Birthday Lockers

It has become a tradition... Birthday Lockers!  Throughout the year, when I am at WalMart or Meijer, I look for Hot Wheel cars with the numbers for my boys upcoming ages.  The night before their birthdays, I go to school and decorate their lockers.  I also hang a balloon and put some type of small treat inside the locker.  Today was Bryce's birthday...all of the cars have a #9 on them :)

5th Grade Halloween

I have to be honest.... I got a phone call last week that Braydon's class was in need of a room mom because the current room mom had moved away...I really didn't want this job!  With Halloween a week away, I decided to take on the party for the sake of the kid's.  I was a bit overwhelmed last week with all the planning, communicating with parents, purchasing supplies, and making the food.  However, I had SO MUCH FUN!!!  I was back in my teaching mode :)  Braydon called Jeff after school to inform him that the party was "Awesome!"  It was nice to meet other parents and be apart of Braydon's class.  Although it was a long week, it was certainly worth it!

Scary Punch with floating skeleton hand!

Mummy Hot Dogs!  The kids loved these!!!

"Finger" Food - carrots & dip... large carrots created a hand

Witch Fingers - cheese sticks (my mom made these!)

Halloween Parade...Braydon is an 80's Rock Star!

Here comes the kindergartners... Rylan is a soldier!

The third graders are parading... Bryce is a werewolf (against my better judgement!)

Playing "Monster Stomp"  - The kids each had two balloons, one tied to each ankle and they had to stomp each other balloons.  When their balloons were stomped(popped), they were out.  Braydon won in his group :)  The kids loved this!

Enjoying food and friends!

Pumpkin Train

I was driving home from work last week and in awe of the painted landscape out my windows!  The colorful trees took my breath away...truly!  I knew that I had the upcoming Saturday off of work and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy some bonding with my family.  So, we headed off to North Judson, IN, to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.  

After the long drive, we pulled into the station and the kids immediately were filled with enthusiasm!  We spent time walking through a few old train cars that had memorabilia inside...

1970's Train Car!

After walking around the grounds, the train was finally coming!!!

Rylan was the first to board the train...

We chose to sit in the open train car to enjoy the beautiful weather...

The conductor taking our tickets...

We were able to stand and lean on the ledge to view the landscape!  We went on a bridge, over a river...it was GORGEOUS!

Headed to the pumpkin park...

Back at the train station... A beautiful day with my family!  

Medical Updates...

I am truly ready for 2012 to arrive!!!  I'm looking forward to a fresh start with our medical needs.  Until then, many medical updates continue...

Rylan recently had the allergy scratch test done...NO allergies!!!  Of course this was great news. Yet, it left the doctor perplexed. Therefore, a CT scan was ordered. The scan results are in... Chronic Rhinosinusitis. Rylan's sinuses are ALL completely filled with yuck. The doctor doesn't know how Rylan is breathing at night :(  He wants to go aggressive on medication in hopes of no surgery. Rylan started a 30 day, hard-core antibiotic this weekend to attack the bacteria.  Two anti-inflammatory pills daily because his sinuses are also extremely inflamed.  Nasal spray twice a day was also prescribed.  We go back in 6 weeks...if this doesn't work, Rylan will need to have surgery to have his sinuses drained.  Once we get his sinuses under control, he will begin a preventative for future.  The doctor believes that this was caused by acid reflux.  Those meds will begin shortly down the road.

Last week Bryce had an expander put in his mouth.  He was such a trooper!  After the appliance had been put in his mouth, I asked how they would do his adenoid surgery.  Yes, I got that call last week too.  Bryce's adenoids are Monster Huge and we were referred to an ENT.  The dental hygienist tells me that they won't do the surgery with the expander in his mouth, well they don't think so.  Bryce will have this in his mouth until April!  I've been talking with some friends and decided NOT to crank Bryce's expander this weekend.  I'm calling tomorrow to chat with an ENT nurse since our appointment isn't until October 5th.  We may be taking Bryce's expander out of his mouth to do the surgery and then put the appliance back in afterwards.

