Secret Sneaky Friend....It's Me!

This week I'm participating in a fun blog "get to know you" event that is hosted by my friend, Jill, a.k.a. "Sneaky Momma". Each week, she highlights a different blogger who answers all of the questions that have been posed by fellow bloggers. It was a lot of fun....I wonder how well you all know me.... :)

What do you want most from blogging? Lauren

I started blogging in March of 2007 with the sole purpose of capturing the quickly-changing life of my little family. I scrapbook, too, but I needed an outlet that I could actually stay "up-to-date" with and not miss all of the little things. As time went by, I found that I could connect with other women and men (well, man, really...my bud Tim Thompson over at Fort Thompson) in the same season of life as me through their blogs, which has made being a stay-at-home mom much less isolating!

You can only wear one accessory for the rest of your life...which do you choose? Whitney

Without hesitation, my wedding ring! What a precious symbol of my commitment to my husband. :)

Do you have a daily routine with your children or do you pretty much go with the flow? Alicia

Um....a little of both? I have an almost-five-year old and a 2 1/2 year old who both attend preschool 3 and 1 day a week, respectively. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you'll find me in the carpool lane at a fabulous church preschool minutes from our house. Tuesday mornings are story time at the library, and every other Thursday morning is MOPS. I guess that does sound pretty structured, but we reserve plenty of time to be spontaneous and go to the park, the Children's Museum, a friend's house, or whatever floats our boat that day.

If you were stranded on an island with your Mother in law what would you do? Robyn

Assuming we were on an island with housing and a grocery, I would have her show me the secrets to her cooking....she's the best!

What is the most unexpected thing that has happened to your blog or yourself during your time spent blogging? Vicky

Like I said earlier, I began blogging to document the life of my little family. Along the way, I have "met" some amazing people who I've grown to love. I feel like I have also deepened my relationship with the Lord through prayer for my bloggy friends and their children...what a blessing!

Are you named after anyone significant or unusual?- Deb

My middle name is Lynn, which is the name of my only aunt, my mom's sister. She is one of the most phenomenal people I know. Since I lost my dad 11 years ago and my mom to ovarian cancer 4 1/2 years ago, she has stepped in to be the rock that I need in my life. She has to be the most positive person I know and has a complete love of life, which I adore. I aspire to be like her.

Are you where you imagined you'd be in high school? If your high school self saw you today, what would she say? Deb

Honestly, my high school self had absolutely no idea where I'd be at this point in my life. I had no idea what I wanted with my life career-wise...I ended up being a first grade teacher for 5 1/2 years until I became a stay-at-home mom. I thank God for leading me down that path, because it was definitely my niche during that stage of my life, and I also have no doubt that it helped prepare me for stay-at-home momhood! I have also fallen in love with the most amazing man and been given the gift of two perfect children. I think my high school self would be pretty darn impressed with my current self!

Who has had the most influence on your life?- CC

Undoubtedly, my mom. I became a "mid-life orphan" at the age of 28 and I still miss my parents every day of my life. My mom and I were completely in sync. She "got" me. She accepted me, in spite of my faults. She guided me, nurtured me, and taught me about the Lord. And most importantly, she set the example of how to be a phenomenal mom.

Well, that, and she shared her chocolate with me. :)

How did you meet your hubby? Elaine

Devon and I attended the same small private college. He had already graduated but had come back to visit during Homecoming of my senior year. When we were introduced to each other, he told me where he was living, and it happened to be less than a mile from where my mom lived! After we started talking, I felt like I'd known him forever, and I knew he was "the one."

What is your favorite way to relax? septembermom

A hot bath, a glass of wine, and laying down in my new Sleep Number Bed!!!!

Are you a talker in the real world?- Miti

Yep! I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve and talk to anyone who'll listen! :)

What sound do you love? What sound do you hate?- Heidi

I love the sound of my mom's wind chimes....sounds like home. I also love the sound of the garage door going up around 5:45 p.m....that means my hubby's home! I pretty much can't stand the alarm clock in the morning.

You're on death row (naughty, naughty!) and you are getting ready to eat your LAST MEAL. What is it?- Heidi

Oh, wow...that's a tough one considering how much I love food. I guess it would be something from my mom's famous collection of recipes like Combination Chili or Sweet and Sour Franks.....and they would definitely have to be made by her!!!!!


