Almost Recovered

Micah is feeling much better. He came through his recovery great! I was so surprised to see how much different his recovery was from Bella's, but I attribute that mostly to the pain medication and his personality. He went back to school yesterday and the only residual problem he has is fatigue. He has been very tired and whiney, but that will get better too. I took a picture of him the day he started feeling better and the smile says it all.





And this is a picture of Bella the day she starting feeling better.

Tonsillectomy- Pictures the day of surgery

Micah and Momma cuddling before surgery

Being silly

Post surgery-Micah checking out IV

Cuddling with momma again

Going home-Micah asked if he could take the wheel chair home with him

Tonsillectomy- Day 6

Today was up and down. The night was really rough. I tried to give Micah his medicine at 11 when I went to bed but he would not take it. I knew he was hurting but I couldn't get him to wake up enough to rationalize with him. So I decided I would leave him alone and let him go to back to sleep. My thought was that he would wake up later and want to take it. Well, I was wrong. He woke me up at 3 am moaning in his sleep. I started trying to wake him and he became very upset and started crying. Trying to rationalize with a child who is in pain and half asleep is next to impossible. After about 20 minutes of trying to coax him to take his pain medicine, I finally decide I need Michael, so I wake him up. And 25 minutes later, he takes his medicine.

I don't know what I am going to do the rest of the week because Michael leaves town tomorrow until Friday. On top of Micah's recovery, Aria has also been giving me a VERY hard time with going to sleep at night. She gets out of bed, tears up her room playing, knocks on the walls...you name it, she's doing it. That wouldn't bother me too bad but with Micah being sick and needing me I don't know how she is going to do. I am just claim the verse that says, "My grace in sufficient for you." Sufficient is defined as "enough to meet the needs of a situation or proposed end." I am once again going to rest on that because that is all I have and God has never let me down before.

Micah has had cabin fever really bad. He is asking to go back to school. He misses his teacher, he misses his friends, and he told me today that he misses P.E.. But, the one thing I can say is that since he has been home we have been reading alot. He has been reading some easy reader books and he is doing really well. I am amazed at how he is picking it up. I will be glad when he goes back to school, but I am going to miss the one-on-one time with him. I just want my baby to feel better...soon.

Tonsillectomy- Day 5

Ok, so today was a very rough day. The pain and not being able to do anything is taking it's toll on Micah, and consequently on me too. He did not sleep well last night and is extremely tired today but will not lay down long enough to take a nap. He has cried and whined all day long. I am trying to be very patient but this evening I am feeling at my wits end. He got upset with me because I wouldn't lay with him, mainly because the house is a wreck and his sisters are needing me too. For those of you who are reading this, please pray for all of us. Between his recovery, Aria fighting sleep at every opportunity, and Isabella feeling very left out in the process, we are all wearing very thin around here and we really need your prayers.

Tonsillectomy- Day 4

Another really good day. I must say that I am beginning to believe that the reason he is doing so well is because of the prayers of our friends and family. That is the only thing that makes sense.

Last night I decided to let him sleep and only give him his medicine when he woke up. That wasn't really the best decision because when he did wake up he was in ALOT of pain and I had a hard time getting him to take his medicine because it burns so bad when it goes down. So, tonight I will probably wake him up so at least he isn't in pain. Unfortunately there is no real good answer when it comes to the nighttime. The one thing that does help though is putting a little bit of gatorade in the pain meds.

Today everyone went to church and Micah and I stayed home. We had a good time just cuddling and watching movies. He has a real bad cough today and I am not real sure what that is about but it hurts him to cough. He tries not to but it is one of those coughs you can't control and then it's real loose so it hurts.

We had a little bout with nausea this afternoon but I think it was because I gave him his antibiotic on an empty stomach. He was pretty puny all afternoon. He listened to his iPod most of the afternoon and he wanted to watch basketball with me. We watched the Auburn/Arkansas yesterday and today we watched the Laker/Spurs game. Since he's playing basketball and I am learning the rules of the game I am enjoying watching the games more and more with him. I am definitely a bigger sports fan than my husband is but he will sit and watch basketball with us. So, it was fun.

