You Sure Look Beautiful Today!

    On Sunday, I decided that I'm turning my house into a home. A home that my husband and children can't wait to return to after a long day at work or school.  There are several different "acts" that I plan to carry out to help me accomplish this.  I originally planned to work through these acts very slowly - like maybe one a week. However, I never realized that just a little effort could make such a gigantic difference in our "home". Who would think that by me making a decision to not raise my voice or use words that are hurtful could change things in just 2 days? Dylan asked me before bed, "Mama - wasn't today such a good day?"  That makes me want more - it makes me feel so good to know that my effort makes my children feel so good. So, today I have decided to pray and think about my next "act". I want to pray that I do each act with the attitude that I should - out of love and not out of routine. I want my husband and kids to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that each act is out of love...not out of routine. 

  So, act # 2....Compliment your family. Not as a whole, but each one individually. The email says to "Focus on the positive things that they are doing, don't reinforce the negative ones. Put little thank you notes in lunch boxes or where they can find them. Tell them just how proud you are of them." This sounds so easy. It almost seems like "what's the big deal"? However, life gets in the way and I seem to get too busy washing dishes and folding clothes to stop and tell Scotty that I appreciate him when he gets home from work. Or maybe I get too busy brushing hair and washing faces in the morning to remember to tell Madi she looks beautiful before she leaves for school. How about dropping Dylan a thank you note for being such an awesome big brother! Maybe I could stop what I'm doing for 30 seconds to tell Dustin thank you for helping me switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. I could tell Tucker that his smile brightens my gloomy days! Am I really so pressed for time that I don't have time to stop and do these things? If so, maybe I need to step back and reassess. Maybe, just maybe, I have my priorities all wrong.

   For the next couple of days I'm going to be sure to compliment each of my family members for great big things and for little tiny things. I'm going to make sure that they know that their presence makes me bubble over with joy, and I absolutely can't wait to see just what kind of impact this will make! 

Seek first God’s will in our family and the other things will come as He desires.  - Matthew 6:33

Making My House A Home....

    A close friend of mine sent me an email this morning that I can't seem to get off of my mind. It's got me thinking. A lot. Just when I thought I was getting things together and I started getting comfortable in our routine and checking items off of my list daily...He shows me that there is always more to learn and more that can be done.  He knows how to get to us at just the right time, doesn't He?

    This email was about loving your family. Now, obviously...I love my husband and I love my kids. At least most of the time. wink! This email really got me thinking though.  Am I just going through the motions? Does my husband realize how much I love him? Do my kids ever question my love for them?  This is what our typical day looks like.  Wake up, dress kids, feed kids, pack lunches for kids, send the kids off to school, Daddy goes to work, I do the "homemaker" stuff, kids come home, Daddy comes home, dinner, baths, prayers, put kids to bed, clean up the crazy amount of mess that the kids made in less than 3 hours, EXHAUSTED, bed! Am I putting to much importance on the "material" things that need to be done and not the things that really matter? 

   The email began "Love Makes A House A Home" - in capital letters across the top. At first, I thought - well, yea. Doesn't everyone know that already? Or do they (I)? It is two totally different things to know something and to actually put that something into practice. You know the saying "actions speak louder than words"? How true is that? I mean someone can tell me they love me all day long, but, if they don't act like they do then it is hard for me to believe it. This email had 11 "ideas" of ways to show your family that you love them - some of them I've thought of and just haven't actually done, some I have done, but didn't follow through or haven't done enough of and some of them have never even crossed my mind. I'm not going to share all 11 at one time....instead, I'm going to make my way through them slowly. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. I plan to go through them one at a time...and I also plan to live them out as slowly as I am going through them here on my blog. I want to make sure that I am doing each "act" out of pure love and to the best of my ability. I want to give it my all. Isn't that the least I could do for 5 people that I love more than life itself? I am commanded by my Creator to love like He loves me - and I think the best way for me to "start" is to show my family, the one's I cherish most, how much I love them with my actions and not my words. 

