FUN AT THE FAIR
ISABELLA AND ABBY
MICAH CLIMBING THE ROCK WALL
HE MADE IT!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Fun Things In Our Family
MY TOOTHLESS TWINS
FUN AT THE FAIR
ISABELLA AND ABBY
MICAH CLIMBING THE ROCK WALL
HE MADE IT!!!
FUN AT THE FAIR
ISABELLA AND ABBY
MICAH CLIMBING THE ROCK WALL
HE MADE IT!!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wrong Diagnosis
This afternoon I took Micah to the doctor to have him checked out. He was still not feeling well, nauseous (even though he had not thrown up since last night), cramping tummy pains, fever of about 100 degrees, flushed checks, and inability to eat even though he is hungry. I made the appointment this morning but really was hesitant because there is nothing the doc can do for a stomach flu. Micah kept insisting to go to the doctor even though I told him that wasn't sure the doctor was going to be able to do anything to make him feel better. So, I complied, mostly to make him feel better emotionally. Well, God must have been talking to my little boy because when we got to the doctor we learned that he does not have the stomach flu. I had all but apologized to the doctor for bringing him in for a stomach bug when she told me that it was good that I did because he has strep throat. She showed my his throat and sure enough it is red, with white pus pockets, and his tonsils are so swollen that they are almost touching. I felt so bad and so grateful. I am really glad that he didn't have to wait another day and then spend 4 hours in the ER because it is the weekend. I guess his prayer was answered for God to heal him (see previous post) even if it was through the use of a throat culture test. I guess Mom doesn't ALWAYS know best.
Just remember this story the next time you think your kiddo has what LOOKS like the stomach flu. It could very well be strep throat in disguise.
Just remember this story the next time you think your kiddo has what LOOKS like the stomach flu. It could very well be strep throat in disguise.
Faith of a Little Child
We have been battling the stomach virus in our house, or maybe I should say my little man has been battling it and the rest of us are doing everything we can to avoid it. Unfortunately he has had it really bad. It started with a fever at 1am on Thursday morning and the rest of it started a couple of hours later. He had been a real trooper, rarely crying and touching me ever-so-gently as to assure me that he is alright and that I shouldn't worry. Such a tender little spirit.
So, last night, after 18 hours of throwing up I decide that I am officially worried and I call the doctor to see if there is anything I can do because he cannot keep anything down. I know how bad dehydration can be and how quickly it can turn bad. He also was so sick to his stomach he was refusing Tylenol or Motrin because it made him gag. When the doctor called me back he mentioned Phenargan, which is a drug that is used for several different things, including as an anti-nausea medication. In the early summer when Isabella had her tonsils and adnoids out, we were given some for her nausea, so I asked him I could use that and he agreed that it would be fine. The problem with the Phenargan is that it is a suppository. Because of that I never used the prescription because Isabella refused to allow herself to be "violated". So, I get off the phone and tell Michael that the doctor has told me to use it...if I can.
I walk into the room and sit on the bed. My poor little guy looks up at me and here is the conversation...
Micah- "What did the doctor say?"
Me- As I hold up the prescription bottle I say, "He said you can take this and hopefully it will make you feel better."
Micah- Obviously noticing my timidity says, "Will it taste yucky?"
Me- "No honey."
Micah- "Do I have to hold it on my tongue?"
Me- "No baby."
Micah- "Then what do I have to do?"
Me- I look at him with all the compassion in the world and say, "It goes in your hiney. It is a suppository."
He looks at me, processing the conversation, and then very slowly and gently pulls the covers over his head.
Me- "If I can promise that it won't hurt and that it will make you feel better, will you do it?"
He pulls the covers down and looks at me and with all sincerity he says, "God will heal me."
At that, I was done. Had it been a life of death situation I may have forced it but it wasn't. I had prayed over him early that day that God would heal him and that was good enough for him...at least in comparison to having something put somewhere that really is intended to be an exit only.
I just looked at him, commended his faith, prayed again, and surrendered. God will just have to heal him.
So, last night, after 18 hours of throwing up I decide that I am officially worried and I call the doctor to see if there is anything I can do because he cannot keep anything down. I know how bad dehydration can be and how quickly it can turn bad. He also was so sick to his stomach he was refusing Tylenol or Motrin because it made him gag. When the doctor called me back he mentioned Phenargan, which is a drug that is used for several different things, including as an anti-nausea medication. In the early summer when Isabella had her tonsils and adnoids out, we were given some for her nausea, so I asked him I could use that and he agreed that it would be fine. The problem with the Phenargan is that it is a suppository. Because of that I never used the prescription because Isabella refused to allow herself to be "violated". So, I get off the phone and tell Michael that the doctor has told me to use it...if I can.