Tonsillectomy- Day 3

Last night went alright, except that he got very irritated and said several times that he wished that I would quit waking him up and just leave him alone. I really don't blame him, when you are sick and tired you really don't want to be bothered with taking nasty medicine. He did it though like a trooper.

Today has been a pretty good day. We haven't had to give him any more anti-nausea medicine, so that is good. He has been really tired today and not as tolerant of his pain or being cooped up at home. We decided to get out today for a little while and just go to my sister-in-law's house and visit with them. He did pretty good. Eating today has been very difficult. We have tried soup but the saltiness of it hurt. We tried ice cream, popsicles, jell-o, pudding, but the cold hurt. He tried very tiny little pasta but he said that hurt too. My only comfort is that he is drinking. He is already so thin as it is, only 46 pounds at 6 years old, and he is losing weight through all of this. But, as long as he is drinking I feel alright. We did get him to eat a little bit of Cream of Wheat with brown sugar in it for dinner. He didn't eat much, but four bites was good enough for me.

He has been very clingy with me today and wants me to lay with him alot. I have been alright with that because Michael is home and he can take care of the girls. We are all going to be early tonight.

All in all, I have been extremely impressed with him through all of this. He is really a warrior!

Tonsillectomy- Day 2

Ok, so last night we had a pretty good night. One thing I am doing different this time is I am waking him up every four hours to get him to take his pain medicine. With Isabella I would just let her sleep and when she woke up I would give it to her. The bad thing about that is she would wake up in REALLY bad pain and getting her to take the medicine was difficult. I woke Micah up both times last night, 10:30 and 2:30. He did pretty good. The hardest part was waking him up enough to get him to realize what I am doing. I mix the HORRIBLE tasting medicine with a little bit of gatorade, which seems to cut the strong alcohol smell and taste. The other thing I have to do it say, "On your mark, get set, GO!" I did this once and now I have to do it every time!!!! It's so cute. He is such a boy!

He woke of this morning pretty early so we watched tv and he started to get hungry. I made him a scrambled egg but he couldn't eat it. We tried jell-o but that didn't work either. I gave him a little ice cream and he ate a little of it and then said he was getting sick to his stomach. We went through this with Isabella so I was prepared. With Isabella we got a anti-nausea medicine in suppository form, well she was not about to let me give that to her and who could blame her. I don't know anyone over the age of 3 who would "allow" someone to give them a suppository. So, she chose not to take her pain medicine and only take Tylenol since the pain meds made her sick to her stomach. So, with Micah I got a liquid prescription just in case he got nauseous. How could I have known that it would be electric green in color, not a very appetizing color when you are nauseous, even if it doesn't taste bad. After arguing with him about the color I gave him an ultimatum, green liquid or suppository. Being that he is much more rational than his older sister, he opted for the liquid, took it like a champ, and felt better within 15 minutes. So, if you or your child EVER have your tonsils out, make sure you ask for liquid Phenergan to combat nausea.

After he took all of his meds, he was almost back to his old self again. He ate really good, including a Nutragrain bar. My sister-in-law and I even caught him breakdancing to High School Musical musical. He is unbelievable really because his sister and his 16 year old cousin, who had hers done last week, were both in bed for 4 days and back in bed on day 6. Either he is like his mother and has just a very high pain tolerance or he is going to hit a wall at some point. We are hoping for the first, preparing for the latter.

All in all, day two has not been so bad thanks to pain and anti-nausea medicine.

Tonsillectomy- Day 1

Today is the big day. We got up at 6am and left to go to the hospital. We had to be there at 7am to register and start prepping him. On the way to the hospital he started crying and saying, "I want to go home. I don't feel good about this." This doesn't sit well with me because I have heard stories about people getting ready to do something and they have a "bad feeling". They decide not to get on the plane and the plane crashes, they have a bad feeling about going into work so they don't go and two planes hit the World Trade Center, etc. There are plenty of stories about stuff like that so when my son had his "bad feeling" I immediately started praying. "Lord, if Micah's bad feeling is something, then give me the feeling too, if it is just fear, then give us peace." I, obviously, never got the bad feeling. Micah still had the feeling when we got to the hospital and wouldn't let go of the seat to get out of the car. I said the prayer again, "Lord, give him peace," and his daddy picked him up out of the car and Micah began to calm. By the time we got to the Outpatient Surgery Center, Micah was smiling again. We registered him and they called us back to a room. Thank you God for the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter.

