Simple Pleasures

Yesterday was one of those days...you know those days when you wish time would stand still. There was nothing extraordinary about it. It was just filled with life's simple pleasures and there was a spring in my step. The weather was perfect and everyone is finally healthy. I threw the boys' bicycles in the back of the truck and went to meet them after school. We stopped by S*nic to get our 1/2 priced favorites...lemonade for the boys and a Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper for me. We went to a beautiful park nearby and spent the afternoon riding and playing. The boys and I took a new trail and they rode for about a mile while I followed behind pushing Brady in the stroller. The sun was shining, everyone had smiles, it was one of life's simple pleasures.

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Walkin' on Sunshine!!!

Daddy calls this my "leisure suit!"
Thanks, Mimi and Pop Pop for the Valentine's gifts!

Brady is a walking maniac! He loves it and it is so much fun to watch him take off! The twins were very different from Brady. They never opened cabinets or got into things. Brady is a "curious" little fellow. He is so inquisitive and gets into everything...I mean everything. Even the toilet that was filled with one of the twin's bodily functions that were not of the yellow kind was not off limits to this little guy. We have to block off the kitchen, put locks on the doors to all of our armoirs and close all bedroom/bathroom doors. He loves to explore, touch buttons and doesn't like taking no for an answer. :) He keeps us on our toes and we love it! He loves walking because his eyes are now at a higher level and there is even more to explore...including looking out the window which is a new favorite pasttime. This is such a fun stage and we are soaking up every minute with our little guy!

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Valentine's Day treats!

The boys' teachers are getting bubble bath from Pier One. They really bubble. They also have lovely scents...amber vanilla and cranberry orange...yummy!
Mason had to sample our product!
We made pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled them with little hearts!
Our finished product...the tag reads, "Dear Valentine, Good friends "STICK" together!" Signing their names on sixteen Valentine's was good kindergarten practice!

I love Valentine's Day. Yes, I know that we should be telling the people in our lives that we love them each and every day and show them by our actions. Yes, I know that many people believe that Valentine's Day is one big marketing ploy...but I love it anyway.

I'm not one for all of the red "stuff!" I prefer a picnic by the lake or dinner in front of the fireplace (neither of which have I done). To me Valentine's Day is a day to put thought into what you do or make or buy for the people God has placed in your life. I much prefer to make my Valentine's cards or make homemade treats. It's not about the money...it's about the thought and the heart behind it.

I am trying to convey these things to my boys who don't quite understand the significance of the day. Today we made Valentine's for our friends at their preschool. While working in the kitchen we talked about how Jesus shows love for us and how we are suppose to show love for our friends. We talked about how special it is to appreciate the people that God put into our lives. We talked about the importance of showing and telling people that they are special simply because God made them. The kids on the playground that say rude things...yep...God loves them. The boys who kick our shoes when we are standing in line...yep...God loves them. The boys on the other side of the fence that say, "Your name is Dumb-Dumb!" Yep...God loves them. The people who don't look like us...yep, He loves them. Most importantly, we talked about us...how we don't always do the right things or say the right things and yep...He loves us, too!

Cute little Mason said, "Well, then why do give presents for Valentine's Day because Jesus is the best present." Well said, Mr. Mason. Well said.

Karate Mom???

When I realized that God made me a mother to boys, I imagined years ahead of basketball jerseys or football helmets or soccer cleats. I imagined sitting on the sidelines and cheering my little heart out waiting for my little men with some sort of sports drink and a hug. Not once did I imagine myself watching my boys learn how to karate chop or kick!!!

We were invited by a school friend to come to a karate class ("Bring your Buddy to Karate Day") at a local karate gym. I wasn't sure if the boys would even like it. It was registration time for t-ball and soccer, so I decided we'd expose them to each of these activities and let them choose. They enjoyed watching soccer in the morning and were eager to join the team. In the afternoon, we went to the karate class and their smiles never left their faces. They had a ball!!! Afterwards, it was a done deal...absolutely no interest in soccer or baseball. They only have eyes for karate at the moment. So, we let the registration deadline pass for baseball and soccer and are driving from karate school to karate school in hopes that Mom will find the same sort of enthusiasm for this sport! I actually loved watching them! :) They'll be even cuter once they are in their little white uniforms!!! (Do those have a special name? I'm sure one day soon I'll know more about karate than I ever intended to!)