I walk into the room and sit on the bed. My poor little guy looks up at me and here is the conversation...
Micah- "What did the doctor say?"
Me- As I hold up the prescription bottle I say, "He said you can take this and hopefully it will make you feel better."
Micah- Obviously noticing my timidity says, "Will it taste yucky?"
Me- "No honey."
Micah- "Do I have to hold it on my tongue?"
Me- "No baby."
Micah- "Then what do I have to do?"
Me- I look at him with all the compassion in the world and say, "It goes in your hiney. It is a suppository."
He looks at me, processing the conversation, and then very slowly and gently pulls the covers over his head.
Me- "If I can promise that it won't hurt and that it will make you feel better, will you do it?"
He pulls the covers down and looks at me and with all sincerity he says, "God will heal me."
At that, I was done. Had it been a life of death situation I may have forced it but it wasn't. I had prayed over him early that day that God would heal him and that was good enough for him...at least in comparison to having something put somewhere that really is intended to be an exit only.
I just looked at him, commended his faith, prayed again, and surrendered. God will just have to heal him.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
My Problem-God's Answer
So many times we find ourselves in a position of really needing a Word from the Lord. You know the kind I mean. The kind of word that if we don't get it our spirit aches and groans. The kind of word that can only come from God Himself. We hear from friends and family that "everything will be ok", "it will all work out", "God is working", but that is no longer enough. It is usually when we are at our wits end, don't feel like we can take it anymore, and don't feel that God is answering. It usually comes on the heals of what seems like an extended silence in our lives. And usually at a point when you begin to question whether God even exists and if he does then does he even care. Well, that is where I have been.
Yesterday, I sat down to add up all the bills that will be paid on Friday and the numbers did not add up. We are not talking car payments or credit cards, we are just talking the basic necessities of life. It became aware to me that my plan is going to have to change. Rather that use all the money that I am making to go towards debt, we are going to have to use some of it for now to just live. This struck me hard because that is NOT my plan. I want to get out of debt NOW. No, make that YESTERDAY. I don't want to be in debt anymore. And it's not just so that I can have more money to spend, but it is also so that we can have a plan for our future (ie retirement, college, weddings, vacations). So, needless to say, I was upset. In my mind, this is not going well at all. And all I could think was, I must not be doing something right. Or I have done something terribly wrong that God isn't going to answer my prayers. Will Michael ever have a job again that will be "enough" for our family or did we ruin that chance because of our lack of good stewardship? I began questioning everything I am doing. Is it enough? What more can I do? We don't have a car payment, our kids are not in sports or lessons of any sort, they don't go to private school, we don't travel or buy anniversary gifts, we don't spend money on toys except for birthdays or holidays, and we don't eat out . I clip coupons, bargain shop, and don't spend money on new clothes for myself or the kids. We don't own the latest technology or nice furniture. (Please don't get me wrong, I want to do all of those things, except have a car payment, but right now, we can't. And I do look so forward to the day when we can have more of that in our family. So, yesterday when this revelation came the question in my mind was, "What more do you want from us? From me? How much more do you want us to give up? Should we turn off our TV all together? Get rid of our cell phones? Sell everything we own? Should I try to babysit MORE kids? Get a different night and weekend job? WHAT???" When I didn't hear anything then my question became "Are you there? Do you care? Is all of this for nothing? We are working our butts off and for what?"
I spoke to Michael about our situation and my frustration mounted with the "lack" of his concern. You know how it is? When you are upset you want others to go there with you. Misery loves company, as it is said. Well, Michael was the strong one and just said, "we knew it would be like this for a while." And that was it!!! Not the response I was hoping for, although I must admit that I don't really know what response I was wanting. Anyway, it didn't help.
So, last night we had to go to church because the kids had AWANA. I was NOT in the mood and if it had not been for the leadership meeting that we had after service was over I would not have gone. I was angry and stressed and hard. Definitely not in a mental state to be a blessing to my Lord and Savior. To top it all off, last night we started our Wednesday House of Prayer, where instead of having a Wednesday night service, we will spend that time each week singing and praying for different things. Each week will be different and last night was the kick-off. This was even worse because I was in NO MOOD to pray AT ALL. (I know, I am terrible!).