How often do you get a pedicure? - Mama Sewell

NEVER!!!! Bleck! I absolutely positively cannot stand feet! And I wouldn't wish my own feet on anyone!

If your children take naps, how long do they nap for?- Mama Sewell

My oldest was notoriously the world's worst napper. The most I could EVER get out of him was an hour, but it was usually less. God sure made up for that with my second, though! Ellis naps for a minimum of two hours a day, but usually hits around three!!!! Hallelujah!!!

If you could go back in time and erase one super embarrassing moment what would it be?- Mama Sewell

That would have to been when I sneezed and tooted at the same time during a high school History class while I was sitting behind a boy who I had a crush on. Doh!

If you got to spend the day with one celebrity, who would it be? Kelsey

Michelle Duggar....I want to know how that lady does it! ha!

What is your favorite beauty product? Kelsey

Smashbox Primer!


....and there you have it! Did you learn anything about me that you didn't know before?

The Trifecta

Not the good one.

Ellis has had a fever since last Saturday, so today is day 6 of his sickness. He's also had a nasty cough and incessant runny nose. I took him to the pediatrician on Monday, and his sickness was chalked up to a viral infection at that point. They didn't test for H1N1. My job was to go home and continue to do what I was doing to care for him....alternate between Motrin and Tylenol, keep him hydrated, etc.

So a few more days have passed and he's not a lick better. I took him in today to find out he has "The Trifecta" as one of my friends called it:

An ear infection

A sinus infection

..and...

H1N1.

And this is how he feels about that:

Hang in there, baby boy.

But I Can't Hear You

A conversation between Lane and me yesterday:

I'm sitting on the sofa reading the new Family Fun magazine.

Lane: Hi Mom! What are you doing?

Me: I'm reading my new Family Fun magazine. It has a lot of great ideas for Thanksgiving decorations and activities.

Lane sits there for a minute, pondering. Then:

Lane: But I can't hear you.

Me: What do you mean?

Lane: I can't hear you reading.

Me: Oh, honey...reading doesn't always have to be done out loud. You can do it in your head, too.

Lane: OH.

:)

The Support of my Sisters

I think most people who read my blog know that my oldest brother, Jason, is a pilot in the military and is currently stationed in Iraq.

But I don't think most people who read my blog know I'm part of an organization called P.E.O. P.E.O. is an international Philanthropic Educational Organization that exclusively supports women's education through six different projects....we have loans, scholarships, grants, and even our own women's college named Cottey College. My mom was a P.E.O. for 25 years and I joined three years ago. I feel blessed to be a part of such a phenomenal organization and the bonus is that I now have a connection with many, many women who were close friends with my mom.

Anyway, my P.E.O. chapter is all about supporting our members, and I am so touched that they have wanted to take my brother under their wing and do kind things for him. A couple of months ago, they sent a GINORMOUS box of golf balls to him to hit over in the desert. And now, they've all pitched in to send him a couple of care packages chock full of all kinds of goodies. Just take a gander...

...dust masks, hand sanitizer, deoderant, wipes, gum, toothpaste, foot powder, mints, playing cards, more golf balls, Chap Stick, eye drops, and of course, M&M's! (My sister-in-law, Tiffany, says that M&M's are the soldier's favorite over there since it's one of the only forms of chocolate that can be shipped halfway around the world and not melt in transit due to the candy coating!)

Care packages mean the world to soldiers serving away from their homes. I'll be shipping these out to him tomorrow. Thank you, dear P.E.O.'s, for supporting my brother, and in turn, supporting me.

Gasp!

Lane made me literally gasp last night as I was putting him down to bed.

We were having a great conversation about what he had learned in Sunday school and talking about Baby Moses. He told me that his teacher at his preschool had told him that in her special Bible, the words that Jesus spoke are in red print, and everyone else's words are in black print. I told him that was right and that it was the same case for my Bible. We talked about how God wants us to share our knowledge about him and Jesus with others, how we can pray anywhere and anytime we want to (to which he reminded me that we can even pray when we're driving, but we have to do it with our eyes open so we don't bump into anyone else), and how we should always strive to have a close relationship with God. Oh, I was just feeling so great about our conversation.

Then he said, "Mom? I think we should sell my Bible in a garage sale."