After a little while, they came back to get him to put on a surgery gown. They told me he could leave on his underwear and socks but he needed to take off everything else. Well, we took him to the hospital in his pajamas and when I went to take them off he grabbed ahold of his pants. I asked him what was wrong and he informed me that he had slept "commando" last night. Oh great!!! I prepared for everything, a toy to take into surgery with him, refrigerator and freezer stocked with post-surgery treats, notes of questions to ask Dr. Aland that I didn't realize I needed to ask until after Isabella's surgery, everything, but I did not prepare for THIS! The nurses where nice enough to allow him to leave his pajama pants on. My son's dignity spared!!!

About 30 minutes before the surgery they came in and gave him a liquid sedative to calm him before they took him. It helps them stay calm, then when they take them to surgery they put them out with gas. Once he is out they give him the IV. When we went through this with Isabella she was fine when the medicine first starting taking effect, she got a little goofy and the calm. But, after a little bit she started crying and freaking out. And when I say freaking out I mean she started crying and talking incoherently. She got very frustrated because she could talk. The only thing I could make out was, "Pray Mommy Pray!" It scared me and it was all I could do not to break down crying in front of her. So, with Micah I mentioned this to the anesthesiologist. He informed me that children can only handle the effects for about 15-20 before they begin to "freak out" so I requested that he wait until 20 minutes before they were ready for him to give him the "cocktail". They gladly agreed and it was a much better experience.

They wheeled Micah out and my darling husband had a hard time because Micah was reaching for his hand as they wheeled him away. You know, it is one of the many moments in a child's life when a parent watches a child go somewhere where the parent has no control and all you can do is pray that God will bring your child back to you safe and sound. It is a very scary and helpless feeling. Even though the surgery only lasts about 30 minutes, it is the longest 30 minutes of our lives. The clock just ticks away. It's terrible.

After about 45 minutes the doctor came and said that he was fine. The surgery went great and we will be able to see him in a few minutes when he wakes up from the anesthesia. A few minutes later we are reunited with our little guy and have to wait about 2 hours so they can monitor his vital signs and get him drinking.

We were home by lunchtime. The rest of the day he did great. He drank alot of gatorade, ate popsicles and jell-o, and played video games with his daddy. He is taking pain medication and antibiotics. Now the healing begins.

Tonsillectomy time again!

So, Micah is going in tomorrow to have his tonsils and adenoids out. Isabella had hers out last May. Both of the children have suffered from snoring and sleep apnea because of their tonsils. I didn't blog about Isabella's experience because she had a very rough time and even though I thought about it I was too warn out to do it. With Micah I wanted to do this because being one of the most common surgeries in children it might help other people to know what to expect. I didn't have alot of this with Isabella but what I did have REALLY helped. So I will blog daily about what goes on during the next week or so.

Happy Birthday Princess

On Tuesday our little girl turns 3. Unbelievable, it seems like only yesterday that I was bringing her home from the hospital. Now she is officially a little girl and no longer a toddler. We had her party yesterday and she had a blast. We had a Princess party, complete with makeovers, pictures on the royal throne, a craft where we made picture frames to hold our picture, and lots of dress-up stuff. I even dressed up in my sister's VERY large wedding gown and wore a tiara. The girls thought it was great! And believe it or not, I was ultra-organized and did not stress out at all. We just had alot of fun. Here are some pictures.








And of course no princess birthday party would be complete without the birthday girl getting caught picking her nose on her royal throne.