So, we sat in the back (which I never do). I had my arms crossed, a posture of total closure, and that is exactly how I felt. I couldn't find it in my heart to sing because when I sing I am praising God and at the time I was not "right" to do that. But, what I did do was meditate on the words of the songs. About 20 minutes into the service, I said a little prayer that went something like this, "Lord, tenderize me." That was it, that was all I said. Well, in less than 5 minutes God broke through. Pastor Les got up and started to talk. He proceeded to say that although this wasn't what he was planning on saying but he felt the Holy Spirit leading him to say something and then he said, "I know that there are people here that have been praying for something and God is not answering. And you are jaded and cynical and you are wondering if God is working or if he is even there because he is not answering your prayers the way you want him to. But, I want you to know that He is working even though you can't see it right now." And at that, my heart broke. It was exactly what I needed to hear and even though it wasn't God himself, it was through our pastor that the Lord spoke. From that moment on I wept. It didn't make everything better immediately but it gave me hope again.
Then last night right before I went to sleep, I decided to open my Bible and just read a Psalm. It didn't matter which one. I was just going to pick one and read. I just wanted to spend 5 minutes with my God. When I opened the Psalms this is the one that was right there. I didn't pick it, it picked me. I pray that if you are going through something right now that this will bless you the way it blessed me. These are the words of the Lord... (emphasis mine)
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
AMEN! AND AMEN!
Yesterday, I sat down to add up all the bills that will be paid on Friday and the numbers did not add up. We are not talking car payments or credit cards, we are just talking the basic necessities of life. It became aware to me that my plan is going to have to change. Rather that use all the money that I am making to go towards debt, we are going to have to use some of it for now to just live. This struck me hard because that is NOT my plan. I want to get out of debt NOW. No, make that YESTERDAY. I don't want to be in debt anymore. And it's not just so that I can have more money to spend, but it is also so that we can have a plan for our future (ie retirement, college, weddings, vacations). So, needless to say, I was upset. In my mind, this is not going well at all. And all I could think was, I must not be doing something right. Or I have done something terribly wrong that God isn't going to answer my prayers. Will Michael ever have a job again that will be "enough" for our family or did we ruin that chance because of our lack of good stewardship? I began questioning everything I am doing. Is it enough? What more can I do? We don't have a car payment, our kids are not in sports or lessons of any sort, they don't go to private school, we don't travel or buy anniversary gifts, we don't spend money on toys except for birthdays or holidays, and we don't eat out . I clip coupons, bargain shop, and don't spend money on new clothes for myself or the kids. We don't own the latest technology or nice furniture. (Please don't get me wrong, I want to do all of those things, except have a car payment, but right now, we can't. And I do look so forward to the day when we can have more of that in our family. So, yesterday when this revelation came the question in my mind was, "What more do you want from us? From me? How much more do you want us to give up? Should we turn off our TV all together? Get rid of our cell phones? Sell everything we own? Should I try to babysit MORE kids? Get a different night and weekend job? WHAT???" When I didn't hear anything then my question became "Are you there? Do you care? Is all of this for nothing? We are working our butts off and for what?"
I spoke to Michael about our situation and my frustration mounted with the "lack" of his concern. You know how it is? When you are upset you want others to go there with you. Misery loves company, as it is said. Well, Michael was the strong one and just said, "we knew it would be like this for a while." And that was it!!! Not the response I was hoping for, although I must admit that I don't really know what response I was wanting. Anyway, it didn't help.
So, last night we had to go to church because the kids had AWANA. I was NOT in the mood and if it had not been for the leadership meeting that we had after service was over I would not have gone. I was angry and stressed and hard. Definitely not in a mental state to be a blessing to my Lord and Savior. To top it all off, last night we started our Wednesday House of Prayer, where instead of having a Wednesday night service, we will spend that time each week singing and praying for different things. Each week will be different and last night was the kick-off. This was even worse because I was in NO MOOD to pray AT ALL. (I know, I am terrible!).
So, we sat in the back (which I never do). I had my arms crossed, a posture of total closure, and that is exactly how I felt. I couldn't find it in my heart to sing because when I sing I am praising God and at the time I was not "right" to do that. But, what I did do was meditate on the words of the songs. About 20 minutes into the service, I said a little prayer that went something like this, "Lord, tenderize me." That was it, that was all I said. Well, in less than 5 minutes God broke through. Pastor Les got up and started to talk. He proceeded to say that although this wasn't what he was planning on saying but he felt the Holy Spirit leading him to say something and then he said, "I know that there are people here that have been praying for something and God is not answering. And you are jaded and cynical and you are wondering if God is working or if he is even there because he is not answering your prayers the way you want him to. But, I want you to know that He is working even though you can't see it right now." And at that, my heart broke. It was exactly what I needed to hear and even though it wasn't God himself, it was through our pastor that the Lord spoke. From that moment on I wept. It didn't make everything better immediately but it gave me hope again.