{insert my gasp}

"Really? Why do you think that, Lane?"

"Because that way other people can learn about God, too."

Be still my heart.

Thank you, God, for my precious little boy. What a treasure.

Now....if we could just work on smiling without looking like we're in pain. I think I could do an entire post filled with these kinds of smiles. :)

A Piece of Advice

When you volunteer to make homemade Play-Dough for your child's preschool class and they give you the recipe, follow it to a "T."

Because when it calls for "cream of tartar" as one of the ingredients, it does NOT mean "tartar sauce."

There really is such a thing called "cream of tartar." And it's not a condiment to be used with fish.

Busy Being Cute

...just some pics of my adorable boys. Have I mentioned how much I thank God for them? I told Lane that Daddy is at church tonight serving dinner to people who don't have enough money for it, and he said he could give them the money from his piggy bank. What a boy.

And Ellis? He gives me kisses on my nose about 78 times a day simply because he knows it makes my heart smile. He is constantly full of smiles and giggles and has such a loving heart.

Life is good. :)

Lane gazes at all the apple trees in the orchard...those eyes just melt me.

Lane has started playing soccer and loves every second of it. Anything with a ball is right up his alley. :)

A little brotherly love before heading off to their first day of school


His smile is a ray of sunshine...if only Nona and Grandpa Derrell were here to see it...I tell him all the time they would just gobble him up.

Hi, El. I love you, buddy.

Lane...looking far too old and growing too fast.

Looking cool, Ellis

Pouty-face (my guess is that we told him that he couldn't chase the ice cream man down)

Nice cucumber, El.

Lane must love to ponder life, because I catch him with this expression a LOT.

Yum-O. That's what I think about my boys. :)

I Heart Faces - BLUE!

This week's theme over at I Heart Faces is

BLUE!

I immediately knew I had a perfectly fitting entry. Being that we live just north of Indianapolis, my son's friend had a Colt's birthday party this past May. And guess who made a surprise guest appearance....that's right!

BLUE! (The Colt's Mascot)

Here's a picture of Lane's friend, Aaron, when Blue arrived at his party. Blue stuck around to play a round of Duck, Duck, Goose before he took pictures with all of the kids and signed some autographs. Aaron was the happiest boy on the block that day. :)

Head on over to I Heart Faces to check out more great entries this week!

I Can't Decide!

Seriously! I found this A-DOR-A-BLE costume at a consignment sale for..

~get this~

5 dollars!

So now I can't decide which to have Ellis wear for Halloween. He loves both this and the golfer costume (see previous post).

What do you think?

Edible Payne Stewart?

Yum-O.

Ellis' Halloween outfit came in the mail today, and I had to restrain myself from gobbling him up.

:)

Hangin' in There

Thank you all so very much for all of your sweet emails, comments, cards, and most importantly, prayers. We've managed to get through an entire week since we put Olivia down.

And we're hangin' in there.

I never imagined we'd be without her at this point, but we're okay. And Lane's okay.

I really worried about how he would take all of this since he's the one who threw her down the stairs. It's been such a delicate thing, and I don't want him to have a guilt trip for the rest of his life or not want to touch another animal. We took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese's immediately after Dev and I went to put Olivia down. We wanted to show them that we can celebrate her life and not be sad about it forever.

And one of the best things I heard from a friend this past week was,

"Sometimes you've got to learn to dance in the rain."

And since it's rained on me quite a bit in the last 11 or so years, I think that's a very wise thing to do. :)

R.I.P. Olivia

2/4/02 - 8/24/09

We love you, little girl. I dreamt my whole life of having a dog, and you surpassed every dream I ever had. You loved unconditionally and wanted so little in return. You let us dress you up in silly Halloween costumes and when we were expecting our first child, you even let us try out our Baby Bjorn with you. You had the most easygoing spirit and always made us giggle with your snort. You brought so much joy to our lives, and we pray that you are resting peacefully now.

We love you.

The Tough Decision

We have to put Olivia to sleep.

We prayed for God to send us a clear message of what we should do, and that message came this morning in her bloodwork. Not only is her kidney failure not getting better, it's getting worse. We can't let her suffer.

"Dear Lord, please be with us as we say goodbye to our best friend of 7 1/2 years. Comfort her as she nears the end of her life. Help us get through this difficult time as a family. Give us a peace that surpasses all understanding."

