Christians by Maya Angelou

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.”

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’”
I’m whispering “I was lost, Now I’m found and forgiven.”

When I say… “I am a Christian” I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner Who received God’s good grace, somehow!

(I copied this from here http://crumbsonmyfloor.com/ her blog is awesome and always uplifting. She also has a video from Steven Curtis Chapman's daughters' memorial)

Random, Yet important Things

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Munchkin is okay. He gets a little cranky sometimes but what's new and what is the other kids excuse?

I just found our yesterday that a girl I went to high school with died in a car accident last weekend. It is really sad and is once again a reminder that life is so precious and can end at any moment. She was only 28 and her name is Jillian Scott. I did not know her personally but I know people who did know her well and I am praying for their peace at this time.

The boys are down for a much needed nap and I am contemplating 1) cleaning my disastrous kitchen (I was too tired last night so I left it until this morning, I hate it when I do that it overwhelms me, I like to wake up to a clean kitchen) 2) nap or 3) clean any of the other parts of the house that needed tending to, like the bathrooms

It never ends, so I think I will go play with my daughter.

And the Culprit is...

A size comparison- he swallowed the one on the left, not the penny.

This one is blurry but you can see how thick the battery was.

I cannot believe my son who has trouble swallowing a cracker could swallow this battery. They put a scope down his throat after realizing that it had never did travel to his intestines, it stayed in his stomach. Because it was still in his stomach, the stomach acid was eating away at the battery. In the middle picture you can see where the blue plastic part is showing. The battery acid made a small burn on his esophagus and he has to take Pepcid for a little while to allow the burn to heal. They originally thought it had moved because of the way he was positioned or the battery was positioned. Luckily it came out easily and we are all home. It was very stressful and I am so grateful for every one's prayers, Thank you so much!

An Update

Having just two kids last night was really, easy. It was strange how different it was. We were playing on the floor and laughing and the Princess laughed so hard she peed her pants. Normally the fun would have to end before anyone got to that point because someone would start crying. Anyway, the Princess came into my room at 3:30 and the Bulldozer woke up at 3:45 he fell back asleep after 15min. I however started thinking- what if we are thinking this is all routine and he'll be fine and he's not. What if he gets an infection or there is damage to his intestinal lining that causes his sweet little body even more trouble than he has already had in his short little life? I called my friend in Boston crying(she is the only one who would be awake at 4:30 my time) She assured me that he would be fine but so I would feel better to call the hospital. So I did, they told me he had an x-ray scheduled for 7am and still there was nothing going on in any diapers. That worries me-it means nothing is moving even after 2 doses of laxatives-he did throw up both times. Oh and also when they were putting in his IV they had to try three times and got it in the fourth time. He is being tortured-it's not fair-he has been through so much since the beginning. I am frustrated and worried and sad for him.

The x-ray this morning showed that the battery hadn't moved. That is not the best news, I haven't heard anything else.

Oh, when I dropped my oldest off at school today(he gets dropped off with me in the morning when he is at his dad's and I take him to school) there was a police barricade blocking part of the street-apparently there was a homicide last night in the apartments across the street. That's unnerving.

Yesterday I was so cranky because of everything that was going on and my son had two friends over-they were going in and out and the door was being left open and I was very aggravated. So I told the boys that the munchkin was at the hospital and I said so i am very cranky-so to please just pick somewhere to be and stay there. The neighbor boy said"Yeah she is stressed, you can see it on her face!" I thought that was funny, and hey I warned them!
Please keep praying, thank you!

This is Definitely Not Routine

Well my husband is currently in Loma Linda, and not for one of our monthly visits either. He is there because the battery (read an earlier post for the complete story) has not made an appearance in the munchkins diaper yet. We were supposed to wait only 48 hours but because he was not cranky (well unusually cranky) I gave him some extra time. He has been fine and things have been "moving right along" so to speak since he swallowed it. This afternoon however was a different story-he woke up 1 hour into his 3 hour nap. This never happens, he loves his sleep. So at first I thought the battery could be bothering him, but dismissed it when he seemed hungry. Then he started screaming so I called my trusty husband at work "Do I need to come home and take him to the ER?" (I love this man, he would do anything for us.) "Well maybe" I said, "let me see I'll call you back." So after a few minutes the Munchkin calms down so I call Hubby and tell him "never mind he is fine just tired." Well 20 mins later I call back-and the poor baby is screaming again. "Yeah I think we should take him" Okay so hubby comes home and they leave. Hubby calls with an update-"The battery is still in there and we are going to take him to Loma Linda by ambulance and I need formula, clothes, diapers...blah, blah, blah..." Ambulance is all I heard. My sweet little Angel is going in an ambulance and once again I am not there to comfort him. They gave him a laxative and want to monitor him and make sure it comes out okay and that it is not stuck. That is all I know I will update when I know more.