Then last night right before I went to sleep, I decided to open my Bible and just read a Psalm. It didn't matter which one. I was just going to pick one and read. I just wanted to spend 5 minutes with my God. When I opened the Psalms this is the one that was right there. I didn't pick it, it picked me. I pray that if you are going through something right now that this will bless you the way it blessed me. These are the words of the Lord... (emphasis mine)
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
AMEN! AND AMEN!
Friday, October 03, 2008
A Great Getaway
Ok, I know most of you who read this will think that Michael and I are crazy and wonder how we have ever made it 9 years in our marriage, but this past weekend was the first time EVER that Michael and I went away for the weekend without the children. And I must say that it was a much needed vacation for us.
We left early Friday morning to fly to Seattle, Washington for a big family ceremony on the Suquamish Indian Reservation. It was the first time since we have been together that I have had the opportunity to go up there so I was looking forward to meeting all of the family members that I have heard all about but have never met. At some point, on the flight up there, we looked at each other and agreed that we both thought we would be just fine when the children leave home and we are empty nesters. We talked and laughed and flirted and had just the best time. It was one of those moments when we realized that we not only love each other, we like each other too.
Then once we got there I got to see some of the most beautiful scenery. Washington is really beautiful, at least the parts I saw. We got to ride the ferry from Downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island, which was alot of fun. It reminded me of the scenes from Grey's Anatomy last season when there was a ferry crash and I guy was pinned between two cars. I know, that's terrible. The weather was wonderful. It was very atypical for Seattle since it was sunny the whole time we were there. And the temperature was a perfect mid- to upper- 60"s. Amazing!
We got to see where my brother-in-law lives in a cute little guest house right on the water. He has the most beautiful view...the Olympic Mountains on the right and lots of sailboats. It was definitely a place I would love to have lived when I was young and single.
On Saturday we spent the day at a Suquamish Indian naming ceremony. It would have been great had I not felt horrible that day. Between being exhausted from being up for 24 hours and waiting way too long to eat breakfast my body was screamin! But once I got an hour nap in the car and some really good salmon, I felt much better. So, that night we went to one of the casino's and listened to a band and danced, danced, danced!! It was a great time!
I am so glad that we went, that my mom, sister, and her husband survived watching my kiddos for the weekend, and that we have since recovered from our 10 hour red eye flight. I do so hope we are able to go back with all of our kids next time. Here are some pictures from our trip.
PICTURE OF THE MOUNTAINS FROM THE PLANE
MOUNT RAINIER FROM THE PLANE
SPACE NEEDLE
MICHAEL FEEDING THE SEAGULLS
VIEW OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS FROM JAMES' BACK YARD
We left early Friday morning to fly to Seattle, Washington for a big family ceremony on the Suquamish Indian Reservation. It was the first time since we have been together that I have had the opportunity to go up there so I was looking forward to meeting all of the family members that I have heard all about but have never met. At some point, on the flight up there, we looked at each other and agreed that we both thought we would be just fine when the children leave home and we are empty nesters. We talked and laughed and flirted and had just the best time. It was one of those moments when we realized that we not only love each other, we like each other too.
Then once we got there I got to see some of the most beautiful scenery. Washington is really beautiful, at least the parts I saw. We got to ride the ferry from Downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island, which was alot of fun. It reminded me of the scenes from Grey's Anatomy last season when there was a ferry crash and I guy was pinned between two cars. I know, that's terrible. The weather was wonderful. It was very atypical for Seattle since it was sunny the whole time we were there. And the temperature was a perfect mid- to upper- 60"s. Amazing!
We got to see where my brother-in-law lives in a cute little guest house right on the water. He has the most beautiful view...the Olympic Mountains on the right and lots of sailboats. It was definitely a place I would love to have lived when I was young and single.
On Saturday we spent the day at a Suquamish Indian naming ceremony. It would have been great had I not felt horrible that day. Between being exhausted from being up for 24 hours and waiting way too long to eat breakfast my body was screamin! But once I got an hour nap in the car and some really good salmon, I felt much better. So, that night we went to one of the casino's and listened to a band and danced, danced, danced!! It was a great time!
I am so glad that we went, that my mom, sister, and her husband survived watching my kiddos for the weekend, and that we have since recovered from our 10 hour red eye flight. I do so hope we are able to go back with all of our kids next time. Here are some pictures from our trip.
PICTURE OF THE MOUNTAINS FROM THE PLANE
MOUNT RAINIER FROM THE PLANE
SPACE NEEDLE
MICHAEL FEEDING THE SEAGULLS
VIEW OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS FROM JAMES' BACK YARD
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
