Cub Scouts

Last week was Micah's first Cub Scout meeting. Since there was two new boys starting last week, the pack leader lead this name game for the boys. Each kid had to say their name and then an action/or noun that starts with the first letter of their name. Micah was "Micah Mantis". He wasn't to thrilled with being called that. He told me later that he didn't like being called names.

He thought "Buzzing Bee Ben" was funny though.

After the game, the boys worked on their Birdhouses. He had so much fun putting on all the finishing touches. He is very proud of it.This past week was the Pack meeting, which means all the Dens get together and the cubs get the badges that they have earned over the last month. It was the first week that Micah could wear his uniform. Which he thinks is great because Uncle Timmy has a uniform too.

His Den brought their finished birdhouses to show the rest of the pack what they had been working on and learning about.

Micah and his friend Christian were playing a game during the pack meeting. They were trying to knock each others hats off with the bills of their own hat. It was quite funny.Micah had a great time at his meeting. and so did I......

Blessings!!

Sad Heart

How many today Lord? Do they know what they are doing?


My very good friend called me this morning....."I just passed the abortion clinic....the parking lot is full of cars. There is only one women who is trying to give information to all the women going in."


How many babies died today? My heart is so sad, for all those loses of life. I prayed for all the moms, who didn't realize what they were doing. I prayed for the one warrior that stood out there, all by herself, trying to save just one baby's life. I then thanked my Father for my three healthy, happy children.

What can I do to help save these precious lives that are being discarded? I am in awe of the one women who stands alone, who receives glares and critisisim, all in the name of the One who saved her. I don't know if I would have the courage.






She is a David to me, there are thousands of us who ready ourselves getting all armored up, talk big, say all the right things, and then stand there shaking in our armor, or run away. Then there is one, who doesn't talk the talk, only walks up with a stone and a sling... and kills the giant.






God make me a David, one who will stand in the face of the enemy and not back down, one who will not compromise my faith. One who will not be swayed by all the beauty and lies of the world and totally miss out on the Majesty of You.






We have no idea what beauty really is....we have never seen You!

Blessings!

Birthday Card

The boys received Birthday Cards in the mail from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa. It was the highlight of their day. This year, Tyler's card included these great glasses....Now they are a fashion statement in our house that doesn't look like we will be able to slip in the trash can for awhile. Thanks Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa!!!

Blessings!

Conversation

This morning I was in my bedroom getting ready for the day. Tyler and Jilli were playing in her bedroom and this is what I heard.

Tyler "Jilli, why don't you ever make your bed?"

Jilli "Because I don't have too."

Tyler "We all have to make our beds, you need to make yours."

Jilli "No I don't, Mommy makes my bed, so I don't have too."

UMMM......my Little Miss is going to find out that she can and WILL make her bed. I have been making it, because it's kind of hard with it being up against the wall (and the fact that she is 3yrs old), but now after hearing that!!!???!!! She is going to learn.

I must admit that upon hearing that little exchange I was about ready to march myself into the room and yell at her for being so presumptuous. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me....."You allowed her to think that way...you have never taught her to make her bed...you have always made it" How can I yell at her when I have never instructed her? Good Point, I can't.

Guess what part of her "school" is going to be this week. Bed making 101.

Blessings!

Birdhouse

This past week has been a whirlwind of a week. I am hoping this coming week proves to be a little less chaotic....Although we are adding another event to our weekly calender.

Tomorrow night Micah is going to start Cub Scouts. This is a homeschooling group that is made up of Christians. Micah is very excited. I think it will be a great group to get my boys involved in. They meet up at the homeschool building on Monday nights.

In preparation for tomorrows meeting, Micah had to make a birdhouse. The other boys made them last week. While I was gone today with Tyler he put his together with Daddy. He got to use all of Daddy's tools....which he thought was really cool. Tomorrow night the boys get to decorate them.

I hope to show you the finished product this week......