God's Perfect Plan

Look at how complicated this passion flower is. It is amazing and beautiful. This flower represents to me His perfect plan. Sometimes we do not know why things happen the way they do but no matter how crazy or complicated things get He his working them all together for good.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Are you kidding me?

What a miserable day we had. It was supposed to be relaxing, romantic and kid free. For our anniversary, my Husband was in charge of planning our trip-one night away. It was a surprise to me (until I figured it out yesterday) and next year I will plan it and he will be surprised. While driving on the 60 we were stuck in traffic due to accident#1, then we were stuck in traffic due to accident #2 on the 215. It was raining and when we reached the hotel she told us it had just hailed! We arrived at 11:45 to pick up our passes to the day spa. Before we could even leave the hotel with the passes we got a phone call-12:00. My Mother in Law telling me she thinks that my munchkin may have swallowed a battery (watch battery size but bigger). We said that there is no way he could have swallowed it because he has trouble getting crackers down. We asked her to look for it and got off the phone. Okay, now driving to the spa- another phone call-can't find the battery. Okay everything is still fine-right? We'll just call my mom ask her to come to the house now and watch the other two kids so everyone doesn't have to go to the E.R. Except are we sure it was the munchkin that swallowed it or could it have been one of the other two? Great-now all the kids have to go to the E.R. Driving away from the spa, we noticed that after having rained all morning, the sun was shining brightly. Now we are going back to the hotel to salvage some of our money and we have gotten stuck in traffic again-accident #3 we are going in the wrong direction and we are stuck for 30 min. Wow, could it get any worse? Why yes, yes it could. When we are able to turn around and go the right direction a rock flies off of a truck and CRACKS OUR WINDSHIELD, FABULOUS! I was afraid when we stopped to grab some food- I was certain we would end up with food poisoning.

Turns out that the munchkin did swallow the battery, the good news is that it was in his intestines, so he is safe we just have to check to make sure it comes out within 48 hours.

Other things that happened today:

• We left two hours later than we originally planned to, at 10am instead of 8am
• After returning home we saw on the news that there was a mudslide on the road we used to go there and come home- all traffic was stopped
• There was a TORNADO, yes you read it right, on the highway in a spot we drove past today
• In the emergency room, when listening to the Bulldozer's heart they noticed that his heart skipped a beat- we have to follow up with our pediatrician
• When in the womb, the bulldozer, or baby A, was the recipient and was showing signs of heart trouble(for the technical info you would have to talk to my husband)
• Thankfully the hotel refunded all of our money-maybe we will try again soon-um maybe not!

So to sum it all up our getaway was ruined but we found out about a heart "problem" we would otherwise not have known about and we escaped MANY experiences that we may not have lived through. We instead, spent the night with our beautiful children, enjoying some California pizza kitchen dinner and watching Dora the explorer. God was looking out for us, at the time we didn't understand why he would allow our getaway to be ruined, but we now are reminded again how his perfect plan works out in the end. The last child is almost in bed and we are going to enjoy a movie and our beautiful lives together. Thank you God for rescuing us today and everyday!

Memories

It is a day that means so much to us for many reasons. Tomorrow will will be married for 3 years and it is my Mom's 60th birthday. I know it is strange that we were married on her birthday and I did not want to do it that way- I did not want her birthday to ever be overshadowed by our anniversary or vice versa. I felt that both occasions deserved their own day. However, the place where we wanted to get married only had May 21st as an option so I asked my mom and she said there would be no better birthday present than to see her only child marry the man of her dreams! My Mom is amazing, she also sent us to Paris for our honeymoon. Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!
I have included a few pictures from the wedding and honeymoon to remember the beautiful time we had three years ago. Our lives are still beautiful and amazing just in quite a different way. We have had three additions to our family and MANY hard times along the way. I still love this man with all my heart and even more so everyday. We have a beautiful, beautiful life together! Thank you my love for all you have given me and thank to our Heavenly Father for all the blessings your pour out on us everyday!

