Michelle has Thoughts

Wanna know how it happened?

2011-06-06T22:01:00.010-04:00

Hey there! I've missed blogging. I always think of things to write in the wee morning hours but never get around to writing these things down. So finally after four weeks do you want to hear the labor story?

Well as some of you might remember our due date came and went. Six days to be exact. And that's because we decided to go with an induction on May 10th. I've heard some crazy induction stories, most of which didn't end that well so I was a little nervous about it. Thankfully in our situation everything went super smooth.

We arrived at the hospital at 5 am which wasn't really that early to me since I had been tossing and turning the whole night before in anticipation. We did all the preliminary stuff and then started the pitocin around 7:30 am. My friend, nurse and amazing midwife Michelle Overby was working that day and switched with another nurse so she could help deliver Brielle. I was so excited to have her there because she helped deliver our first child Isaac. She is so calming and amazing.

After an hour or so I was having contractions according to the monitor but I couldn't really feel them at that point. Blake and I decided to put in Julie and Julia on his computer to help pass some of the time. I love that movie! We got about half way through before the contractions started to pick up.

Our midwife Lisa came in at 11 and checked me and I was only 3 cm dilated. (I was already 2cm when I went in that morning) I was pretty discouraged at that point. Mostly because I felt like I wasn't progressing quickly and I was nervous it was going to end up being a long process like it was with Isaac. My labor and delivery with Isaac was around the 36 hour mark. Not one of my most delightful experiences.

Lisa and Michelle

Anyhow, shortly after my water broke on its own and then things really got intense. I mean intense. I remember thinking distinctly to myself "this is probably gonna need to be our last child. I don't think I can do this again". I'm sure I thought that with Isaac and just don't remember . :)

Just before 1 I looked at Michelle and told her I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't know how far I was dilated but I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I just wanted the epidural and I asked her to order it. I also asked to be checked even though we weren't going to do it again for another hour or so. At that point my legs were shaking and I thought I was going to die. :)

Shortly, after that Lisa came in and she told me I was 8 cm! I couldn't believe in two hours I had progressed that fast. I was a little shocked and immediately requested the epidural once more! Much to my dismay, I was informed it was "too late". At that point I may or may not have blurted out some minor four letter words that would not be appropriate in this post.;)

It wasn't long after that I started pushing at 1:30. Brielle was born 1o min later at 1:40. That's a vast improvement from 2 hours with Isaac! Shoooweee!

Brielle Colette Dameron 7 lbs 2 oz, 19 inches

Brielle means "strength in God" and Colette means "victory"

I just couldn't believe after it was all over how well it had gone. Many of you are familiar with what we have walked through as a family over the past year and a half. I am so thankful to Jesus for how he worked everything out. For months after our miscarriage I just kept thinking about fear and fear of death. I felt like that was the moment it all came to the surface and that it was a very negative thing. Now in hind sight a year and half later I see that moment as the beginning of my freedom from fear. That experience has made me look at issues I had stuffed down for years and maybe most of my life thus far. In the process God has truly worked everything together for good. A part of me will always wonder what that child would have been like but the other part of me is at peace with the way our family is growing now.

In the weeks leading up to Brielle's delivery I kept coming across passages about Gods faithfulness and His kindness. I really do feel like He has redeemed whats been lost. He is faithful. He is good.

Brielle Might Just Be Like Her Momma

2011-04-17T21:36:00.007-04:00

This past thursday I went to the doctor for my 37 week check up. What I thought would be routine turned into more excitement than I was looking for. I saw the midwife and she checked the heartbeat, all was good there. Then she checked Brielle's position and to my somewhat surprise she was head up near my right rib. Once she discovered that, she left the room to go talk to the doctor and see if I needed an ultrasound. So anyway long story short the scan comfirmed it and the next thing I knew I was in the doctors office scheduling a time to go to the hospital the next day for a version (try to turn the baby).

I left the office feeling slightly ovehwhelmed and wishing that I had brought the hubby to that appointment. I had that underlying feeling like everything was gonna be okay but the other half of me was freaking out a little bit. Mostly because I figured it probaly doesn't feel pleasant and there was a risk of having an emergency c-section or the babys heartbeat dropping.

So anyway, I went home and told Blake about everything and then he had to leave to go to VCM. The Lord was so gracious that night. Isaac was the best he's been in weeks and so compliant, even when it came to bed time. I spent some time in the Word that night and by the time Blake got home I felt so at peace.

After midnight I wasn't allowed to have any water and I could have a light snack at 6 am. My appointment wasn't until noon the next day. It was tough going that long without water! :) I just took that day a step at a time. That morning I had read a verse in Psalms that was so simple but stuck with me all day. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord". I kept repeating it to myself and telling Jesus His word said if I trusted in Him I would be blessed. I didn't know what the outcome was going to be, but I knew I had to trust Him. I just took it step by step that day.

Waiting for the doctor to come in!

The hubby hanging out with me. I tried to freeze him out of the room :) It was good training for the big day! Better dress warm Babe!

Looking back Jesus covered every single detail. My friend Michelle Overby happened to be working that day in the L&D unit so she met me at the door and helped me check in. (She helped deliver Isaac too) We went to the room after that and I got changed and hooked up to some monitors. The nurse had to move the baby heartbeat monitor about 3 times because Brielle kept moving. At one point I felt some intense pressure on the left side for a couple minutes and then it passed. Five minutes later the doctor came in and felt for Brielle. He looked at me and said "I think she's head down!" Sooo, he did another ultrasound and sure enough, she turned head down! It turns out Brielle is a lot like her Momma. A little stubborn at times, but does the right thing at the last minute! :)

One happy camper! I get to go home and Michelle being the saint she is brought me the most delicous cup of apple juice and ice!

The doctor told us Jesus answered our prayers and for Blake to take me out to lunch! :) I just want to say thanks to all of you that prayed for us. I felt so at peace and I am so thankful for the discomfort Jesus spared me from.

March Madness

2011-03-14T22:50:00.006-04:00

Well it's not March Madness in the way you would normally picture it (I'm not an avid sports fan) :)
However,March is a busy month for us, and it's only half over! Or shall I say it's already half over!

This past week ECU had their spring break so I took advantage of Blake being a little more "available". We cleaned out the spare bedroom, made some room for Brielle, painted furniture and moved Isaac to his big boy bed. We also got our taxes done and Blake was able to get some school work done as well. In the middle of the week we went up to Raleigh to take Isaac to the Marbles Kids Museum. He had a blast!

Isaac catching a fish! This was probably the longest he stood still in the 4 hours we were there. He was busy!

Helping Daddy sand his "big boy bed" so we could paint it.

On Wednesday of last week Katie came by and helped me paint a tree on Brielle's wall. I had seen this tree on the Pottery Barn website and loved it. It was a decal, only costing $165 or something like that. Absolutely ridiculous. Katie painted the same tree for $6! That's right! The cost of pink and green paint samples. We had everything else we needed! Katie is an art student at ECU and is a valuable part of our college ministry at ECU, she did such a great job! Thanks Katie!!

At the end of spring break on Saturday I threw Blake a surprise 30th birthday party. We had a few friends over and had a cookout and played corn hole. It was a good time. Happy Birthday Babe, I love you!

It's hard to believe he's 30! :)

And lastly, it seems as though Isaac has just blossomed over the past couple weeks into a "little man"! He is always cracking us up, and of course at times trying our patience. :) Here are some things you might here him say:

"oh no, what happened" usually coming from the other room and not a good sign!

"funny, mommy, funny" says this with a smile on his face when he knows he's not supposed to be doing something.

"why"

"Excuse me mommy" and even the unsolicited "please or thank you" at times!

He plays ball with Vandy and tells him "drop it" and when Vandy does Isaac says "Good boy" They have become such good friends. At least once a day Isaac tries to ride Vandy like a "Forsie!!" (Horsie)

When he gets stuck on a phrase or question and you don't catch it the first time you will have at least 15 more opportunities to hear it again because he will repeat it for you.

And lastly, I have found myself saying something I never thought I would this early. . ."Because I said so!" :)

This age has it's trials but it's also so wonderful. I love how much he is becoming his own little person and becoming better at communicating with us!

Thank God For All I Missed

2011-03-03T22:15:00.002-05:00

When I was driving in the car the other day I heard this song and just thought I would share it. The song is by Darius Rucker (You know. . . Hootie from the Blowfish). :)

I know in high school and college I was devestaed many times by relationships that didn't work out. Now looking back I am so happy they didn't. Cause just as Hootie says "Thank God for all I missed, cause it led me here to this!". I'm so thankful for my husband. He is more than I could have ever hoped for as a best friend and life companion. And of course I'm so thankful for our little man and baby on the way! Thank you Jesus for your many blessings! Your perspective and plan for my life was much better than what I had in mind!

Don't Fret My Pet

2011-02-22T21:47:00.002-05:00

Lately, for my quiet time in the morning I've been reading in my One Year Bible. This in itself is an accomplishment, simply because I usually don't make it out of January before I fall behind! :) I think this is the third year I have attempted to do the One Year thing. So hopefully I will be able to continue to follow through!

Anyway, I came across a passage in Psalms the other morning that really spoke to me.

Psalm 37:8-9
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret-it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off, but those
who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."

I knew that 'fret' meant to worry but I looked it up for a further definition.

Fret: to be worried, irritated, agitated about something. To eat or gnaw into; corrode.

I love this Psalm but had never spent much time thinking about these two particular verses. I usually just read right over them not paying much attention to the meaning. I love that "do not fret- it leads only to evil". Repeatedly the Bible gives us verses to not worry. This leads to evil. Why? Probably because when we worry it communicates that we don't trust Jesus or we think we could handle it better than the way Jesus would work it out. OR we doubt that Jesus will come through for us. In any case all roads of worry lead to evil. It's good to be reminded we need to 'hope' in the Lord and when we do we will inherit the land. We don't need to trust in our own abilities or accomplishments, just trust in Him.

Over the past years Blake has said a phrase to me that you've probably heard before: "Don't fret my pet" He says it as a joke when he can see I'm starting to get worked up about something. And so after reading those verses it reminded me of this phrase. Sometimes we just need Jesus to spell it out for us, "Don't fret my pet". Everything's gonna be okay, if you just trust me.