Blessings

Micah Alan

Here we go again...we are about to take another walk down memory lane. I love these trips, they are a great reminder of how God has blessed me. This time it's Micah's story that fills my head and heart. There isn't anything like your first pregnancy and your first newborn. Nothing can compare to that experience. Each child is special with their own special story, but the first born is special just because it's the first.

I was working at a Doctor's office and kept having a lot of abdominal pain. I confided in one of my very good friends that I worked with and she asked if I could be pregnant. I called my Doctor. They asked me to come into the office to be checked out. Dr Bolan asked me a few questions and then sent me down to the Hospital for a few tests. First we needed to figure out if I was pregnant...he wanted a blood test.

I decided not to call Kevin, I didn't want him worrying if it turned out to be nothing. I had my blood drawn (and didn't pass out...amazing for me). I went and nervously sat in this little waiting room. It took about 45min before the lab tech came and asked me to pick up the phone that was sitting in this dark little room. Tim, from Dr. Bolan's office, was on the other end, telling me that I was pregnant and that I had to have an ultrasound done, too see what was causing all the pain. I was shocked, scared, excited, nervous and now I needed to call my husband.

I called Kev and told him the wonderful news....then I told him that I was having all this pain and had to have an ultrasound done to see what was going on. Little did I know at the time, but his boss, parents, Aunt and Uncle were all standing next to him when he received my call. We didn't want anyone to know that I was pregnant, just in case something were to happen. So he made his excuses and left.

By the time he arrived at the hospital, I was already in the ultrasound room and was getting prepped for the ultrasound. Then all of a sudden there were pictures on the screen that showed this little bean with a heart beating. It was the most glorious sight we had ever seen. I of course cried...I think Kevin was a little choked up too. The good news was we had a baby, it's heart was beating, it wasn't in my fallopian tubes....the concern was that my hormone levels needed to keep going up, that would tell us if this was a viable pregnancy.

Over the next few weeks I had to go to the hospital every other day to have my blood drawn and on those afternoons, I would be anxiously waiting at the office for a phone call from my Dr. telling me all was well.

We were so excited that everything seemed to be going better, my pain was slowly disappearing, my blood work was all normal....Life was going great.

I remember I was about 6 weeks along and we went out on the boat for the day with Kevin's family. Kevin decided to go tubing.....he thought he was still 16yrs old and had his Dad driving him all crazy....he fell off and got the wind knocked out of him. Later that night, he was in so much pain he couldn't move, he could barely breath, so I took him into the ER. While sitting there in the early morning hours I remember starting to feel queasy. I thought it was just the smells at the hospital...as soon as I got home, I would be better.

I was SOOOO WRONG!!!! It only got worse and worse... We couldn't keep my pregnancy from people because I was so sick. I missed a lot of work because I spent more time in the bathroom than I did doing my job. I remember hating to brush my teeth (I usually always got sick when I brushed them)...I had to stop eating cereal for breakfast and start eating foods that came up easily. It has only been in the last 6 months that I have been able to start eating Raisin Bran again (I just couldn't stomach it before). It was a really tough time for me.

Finally around 4/5 months along, with the help of a wonderful drug, I was free from the constant sickness that had plagued me. It was a beautiful time in our life. One that I will always cherish.

The rest of my pregnancy went very well, until I was 6 wks from my due date. I went into preterm labor and had to go to the hospital to try and stop it. Thankfully they were able to get my contractions under control, and let me go home, but was told to take it easy and stay off my feet as much as possible.

I was due Feb 14th, 2002 (Tyler's due date was exactly 2 years later :-) I worked that day, I remember some of my very favorite patients came in to see me, wondering if I had gone into labor yet. One of the old ladies had made a little yellow hat for the baby, it looked rather large, but I thanked her and told her I would let her know as soon as the baby arrived. It was a wonderful day that was finished off by my husband taking me out for our last Valentines day dinner (just the two of us). We got home settled into bed and went to sleep.

