My Sick Little Girl

Our little peanut came down with a cough six days ago.  Then started a fever yesterday as well.  She is really not feeling well.  I called yesterday and got a perscription for cough syrup with codine.  That didn't help at all.  So today after 30 minutes of coughing when she couldn't even talk, I called to take her to the doctor.  

Our darling Hannah is not so fond of the doctor or the nurse normally when she is well.  It doesn't get better when she is sick.  She decided that she didn't want to get weighed or see how tall she was.  When the nurse tried to put the pulse ox (to check her oxygen levels) on her finger, Hannah put her foot down and started screaming and fighting.  It took both of us to get that thing on her finger.  Then came the temperature check.  Yup, screamed through the whole thing. 

I had a talk with her after the nurse left.  She promised to be good for the doctor.  Then she asked where the lady went (the nurse) since she liked her.  Go figure!

When Dr. Davis walked in, Hannah ran to him and gave him a big hug.  She stood in front of him and answered every question he had with a smile.  Hannah then climbed up on the table by herself, pulled up her shirt and let him listen to her chest.  She opened her mouth when asked.  The last time a doctor asked her to do that, we had to pry her mouth open.  Then she skipped out of the office to get her sticker.  

We came home to take naps, but Hannah didn't and Bekah did.  She ate three bites of dinner then went to the couch. After 15 minutes, Bekah came in to tell me that Hannah fell asleep on the couch.  We let her sleep there for an hour and then she woke up crying.  I carried her upstairs, gave her some medicine and a cool cloth on her forhead and read Raggety Ann to her.  She was falling asleep quickly, so I carried her to her bed and tucked her in.  My sick little baby was asleep after I had read half a page to her.  Good-night sweet baby!

I was thinking today about how much I wanted to be a mommy.  Growing up I took care of so many kids.  I loved them and enjoyed playing with them and being part of their life.  But no matter how close I was to them, how much they loved me, I was not the one that they called for when they were sick or hurt.  They always called for their mommy.  I wasn't the one that they wanted at that time.  

Now I am a mommy and it makes my heart so glad that my children call "Mommy" when they are sick or hurting and I am the one saying, "I'm here."  I am the one that hears every cough, every cry during the night.  I am the one that holds their feverish little body and brush the hair out of their faces.  I am a mommy and I love it.  

Now, off to take care of my children.

My Girls Keep Me Laughing

My girls are always getting into something or saying something to make us laugh.  They are the joy of my life and they are my treasures.  They are both so different but in awesome ways.  I enjoy seeing them grow and learn and become who they are.  I am so blessed to have these girls call me mommy and give me their love.  

Here are so outtakes from my life.

After visiting baby Evan, Bekah asked if we could have a baby at our house. I responded that daddy isn't ready to have a new baby at our home. She thought for a minute and then said, "Well, we don't have to tell him about it."

Our conversation on the way home from church went something like this: Bekah said she kept coughing today. Hannah asked, "Are you allergic to kittys?" Bekah replied, "No, I'm not allergic to anything." Hannah thinks for a minute then said, "What about zebras?"

Actual conversation while watching Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang: Auntie Megan said, "What do you do if a stranger offers you candy?" Bekah said, "Don't take it." Hannah smiled and said, "I did!!" Hmmm. Guess we have some more training to do.

I heard Hannah singing to herself in the bathroom. "Come on poop. Come on, just one come out. Come on poop. . . . I love you, Mom!" Oh my! She does keep me entertained.

The girls have lately been coming up with new names for everyone when we are driving in the car. Bekah is now Thomas. Hannah is Candy Land. Chris is James and sometimes Habinidab Slabobovich. I am Chutes and Ladders that I then changed to Bubble Gum. We have a weird family. And I love it!

Hannah saw the Hollindase on my asparagus and asked me if it was throw up.

At 10pm I discovered Hannah playing with a jar of vaseline in her room. She had gotten into all sorts of things in mommy's bathroom. Her excuse, "You didn't lock your door. You are supposed to lock your door."

Hannah and Bekah were telling me about their day and they created more questions than answers. They told me that they went to three different stores looking for something in a little container. Bekah thought it might be gasoline. That or a small container to use in baking. Hannah thought it might be a bottle of water. I was so confused.  Turns out it was a aluminum bottle of coke that he thought looked cool.

When my Aunt Rita and Uncle Dan were here the other night Bekah was cuddling with Aunt Rita. Uncle Dan asked Hannah if he could have a hug. After staring at him for a minute she replied, "I give my mom and dad hugs." He again asked for a hug from her. Hannah looked at him, paused and then said, "I sometimes hug other people." She picked up a leave and gave it to him. After she found a handfull of leaves for him she finally sat on his lap and cuddled. It was so cute!

Chris was putting Bekah to bed the other night when Bekah said, "Daddy, you know there are some parents that let their kids sleep with the door open." Chris replied, "Yes, some parents are like that but not me." Bekah said, "I wish you were one of those parents."

February, March, April and May sayings

Redneck Waterbed Failure

I so love coming up with fun things to do with my sweet girls.  It is so fun to pull out a new activity and see thier little eyes brighten up.

I saw a post on Play at Home Mom that I wanted to do so badly.  It was called a Redneck Waterbed and it looked super fun.  I wanted to do it the moment that I saw this.

