...if he can have that cake for his birthday.

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall as I made his cake.  Let's just say it was worth the 175 days of reminders.  He jumped for joy.  He giggled.  He danced.  He hugged me about a million times and told me countless times how I was the best mom in the world.  Then to top it all off, after he blew out his candle, he got to use all his Angry Birds to knock down the cake and pigs before we ate it.  And then concluded by telling us "This is the best day EVER!"  Oh Brayden, I hope the rest of your life is filled with such simple joys...

Our Little Princess

 How can you look at this picture and not smile.  Doesn't she just warm your heart!  When I think about Kyla my mind immediately goes to how blessed we are to have her.  After a very sad and trying time in our lives and the thought that we could no longer be able to have any more children...God heard our prayers and gave us our sweet little girl!

Let me just take a moment and say...Where has the time gone! I can't believe my precious baby girl is going to be three this spring.  Something you may not know about our blue-eyed beauty...Kyla means crowned and lovely.  Also her middle name, Suelyn, is after her grandmothers.  Sue is for my mom and lyn is after Greg's mom, Linda.  I think it fits her very well.  Original and one of a kind!

Kyla is spunky, lovable, sweet and carefree. She loves to dance, dress up, play in her kitchen and with her dolls.  However she also loves to play trains, go outside and get dirty, and wrestle the boys. Kyla reminds me of myself when I was little...she is a tomboy at heart, disguised in a dress.  One minute she is putting on lip gloss, the next she is playing in the dirt.  Love it!

She is a daddy's girl.  I'm trying not to take offense.  I did birth her and all, but whatever!  I mean she loves me and follows me around throughout the day, but if daddy is home, it's like "Mom who?"  Mom will do, but if she is sad, hurt or scared, she prefers daddy.  I'm glad they have that special relationship, but come on, throw a mom a bone here! 

She is little miss independent.  We constantly hear her say, "I can do it myself."  Just an example, she potty trained herself this past summer.  When she puts her mind to something, nothing is going to stop her.  I think this will be a blessing or a curse come teenage years:)

 

She adores her big brothers. She calls them "my boys." When they are at school, she is always asking, "when are my boys coming home?" She just wants to do what they are doing, which usually is received well, but sometimes not. She can also hold her own and if the boys push her down she comes up swinging!

 

Sigh.  Love my girl.  Blessed beyond measure.  My heart is full!

A Decade of Love

Greg and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by going to Florida last week.  It was wonderful, relaxing...and WAY to short!

 

Our first day we went to Siesta Key beach and walked for hours.  The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. It couldn't have been a better day!  As we were walking the beach Greg said, "I wonder what time it is?"  And I replied, "Does it matter."  I think that is what made the day so great.  We had no schedule, no need to rush anywhere or get anything done.  We rented a convertible for the week, so we also enjoyed driving around with the top down, soaking up the rays!

 

That night we got dressed up and went to a local and fancy place to eat on Long Boat Key. It was called Dry Dock Waterfront Grill.  It was SO good. The picture doesn't compliment the place, we took this to show the kids all the boats it held, the restaurant was beside this, hence the name.

 The next day we deemed as a family day!  We traveled around the state meeting up with our loved ones.  Our first stop was Greg's Uncle John and Aunt Carol. They took us out to eat and then showed us around their condo complex.  As we were walking around we came across this alligator.  I think it was Greg's highlight of the week. I see where I rank next to an alligator.  As we were leaving we told Uncle John and Carol...as they are celebrating their 9th year of marriage...that if they need any marital advice, to just ask.  Seeing that we are a year ahead in marriage and are dripping in wisdom (cough-cough)!

Next we traveled over to the middle of the state to see my grandparents!  My grandpa is a huge car guy, so we put the top down and went to dinner.  I love watching them enjoy life!  I can only pray that we are just as happy and healthy as they are when we celebrate our 65th anniversary!