Martha's Handbook

2011-01-10T16:48:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday season. I know we did. We had a great time with family and friends AND enjoyed our white Christmas playing in the snow. I also enjoyed the precious moments I had to do nothing and simply stared at the wall. Does anyone else enjoy that? Sitting in absolute quiet, staring at the wall, letting your thoughts just whisk away to any old place.

I have had lots of thoughts lately, but to be honest, I've been too lazy to sit at my computer and write them down! Maybe in the weeks to come. I've got a few more weeks left in my 2nd trimester and the "nesting" seems to have kicked into high gear. I better get stuff done while I'm crazy! :) You know all pregnant women are crazy right? It's the hormones. Moms with newborns are crazy too. That's due to hormones AND lack of sleep. Just to clear things up. Moving on. . .

So back to this whole "nesting" thing. My house has actually been consistently tidy these past few weeks. To be honest I'm a little freaked out. I've wondered to myself "Am I ok? Can I really make this last?" I think I've finally gotten into a routine that is working in our family. I was greatly encouraged by that until I remembered the wee little one that will make her debut in early May! :) All well. We'll enjoy it while it lasts.

When I was at my moms house last year for Christmas I borrowed a book from her called Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. I found some great bits a pieces in there to keep in mind when cleaning. I remembered that book when I was at the library yesterday and it just so happened they had it, so I checked it out!

Last year when I looked through the book I told Blake I could start a blog about it like Julie and Julia. I could work my way through the book cleaning my house over the course of the year. Blake of course looooved the idea. And then I thought to myself "I have a one year old, am I completely delusional?". I will have to save that crazy challenge for another time. I also forgot to mention the book is 744 pages long from cover to cover. Like I said, delusional.

So I thought I would leave you with one helpful list from her book. Make sure to read this list with Martha's voice in your mind, it's more entertaining that way ;)

SIX THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY:

1. Make the Bed: Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things-such as clothes and papers-pile up around it.

2. Manage Clutter: Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same. ** Yeah, can you see me "insisting" on my 2 year old to constantly put up his belongings :)**

3. Sort the Mail: Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Trash junk mail, drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing.

4. Clean as you Cook: Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, was them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal.

5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh: Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately.

6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor: Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-t0-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker. **Martha assumes I mop my floor once a week. Martha assumes too much**

What's in a name

2010-12-09T15:16:00.004-05:00

If you haven't heard the news yet we found out last Tuesday that we are having a baby girl! We are so excited. It's such a blessing to think about having one of each,the best of both worlds.

We had tossed around a bunch of names and the day we went to the doctor we still weren't sure. It's kind of funny because after the ultrasound all the names we thought of for a girl went out the window. They just didn't seem right. It's funny because the same thing happened with Isaac. I know you don't see the baby in person but it's like when you see them on that screen they become way more real to you. There is an actual little person in there being formed and fashioned by God.

You can't just throw any old name on that baby. I can't help but always think about Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament when I think about names. I mean, doesn't it seem like names are really important to God. I believe they speak of who God wants us to become. Abram's name was changed to Abraham which means "father of many nations". Sarai's name which meant quarrelsome or argumentative was changed to Sarah which meant "Princess". Aren't those awesome meanings.

I always think to myself, "I would never want to name my child something that means 'bitterness', or 'despair'. Don't get me wrong, I know God is redemptive and all that, I just want to start our kids out on a positive note if it's in our power. :) And I also know that some people don't feel the same way about this. That's okay, we can still be friends. I'm not trying to throw my convictions on anyone else. However, this is my blog, and after all it is called "Michelle has Thoughts", and well, these are my thoughts on the matter. :)

In any case, back to the matter at hand. All this to say after some searching, praying and looking at meanings we have decided on a name. Just a first name. The middle will come later.

Brielle Dameron. Who we have affectionately been referring to as "Baby Bri" around here.

You want to know the meaning? It means "God is my strength". It's derived from the name Gabriel, you know, like the angel. :)

We also chose it for another reason. The meaning is so appropriate for our family as a whole during this season. You've heard me say before that this past year has been the hardest in our lives. However, we have to look to the good that has been accomplished in it. That good is that God has taught us to rely on Him and His strength. We would never have made it through with out Him.

So, with Isaac which means "He laughs", it was fitting at that time in our lives because it was so happy. There is no experience like having your first child. The excitement, expectation and unknown all wrapped in a beautiful gift.

It was timely for our family, and so our children become living stones. . . testimonies of God's faithfulness and all that He has done and continues to do in our lives. We will name her Brielle because God truly has taught us in this season to rely on His strength.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-11-28T21:37:00.008-05:00

It seems like everyone I know took the opportunity to decorate their houses for Christmas this weekend. I love this time of year. Not so much the cold weather, I don't really like to be cold. But truth be told I don't really like the middle of summer either. I like to be "comfortable". :)

Anywho, we started the morning off with a breakfast of Eggnog Pancakes, bacon and eggs. Yum. Unfortunately, their was no bacon to be had for this prego lady, as I am still dealing with this reflux.

Here is a picture of the ingredients, pretty simple. I got the recipe from this website. I did two things different in the recipe. I subbed half of the all purpose flour for wheat flour, and used vegetable oil instead of clarified butter (only cause I didn't feel like messing with the whole butter thing).

Then we unpacked our attic, put up the tree and put up some of the decorations. After lunch the three of us went to a few antique shops. Seems a bit random, but we were looking for a "new" cabinet for the kitchen. We were in luck and stumbled upon a great piece. Thankfully it will hide my unending assortment of cookbooks that were starting to pile up. :)

To fully appreciate this you would have needed to see the metal bakers rack that was here. Isaac will miss his indoor jungle gym.

That afternoon I whipped up a batch of my Great Aunt Babe's Molasses Cookies. I wanted to start a tradition where we would have those family cookies and decorate the tree at night. So, that's what we did! Isaac lasted about 10 minutes. After we ran out of "horsies" to put on the tree he lost interest. That was also about the time the 3 cookies he ate kicked into full gear. He started running around the house and got Daddy to play chase with him. That left me decorating on my own. But I was okay with that. It was nice having the chaos in the background. I love my men being men.

TA-DAAAAH!

This decorating idea I was pretty stoked about. I bought this dessert stand back around Easter at the World Market. I didn't know what else to do with it other than serve food until I came across this post found on The Nester blog. I'm super excited for what other creative ideas this may hold!

{Thanks}giving guest post

2010-11-26T19:42:00.003-05:00

I hope all of you had an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends! I know I ate well and enjoyed being with my family. My mom and I even did a little Black Friday shopping today. I was mostly excited about the 1/2 price glider we found at Babys-r-us. Major score!

Today I am excited to share with you a post titled "Thankful in the Little Things". You can find it over on my friend Caroline Collie's blog From Africa, with Love. She has been doing a week of posts on Thankfulness. So click on over there and take a look at all the contributions by various writers. I must say the variety and inspiration has been great.

And make sure to check out Caroline's blog after this week. She is an inspiring woman, mother and missionary in South Africa!

Refuge

2010-11-24T08:28:00.006-05:00

Good Morning! We are in Stella now for the holidays, and we are super excited to be here! I hope you are having a good week and that you have safe travels for Thanksgiving.

This morning I was spending some time in the Word on my parents back porch and I came across a verse I wanted to share.

Psalm 62:8

"Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us."

You can talk to Him about anything. Any situation. Any circumstance. Any fear. Any failure. Any concern. Any hurt. Any misunderstanding. Any insecurity. Any hope. Any joy. Any desire.

He is a refuge for us. He is the perfect Friend, perfect Father, perfect Counselor that will listen to us. Our secrets are safe with Him. We should feel the liberty to open our hearts to Him. We have our Earthly confidants, which are much needed but there is nothing like the security and refuge of God. I want to encourage you today, if you haven't, pour our your heart to God. He wants to hear from you.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Year Has Come a Gone

2010-11-14T21:51:00.004-05:00

Most people would track their year based on the calendar year, and most years I do. But not this year. For some reason I've tracked it from the moment I miscarried last year November 15. I can't explain it but for some reason I thought if I could just make it to the same point the following year I would be okay. Mind you I knew I'd be "okay", it was just a mental hurtle for me. I had big hopes for 2010 when January rolled around, but then it was just one punch after the other. I 'm going somewhere with all of this and I hope not to depress you in the process;)

The night that I miscarried last year started me on a journey that would forever change me and my perceptions of God. My second pregnancy started off kind of rocky with various symptoms that didn't look promising, but we pressed on with prayer. At 8 weeks I started bleeding and having contractions and for some reason unknown to me that baby hung on. We went and had an ultrasound and everything appeared fine. Again we praised Jesus for the miracle. Unfortunately, exactly two weeks later while I was visiting my mom with Isaac I miscarried around midnight. The miscarriage itself was a shock, I had no idea it would get worse. Shortly after, the bleeding was supposed to let up, but it didn't. I ended up on my mother's bathroom floor feeling like I was going to pass out and told her to call the ambulance. The medics got there and shortly after I was being hauled off to the hospital in Morehead City.

Once we arrived they started sticking me with needles to get an IV going. My mom was in the room with me and shortly after Blake showed up around 1:30am (He had to drive from Greenville). The rest of that night is somewhat of a blur. I remember people rushing in an out of the room and being poked and prodded constantly. It was the scariest moment of my life. I literally felt like I was floating, somewhere between life and death. I kept asking the nurses if I was going to live. At one point I remember looking up at Blake and wondering if he would have to raise Isaac on his own. I wish I could say that I had more faith in that moment, but the truth is I didn't. Blake took my hand and he said "Michelle, repeat after me. 'I will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord.' And so I did, over and over until the point the Doctor in the room told me I was going to need to calm down. :)

So, after an emergency D & C I had 2 blood transfusions and stayed in the hospital the whole next day. My mom and Blake stayed with me the whole time. Meanwhile, my stepdad, the amazing man he is took care of Isaac the whole time. And to top it off our best friends, Kasey and Lee happened to be in town and were able to come to the hospital to visit me. We had already lost one life that night, and God was with us, He spared mine.