I was awaken just after 3am. I wasn't sure why, I went to the bathroom and went back to sleep. I was woke up again about 45min later. Again not sure why, maybe the baby kicked me. I went back too sleep. I again woke up...this time, I thought that something must be going on. I got out of bed and just started to walk round. It was shortly after 5am when I realized that I was in labor, and this time, there was no stopping it, I was going to have this baby. It is kind of like the feeling when you are on a roller coaster climbing up the first and biggest hill. You are excited, nervous, scared...then as you are reaching the crest of the hill you want to yell...."STOP THIS RIDE...I WANT OFF", but you know there is no turning back...you have to stay on the ride and see it through.

I woke Kevin up just after 6am and told him that neither of us were going to work today...we were going to go have a baby.

We arrived at the hospital at about 7:30am. They made sure I was in labor before they put me in my room.... I was starting to feel uncomfortable, they had us walking the halls. I remember having my arm around Kevin's and holding his hand. When a contraction came, I couldn't walk, I would have to stop and hold on the him so that I wouldn't fall down. I went for hours with out any pain meds. At one point they injected me with a pain med that made me get very sick. It was at that point that I decided to get an epidural.

Epidurals are great if they work.....it didn't work for me. They told me there was nothing they could do except try again, but the Anesthesiologist was in an emergency C-section and wouldn't be back for awhile, I had no choice but to go all natural....great.

Dr Bolan arrived around 3:30pm and I started pushing. And pushing. And pushing. I pushed for over an hour and a half...and I wasn't getting very far. Then the baby's heart rate started to decrease. I didn't realize what was going on at the time. I was just trying to manage the pain and the pushing. I remember Bolan giving some strict instructions (I will save you the details) I remember one of the nurses hitting the "red button" that is on the wall (which sends a message to all medical staff to come running). Next there was this weird looking instrument that the put on the babies head. It was a "vacuum", they tried it, but it popped right off the babies head. Bolan told Dr. Laura to get it back on and try it again....quickly... This time when she tugged the baby came out...Thank you Jesus, because I would hate to know what they would have done next.

They yelled "It's a boy" and rushed him off to the medical team waiting for him. I was crying and told Kevin to go to our baby. It felt like forever and then I heard his cry. I have no idea how long it really was, or what they were doing. I really don't want to know. At one point one of the nurses asked Bolan how big he thought the baby was....he guessed 8 lbs. Our little bean was 10 lbs 5 oz. He was a giant compared to all other babies in the nursery. You know that yellow hat, one of the patients gave me, that looked to big??? That's the hat that I had to use, because all the other baby hats were too small....She must have known I was going to have a big baby:-)

Dr. Bolan was amazed, he said, "no wonder he got stuck". He told me later it was a miracle that I didn't wind up having a C-section with a baby that size. He also said that I had to have had gestational diabetes to have a baby so big. Thinking back, I remember having my glucose tolerance test (a test that would show gestational diabetes)...without the glucose....no wonder I passed my test!

Looking back I can hardly believe that it was 7 years ago already. Time really does fly!

Blessings!

Talent

The other day, Tyler wanted to take a picture of me with my "big camera". It is not very often that I allow the kids to use it. I however, made an exception this time and am so glad that I did. We had so much fun! I had set all the settings (ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture) then followed his instructions. He told me where to sit and then he just started clickin away. He was moving all over, he would say "OK Mom, I am going to climb up here. Look this way Mom. Mom I want to try it from over here." It was awesome, we had such a great little photo session. I told my very good friend (who is also a photographer) that we better be careful, Tyler is going to surpass our combined greatness by age 10!

Here is just one of the many pictures that Tyler took, almost ALL of them turned out beautifully.

I do want to point out that it's not the camera that makes beautiful pictures (as people so often think). It's the person behind the camera. Tyler could have been using a point and shoot camera and they would have turned out just as nice. I have seen some phenomenal photography taken with point and shoot cameras. My "big camera" just allows me to do creative things very quickly and easily (you can be just as creative with a point and shoot, just takes a little longer to set your settings).