The next day (our anniversary day) we went over to Anna Maria Island for the day.  We met up with one of my MOTTTS leaders and her husband for lunch and then we drove around the island together checking out all the sights.  Afterwards we headed back to the beach to relax and find some shells for the kids.

 

That night we got dressed up and went on a sunset cruise around the bay.  It was a bit redneck and cold, but I was with my man and it was wonderful!  The next day we packed up and headed home.  Our theme song since our plane touched the ground in Indiana has been, "Back to life, back to reality!"

 

A few things I loved about our trip

-I did my hair and make-up every.single.day.

-When eating at a restaurant I didn't have to take anyone to the bathroom.

-I saw the sun every day.

-I didn't have to cook or wash a dish.

-I love my kids, but it was heaven to have a fews days off from bedtime routine.

-I never woke up before 8:00a.m.

 -I read a book.

 TEN years and we still got it babe!  Love and appreciate you more everyday!  Thanks for choosing me and giving me an incredible life of three amazing children, your spiritual guidance, your hard work that gives me everything I need and more and the fact that I get to spend every day with my best friend!  Love you!

In a Blink of an Eye

Since my blogging has been few and far between, I've decided to highlight each of the kids in their own blog.  I'm starting with Brayden because, to be honest, since the elementary school shooting I've held on and kissed him more than usual.  I too have a kindergartner and I think that's why this shooting has had me grieving so much.  I have a child that exact age, same passion for life, same innocence...and I have been overwhelmed with the fact that today I get to hug, kiss and love on my child as other parents have to bury theirs.  I titled this post, In a Blink of an Eye, because that's all it takes for your life to change forever.  So today I celebrate that the Lord has given me another amazing day with this cool little dude and that he has changed my life forever!

 Brayden started kindergarten really pumped, then it fizzled out because he realized school was longer than one week, and now he's just okay with it...he could take it or leave it.  He is doing really well at school and is one smart cookie.  Haha, that sentence just made me laugh because if Brayden heard me say that he would say, in his low voice, "Cookie!  I want a cookie!" The first month or so of school was rough as he had to tread the waters of learning how to not get in trouble, but he is happy to say now that, "school is so much more fun when you don't get in trouble."  That is some great wisdom I hope he keeps throughout his entire school experience!  This kid seriously cracks me up.  One day our school was canceled because of fog.  This is the conversation of telling him this information..

Jarrett:  "Brayden!  School is canceled!"

Brayden (with a huge smile on his face):  "WHAT! I NEVER have to go to school again!"

 Age 5 has been awesome with Brayden.  He has grown up so much in this last year and has turned into such an easy going child.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think he is our easiest child to parent right now.  For those that know our very difficult road with him, you may now pick your jaw up off the floor.  But it's true.  Don't get me wrong, he has his moments, but overall he is just a lovable, full of life-happy boy.  He loves to tell stories, pray, make people laugh and enjoys giving hugs and kisses.  He is starting to enjoy being outside, which is huge for him since he grew up with really bad sensory problems.  He is very sensitive about if he hurts someones feelings or does something wrong.  Brayden has this really funny way of telling me he is mad at me.  I put a picture of the two of us by his bed.  Sometimes I find him laying in his bed staring at it, smiling.  The times I know I have ticked him off, I find the picture on the shelf across the room...face down.  Then when we work things out, he cries, tells me how much he loves me and then asks for the picture back and hugs it close to his chest. 

 So this kid loves Angry Birds...obsessed is more like it.  Pretty much all of his play time is either playing Angry Birds on the Kindle or playing the Angry Bird game on the kitchen counter.  Everything he wanted for Christmas was Angry Birds related.  I asked him if he wanted another Angry Birds shirt and he said (while looking at me like I was crazy), "No, I already have one."  He is such a boy.  If he were a girl, the answer would be, "Yes, and in all the colors please."



I mean look at this face (and please not the huge mess in the background - good grief - talk about a toy explosion). Anyway...sigh...how could you not just want to cuddle with this kid every second. 
I am so thankful for my sweet Brayden Michael!