I share this story not because I want you to feel sorry for me but because God deserves all the glory. He has done a great work in my life since that moment. After that moment when I would cry out to Jesus, I could feel Him like never before. This has been the hardest year of my life with our various trials, but God's presence has never been more tangible in my life. He has shown me my fears, doubts and misconceptions that I had about Him along the way. Sure, I had a lot of questions about the whole ordeal, who wouldn't? God doesn't mind our questions. And though I didn't find all the answers I wanted, I did find out who Jesus REALLY was in the process.

He is someone I can believe. Someone I can count on. He will never leave me. He will always work things together for good. It was a hard lesson to learn but I'm glad He showed me about my fear of death. I want to be in control and mostly I don't want to be in pain. But those aren't my decisions to make. This past summer I did a Bible study on the Life of Paul, and it has done wonders on my perspective of life. That man endured so much for the sake of the Gospel, and he knew Jesus intimately.

I know this is long and I need to wrap it up. I could write a book on all that Jesus has done in my life this year. So many stories of His faithfulness. So, I will just leave you with one.

A year has come and gone, and this time we are 15 weeks pregnant and having a much healthier pregnancy. Three days before we found out we were pregnant I asked God for a word to stand on. This is what He gave me:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the woman who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.

For she will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream.

And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit."

I took some liberties with the "she's" and "woman", but that was so that I could make it even more my word to stand on. It was just what I needed. Trust in the Lord. Just like the scripture says the heat did come. The first trimester was a constant battle in my mind. Even so much so, when I was 10 weeks, at our college retreat on the same day Blake and I had the same vision from the devil of me miscarrying. It was the craziest thing. The devil is not creative and we immediately recognized it for what it was. We prayed and the fear left. And though this last year has seemed like a drought in the natural, He was right, I am producing fruit and he or she will be here in May.

Fall Festivities!

2010-11-01T17:13:00.014-04:00

We had a fun and busy weekend! It started off Saturday by going to Briley's Pumpkin Patch outside Greenville. I've been wanting to go for weeks, but we have literally had something planned every weekend this month and this was the last weekend they were open to the public! I'm just gonna sum up most of our weekend with pictures:

Isaac on his pony ride!

Isaac was pretty upset we had to leave the tractor, so he pouted his way through the pumpkin patch :) All well, you can't win them all!

All is well in the world, back in view of the tractor!

The next day for Halloween, instead of trick or treating, we went to Aunt Ally and Uncle TD's for a Fall Party and cookout. It was lots of fun! All the kids dressed up except Isaac. He was supposed to be Thomas the Train, but lately he has been non-negotiable about putting on any type of costume! I was a little disappointed, but you can't force your kid to dress up, that would just be traumatic! :)

Daddy dressed up instead to "encourage" Isaac to try it, but the mission was a fail. The picture on the right is all the kids. It's just not a good quality picture unless some of the kids are crying! :)

To finish up our weekend we took Isaac to the Winterville Fire station so he could see all the "Big Trucks"! Our friend Jeremy, who is a fireman, offered to take us. Isaac ran around like a crazy man. He couldn't figure out what truck to look at because there were a few different ones.

Isaac and Jeremy "driving" the Big Truck!

I think this smile sums up how much fun he had!

Grammy's Maine Apple Sauce

2010-10-25T20:15:00.002-04:00

So, another month has gone by and I'm just now updating again! :) It seems that this morning sickness is finally ebbing off (at 12 weeks) and I am super thankful. I know my house will be thankful.

This past weekend we spent at my mom and dad's place in Stella because I had my 1o year high school reunion. It was fun seeing everyone that came and seeing all their children. Also, Friday night we went to the football game. I was really excited we got there in time for the half-time show with the marching band and colorguard. My hubby has teased me relentlessly for years about being in colorguard and finally he got to see it in action. It is quit a production at my old high school and I have to admit I felt a bit of satisfaction when Blake commented "There are more people on that field than I had in my whole high school!" :)

Anyway, the weekend before last my parents went to Maine to visit my Grammy and they came back with lots of fun presents! They gave us pure maple syrup, 3 bags of apples and lots of other little goodies. Isaac got some books, a shirt, pjs, and his most prized possession a "Big Truck with horsies!!!!"

I have been so excited about the Maine apples! I'm gonna have to come up with some more recipes. I started with homemade apple sauce last night. It's actually probably more like a cross between apple sauce and stewed apples. I thought I would share my grammy's recipe with you.

Grammy's Applesauce

12 Apples ( good cooking apple, ex Cortland is what I used and a few Maccoons. I would not recommend a real grainy apple like Macintosh)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar ( Packed if you want it more sweet, otherwise don't pack it)
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Start by peeling all the apples. Next, cut in half, cut in half again (so now the apple is in quarters, cut the middle core out) Then cut each piece in half again. You want it to be in chunks instead of slices like apple pie.
Get a big pot and fill it with 1 inch of water. You don't want to overdo the water because then it will be soupy. Yuck! Put all your apples and other ingredients in pot and mix together. Bring to a simmer and then cook it on a low simmer. Cook it slow or you will burn it. Stir occasionally and when apples start to break up you can mash the apples with a potato masher. Mash to the consistency you like. I like bigger chucks so I didn't do it too much. Cook to smell and taste, you may like yours sweeter or with more cinnamon. Serve warm or cold!

This is a great applesauce, but you could also use it like this:
filling for apple turnovers
topping crepes or pancakes
topping on a bowl of oatmeal
topping on ice cream or yogurt

This recipe makes a good amount so feel free to freeze some of it!

Isaac's Birthday Festivities!

2010-09-28T21:20:00.007-04:00

I've got so much I want to update you on and share, but I will have to do it over the next few weeks. For starters, those of you who haven't heard, ISAAC IS GONNA BE A BIG BROTHER! :) That's actually a big reason why I haven't been updating as of late. With my first two pregnancies I felt great morning sick wise but this one has been a completely different story. I have had nausea for the past two weeks pretty much all day everyday. Occasionally, I will get a few hours of a break. But it's pretty difficult dealing with this and keeping Isaac. Blake has done an amazing job helping. He does as much as he can when he's home! He's been so good about helping with Isaac and even doing the dishes! So anyway, we are super excited and I am definitely looking forward to the end of my 1st trimester. . . in about 4-5 weeks! One day at a time :)

Also, this past weekend I went with a group of friends to Durham for the Pure Life Women's Conference. It was a blast. I think they are moving it back to New York next year. We are already trying to plan a road trip for next year! It was so worth it! More to come on that conference in a future post.

Last weekend we had Isaac's birthday party. Lots of food, friends, fun and presents! His actual birthday was today so we did get him a cupcake to celebrate. Here are some pictures from the party and today:The "Bug" cake

Isaac was ready for some "Happy cake"!

Isaac on his birthday. We started a tradition last year where we got him one cupcake from Your Perfect Cake in Greenville. And so the tradition continues this year!

Isaac one year ago!

Day Off

2010-09-13T21:42:00.004-04:00

Today was our day off. We had a great day. We ate breakfast and then went over to Boyd Lee Park to walk the trails and then let Isaac play on the playground. On our walk we saw a little green snake, Isaac did not hesitate to touch it and then pull it out of his daddy's hand! Laughing all the while (mommy may have screamed a little in the background). :) After, that he got to play with a worm and some big ants. Then he ran down the trail after Vanderbilt emphatically shouting "go , go" and waving his arms at him.

After the park we ran to Sam's and Blockbuster and then went home for lunch. While Isaac was napping Blake and I watched the Firm because neither one of us had seen it before. When there was about 10 minutes left in the movie Isaac started to wake up. We looked in the video monitor and saw he had taken his pants off and was bouncy around like a crazy man in his crib. We should have gone back there then, but we were trying to finish our movie! :) Sooo, when we get back there he is naked from the waist down and his diaper with "poo poo" is on the floor. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as it could have been but it still needed to be cleaned up. Especially the crib bumper he apparently rode as a horsie. . . after the diaper was off I'm guessing. So I did some laundry and Blake got the Clorox wipes out. All is well now.

Every Monday night Blake has class online from 7 to 9 so I was hanging out with Isaac. As I was giving him his bedtime snack I decided to get started on the dishes. He finished, but I wasn't done so I thought "Hmmm, I think I'll just let him play on his own for a bit". Every time I do this I usually ask myself afterward if it was worth it! :)

Granted I know this isn't horrible but the boy was just crazy! I came in the living room and Isaac was jumping up and down on the couch in his diaper like a wild man. This was after he made sure most of the pillows were off the couch. I just had to laugh.

On the bright side the dishes got done and at least one room is clean! :)

Tailgate

2010-09-11T14:42:00.007-04:00

We've been a busy bunch lately. The start of fall with a million football games on the schedule, birthday parties galore, and even a couple of weddings to go to. All that on top of an already busy campus schedule! We are having fun, and I've been sure to take a few naps here and there so I can keep up.

I'm gonna keep this post short and just share some pics from the ECU vs Memphis tailgate. Isaac and I left before the game. He has been a little under the weather with a runny nose and I wanted him to get plenty of rest this afternoon! Tis the season!:)

The Family!

Isaac playing football with Daddy!

Isaac is enamored with the ECU Marching Band. He looooves watching them march and play. Especially the drums. Blake said it's a strong "spirit" he inherited from his mother's high school years and we're gonna have to break it! :) ha ha

I looove this picture! Daddy's and sons are so precious!

Like Father, like Son. This boy is taking the coffee and running! He seriously held this box the whole way home; in his stroller, in the car seat and then walked down our street with it when we got home. He's a peculiar one at times! :)

Pavlova

2010-08-29T22:12:00.005-04:00

This past Thursday I ended up making the Pavlova. It turned out great but it's a little sweet, even for me. If I make it again I would probably cut back on the sugar in the meringue.

It's a definitely a different dessert, texture and all. The Pavlova was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Some chefs in Australia and New Zealand wanted to make a dessert for her that was as light and airy as she was when she danced. How flattering! :)

Part of the reason I wanted to try this dessert was because of the egg whites and whipped cream. I hadn't tried either one of those things with my Kitchen Aid yet. Can I say it was a breeze! I was completely amazed! It took like 3 minutes to whip the egg whites into meringue! I was super dooper impressed.