    Act #1: I plan to show my family I love them by....Not raising my voice or having a sharp tongue. When I let those loud ugly words fly out of my mouth, I can't bring them back and stuff them down my throat again.  So, I am going to make sure to choose my tone and words carefully.  In the email it said, "You will find as the clutter leaves your home, the stressed out attitudes will be gone, too. Practice talking in a quiet voice, it is so hard to yell or say nasty things, when we are whispering."  Hmmmm....good one, huh? I've never thought about it - we are a loud family...but, why can't we change that? 

    So, today I leave you with this question. Is your house a home? I'm going to be working diligently to make sure that my family knows that this house on Rice Drive is more than just a house...it's our home! <3 

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. - 1 Timothy 5:8

Not So Wordless Wednesday

    A lot of my friends come up with such fun things to do on different days....like, Wordless Wednesday and Thankful Thursday. So, I thought I would give it a shot...except for those of you who know me - know that it is nearly impossible for me to be completely wordless! I thought it would be fun though to share some fun pictures from the last couple of weeks! Enjoy!

We enjoyed watching caterpillars turn into butterflies over the last few weeks - this was after the caterpillars had turned into chrysalides and Daddy transferred them into the butterfly house! Dustin thought this was super fun!!!

Dylan, Madi and Dustin looking at the butterflies one last time before we let them go!

Dustin - just being cute!

I was cleaning out closets and found last years Halloween costume and Dustin wore it around the house almost all day long - he threw a fit when I wouldn't let him wear it to his doctor's appointment!

Dylan tested for his yellow belt this week - he was so super excited that he passed!

Dustin didn't want Mimi to leave so he sat on her car! Silly boy!

Tucker thought it would be fun to play with toilet paper for a while!

Taking a cat nap in the car!

Daddy got Tucker all bathed and in his jammies and while he was dressing Dustin....Tucker decided he wasn't quite done in the tub!

I had just finished mopping and Tucker decided to climb in the sink with the mop water! Yuck!

 

Dylan is such a great big brother - I walked in the playroom and caught him teaching Tucker how to count the blocks!

Sweet Madi B.

Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8

There Are Memories Left To Be Made!

   This weekend I decided that it's great having a half way clean house and everything being somewhat organized. However, I also decided that it's not near as much fun as spending priceless moments with the kids that are slowly slipping away day by day as they get older. It's so hard to believe that Dustin and Tucker are already 1 and 2 and it's even harder to believe that Dylan and Madi are already 6 and 7. So, I'm not exactly sure what it was that made me start thinking about remembering things as a kid - but, I remember ball games and trips to the lake. I remember homemade Christmas cookies and time in the swimming pool. I don't remember my mom pushing me away or telling me to go play while she cooked dinner because she was in a hurry and just didn't have time for me to help her cook. So, then that brought me to this question. Dylan and Madi are to the age that they will remember lots about this time for a long time. Do I want them to remember ball games, outside time, cooking with Mommy and fun quality moments or do I want them to remember that even though Mommy didn't have much time for me to help her - our house was always clean and organized? Ok....I didn't really mean that as a question because of course the answer is pretty obvious. So, today I woke up and decided that who cares if it takes an hour to make dinner instead of 40 minutes? Who cares if every little thing isn't in its perfect spot? What does it matter if the box that says "wipe down the counter tops" doesn't get checked off if I get to play outside with the kids for a few minutes? 

    Today I am making dinner for some friends of ours from our Sunday School class and Madi and Dustin were so excited to get to help me prepare their meal! 

First, we had to cook the chicken....

 

 

 

Then, we had to mix the rest of the ingredients together...

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we made cookie dough and rolled it in the cinnamon sugar....

Lastly, we patiently waited for the cookies to finish baking....

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. - Proverbs 22:6

God Provides

**Proceed with caution**

**I'm being completely open, honest and transparent**

    This week I found out that I am not going to be keeping the little girl I have been keeping for the past year, Tucker was diagnosed with pneumonia, I had to miss the very first day of CBS (Community Bible Study) and Madi was having some issues at school that caused me to have to be a little more aggressive with her teachers than I normally care to be. In the midst of my bad attitude this week and my pity party and my week of "Really, God? I can't handle anything else" I had a pretty awesome birthday thanks to some really special people in my life!