Amen.

Please Pray for Us

We just got home from visiting Olivia. Things aren't going as well as they should be. She's not eating and they're going to start force feedings today. Her numbers aren't improved to the point where they should be. We're at the point of needing to consider putting her down. Olivia is the only pet I've ever had, and she's such a gem. Just a little lover who wants to be loved.

Please pray for her and for us. My heart hurts, as does Devon's. This is so hard.

A Trip to the Animal Hospital

Olivia is in good hands. She is at an animal hospital that is an hour away from our house. Since Dev is golfing this morning, I packed up the boys and we went to visit our dear furry family member.

Praise God...her bloodwork this morning showed that she is improving on all fronts! She even ate this morning, so that's a good sign, too. The hard part was actually seeing her. I was so glad to lay my eyes on her and hold her in my arms and cuddle her up, but it was very evident that this has traumatized her. My heart broke for her. I just sat and snuggled her for the longest time and talked about familiar things for her. She shook like a leaf and just looked so sad.

It took all of one minute for Lane to ask when we were leaving. I think it's finally sunk in for him to a deeper level what his actions caused. Seeing her like that was difficult, but I'm so glad we went so she knows she hasn't been abandoned in some strange place where everyone is poking and prodding her.

We took her some pictures that Lane colored for her and he was proud when he showed them to her. I also left a towel with her that has the scent of "home" on it. Here are a few pictures of our trip today.

I'll find out more tomorrow about when she will be scheduled for her surgery on her leg, and I'll be sure to update then.

I can't begin to tell you what your prayers and words of comfort have meant to me and my family. God bless each of you.

Update on Olivia

First of all, thank you ALL for your prayers. I would write to each of you, but I'm plain beat. Just hopped online to give an update.

I got a call from the critical care doctor this morning and she told me that Olivia had a pretty good night. She ate a little and urinated for them, so those are both good signs. Then she gave me some specific numbers on different levels in her blood, and they are all slightly improved from yesterday. Not in the normal range by a long shot, but none of them are moving in the wrong direction.

So that's all good news, and enough to get me through the day without tears. I'm waiting to hear another update. And at least I've been able to eat today. I lost 3 pounds yesterday from not eating and throwing up from my nerves. Not exactly what I had envisioned for a weight-loss plan.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and for taking the time to write words of encouragement for me and my family. I feel so blessed to "know" each of you. What a comfort it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ. :)

From Bad to Worse

I don't know if I have any tears left in me to cry.

Turns out, you're not supposed to give Aleve to a dog. Who knew it is toxic?

I gave Olivia half of an Aleve yesterday after the accident.

Upon taking her to the orthopedic surgeon today and them double-checking what meds she has in her system (including sedatives and anti-inflammatories that her vet gave her this morning), I told them I gave her half of an Aleve yesterday.

Then I received a mini-chemistry lesson on how terrible Aleve is for a dog.

As I was driving home, I received the call from the critical care doctor at the animal hospital that she received the results from Olivia's blood test and had some bad news to share. Olivia is having severe GI bleeding and is in kidney failure. She is not a candidate for surgery at this point.

They have her on 2 meds to try to stop the effects of the Aleve and they are hydrating her. She will most likely need multiple blood transfusions and she may not make it through this.

If she does make it through, the estimated cost of THIS portion of her treatment is another $1000-$1500.

Please pray. I am heartbroken.

Please Pray...

...for my dog. My sweet son, Lane, chucked her down the stairs yesterday, and her leg is broken in two places. I'm on my way to pick her up from the vet and take her to an orthopedic surgeon right now. She needs surgery. Estimated around $2000...gulp. Please pray for her comfort and for the skill of the surgeon to perform the kind of surgery that will result in her complete recovery. Thanks, friends.

"Mommy?"

Lane: Mommy?

Me: Yes, Lane?

Lane: Does heaven have popcorn? Because I really like popcorn.

Me: Maybe. Heaven is the most wonderful place you'll ever go, you know.

Lane: Ya, I know. Mom?

Me: Yes, Lane?

Lane: Does heaven have Wal-Mart? 'Cuz that's my most favorite thing. And those are the two things I want heaven to have.

Oh, sweet Lane. Do you have any idea how much you make my heart swell with love? I had no idea this kind of love existed before God gave you to me.