Braydon is actually doing well!!!  He got his braces on a few weeks ago and he is doing great with his new silver smile :)

My physical therapy will be finished this week...yahoo!!!  I am SO ready to be done with this schedule but am nervous how I will do without the therapy.  I no longer have numbness and tingling in my feet and arms...no longer have swollen hands, feet and knee...no longer have vertigo at night...no longer am I off balance...no longer have extreme cognitive issues, and my migraines have eased up considerably.  My back/neck is much, much more tolerable!  The medications and therapy have done wonders!!!  My fatigue is also WAY better now that I'm on thyroid meds.  All in all, I feel like I've gotten my life back...praise Jesus!!!  I'm praying that I can continue this upward climb...I really don't want to have surgery on my spine.

No major issues with Jeff...he is doing well...yahoo!  He helps me pour out the meds each day.  Just last week our medications cost us over $700...in ONE week!!!  Rylan's alone was $428...yikes!!!

Grace - Oh yes, we can't forget about our pooch!!!  She must have been feeling left out!  We took her in to get spayed last week and the vet's office called to tell us that her routine blood work before surgery came back with an issue.  Of course it did!!!  Her BUN level is extremely high.  This has to do with her kidneys.  So, they went ahead with the surgery but had to do some extra things to keep her comfortable and safe.  We go back in a month to redo the blood work.  If it is still off, they will need to do more exploratory tests on her kidneys.  We are hoping that the test was just a fluke!  She is recovering from her surgery well :)  The kids were very concerned about her this week with a shaved belly and arm.

There you have it, all of our updates for today.  Although I am truly ready to be done with doctors and medical bills, I am truly, TRULY grateful that of all the possibilities that were laid before us earlier this year, these are the issues that we are dealing with!  God has answered our prayers thus far.  We continue to pray for healing before surgeries are needed.  However, we know that if surgery is a must, we have faith in our doctors.

Jesus Is My Forever Friend

I have had so many confirmations in the past 4 weeks that I made the right decision by jumping into the world of ministry.  One of those moments clearly stands out in my heart!  This moment needs documented to remember always....

Many of you know my passion for church camp with elementary kiddos.  The number of hearts that are reached and tapped into during one week of camp is simply amazing!  For two summers I have been praying that Braydon's heart would be touched and that he would make a commitment to Christ.  However, both summers, he didn't.  This is a young man that has many questions about faith...he needs understanding...just like his dad!  I knew that many seeds had been planted at camp and that I would continue to sow those seeds.  Yet, I must admit, my heart was feeling defeated.  I know the statistics on ages of kids accepting Christ and we were entering a crucial age...5th grade.  After 5th grade, it becomes that much harder...

So, we leave camp on a Friday night....we continue to talk about camp....we continue to talk about the lessons learned...and on that Saturday night, Braydon asks if he can go to Sonrise Church the next morning.  My first reaction was no, no, no...we need to be attending Emmanuel as a family...this is the church that I had just accepted a position with that week.  His face melted and he walked away.  My heart was heavy for Braydon...so many changes in his life right now.  My emotions were flooding over with finding a way to comfort him.  He really wanted to spend that Sunday morning with his counselors from camp, his friends that he was with, and of course, he wanted to wear his camp shirt to church.  So, I prayed about it and told Braydon that Jeff was going to take him to Sonrise and I would attend Emmanuel with the brothers.  His face lit up..."thanks mom!"

The next morning happened just like we had planned the night before.  We separated and off we went.  Jeff and Braydon got home before us.  As I pulled into the driveway, Braydon was outside waiting for me.  The brothers hopped out of the van and Braydon hopped in.  He immediately says, "Mom, guess what I did today?"  Uhhhh...no idea...what?  "I asked Jesus to be my forever friend at church!"  My head spun around, what?!?!?!?! Then the questions...Did someone pray with you?  Did you tell anyone?  What made you decide to do this?!?!?!?!  He quietly and calmly responded..."I knew that this would be my last Sunday at Sonrise and it is like my home, mom.  I knew that I needed to do this there at the church.  I just prayed to myself and asked Jesus in my heart.  I told someone but I don't think they heard me...mom, I felt so tingly inside...it was good."  Oh my golly, I wanted to run down the street and shout the news to everyone but I wanted him to have that glory and I didn't want to be the crazy mom :)  I hugged on Braydon...told him how proud I was of him...told him that this is just the beginning...so much more to come!!!  