I think that I am going to add another school subject to our day....Photography. I am going to teach my children how to "use" a camera. By the time they are done with my class they will be using a camera in manual mode, no more auto mode for them! I think I might enroll their Daddy in that class too, because he has a GREAT eye for photography also. It is my belief that he would be an awesome photographer, if he would just learn how to use my camera (hint, hint).

Blessings!

Quick Christmas Pics

I am only posting three pics right now from Christmas. I only just realized that I haven't shared any of them, when I saw they were still sitting on my camera.

I don't remember why Jilli was crying (that's a shock). But it sure makes a cute picture!

Today has been a long day. We lost electric at 9:30am and didn't get it back on until after 3pm. Then Kev came home from work to tell me that Someone that he knew and his family knew (all the way back to Grandpa K) was in a car accident with his wife in Dorr on Sat. They were hit by a drunk driver. His wife died, and he is in critical condition. The person who hit them was an 18yr old. The worst part is that Kevin knows his family too. It has been a gut wrenching day for him. Please keep both families in your prayers.

That's all from the "P" house today!

Blessings!

Tyler's Party

I have been really busy these last few days. I have wanted to get some of Tyler's pictures from his Birthday party up so those of you that couldn't join us, are able to see some of the craziness.

As custom, Paul decorated the cake, and amazed us all with his 3D cake of Nala. Tyler requested a "Nala cake, because I am forgetting what she looked like." It is kind of hard to see in the picture but Nala's nose is sticking out of the cake.

This present is from Micah, he wrapped it (with my help) and then put his notes all over it. He was so excited to give it to Tyler. He said "Mommy I am more excited to give Tyler his present than I am to get presents on my birthday." Ahhhh.....he is getting that it is better to give than it is to receive...

It was a really fun night, Tyler thought it was the best birthday party ever!

Blessings!

Tyler Mark...aka "Tyty"

Tyler's story doesn't have all the drama that Jilli's had, but he is a miracle all his own. I had suffered two miscarriages (in a row) before getting pregnant with Tyler. My Doctor had told me that I had to give my body a rest and had to wait for three months before we tried to again (except we weren't trying!) God had different plans however. The next month, God formed Tyler, He saw his unformed body, and knew all his days before I even knew he was there!

The next miracle, is that we didn't have insurance to cover this pregnancy until Dec 1st. Knowing that I would probably have gestational diabetes (because of Micah's birth weight), I knew that this pregnancy would be a lot more $$. God held my blood sugars in check until I was 28 weeks along. I turned 28 weeks on Dec 1, 2003. Only God could plan like that!

Jan 29, 2004 I had an ultrasound scheduled for around 8pm. Kevin was not able to come, so my best friend, Jodi, joined me, for what turned out to be, my last peek at our baby before it was born.

I remember laying on the table watching the pictures on the screen, how different the baby looked from the first ultrasounds. This pregnancy I had to start taking insulin at 28 weeks. I had non-stress tests twice a week and ultrasounds about every two weeks. When the tech started to take the measurements, the computer spit out that he was 9 lbs 6oz. When I saw that number, I knew that my pregnancy days were over. I had an appt with Dr. Bolan the next morning and he wouldn't let me go any longer.

Dr. Bolan had told me from the beginning that I would be induced about 2 weeks before my due date (Feb 14th, same due date as Micah's). In diabetic moms the increase of sugar in the blood breaks down the placenta. It is usually not safe to go full term with a diabetic mom.

I remember dropping Jodi off at 9:13pm then driving home in the dark by myself. I had turned the radio off and was just taking my time getting home. I knew this was the last time I would be alone for a long time. The Lord and I conversed, there were many things on my heart that I just need to talk about and it was a perfect time to do it.