Wordless Wednesday

My Little Rock Star

Since I can not figure out how to get videos downloaded to my blog I posted this very funny video of my budding rock star on my MobileMe. Check it out and then if you want to comment you can. I set up the video camera because Aria would not allow me to stay in the room and do it. When she realizes it I am gone she turns it on. I got the Camp Rock costume for Isabella for Halloween. She was supposed to dress up for Halloween as a vocabulary word. When I asked Isabella what word she wanted to be she said "Fabulous", so I got this costume at the Disney Store (shameless plug). Aria wanted to put on the costume this morning (amazing that my almost 3 year old and my 7 1/2 year old can wear the same costume). I swear I am in SOOOOOO much trouble. With her affinity for the "glamorous", shoes, purses, and everything princess, and that booty of hers, we are in SOOOOO much trouble. T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!! Check it out, laugh, and pray for me and her father as you do.


http://gallery.me.com/hopeforall56#100098/100_5982

Halloween Fun

We went trick-or-treating with my niece and our next door neighbors. It was alot of fun and the kids got more candy than we will ever know what to do with. Micah was Spiderman, Colin was a Ninja Turtle, Isabella was a Spanish Princess, Grace was a Cowgirl, Aria was Aurora, and Gigi was Rapunzel.

Fun Things In Our Family

MY TOOTHLESS TWINS

FUN AT THE FAIR
ISABELLA AND ABBY
MICAH CLIMBING THE ROCK WALL
HE MADE IT!!!

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.

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.

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!

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

A Little Help From My Friends

Three posts in one day. I know, a little excessive. I guess since Michael is out of town I am trying to use up my words by writing. Anyway. Ok, so here's the dilemma. I want to figure out how to teach my children to listen. I know this involves long ongoing training and that it is not learned over-night. I also know that they will need periodic re-training. But, I feel that it is getting out of control and my frustration is mounting, which is never good. I want them to learn to listen to authority and do what is asked of them the first time they are asked. I do not feel that I am approaching this lesson the right way. This problem manifests itself in different ways with the kids. Isabella has gotten really bad about arguing. She will argue with us about anything that she doesn't agree with. We will ask her to do it and then if she doesn't want to do it or she doesn't think she should have to do it then she starts arguing in a manner that would make any lawyer proud. I try to say, "this is not up for discussion", but this just results in her getting louder. At this point I get angry and either spank or send her to timeout. But, I do not feel that even with the consequences anything is changing. Micah on the other hand, does not argue, he just doesn't do what I ask if he doesn't want to. I got a note from the teacher asking me to remind Micah that he needs to listen and do what is asked of him the FIRST time. I know boys have a harder time with this (my husband is not a good listener either) but I don't want to excuse it just because he is a boy. And Aria, well, she is pretty manageable now but I would still like for her to learn while she is young as opposed to me backtracking when she is older. So, it's your turn. What do you think? I would appreciate any advice you have to give. If something has worked for you with your children or worked with you when your parents were parenting you, I'd love to know it. Thanks friends!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today is not only a sad day but also a very important day to celebrate. Today is my anniversary. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 9 years. Nine years ago today I walked down the isle in a little country church and pledged my life to Michael Smith Jr. I had no idea what that meant but I do now. God knew exactly what he was doing when he brought Michael into my life. Here are just a few reasons why I love my man:

1. Very few men would have endured so patiently with a wife who suffered for several years with low self-esteem, intense fear of abandonment, jealousy, depression (including post-partem depression). I am happy to say that God healed me of those things and I haven't suffered them since 2002.
2. I have a wonderful husband who thinks that since I cooked dinner and he knows that I love a clean kitchen in the morning he cleans it for me.
3. He has helped me learn (along with my YA's) how to become more organized.
4. He is a great father to our children
5. He loves the Lord and is learning every day what it means to be a committed follower of Christ.
6. He tells me all the time that I am beautiful
7. He thinks I am his hero
8. He wants to be able to give me the world, even though I am happy with what we have.
9. He is a protector of the women in my life. He loves my mother and my sister as if they were his own. He pampers them just like he pampers me.
10. And most importantly, he just plain adores me!!

How could I not love this man!!! He is amazing!!! I love you Michael Hart Smith Jr.