     After I found out that I am not going to be keeping Bella anymore I was shocked. Then I moved on to being pretty bummed and a little hurt. Then I was mad for a day or two.  I kept Bella for a year and I love her. I didn't want her to leave. Not to mention this was a little extra income so Scotty didn't have to work an extra night a week or pick up an extra job on the weekend to make ends meet.  While I know that God provides sometimes it's "easier said than done" - I mean it's easier to rely on me and not Him...until I fail and yet He is there - patiently waiting for me to realize that without Him I can't do it.  I went into how am I going to replace this income mode - how am I going to make this work? Really, Meghan? I can't make this work, but, He can! So, I was struggling with doing the right thing and having the right attitude all week. The Lord is really good at putting people and things in the right place at the right time. He gave me a dear friend - and more importantly, a Godly woman- to listen to all of my griping and complaining - and to remind me of the way I should handle the situation...not the way I wanted to handle the situation. Then, I read this...."When wealth is gone, little is lost; when health is gone, something is lost; but when character is gone, all is lost." So, I got over myself and enjoyed my last few days with Bella. 

    Tucker started running a low grade fever on Sunday - nothing unusual for him, though. It wasn't too high and he didn't seem overly grumpy. Monday his fever was a little higher and he was pretty crabby and the week just seemed to get worse. Each day his fever crept up a little more and he was more and more crabby by the hour. Finally on Thursday I decided to give in and take him to the pediatrician - his oxygen was down and he was so snotty and his cough was awful. We decided not to do another set of x-rays because too many are just not good for him. We got a "pneumonia" diagnosis without the confirmation of x-rays and put him back on steroids and antibiotics. I'm hoping that this isn't a sign of what we have to look forward to this winter. We are taking precautions and have got the hand sanitizer by the door for each person that walks in and today I plan to go buy a large tote to put shoes in outside. Hopefully, this will help some! 

    I have been waiting for quite sometime to get into CBS at our church - there is a wait for childcare - and this year I finally got in! CBS is every Thursday morning for 2 hours! The kids go to their class and the women go in a large group to do a bible study and then we break off into smaller groups. I'm really looking forward to studying the book of Galatians and getting to know some new people! I was so excited about getting started this week until we wake up Thursday morning and Tuck has a fever of 103. So, instead of CBS we went to the pediatrician and the pharmacy. It's okay though - I can't wait to start fresh next week!

    Today is the last day of the first nine weeks for Dylan and Madi. Dylan has done awesome this nine weeks - he finished with all "A's" and one "B"!! Madi has definitely struggled some this nine weeks, but mostly with attitude and being willing to do her work. Madi struggles with having to do things that she doesn't feel like doing at the moment - we're working on it though! wink! Even though she struggled some she finished with all "M's" (which means mastered) except for one! Woo-hoo! 

     So, mixed up in the middle of all of this craziness was my birthday! Yes, I'm getting old! Finally! Now, I know that sounds crazy, but, I have a few friends that can relate (Stacey, Andrea and Pam - wink!) Sometimes, I just wish I could say I'm 30 so that when people ask and I say I'm 26 - now 27! - I don't get this response... "Oh, my! You're only 27 and you already have 4 kids!" Yes! Yes! That's right- I'm only 27 and I have 4 kids! Is this a problem for you?!?!?!? Ahhhhhh!!!!! Anyways - back to the whole point of me telling you about my birthday! It was awesome! So, I have to say - you find out who you're friends are when it's your birthday and you don't have facebook! I, too, am forgetful and don't always remember everyone's birthday - but, it makes you feel really special when your friends do remember your birthday! I wasn't expecting much on my birthday, but, man was I surprised! It just so happened that our Sunday School class has a monthly playdate and this month our play date was at my house on my birthday! Par-tay! Andrea, Jennifer and Stacey came over for our play date and they brought me a big cookie cake, flowers, a gift and a balloon! It made my day! After they visited with me for a few hours and left another friend came over with ice cream and then my brother stopped by with flowers and a gift card to Lilly Mae's! To top it all off Scotty called to say he was bringing home Wendy's for dinner! Yay! I don't have to cook - then he brought the kids Wendy's and I got Olive Garden!!! Yummy!  Also, on Tuesday night we went to dinner at Outback with my mom, both grandmas, Mike and Lindsey (our close friends) and their 2 kids to celebrate!!! Wow! What a birthday!?!?!? Thanks friends for making me feel so special!! It's just what I needed! 