Fresh out of the oven, crunchy on the outside, foamy and chewy on the inside!

Finished product!

Not quite the Barefoot Contessa

2010-08-25T21:27:00.008-04:00

I'm not sure if it's the start of a new school year or fall approaching, but lately all I've wanted to do is organize, bake and do crafty projects. Don't get me wrong, I haven't completely changed. I didn't say I "liked" cleaning but I do appreciate things being organized. I hope this is the beginning of a new habit, but only time will tell. My hubby affectionately told me the other day to "Slow down, before you burn yourself out" ;) Point taken, will do!

Yesterday, while I was sorting through our desk (bills and receipt's galore) I was watching the Barefoot Contessa. On that episode she made some Irish soda bread. While I was watching I thought "hmmm, I've never had soda bread, it seems an odd thing to make, it doesn't sound super appetizing" But it did look delish and was super easy with a Kitchen Aid mixer. So, today I thought I would try my hand at it. I did switch up a couple things in her recipe. It calls for orange zest which I didn't have and buttermilk. Side note: you can actually make your own buttermilk by adding white vinegar to regular milk but I was out. So I just used half and half and milk. Also, it called for currants, which I've heard of but didn't really know what they where. After looking it up tonight I believe they are really tiny Zante grapes that originated in Greece. I didn't happen to have any lying around so I kicked it eastern NC style with regular raisins.

This was before! (Beware the dough is SUPER wet and sticky)

This is after! I laughed when I took it out because it was so tall and cracked on the bottom half. Not quite the Barefoot Contessa, but it still tasted great!

Tomorrow I may try my hand at a Pavlova which is a dessert made out of meringue, cream and topped with berries. Yummmm. At Sam's this week they have had 12oz containers of organic raspberries for $3.47! That is a steal! I remember they did that last year too. I've already bought 3 containers and I'm hoping they still have them when we get paid on the 1st so I can freeze some.

And just in case you wonder what Isaac has been up to here is a picture.

Wearing his ECU beads and shoes Mama D bought for him for next year.

Isaac's new favorite snack, frozen peas! Who knew? A family friend told us about it last week when we had dinner with them.

Weeee're Baaack!

2010-08-17T15:55:00.005-04:00

Hello there! I know it's been a while. It's been a really busy summer. There have been a few times I've wanted to post and not been able to because of Internet access. Anyhow, we are back in Greenville now and it feels great. I think since June we haven't been in town for more than 3 days at a time!

This summer we went to Texas, met up with some of our ministry partners, got a few new partners, I spent a couple of weeks with my mom, Blake went to VA for a week of school, we went on vacation, Blake had surgery on 2 hernias, Blake went to Harvest Institute in Raleigh, led summer VCM and we went to 2 weddings! I think that pretty much catches us up ;)

This past weekend we went to the Outer Banks for Joel and Hilary's wedding. It was so much fun! It was truly one of the best weddings we've ever been to, and we've been to a lot! ;) I can't wait to see what Jesus does through their marriage!

Blake and Joel at the reception.

The beautiful bride!

Chopped

2010-07-08T16:58:00.004-04:00

Many of you have probably already seen my new dew on facebook, but just in case you haven't here are some pics!

The hubby loooved it! When I text him a picture after, he responded "hot tamale". And then when I got home he said it reminded him of Jennifer Aniston's hair on friends. To which I replied "Like from the 90's!!!???" I know he meant it as a compliment, so I'll take it ;) ha ha

The best part is I was able to cut off 10 inches and will donate it to locks of love!

* in a recent development, I need to go, I just heard Blake get Isaac up from his nap and ask why his PJ pants are on the floor! :)

Stella Day 3

2010-06-24T21:55:00.009-04:00

Today was a great day! I don't know what we are going to do when we get back home. Isaac will probably look at me and say "What? No pool, no river, no beach?" "I'm going back to Stella! " ;)

"Umm, I have a wedgie, Can I come in?"

Isaac and Memere walking to the beach.

Isaac looooved the water. He got brave and started charging the waves. . .mommy was running close behind! ;)

Isaac after his shower at the beach!

Stella day 2!

2010-06-23T20:45:00.010-04:00

Today we took Isaac back to the river. . .

He had lots of fun and met a couple "puppies". He even scolded one of them for playing with Vanderbilt. Isaac came running out of the water and said "no,no,no,no".

No trip to the river is complete without proper shoes. They're hot, I know! Yesterday when we went down to the river the water was murky and warm and I thought " this is a labor of love" (and if we come back I am totally wearing shoes!)

And lastly, I will leave you with a picture of Isaac talking to the cat. I use the work "talking" loosely, it's more like yelling. Isaac also tried to play ball with the cat. The cat responded by hissing at him. I understand. Honestly, who would want a ball flying at them during a nap?

Daddy, we miss you! We can't wait to see you on Friday!

Fathers Day and Stella

2010-06-22T21:38:00.009-04:00

For Father's Day this year we went to Battleboro to visit Blake's parents. We had a great time. We went to church, came home, put Isaac down and had a fantastic lunch!

Don't you love how easy it is to get a family picture with a toddler? :)

He's enjoying life a little better here ( He went to visit the chickens). If you look at his right hand it is clasping tightly to a huge blue and green beetle he found on the porch. He later threw a bit of a fit when mommy made him leave his new friend outside ;)

On Sunday evening Blake had to leave for Virginia Beach for his graduate school course. Whenever Blake has to travel for school I usually take the opportunity to go to my parents house in Stella. Did I mention they have a pool? Oh yeah, we are having a great time! Isaac too :)

Two pairs of goggles and one pair of sunglasses!

Too cool for school. He'll be here all week ladies. ;)

After Isaac's nap we went down to the river and let him wade around. "Wading" turned into him trying to lead us into the middle of the river had we let him! That boy knows no fear!

View from the shore, I love the coast!

Due Date

2010-06-18T22:05:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was the due date of our second child. It's a weird feeling. You can't help but wonder what it would be like to have that child here. What would it be like to have two kids right now? As I was thinking about this last weekend I thought "I bet we all go through these feelings". You don't have to have miscarried to have a "due date" in mind.

I think we probably all do it. We have a time period in mind, or a picture of how our future is going to work out. For example "I think I'll be married by the time I'm 25. . ." or "I will be making this amount of money in certain number of years. . " etc, you get the picture.

But what happens when our "due date" comes or even passes and we have nothing to show for it. What if it doesn't turn out how we envisioned? It's pretty easy to get discouraged about it and even lose a little hope.

So let me just preface this next part by saying I didn't just immediately arrive to the following thoughts. It's been a process.

After thinking about this stuff the other morning I reminded myself I need to have a big picture perspective. If I start magnifying a particular incident or event (like the miscarriage) it makes me sad. But if I can pan out a little and look at that in the span of my life it gives me more hope. I also have to look at the other side of the coin. Yes, negative things happen, but so do some really great things. Shouldn't I also look at the positive things that I didn't see in my future? I never saw a relationship with God in my future when I was in college. And I sure never envisioned marring a man that would value me enough to save ourselves until marriage. I never really wanted children, and now I have a little man that brings more joy to my life than I ever imagined.

I guess what it boils down to, is not just focusing on the bad or unpleasant things that have happened but having the right perspective and rejoicing in the good.

These past 9 months were not the path I would have chosen for my life. But I trust God that He knows infinitely more than I do about what I need. He can work this past season for good. It's all about perspective.

What's up?

2010-06-17T21:54:00.003-04:00

I know it has been a while, sorry for not posting ! This time of year is pretty hectic for us. I call it the "living out of our suitcase" season. That's pretty much what we do from mid May to Mid August every year. It's great because we get to see a lot of people and catch up but it can be exhausting :)

The other thing that is exhausting lately is keeping up with wild man! Isaac does not stop. He is everywhere. Today while I was loading a CD in the DVD player he went into the kitchen and climbed on top of the table. I came around the corner and he was wearing a t-shirt and diaper swinging the light over the table back and forth. I'm just lucky I caught him before he decided to hang from it! (It was funny, but I tried not to let him see me laughing. I also wanted to take a picture but thought that would be encouraging the action, so I opted out of that idea.) :)

This is another example if Isaac's handy work!

Our house pretty much looks like a tornado went through it before nap time.

I hope to write again soon! Hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are!

The New Strong-Willed Child

2010-05-30T22:33:00.003-04:00

To my great surprise I met my goal and finished "The New Strong-Willed Child". I've been working on it for months and hadn't gotten past the first 3 chapters until this month.

This was a great book. I am by no means an expert now at raising children but I feel much more prepared for the season we are moving into with Isaac. He is somewhat "strong-willed" but I haven't met many toddlers that were not. I think that's just human nature playing itself out.

So what did I learn from this book? Well, I'm glad you asked :)

One of the biggest things was what Dr. Dobson said about the balance between love and control. When the scale tips in either direction is when things get out of whack. He also said in this balance we need to recognize "that implementing a reasonable and consistent action line does not assault self-worth; instead, it represents a source of security for an immature child". The 'action line' was a big thing for me too. That's when you give your child clear boundaries or instructions and they disobey there is a consequence. Your child knows if they do this action, this consequence will happen. But they will push until they know you will react.

This really helped me with a situation we are having with Isaac. For some reason Isaac has a thing for throwing his food and utensils off of his tray when he's eating. He's been doing it for months and we had started doing a slap on the hand when he threw food off. Now, let me say I understand the whole "exploratory" phase but we are way past that. He looks at us sometimes and holds his cup hostage over the side challenging us to see what will happen. We used to give a lot of warnings but this week we started implementing some of the methods Dr. Dobson talks about in his book. We have had a lot less incidents because Isaac now know the first time is it. Mom and Dad mean business. Let me also say we don't scream, yell, or get mad at Isaac. I really appreciated that about this book as well. Dr. Dobson does a good job of describing the difference between controlled discipline and child abuse. We in no way would ever want to belittle or hurt Isaac. But we do have to navigate between shaping the will and preserving his spirit.

Overall, I felt like there was some great straight forward advice and some great insight. Now onto "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollen.