We went to lunch together as a family at O'Charley's.  While waiting for our lunch, Braydon says, "mom, tell dad what I did today."  No way!  One of the lessons at camp is that once you make this decision, you are to go and spread the good news!!!  "You tell dad, Braydon!  This is exciting!!!!"  It was cute to listen to Jeff...he asked the same questions as me :)  

As I was seeking direction a few weeks before this event, my daily devotional, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, stated this...

You will never be in control of your life circumstances, but you can relax and trust in My control.  Instead of striving for a predictable, safe lifestyle, seek to know Me in greater depth and breadth.  I long to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to old ways.  I am always doing something new within My beloved ones.  Be on the lookout for all that I have prepared for you.  

That night as I sat in prayer for myself...I was thankful...truly thankful!  I realized at that moment that my decision to enter ministry was truly God's path for me AND my family.  Had we remained in our safe and consistent routines, I don't believe that Braydon would have felt the urgency to make this commitment to Christ.  

Dear Jesus, thank you for entering my heart and filling me with peace about being separated for one Sunday at church...thank you, Jesus, for entering my sons heart, thank you for Camp Lakewood...thank you for the ministry team at Sonrise that has poured into Braydon...thank you for this amazing opportunity to enter Emmanuel and begin touching more hearts...oh dear Jesus, I am honored to call you my best friend, too! Please remain at the center of our lives...speak to us...guide us...equip us...  I praise your Holy name...amen!

The BIG Surprise!!!

Jeff and I planned a surprise for our boys on the evening of their first day of school.  We knew that the transition to a new school, a new church, and not having mom at school every day would be difficult.  We wanted the kids to have something to look forward to on the tough days ahead...sooooooo....are you ready???

When the kids got home from school, there was a wrapped gift in the living room.  They wanted to dive into it!!!  We explained why we were giving them this BIG surprise...1,2,3...GO!!!!

A Mickey Mouse balloon pops up out of the box and Braydon says, "A balloon mom, really?"  He couldn't believe that ALL this hype was for a balloon...LOL!!!  I instructed them to find the note...

Braydon with his "Seriously, Mom?!?!?!?" look!

Bryce didn't believe Braydon...so, he needed to read the letter himself!

My parents took us to Disney three years ago and we weren't sure if we would ever make it back.  The TeacherPalooza sale that I had several weeks ago produced enough money for me to take my children to Disney!  To all of you that came, THANK YOU!!!  I am truly giddy with excitement that we are going back AND that we have the funds to do this so easily!  We are even going to fly but shhhhh...the kids don't know that part yet.  We are giving them that little nugget at Christmas time :)  My boys have never flown before...I can't wait!

To end our evening, Jeff made a kid friendly dinner...chicken nuggets and macaroni & cheese.  To celebrate, I had Mickey plates, cups, and food flags for our dinner.  We had so much fun dreaming about  our trip...Disney, here we come!!!!

Ice Cream Commandos!

As I entered our home this evening, I dropped into the recliner...yep, I was exhausted!  My physical therapy wiped me out today.  We decided it was a pizza night and we didn't finish eating until 7:30pm.  Shortly there after, our doorbell rang...ugh, yes, that was my first thought!  Yet at that moment, my entire, exhausted evening was completely perked up by the goodness of a friend!  What friend, you ask?  I have NO IDEA!!!!  The boys opened the door to find a carton of super fun ice cream, Hershey's double chocolate syrup, and the cutest container of sprinkles with a note attached...Happy Tuesday -the Ice Cream Commandos!

Who are the commandos?!?!?!?!  Did anyone see someone mysterious around our home this evening?!?!?!?!  The kids were so excited with the treat but they were MOST excited by the mystery!!!  It ended up being a Happy Tuesday, indeed!  Which ever friend this was, my family loves you!  Your kindness and thoughtfulness impacted my heart tonight!  Although this was not a moment that I created, I am honored to be the recipient!  I challenge the rest of my friends to be Ice Cream Commandos for your friends!  A simple idea with a great impact!  Not only did my children enjoy a very tasty treat but they learned the value in treating our neighbors with love and kindness!