So, for now it's karate...maybe next year we'll encourage them to expand their horizons and if they end up being a black belt one day...I'll thank God that they sleep under my roof at night and make sure I have them with me if I'm ever walking down a dark alley!

Wow...a WALKER!

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We're getting there! Enjoy!

My Very Sick Baby

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Poor Brady. He is so very sick. About two weeks ago I was telling a friend, "Brady's had a cold before, but he's never had a fever or been really sick." Famous last words! (Shouldn't I know better than that by now????) Anyway, Brady and the boys had pink eye last week. We went to the doctor for meds to cure the pink eye and walked away picking up something else...RSV!

Mommy and Brady spent most of Monday in pediatric urgent care. He had a relatively high fever (anywhere from 101-102.8) on Saturday and Sunday. When we gave him Tylenol or Ibuprofen, his fever would drop and he would be in good spirits. He'd crawl and play and even took seven steps! I had decided I would take him in on Monday if he still had a fever. What I did not expect was what happened when he woke up on Monday morning. He was laboring to breathe. He was having difficulty breathing and pushing really hard to get air in and out. He also was extremely congested to the point he was gagging on it. Hence, we went to an excellent pediatric urgent care center not too far from home. The doctor was with us within minutes of triage and they had him started on his first breathing treatments minutes after that. We spent the day getting tests, chest x-rays, suctioned, and having multiple breathing treatments. Diagnosis...double ear infection and RSV.

We were able to come home with a breathing machine and drugs to help Brady heal, but the next 24-48 hours are critical as far as hospitalization. He is still laboring to breathe a little bit and if we can't get it to subside doing treatments every 2-4 hours, then I have to bring him to the children's hospital in town. Please keep precious Brady in your prayers. He's not too thrilled with the eye drops (for pink eye), antibiotics (for ear infections), breathing treatments (for RSV), suctioning with the bulb (to get the mucus out), and nose wiping about 8000 times a day. Poor guy! Please pray that he will recover 100% and quickly.

One last note...I had a lot of friends and people who commented on my unwillingness to bring the twins out and about when they were babies. I kept them home for four long months and didn't go anywhere. They were preemies and it was RSV season. Now more than ever, I am thankful that I listened to my gut and protected them to the best of my ability. RSV is serious, scary and not fun in any sense of the word. And it's extremely dangerous for preemies...so instead of telling your friends they are crazy for being overly cautious or rolling your eyes...praise them for their determination to keep their baby well!!! :)

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

Our adopted son, Brady.

My tears flowed during our church service today. It is "Sanctity of Human Life" Sunday and we spent the morning in God's word studying God's design,love, and purpose for human life. Every book of the Bible, every page is dedicated to the sanctity of life as we are each made in the image of God.

Since Cain and Able, the sanctity of life has been under attack and never before has it been under attack like it is in the years since Roe v. Wade. Here are some current statistics:
There are 42 MILLION abortions per year worldwide.
There are approximately 115,000 abortions per DAY worldwide.
47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least 1 previous abortion.
1% of abortions occur resulting after rape.
6% of abortions occur because of health problems of the mother or child.
93% of abortions occur because of social reasons (unwanted pregnancy, financial difficulty, inconvenience)

Those statistics are alarming. They make me weep. Even more, they make me rejoice and celebrate the fact that our son's birthmother chose life for her child when society has made it so easy and almost acceptable to kill the child instead.

What struck me most today as I sat there was how many of us as Christians say that we are against abortion yet do nothing about it. We are "pro-life." Well, if that's the case what are we doing "for life?" Are we putting our hands and feet where are mouths are? Are we dedicated to praying for the orphans around the world? Are we praying for a spiritual awakening of the people around us who may choose abortion as an option? Are we praying for birthmothers to choose life? Are we giving of our resources (time and finances) to help crisis pregnancy centers, orphanages, and families needing assistance so that they can adopt? Are we ourselves choosing to adopt a child? I pray that we all will uphold the sanctity of life with more than our words.