Encouraging Yourself

2010-05-27T14:16:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took a much needed trip to our chiropractor in Goldsboro. (And man does my back feel better!!) Anyway, Blake came home to work from there while Isaac napped and I took my road trip. It's just too hard to try to bring Isaac by myself now.

While I was in the car I found Blake's cassette tapes ( I know, old, right!?) titled "Winning in Life". So I pulled out one by Jim Laffoon entitled "Encouraging Yourself". It was really good. He started out by talking about the difference between fear and discouragement. Fear and terror can come on you in a wave, a matter of minutes or even seconds. Discouragement is similar to an IV drip that can happen over a span of time and mess up a healthy point of view.

I had never thought about the difference between the two. Both can be really debilitating. He went on to share a couple of passages from scripture that were really good. On of them I had actually already been meditating on for the past few months.

Psalm 42: 11 "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."

I used to be the first one, and still occasionally let my emotions take me where they want. I used to ride life based off of my "feelings". Which frankly would not take me to the most comforting of places. These past few months I've had to claim this verse. I would have to grab my emotions by the scruff of the neck, like a dog and tell them what they were going to do. I would tell my soul, ' God's done so much for you, you better start hoping again because He is faithful'. It's hard to do when we are discouraged or even depressed but boy does it make a difference over time.

That leads into the next psalm that Pastor Jim talked about in that message, Psalm 103.

Psalm 103: 1-5 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me , bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons ALL your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years (or desires) with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

I mean just look at that list.(*See Bible for a complete list of all God's benefits) God has forgiven us of all our sins, heals all of our diseases, redeems our life from the pit. The list goes on and on. Man, that's pretty awesome stuff. I can encourage myself daily with this list. I don't know about anybody else but my life surely needed some redeeming, especially after college. I'm sure glad he didn't leave me in my pit to be a pit dweller. How miserable would that be!? So, go ahead, encourage yourself today. God loves you. He has a plan for your life. . .today.

ENCM Summit in Texas

2010-05-23T21:39:00.007-04:00

So this past week Blake and I had the opportunity to go to Austin, Texas for our annual gathering of youth and campus missionaries.

We had a blast! First of all our lodging, food and registration this year was covered before we even got there, that was such a blessing to us. There were some great speakers too! Also, the week before we left I was talking to my sis-in-law, Ally D, about taking Isaac to Texas and she volunteered to keep him for us. . .for 5 days! Talk about a saint! She had 3 kids all under the age of 3 for 5 days! I know Isaac had a blast, if you want to see Ally blogged all the days on her blog, Dameron Girls.

We dropped Isaac off at 8:20 am on Tuesday morning and then headed to Durham for our flight at 1. Traveling was really fun because we were able to fly with a group of campus ministers from the Raleigh/Durham area. We flew on Southwest and it was great! I've flown over a dozen times and have never been on a flight that was as on time as they were the whole trip. I am definitely not a big fan of flying, mostly because I get motion sick. I've used my fair share of those little white bags in the seat pouches. :) There's one other thing about flying that boggles my mind. It is the fact that that many people and all their stuff can get onto a whole bunch of metal and it flys through the air at hundreds of miles an hour. It just doesn't make sense. Luckily, on the flight to Texas I had Laura Lever sitting beside me and she distracted me. You know Laura, she can talk to you about anything and everything! I really missed having her to talk to on the way home (she stayed longer to visit Brian and Lindsey) :)

This is our group from Greenville: (from left to right) Nick and Heather, Beaty and Carrie, Alan and Melissa, Blake and I, Kristen R., and Laura

Blake and I at Cantina Lorado in downtown Austin.

For our "date night" in Texas we went with a group to Cantina Lorado. It was a nice evening so we sat on the patio. I wish we could have walked around more downtown but I was super tired after dinner! I think it was like 10pm, I know, super late. I don't know if it was the time change or simply recovering from caring for a toddler but I was zonked at like 9:30 or 10 every night!

Wednesday evening after dinner we went to The Domain to walk around. It's a really nice area with lots of shops and restaurants. While walking around we found one of my favorite stores, Zara, so I finished off my birthday money there. That night we also found a place called Orange Cup, a very delicious frozen yogurt place. They only serve four flavors with a choice of different fruits or cereals. My favorite was the regular and acai berry. There was a pale green one called Glo that tasted a bit like face wash. I think that's just because I saw that "aloe" was one of the ingredients. That pretty much ruined that flavor for me. :)

Mmmmmm. . . . . . . .

This is the group from North Carolina. This is an awesome group of people!!! So blessed we got to hang out with them.

Saturday morning we hitched a ride with Nick and Heather, at 5am, in the swagger wagon to the airport. We had one stop in Nashville, TN and got back to RDU at 4. Then we headed to TD and Ally's house to pick up little man. He wasn't as excited as I'd hoped he be but that's okay! :) He babbled at us when he saw us and then ran over to Bella's swing set. ha ha When we left his sight he did wig out a little bit so that was reassuring that he really did miss us and liked that we were back. ;) He seemed so grown up! I think it's from hanging out with his older cousin all week!

Isaac driving while on the phone. . .think he's seen that before!? You like how he talks on the phone? He holds it on the back of his neck and talks! Like I said, He thinks he's grown!

We had a great time and the trip was a success. We learned a lot and got home safe!

Summer Reading List

2010-05-13T22:53:00.003-04:00

So, the other day I was thinking about the hundreds of books I would love to read! I know I waste too much time watching TV sometimes when I could be more productive by reading instead. I thought, "I need to make a goal for myself". So I thought I would post the books that I'm going to read this summer. Feel free to join me, or if you've already read a particular book feel free to tell me what you thought of it!

So here's the list:

The New Strong-Willed Child by Dr. Dobson

(my goal is to finish this by the end of May) ;)

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Enjoying Where You Are On the Way to Where You Are Going by Joyce Meyer

A marriage book, haven't decided on yet :)

A book on public speaking, also haven't decided on yet :)

and for fun Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

So far this book is really good! I love historical fiction and the other books I've read by Francine Rivers are great. She really gives a depth to her characters. Her 'Mark of the Lion' series was really good. I read that last summer and it really helped me see what it was like to live in biblical times. So if you're into that kind of stuff I would definitely recommend it! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T22:28:00.005-04:00

Suuuper Excited about my new kitchen gadget!

Happy Mothers Day to all you mommas out there! A couple of weeks ago my Boo asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him a new hand mixer. I had had ours for almost 4 years and the metal exterior of the beaters was chipping off. Metal chips are not something desirable in baked goods! So, instead of the hand mixer he surprised me with the idea of a kitchen aid mixer (I had been wanting one for a couple of years)! So, for my birthday/Mother's Day/Anniversary gift I got the mac daddy mixer so I can be "straight owning bake sales with my cupcake skills!" ;)

After church today we went to Rocky Mount to have mother's day with Blake's family. We had a great time! Lots of yummy food from Papa D's garden and of course great company. Isaac loooves wandering around out on the lawn.

Suuuper thankful for my gift from God, Isaac!

Suuuuper fun day at the Dameron Plantation. Isaac eating strawberries with Uncle MD while we played cornhole.

Date Night

2010-05-06T23:01:00.005-04:00

No, not the movie. We went and saw that last week. This week for our date night we decided we wouldn't do a movie so that we could spend more time talking. We went to A'tavola for dinner and then went over to Barnes and Noble to look around and talk.

We went to the cafe area and decided to play a game where we would ask "what if" kind of questions. I went first, "If you couldn't do campus ministry what else would you like to do for a job?" After a laborious few minutes of waiting, and waiting, and waiting longer my husband finally responds. At first he says "could I be a college professor who happens to do campus ministry on the side?"

I said 'no'.

So then, as he puts his hand up to his face he says " well, I don't know . . . that would require me to completely restructure my values of why I do what I do. . ."

I responded "You suck at this game." :)

The next question was from Blake. He asked me if I could go anywhere in the world for a week and had to leave tomorrow where would I go?

I thought about two seconds and responded "Greece"

When I said that he made a comment about Greece being a peninsula or something like that and I laughed at him and told him it was a group of islands. Yeah, that's right, a group of islands. I had myself convinced. This of course turned into a bet and in true Dameron fashion my husband got up from our table to go find information to prove his point.

I'm thinking he will return with a book about Greece since we are in a book store, but no, he comes around the corner into the cafe with none other than a globe! ha ha

And as it turns out Blake was right. Greece is connected to land mass. Dang it, my education failed me again ;) Looks like I will be studying up on my geography! We had a lot of laughs and a great night!

On a side note, while we were at Barnes and Noble I got a book from an author my mom had been telling me about. I'm pretty excited about it.

You may have heard about this book, I know I've seen it around but I never picked it up until tonight. The hard thing about reading books like this is it takes us out of our 'land of ignorance'. In the book Michael Pollan talks about how we as a nation don't really eat products of nature, but products of food science. This author also appears in the documentary Food Inc.

Which I really want to see, but I am kind of nervous because I'm not sure if it will freak me out! :) I am building myself up for this ;) Have any of you seen it? Any thoughts?

Birthday and Strawberries Galore

2010-05-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

My Strawberry Birthday Tart made by my mom! (She's where I get my baking skills from)

It's been a while since I've been on here because we have been crazy busy! The end of the semester is winding down and we just celebrated my 28th birthday on April 28th. I had lots of fun with family and friends.

This past weekend we went to my parents house in Stella for a couple days to celebrate. Usually I would love to have anything with chocolate but for the past few weeks I've had really bad acid reflux (yay) so I was trying to stay away from it. So my awesome mom accommodated my wishes for 'no chocolate' this year and made a strawberry tart. Luckily my birthday is always around the time the strawberries come in!

My parents also have an above ground pool in their backyard that they opened recently so we played out there. Isaac had a great time playing on the side of the pool, seeing as it was still a little chilly. He would splash around from the side of the pool, but he was less than thrilled when we tried to put him in his floating crab. My mom has "Maine" blood so she was the first brave one in. :)

On Saturday before Blake and I left to come back to Greenville my mom took me to Becky's Berries in Stella to get a flat to bring home. This is some of what was left after I made some Strawberry frozen yogurt.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/strawberry_frozen_yogurt/

This recipe was soooo good and super easy!