This week I finally bought a tarp, purple duck tape (because how cool is that!) and got ready for some fun.  The instuctions were easy to follow and pretty simple.  Take one tarp (I bought a 10x25 foot tarp), fold it in half, tape the three open sides and fill with water.  Simple enough, right?

They forgot to mention a really, really important thing.  If your backyard is not flat then this WON'T work.  I thought my yard was pretty flat.  Kinda sorta flat.  Except for the big mound that looks like it should have a RIP sign on it.  Seriously!  And except for the way that the ground almost all the way down the yard has a big gorge in it.  I think a huge rainstorm came in when the ground was dirt and the water made a mudslide, taking out part of the yard.  Then they just laughed, threw down some grass seed and walked away.  So except for all that. . . my yard is flat.  NOT!

I talked my awesome hubby into helping me tape it all up and fill it for the girls.  We followed all the steps and waited patiently while it was filling.  However, the water only filled up in the left 1/3 of the tarp.  I was getting a little worried that this wouldn't work. . . but I still had hope.  Then the whole thing rolled like a huge water filled ameoba into our ditch.  It was a sad and crazy awesome sight.

I went inside to work on my chicken pot pie so we could eat dinner.  When I came outside, I found Chris dragging the water filled tarp across the yard to put it in a "flat" spot.  Had to laugh so hard since it looked like a really weird robe.  He put it down and it immediately rolled into the ditch at the end of the yard again.  We left it and let the girls play.  They had such fun!

So instead of seeing a really cool pictures of a great Redneck Water Bed, here are the pictures of what a Waterbed failure looks like.  It was a fun failure and one my girls are so happy that I tried, but it didn't really work the way it should have.

Bekah loves this.  Can you tell?

It does really make a nice waterbed.

The girls had such fun running and jumping onto the waterbed.  They did damage the tarp but loved getting soaking wet as all the water drained out.

The next day Chris fixed all the holes and put it half on the sidewalk and half on the "flat" part of the yard.  We found out we really, really, really don't have a flat part of the yard.  We could tell it was going to roll into the ditch again.  So the girls and I sat in chairs on the edge of the tarp until it was fullish.  When we stopped filling it, one side had a centimeter of water and one had 5 plus inces of water.  It stayed in one place while we sat in the chairs.  The tarp ripped and water slowly made the waterbed into a slip in slide.  Since we (ok I) wanted the girls to have fun slipping and sliding, I poured dish soap all over the tarp.  This was against my wise husbands advice.  He told me the grass would die.  I didn't believe him.  What a fool I am.  Half of the grass in my yard is now dead.  Very, very dead.  Again, I am a fool.  Ladies, listen to your husbands even if you don't think they are right.  Then your grass won't die like mine.  Anyway, the moment we got up and the girls jumped on it, it rolled right into the ditch again.  I love the pictures I got and the fun memories we made.  Now, to find a flat yard to do this in. . . 

I love this faces of Bekah while she slid down the tarp in the bubbles and water again and again.

The look on my little girl's face right now is totally worth all my dead grass and a ruined tarp.  Do it, even if you have a RIP mound and ditch in your yard.  You will have fun!

I want to do more

I just spend a delightful evening with my Uncle  Dan and Aunt Rita.  We sat around our bonfire (my favorite thing to do), talked and enjoyed smore's.  This was my Aunt Rita's first time to have them and of course she loved every bite.  Well come on, who doesn't love chocolatey marshmallowy goodness between two graham crackers.

The girls are tucked into bed and my sweet heart is watching a movie with friends.  I am snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and my computer.  Me time is so nice.  I love the quietness and the stillness when I am left to myself.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does I treasure it and make the most of it.

I have been thinking a lot in the past few months about missions, the poor and the orphans.  Some of the blogs that I read have really challenged me to think about this and meditate on what I can do.   These are some of my favorite blogs.   I have fallen in love with their families.  They challenge me to think about the world through God's eyes.  Check them out!
A Place Called Simplicity, International Voice of the Orphan, Sit a Spell

 I so want to go on missions trips and stay for months in places where I could serve the least of these every day.  This is not the right time in my life to do that and I get that.   My kids are little, we have a house we can't sell and I have a good job that allows us to pay the bills and have health care.  Someday though, I will go where God calls and spend time where He wants.  For now, this is where He wants me to be.

In the mean time, what can I do?  I want to make a difference.  I build relationships with those around me.  Take meals to those that need it.  Paint and clean for the Lord for those that need it.  Pray daily for those God puts on my heart.  But I want to do more.

 A bit ago I was reading a post on Sit A Spell.  They were talking about a group in Haiti that teaches the people there how to make jewerly out of cereal boxes.  They then are able to sell this jewerly to people in the states and make enough money to keep thier families intact.  Moms and dads that would be placing thier children in orphanages to keep them alive are now able to keep thier beautiful treasures with them and love them.  Got Cereal Boxes  This is amazing!  Someday they will be self sufficient.  Until then, they need people to send them cereal boxes.  That got me thinking.  I can do that!  I have the time to flatten my cereal boxes and put them in a box in the garage.  Even the kids can do it.  Maybe if I do this, one child can be kept with her parents.  One child won't have to spend the rest of her life living without a mom and dad, without love and security.  I can do this.

Will you do it with me?  Will you collect cereal boxes and give them to me so that we can send a bunch to this amazing organization in Haiti?

I want to know what you are doing for Him.  How does your family make a difference here in the states or over seas?