I honestly don't remember anything more about that night. I am sure I told Kevin, that he should not go to work the next day and come with me to my Drs appt. I am sure that I held Micah and told him how much I loved him and that he would be a big brother soon. I do remember not sleeping very well, anxious feelings of what an induced delivery would feel like, can I do this again? Will this be my last baby? What will I have...we still couldn't decide on a boys name....

Our little family found itself waiting in Dr. Bolan's office. Micah just thought that it was a fun field trip. My stomach was just rolling. I hadn't been able to eat any breakfast that morning (big NO NO for a diabetic). He came into the room with my ultrasound report. Took one look at it and said "I'll be right back." A few minutes later he came back into the room and said that we needed to go straight to the hospital, it was time to be induced. He told me that ultrasounds at this late in the pregnancy were often times wrong with the size of the baby, just because there isn't much room left and it's hard to get accurate measurements. They figure that the baby could be off by a pound...either way.

I of course listed 101 reasons why I couldn't go STRAIGHT to the hospital. Number one reason is that I needed someone to watch Micah. He agreed to allowing me to run home, get my bag, drop Micah off....then go STRAIGHT to the hospital.

We followed his instructions, with a few added steps....like picking up Jodi(We had asked, when we found out we were pregnant, if she would like to be at the delivery). We had dropped Micah off at his Mom's house since Laurie (my sister) was working. She would pick him up later in the day and take him home and stay with him through the night if need be.

We arrived at the hospital.....still without a boys name. As I was climbing out of the suburban, I said "Kevin if you don't pick a boy's name before I make it into the doors of the hospital (which were 10 feet away), it's going to be Luke Franklin." Then I shut the door. He opened the window and yelled out "Tyler Mark, if it's a boy then Tyler Mark!" I was literally walking in the doors....

Inductions are WAY different then natural births. I was hooked up to IV's and all kinds of machines right away. I wasn't able to get out of bed and walk around and the labor is LOTS harder, but it takes a lot longer than I thought to get to the hard labor.

I was in a hospital bed at about 1pm and I sent Kevin and Jodi out to have supper around 5pm b/c nothing was happening. I remember while they were gone I asked my nurse (the same one as I had with Micah), Maggie, if she couldn't speed things up. I was tired of just sitting there with nothing happening. She turned up the pitocin and sat down and we talked for a little while. Then things started to pick up.

I think it was around 11pm that I finally asked for the epidural. I was praying that with this delivery, the epidural would work....it didn't work for Micah's. Jodi had to leave the room and Kevin held me while they stuck a HUGE needle into my back. I am not one for needles especially big ones, but I LOVED that needle. It brought comfort. It didn't take at first but Dr. Weaver stayed with me and worked with me until it finally took.

I had my beautiful BOY at 1:19am. He was 7lbs, 13oz, 20in long. Not the 9lbs that the ultrasound said. He was beautiful! The first thing I noticed was that he had a birth mark, just like mine, right between his eyes. The only time you can see mine is when I cry or get very mad, it turns red. His was very noticeable at first, but now, you can only see it when he is....mad or cries.

I think Kevin and Jodi left around 2:30am. Then it was just me and my new baby boy, Tyler Mark. I stayed awake, just looking at him, loving him. In those quiet moments it's almost like you can hear God speaking to you, telling you that he loved you so much that He gave his son, so that you could have yours. I remember just laying there with tears falling down my face loving this baby so much, praying that I would be able to teach, guide, show him God's love in a way that he would NEVER part from it.

Since that day, Tyler has brought our family so much joy. He is our jokester. He is the child that can make you laugh until you want to cry, then make you so mad that you want to make him cry... He loves with his whole heart, he cares with his whole heart, but he doesn't want anyone to know. He has great concern for others. He is content to play by himself, in his own imaginary world for hours. He rarely, never tells me he is bored and that he has nothing to do. He is also our only child that will make his bed EVERY morning before he even gets out of bed, without being told to.

He is our sunshine and I thank My Gracious Heavenly Father, for bringing him into our lives on January 31, 2004.

Blessings!