Isaac approved if the frozen yogurt, I think he's eaten his weight in strawberries this past week!

Isaac on his sweet ride in Memere and Pepere's driveway

Isaac on the road. . .I think we had a break down in communication which ended with a fit and laying down in the road crying. It was all quite dramatic (I'm not sure where he gets that from, must be his dad's side) ;) *Also, no Isaac's were harmed or endangered in the taking of this picture.

I sure love baking!

2010-04-17T22:47:00.000-04:00

If you know me at all then you know I love to bake. And if you talk to my husband he will tell you that I just can't seem to do anything simple. The first time he told me that I thought I might hit him. And then I thought to myself, "you know what, that's okay". I can adapt to doing things simple but if I enjoy what I'm doing that's all that really matters. (Though he does have a point, sometimes it's hard for me to come up with a dinner on the turn of a dime) :)

Anyway, over the past couple weeks I have made a few goodies that were very goody! I thought I would share the websites with you. They are actually from the same site, and they do not disappoint, I will be browsing some more if this girls recipes.

The first thing was Strawberry Lemonade Bars. I made these for Easter and they turned out great. Very refreshing in warm weather, though I wouldn't leave them outside long, they will probably melt.http://bakingbites.com/2008/06/strawberry-lemonade-bars/ Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of them cut up, but they would be great for a bridal or baby shower!

The second thing was home made Girl Scout caramel delights. Oh my, they are soooo good! They are definitely time intensive, but so worth it. My hubby said they were the best cookies I've ever made, and this chick has made a lot of cookies! :)http://bakingbites.com/2008/01/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas/

And lastly on a separate note, Vanderbilt is glad Easter is over so he can stop wearing bunny ears. :)

Isaac's 18 month pictures

2010-04-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

We had Isaac's 18 month pictures done a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share some of our favorites. It's so hard to choose because Ginny does such a great job! If you need a photographer check out her website!www.ginnycorbettphotography.com

Training Day

2010-03-30T21:42:00.000-04:00

Since Easter is this weekend I thought it would be fun for Isaac and I to do some Easter activities this week. We started off the afternoon with a practice Easter egg hunt. That's right, practice. We've got a big hunt coming up this weekend at Boyd Lee and we've gotta be ready. Blake and I are thinking maybe two-a-days until Saturday. What do you think? ;)

Just kidding, honestly I wondered if Isaac would even know what to do with an egg and a basket. Surprisingly he did! I told him to put the egg in the basket and he did it over and over. I was shocked, I thought for sure he would get distracted.

So, the egg hunt ended up being a success with Isaac. After that I thought, "Hey, let's dye some eggs!" I know what you're thinking. 'Isaac is 18 months, she can't possibly be serious?!'

Well I wasn't completely naive. I knew I would have to do the dying but I thought maybe he would like to watch. Hahaha, yeah right. He didn't want to watch. It turned into a crying fit because he wanted to touch everything. So, I held him and we did the eggs together. After that they had to dry and it was time for Isaac's nap. Later that evening while we were waiting for dinner to finish cooking I thought Isaac and I could "decorate" the eggs.

I'm not exactly sure what planet I was on when I thought this was a good idea. So, we "decorate" the eggs and it ended in an all out egg-splotion! :) After I got over the "hey, that's not how you do that" I was okay. I saw that he preferred to crush the eggs than to decorate them and if he's happy then I'm happy! Crush on Isaac, crush on.

"Mom seriously? What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Okay, so let me get this straight. I'm not supposed to eat them. . ."

"How bout this, I'll just slam my fists down on them and then poke at the remains?" :)

Campus Harvest: One God, All Nations

2010-03-29T21:59:00.000-04:00

We just got back from an awesome weekend at our annual college conference, Campus Harvest. The theme this year was One God, All Nations. It was awesome!

Even though we stayed up past one a.m. for almost 3 nights in a row I am pretty energized. It actually kind of felt like a break because Isaac went to visit his grandparents for the weekend. ;) We hadn't been away from Isaac since the fall retreat in september!

The weekend was great. We saw students give theirs lives to Christ, 117 got baptized in water and some responded to a call for ministry (giving a couple years or more to ministry in a full time capacity).

The speakers this year were great as well. As always, I really enjoyed hearing from Lynette Lewis. She spoke on a message she titled "Our Story, His Glory". She shared personal experiences and said sometimes there are 'chapters' in our lives that we wouldn't have chosen, but in that we need to give God glory, and even let his Glory be seen through our story. She also said we need to change our perspective sometimes and span out. Occationally we can get to a point that we look at our lives through a microscope and that doesn't give us an accurate picture of what's happening. Oh my, it was so good. If they put it on podcast I'll put a link on here later. It's definately worth hearing straight from her.

The following is a video I took with my camera during worship Saturday night, pardon the sound quality ;)

Worship was awesome. The speakers were awesome. And the fellowship was definately awesome. I enjoyed hanging out with peeps kid free! I'm so thankful for all that God did in our students lives this weekend!

Blake and me Saturday morning.

When we picked up Isaac he wanted to go next door to the Belton's to visit the horses before we came back to Greenville! That boy loves him an animal!

God don't go to pity parties!

2010-03-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read it correctly. "God don't go to pity parties". I thought this to myself as the day progressed.

You see, it has been a relatively busy week gearing up for our annual college conference, Campus Harvest. I'm thinking logistics, trying to get laundry done, pack the house for Isaac and leaving our house in some state of insanity. . . oops I mean sanity.

Also, I really wanted to go to our weekly campus meeting that was tonight to hear Rice Broocks! This was huge that he came to ECU! But, unfortunately there was not a babysitter to be had. I don't blame them, I would totally want to go to. :) My point. . . I wanted to go but couldn't. I guess on the bright side I will get to hear him speak this weekend.

So with that already on my mind I woke up this morning and took Isaac to the doctor. I thought he had allergies because of his runny nose and watery eyes last week but just wanted to get him checked before we left town. So, we go and I find out the poor little guy has his first ear infection and wheezing! I'm am so thankful we caught it when we did because he doesn't seem that bothered by either thing. Today was my first experience with the nebulizer (breathing machine). They should just call it the "Mommy torture machine". Seriously, they had me hold down my 18 month old for FIVE minutes with a mask on his face while he screamed and kicked the whole time. I'm sure people could hear him in the next county. I was most definitely on the verge of tears at the end of that one. So, all that to say we have a lovely little antibiotic and breathing treatment for home. They were nice enough to "give" me the treatment stuff at the office. I'm sure they will be greatly compensated on our next bill. ;)

By mid morning I was in an all out mental pity party. Since I have a child and that does not allow me the luxury of an actual pity party. An actual pity party would consist of a nap, maybe a movie, and definitely some chocolate.

Thankfully, Hannah and I had already scheduled a time to get together with Isaac and Eisley today so that saved me! ha ha :) I had a great time hanging out with them and I think Isaac enjoyed himself very much too!

By lunch I was feeling much better and reminded myself of something Mrs. Irene said at our Lifegroup, "God don't go to pity parties. The only ones there are you and the devil". It's so true. I needed that!

Isaac after his breathing treatment.

Isaac after our trip to the pharmacy. The nice lady gave him a "get well" bear.

Lately I've felt a little like Alice. . .

2010-03-21T21:38:00.000-04:00

As of late I have had about a billion thoughts rolling through my head! So I wanted to attempt to share some of them. This may get a little lengthy, so if you're short on time you may want to come back later ;)

Last weekend, Blake and I were blessed by his parents to take a date night to Raleigh for the evening. We ended up seeing Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX and then going to dinner afterwards. As I was watching the movie (especially the end) I thought "Man, that's a good analogy for life".

If you haven't seen the movie yet, I will attempt to explain the scene I am refering to but it is definately better when you see it.

On a side note before I get into that let me just preface this with saying this past 6 months has been the hardest 6 months of my life. It all started October 1st with our second pregnancy, that started off shaky and ended at 10 weeks with a trip to the ER and 2 blood transfusions. A week later our Sequoia got totalled with Blake and Isaac in it. That same week we found out something was wrong with Isaac's eye and he might need surgery. Fast foward a couple months, I'm thinking the worst has to be behind us and then Blake ends up going to the ER with a kidney stone. The man has never been to the ER before this! Then two weeks later, and two weeks before Isaac's eye surgery I break out in hives all over my body. I seriously thought I was having an allergic reaction. I couldn't breath well, I was shaking uncontrollably and thought I was gonna pass out. It was scary. Blake took me to an urgency care place that closed as soon as we got to the door, so that left the ER . . again. So, this time we decided to stay in the car and pray because of the last bill we had recieved :)

Anyway, we ended up going home and I went to the doctor that week and they did a bunch of blood tests. They named off a whole bunch of things it "could be" that were scary and I didn't want. That appointment ended in me going to a thyroid specialist which ended with all my results being normal. Praise God! But you know what I did find out? I had a serious case of panic and anxiety.

I think that my body had just been through so much it finally just shut down and said "I can't take it anymore!!". If someone had told me all the stuff that I felt that week that I had the hives I would have believed them but I'm not sure how much I would have understood. Anxeity is a very real thing and it can do crazy things to your body. I am for sure that part of it was spiritual warfare and man was it intense. I remember the day after the episode I went to church and half way through worship I thought I was going to pass out and my chest felt really tight like it was being squeezed. My friend Kasey got Mrs. Irene over there to pray for me and as soon as she put her hands on me whatever was holding my chest let go. (The devil doesn't like Mrs. Irene, I think he is scared of her, as he should be) :)

So, here I am a month later and doing much better. It has been a day by day fight, but thanks be to God who always leads me to triumph in Christ! As I said earlier, it has been a rough six months and there have been plenty of tears but one thing that has been certain, God has been there. I can't imagine having walked through all of this without Jesus. He is the reason I made it through. The awesome part about it, is that through it I could hear God like never before. His Word became alive. I felt alive every time I opened my Bible and read His promises. One of my favorites was Psalm 138:3 "On the day I called, You answered me; you made me bold with strength in my soul"

Okay, back to Alice in Wonderland. All through the movie the Caterpillar kept telling Alice she wasn't the "right" Alice. And she would say "But it's my dream, how can I not be the right Alice?!" And he would say "Well, I don't know but you're not her".