I Love this picture-I felt like such a princess!

Slip n' Slide!

We purchased a slip n' slide at Target for $10.00, we have never had one before and my oldest hasn't even seen it yet because he is at his dad's this week. The little ones LOVED it. The munchkin totally preferred to sit in the shade on a towel (with out the grass touching him he is so sensitive that the grass feels like sand paper to him). The other two were having a blast just attempting to slide.

The Munchkin enjoying himself-I had to keep basting him with cool water, it was around 100 degrees!They were sitting on the back bumper together, but of course they moved before I could catch it! After coming inside she emptied the swimming bag and had to put everything on.

She decided that jumping over the back was way more fun than trying to slide. The bulldozer though she was hilarious.

I posted on my other blog about our doctors appointment from Friday. No feeding tube- you can read more here

http://ourmiraclejourney.blogspot.com

Also I have been thinking about revealing the names of my children. If anyone could give me feedback as to why they have or have not given real names on their blogs and how they feel about it. I really like my kids names, I want to use them. But I get scared every time I think about revealing them. Any input would be helpful. Thanks

Have a great day! We are having a BBQ and some more slip n' slide fun when Daddy gets off work! He wasn't here for the festivities yesterday so we need to involve him in the hilarity.

My Brother Ate My Homework!

The pictures say it all....



Trying to copy her big brother!

The Reason I Haven't Been Posting

We have been painting, removing carpet and putting in a wood floor in our living room/dining room/ hallway. We had no furniture in for 5 days. Then pieces have slowly been trickling in as we complete sections. We still have the linen and coat closet to finish the floor and the trim almost everywhere. My Husband is my hero!! He has been working like a dog to complete this project. We have done all the work ourselves, I was able to help in the earlier phase with painting and ripping up carpet and laying parts of the floor, but now we are in the measuring and cutting phase and I am unable to do it. He has been non-stop working between regular work and this. I am amazed by how he can do this. The TV was outside for so long that our oldest asked if we could move it to a new spot. They were sick of watching it through the sliding glass door. Here are before and after pictures (As far as we are right now)

Helpers taking a break from pulling up the carpet pad. I even enlisted the neighbor boy who thought he was coming over to play!
I had to put in a picture of Mr. Marvelous!

The amazing thing is that he has never done this before, any of the projects he has completed he does some quick research and then busts them out like a pro. Seriously, look at this he is awesome!!!!

Still Sleeping?

My babies have been asleep since 11am it is now 3:30. I know the bulldozer is growing because he ate a piece and a half of pizza last night plus some crackers, so that would explain the extremely long nap. But, this is a long time to sleep though, I am going to go check, I am getting worried.

Ahhh Mother's Day

Mine was awful right up until my Husband got off work. I was crying and frustrated and it wasn't pretty. The children were not listening, not at all unusual but I guess I thought that because it was Mother's Day they would all be on their best behavior, wow was wrong. I met up with my sweet husband when he got off work and he had a coffee grinder for me and a beautiful card. We then went to Costco and then out to dinner to a pizza place, they had video games there so the big kids had a blast. Funny things that were said while at the pizza place:

The Prince: (Holding a five dollar bill) says to my husband, "Can I waste this?"

The Princess: "Daddy, Daddy I need more dollars!"

The Princess:(Before leaving) Daddy, I need more money" Daddy replies, "I don't have anymore" The Princess then says, " Yes you do Daddy, look in your pockets!"

We had fun. It was good to get out of the crazy house. Maybe the nice night last night prepared us for utter chaos today. This morning I wasn't feeling well so my Sweet husband took the kids to the Munchkins' therapy. I came home to rest. I got to nap until about 10am when I got a phone call from Stater Bros. that my husband was stranded there because the car wouldn't start. He had three kids with him,poor guy. His cell phone refuses to work in many places, and that is one of them. When I got there the Princess was in a diaper I asked what that was about and he told me she said she had to pee right in the middle of all the chaos, Welcome to my world! I picked all of them up in the car, we had to squish the car seats in the back. Drove over to Wal-Mart to buy a new battery and jumper cables (just in case we could get it to start) We were able to get it to start but by the time we got home it was 11:15. My Husband has to leave for work at 11:40 so he didn't have much time to even eat. Hopefully tomorrow will go better.