Then all the characters kept telling Alice that according to the scroll she was supposed to fight the Red Queens Jabberwocky (this horribly ugly dragon). The Mad Hatter said it was up to her, she was the only one that could do it.

That was so relevant to me in this season with battling anxiety. I'm the only one that can fight this battle. Obviously I know Jesus and I do it, but I mean Blake can't do it for me. My mom can't do it for me. My friends can't do it for me. I have to learn to battle. I have to learn the schemes that the devil uses. Anxiety is my battle, but it could be anything for other people; alcohol, drugs, lust, cheating, pride. We all have our battles.

Then at the end of the movie the Red Queen and the White Queen come with their champions to fight. Alice vs. the Jabberwocky. Before the battle the Caterpillar tells Alice that she is now the right Alice. The journey has made her who she was supposed to be.

So, Alice and the Jabberwocky fight. At one point Alice takes her sword out and cuts the Jabberwocky's tongue off! Yuck, but yeah! That's what we have to do with the devil. Cut his tongue off. He is the father of lies, and we don't need to listen to his ridiculous accusations. And, of course in the end, Alice kills the Jabberwocky and the Red Queen is exiled.

It all ends as it should. I know the end of my story too. Devil you will not win. Jesus wins and He will bring to completion the plans He has for my life and yours.

I thank God that He has never left me in this season. During the roughest times I would have to make a choice minute by minute, then hour by hour and day by day to trust Jesus. And He has been faithful.

One last verse I will leave with you is 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ."

My hope in writing this is that it would be an encouragement and comfort to others. Even when life doesn't go as you planned it, God is there and He cares for you. The end will be greater than the beginning!

*picture from LA Times article :)

Mom to Mom: From My Kitchen to Yours

2010-03-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

My friend Jessica is hosting a blog carnival for moms to share food ideas for little kiddos and I've decided to join in on the fun! I sure could use some more creativity in our snack department!

As a family we do try to eat pretty healthy, but we are sure not above eatting out or having wonderful homemade desserts. That being said, I usually make Isaac eat more healthy than Blake and I. :)

When Isaac was just starting to eat solids I did a lot of mashed avacado and purees that I would freeze. That was easy and more economical for us, plus I felt good about what we were feeding our child. I hope to do this with our future kids but you throw a couple of more kids in the mix who knows what I'll do! So just know, if you don't make your own food, I won't "judge" you ;)

My two favorite cook books for kids food right now are Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and So Easy by Ellie Krieger (which is not for kids, but is healthy and Isaac loves a lot of stuff in there)

This is what we typically eat:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal mostly because that's what fills Isaac the best. I used to do oatmeal, apple juice, and prunes mixed together and microwaved but lately I've been using a recipe from Ellie Krieger's book.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/vanilla-spice-oatmeal-recipe/index.html This is Isaac's FAVORITE breakfast right now, the boy downs it!
Sometimes I make bran muffins with dates, or pancakes. Usually we try to make breakfast pretty heavy.

Lunch: Leftovers from dinner the night before, or a sandwich (peanut butter and jelly or honey, grilled cheese, or tuna sandwich) Usually we also have some kind of fruit (usually banana, apple, or clementine) I can't wait for summer fruit!!!! That will be a nice change. And if Isaac happens to see my baked potato chips I will give him some of those too.

Dinner: That could be a million different things, but I'll just list our latest ruts.
Lemon pepper chicken, cooked carrots and cabbage (without water), and a starch (rice or potato).
Italian (spaghetti and salad, chicken Parmesan, manacotti and salad)
For Isaac, the mac and cheese from Deceptively Delicious is his favorite.http://www.oprah.com/food/Macaroni-and-Cheese-1-with-Butternut-Squash-or-Cauliflower We usually pair that with some frozen sweet peas. That recipe also freezes well if you make it one night for the kids and then put it in snack baggies for a single portion.

Snacks: We are definitely in a rut on this one! Goldfish, goldfish, goldfish!!! And toasted wheat chexs (generic kind) :), I've tried raisins, but they usually end up ALL over the house instead of Isaac's mouth. When we have the opportunity to be home during snack time I'll put him in his high chair and give him Yo-Baby yogurt or apple sauce. Also, I did find another good recipe this week in the Ellie Krieger book called Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/walnut-and-dried-cherry-bars-recipe/index.html In this recipe you could sub the dried cherries with cranberries to curb the expense, and for the preserves I just used what we had on hand (raspberry preserves).
Lastly, at night before Isaac goes to bed we give him a bottle of organic Vitamin D milk. I know, I know, he probably should be done with the bottle by now, but we all choose our battles. Hey, I said earlier I didn't judge you! ;)

That's pretty much what we eat on a daily basis. Hope some of the recipes help. I can't wait to get more ideas from other moms!

Chocolate Coffee Cookie Sandwiches

2010-03-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

I have many loves, and one of them is definately baking. The night before Isaac's surgery I made these, Chocolate Coffee Cookie Sandwiches, and they were delish! However, I am not used to caffine anymore so I did get a little jittery after one of these and my "nerves" about the surgery! ha ha (Just a warning incase you are not big on caffine!)

Anyway, I thought I would share the recipe with you. It is from the Land O Lakes website. They have great recipes for cookies!

http://www.landolakes.com/mealideas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=13846

Also, the cookies are really good without the filling ingredients if you don't feel like doing that part. ;)

Bon Appetit!

One Relieved Mommy!

2010-03-05T11:17:00.000-05:00

I wanted to first start by thanking everyone for your prayers for Isaac and our family. It has been a stressful few months, but by the grace of God we are making it through!

Isaac had his surgery this morning at 7:15 am and he did a great job. We had to get up at 5:30 to be there an hour early to get Isaac prepped for surgery. We went to the Surgi-center here in Greenville and our doctor came from Raleigh.

I was super impressed with that place. You can tell that they work a lot with children. There were a ton of play areas and it was super clean. They even had little red wagons to take the kids back to surgery. (However, there was NO way Isaac was getting in one of those this morning, all he wanted was daddy!)

One of the most heart breaking moments was when the nurse had to take him back to the room and he was crying. I thought to myself "Why don't you just rip my heart out!" :) That was tough but I knew it wouldn't be long before he got the anesthesia and was relaxed.

Soooo, all that said, Isaac did wonderful! His eyes are red in the corners but the doctor said the surgery went perfect. The surgery only lasted a little over an hour. ( It absolutely amazes me that they can do that kind of stuff to your eye ball!? crazy) Then we had to stick around for an hour while Isaac came off the medication. That was a little sad too because he was a little disoriented and of course we can't explain what is happening to him. So we just had to let him cry for a while til he got sleepy. While this is happening there are 3 other toddlers "recovering" in curtain stalls ALL crying. Talk about stressful, I don't know how those nurses do it! :)

Here are some pics from our morning:

Isaac with Daddy before they took him back.

Isaac getting amped on Daddy's coffee. . .just kidding!

Isaac recovering.

Our brave little man finally fell asleep.

Isaac's Eye Update

2010-02-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

"Now where did I put my glasses?!" "Maybe moms purse. . . "

Some of you have been asking about how things with Isaac's eyes are going so I thought I would update everyone!

We went to the doctor last Wednesday and it seems that his condition has improved a little but they still want to do surgery. Just to give you some back information, they diagnosed Isaac with Strabismus, which is from my understanding a fancy medical work for lazy eye. (Side note, I may say "lazy eye" because I am the mommy, but if anyone else calls it a lazy eye I might open hand slap you to the mouth) just kidding. . . anyhow, they also said he is a little far sighted in one of his eyes, hence the need for glasses.

Anyway, the doctor wants to do surgery to adjust the muscles in the side of the eye to make his left eye look straight (tighten one muscle and loosen the other). The surgery only lasts an hour with one hour of recovery following.

I am thankful that they can provide this surgery but not super happy about my little man having to go under anesthesia for this procedure. Also, Blake will be in Virginia Beach for graduate school work the day Isaac's surgery is scheduled, March 5th. But, thankfully my mom will be coming up the day before to help me with all that! Thanks mom! :)

So, my last thoughts on this are:

1. God can still heal him, we are still praying for a miracle

and

2. I am thankful that in this day and age they can perform these surgeries at a young age and fix the problem if it comes to that.

Snow Day # 2!

2010-02-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

Well it snowed again! I believe we got just under 6 inches last night. This snow was much more fun than the last because we could make a snowman! Lee and Kasey came over and joined in on the fun. Here are some pics:

Our HUGE snowman

My Snowbaby!

Isaac and Kay. Isaac said "Kay, I'm not sure about this" :)
Lee and Blake putting the final touch on the snowman

Sideburns

2010-02-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

We started off with a bit of a rough morning, but on the bright side Isaac has sideburns.

Expiration Date

2010-02-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

This might be a somewhat random entry but here we go.

Just a moment ago I put down my tired little man in hopes that he will take at least a 3 hour nap(please Lord, pleeeeaaaassse)and then wandered into the kitchen to finally make lunch for myself. It is almost 2 o'clock.

So, I decided to kick it old school and make english muffin pizzas because it is somewhat low maintenance. As I was getting the cheese out I checked the expiration date and it said 1/22/10. And I thought "No way", chunked it in the trash and got out a fresh bag.

Then it hit me. I bet you can tell a lot about people in how they respond to expiration dates. For some such as myself it is a hard rule. If it's past the date you can bet I won't be using it. My husband on the other hand, will cut mold off of cheese and still use it. ughhhh

Side note. This reminds me of a story from a few months ago to further support my point. We had a bunch of people over for dinner one night in the fall and Blake made his famous bar-b-que chicken. Well we had a bunch left over and put it in the fridge. NINE days later my hubby decides to make dinner with "left overs". What does he make? Chicken Tacos. Technically Bar-b-que Chicken Tacos. My judgement was surely impaired. I was in a moment of weakness. . . ecstatic that I didn't have to cook dinner. That dinner probably cost us $10 in toilet paper when it was all said and done. And since then I don't do "left overs" revamped by my dear hubby.

So anyway, as I thought more about expiration dates I realized that I am not a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl. I'm pretty cautious and not much of a risk taker. I've become better over the years but I'm not there yet. With expiration dates I think to myself "That's there for a reason, and I'm not gonna make myself sick for nothing". My hubby is more "relaxed" about that stuff, though "relaxed" may not be the word I would choose. Maybe. . . stubborn. Who said that? :)

Anyway, what do you think about expiration dates? Are you a straight laced kinda person or do you think of them more as a guideline?

Snow Day!

2010-01-30T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I have to admit I was a bit pessimistic about getting snow. When I heard the forecast I thought "Sure, I'm not getting my hopes up". Oh ye of little faith! :)

Isaac was super snuggly this morning, so we stayed in our PJs and waited until after lunch to go out in the snow. We had a great time though I have to admit I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold weather. After 20 minutes my hands got so cold (through gloves) that I thought I was going to throw up. Yep, major wimp.

It's been a fun, lazy day. Here are some Pics:

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Taking it all in!

Mommy and Isaac before I wimped out :)

Daddy and Mr. Independent. No outing would be complete without at least one melt-down ;)

Best Buddies!

Now onto a cup of Irish Breakfast tea and Little Women! Its a great day off!

The Balloon

2010-01-27T11:48:00.000-05:00

As is the case with most toddlers Isaac is not so much a fan of his toys. Sure, he'll play with them, but give him somethings he's "not supposed to have" and he's a happy camper. For example he loves to steal my hairbrush and basically anything from our bathroom cabinets. Give Isaac 10 seconds in the bathroom and he will have a roll of toilet paper all the way undone and on the floor.

On sunday at church they had a bunch of balloons around for our "life group sunday fair". As soon as we walked into church that was the first thing Isaac saw. He was pointing and signing "please, please, please", which basically looks like him rubbing his chest off. He was super excited.
After church Blake got a balloon for him and since then Isaac and the balloon are practically inseperable. I don't know what kind of helium is in this thing but it's still floating and it's been 4 days! It will be a sad day for Isaac when his balloon is gone :)

Isaac trying to get the balloon (Sunday evening)

Also on Sunday. I do realize it looks he is grabbing his crotch, and he may be, that is a recent phenomenon. Boys will be boys!:)

Monday night, helping daddy feed Vanderbilt
My happy camper eatting pancakes Wednesday morning.

Skating on Saturday

2010-01-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to post these pictures from Saturday that night, but due to all the excitement I was not able to. :)

My parents came up for the day and my mom had the idea to go ice skating. There's not much to do in Greenville, so I thought that would be fun! Unfortunately, when we got there we found out that Isaac was too young to get on the ice. It made complete sense, I don't know why we didn't think of that before hand! ha ha

That actually didn't hurt my stepdad's feelings because he didn't really want to get on the ice either. He volunteered to hold Isaac so my mom, Blake and I could skate. It was cold and lots of fun! Blake and I raced, and I will have to give myself props that I won. I can say that because Blake doesn't actually read my blog ;) I think as I recall that event it was more than a win, I dusted him.

Isaac with mom and dad. Isn't his hat adorable!? His Aunt Ally made it for Christmas!

My mom and I feeling out the ice :)

Isaac and Pepere watching

Blake and I before I dusted him

This by far is my favorite picture from that day! Isaac after he found out he couldn't skate. Just kidding.

When it rains it pours. . .

2010-01-24T15:14:00.000-05:00

Boy that expression has never been so real to me than as of late.

I have had and have such high expectations of 2010. One goal of mine this year is to not spend any more time in the Emergency Room.

Yep, that's right the ER. As many of you know I spent one aweful night there this past November after we miscarried. I was taken by ambulance from my mom and stepdad's house to the hospital because the bleeding just wouldn't stop. That was the most scary moment of my life thus far. Then, a week later our vehicle gets totaled with Blake and Isaac in it. And that same week we find out from an eye specialist that Isaac has something called Strabismus and may need surgery. "Oh, my" I think to myself.

So, 2010 rolls around and I am praying and believing for a "new" start on things. That we would close a chapter and move foward in our lives. And some of that we have done, but it's just not as closed as I would like it to be. ;)

We paid all our medical bills at the end of the year and thought "this is great to have taken care of!" Then as life would have its way we find out that the hospital in Morehead took down my wrong address and we had outstanding bills with other physicians that had treated me that night in the ER. Grrrrrr! Are you serious!?

So, what happens next?
Last night Blake started having intense pain in his lower back and stomach and I had to take him to the ER. Thank God for great friends to call on a dime. Laura and Stephanie came over to stay with Isaac so we didn't have to lug him with us. This was at 9pm on a Saturday night.

I'm noticing a trend with Saturdays. Everyone of our crazy events has happened on a Saturday night, and with the exception of the miscarriage we still made it to church on Sunday.
Why do you ask?
Because I'm not going to give the devil the satisfaction of thinking we're to tired to praise God. Like Job we won't curse God so he might as well give up.

Anyway, back to Blake. We got to the ER and long story short they think he passed a kidney stone and had a UTI. Praise God the pain subsided after a couple of hours and he didn't need surgery or anything like that.

God's grace was on the whole thing but it started out a little rocky for me. When we first got to the back room to see the doctor I was left there for a few minutes while Blake went to the restroom. While I was sitting there it was almost like a tidal wave of emotion hit me. All the feelings and emotions I had from the night of the miscarriage came back. I started tearing up and all I could think was " I need to pull myself together!" Even now when I see or hear and ambulance I get a little choked up. I feel like I have come to peace with everything but that just brought it all to the surface again. I just can't do hospitals for a while longer I think :)

On a lighter note after Blake's pain eased off a little bit we were able to start joking around a bit.
We talked about how nice it was to have this "quality time" together. We started a guessing game of how much we thought things would cost based off of my previous bill. I told him his IV of saline was probably about $134 and he needed to slow down on that drip. :)
Comic relief is my medicine.

I think both of us at some point last night did start to get a littl anxious about the financial end of things, but by the end we were both okay. Around midnight when Blake was taken to get his CAT scan I was left by myself again. I was like "What do I do with myself now? No TV, no cell phone reception, no battery on my cell phone for games, well, I guess I'm not really alone, God you're here right? " And so I just started to think about Jesus and different scriptures I had read lately. Then I started reciting the Lords prayer in my head over and over. And I got stuck on that part about "give us this day our daily bread". And that brought me peace.

Jesus knows what we need and when we need it. Our bills will get paid, maybe not in our timing, but in His. I realized I had a choice in that moment and in the days and weeks to come. I could get bogged down with finances or I could CHOOSE to praise God. And so praise God I will.

Sometimes you have to tell your emotions what to do.
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."
Psalm 42:5

Would God wear New Balances?

2010-01-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

It is really neat when your kids can start teaching you about life. It just seems that after we had Isaac my view on life has changed dramatically. Of course, I did find out that selfishness would soon be flying out the window when this young one demanded my whole life. :)

Anyhow, this past week Isaac and I were playing, and like I said in an earlier post, Isaac loves shoes. So, he thought it would be fun to put on daddy's shoes and try to walk around. Well, when he was just standing there of course he had no problems, but as soon as he tried to walk he would trip and fall; he was getting quit frustrated.

Then the light bulb came on! I thought that's what I do to God sometimes! If things aren't working out how I think they should I step into "God's shoes". I'm not saying I do it consciously but in my actions I will try to orchestrate things. And then I get super frustrated when I want things to work out "my way" and they don't.

It was a great picture for me. Those shoes were way to big on Isaac, just as God's shoes are much to big for me. I must submit my needs, wants, and desires to Jesus. I need to let God be God and Michelle needs to trust and be obedient.

Thank you Jesus for teaching me yet another life lesson through a toddler. Help me to stay out of your shoes and submit to you! :)

Thought for the Day

2010-01-17T18:15:00.000-05:00

Fasting + Fresh Market = 1 Million Dollars (said in best Dr. Evil voice)

Renegade Toddler

2010-01-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

Check out the shoes!

Ahhh yes, I have one of those. Let me start by saying I looooove my little man. He can be the sweetest most precious guy. . .especially when those eyes are closed.

However, since he has started walking, about 3 months ago I have been the most tired mommy. I started reading Toddlerwise about a week ago, and like usual realized I shoulda started this book months ago.

Some of you may have seen this on my facebook status, but I'll say it again, I love this quote from the book.

"Ah, yes, the mobile toddler. There is no question that a toddler's mom is a tired mom, and for good reason. The emotional and physical energy needed to supervise an energy-packed tot can take down the most physically fit mom. If your toddler happens to be a boy, add fifty perecent more energy."

I just can't tell you how much peace that gives me! For the longest time I just thought I was weak sauce! ha ha I used to fall into bed at night and wonder how other moms did it. . . and I only have one! But as life goes, I am adapting to it and I will make it. If you ever see me in public and I have a dazed and confused look on my face just remember its cause I have a toddler :)

I would like to close my post today with some pics of my awesome little man. He does make me laugh. He's been into shoes and hats lately. . . and eye patchs, but that's a different story for another time!

Loves his Sheriff hat!

Let's close the door on mommy, that's funny! :)

Isaac climbs up there before bedtime to "dance" to Veggie Tales. Toddlerwise and both Grandmas are freaking out right about now! :)

Snack before nap time! Oh nap time how I love thee!

"I can blog. I have thoughts."

2010-01-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

So here I go. I am gonna try blogging. I had been thinking about doing my own for a while and then as the old adage goes, everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?

I was even more motivated recently when I watched Julie and Julia. I love the scene where Julie and her husband are talking about a co-worker as she's cooking and then comes out of the kitchen with a butcher knife in her hand and declares "I could blog. I have thoughts." And then goes back into to the kitchen.

I thought "yeah!! Me too!" who cares of only three people ever read my blog, it will be fun. So that's where I came up with the name "Michelle has Thoughts" :)

My thoughts may be random, but hopefully they will be fun and encouraging as well. I have no expectations of what will come from this and certainly don't kid myself that it could ever be made into a movie or book! Ha

Thanks for reading!