Flowers from my brother!

Flowers from the girls!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Wall We Smack Into

  Some days are good. Some days are bad. It's to be expected. However, my 19 month old has taught me that really no day is all that bad. After all - God's work is perfect and He created each and every day and He is good - so, so good. 

    Just a couple of weeks ago I wasn't feeling very good. I had a headache for over a week straight, I was tired and achy, my nose was stuffy, I was coughing a little bit...and I was grumpy. Just plain yuck.  I was short tempered with the kids, I was lazy and got behind on my lists and the house work, the grocery shopping wasn't done and to be totally honest I didn't even really care. Again, yuck. It was about 2 AM and I was up with Tucker while Daddy and the other three kids were snoozing away - they didn't even have a clue we were awake and I didn't have a very good attitude about it. Tucker was cruising around looking for things to get into - like that's the normal thing to do at 2AM - when suddenly he runs smack into the wall. When I say smack into the wall I mean SMACK! Like the wall wasn't even there. He fussed for a second - stood back up - looked at the wall like, "Man, where'd you come from" and carried on like nothing ever happened. It didn't phase him. Then suddenly I hit a wall - except my "wall" wasn't made out of sheet rock like the wall Tucker hit. It was my Maker. It was almost like He was standing there saying, "If you won't listen to me then I'll just stand in front of you and make you run smack into Me."  ....and there He was.  It made me think - good days come and good days go and bad days come and bad days go - but, in the midst of all of my self pity and bad days there stands my God. Unchanging and forever loving. Merciful and Holy. Gracious and forgiving. Patient and unconditional. Always. No matter what. Even when I'm being yuck. Isn't He amazing. God used my 19 month old son to show me that because I have Jesus as my Savior there are no bad days -- even when I think nothing else could go wrong.  All I have to do is lean on Him and He will get me through - good days, bad days and all of the days in between.

     I thought I would use this post to update Tucker's progress.  At this point we don't know a whole lot more, but, we have done lots of tests and have lots of appointments scheduled for the near future that will hopefully give us answers sooner rather than later. We did have our appointment with the research team at UNC and they did the biopsy to check for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. (PCD) This biopsy was awful and I hope to never have to put him through anything like it again. They are trying to prove a much less painful and invasive way of diagnosing PCD, but, for now they haven't. They did a test to check the amount of nitric oxide found in his oxygen. They do not know exactly what the "correct" number should be for children under five, but, they think that it should be no lower than 150. They also do not know at what exact number proves that it is for sure PCD - however, they do know that they have never seen anyone with a number under 25 not have PCD. Tucker's number was 48.  We also did a throat swab to see if any bacteria was growing - the test is still not complete finished, but, is showing a large about of staph. It will be 8-12 weeks before we get the biopsy results back. We did a swallow study this past Friday that showed us that sometimes Tucker isn't swallowing properly and causing his food to aspirate into his lungs. We have to thicken all of his liquids for now and wait for our appointment with the GI doc on the 30th to see where we should go from here. I asked if this is common in children with PCD and I was told that it is common in children with breathing problems. She did a great job of dodging my question! wink. As for now, we are just gearing up and starting to take precautions for this winter. We have ordered an automatic hand sanitizer to put by the door and a hug "rubbermaid" tote to put on the porch for everyone's shoes. We are going to ask for anyone that enters to take their shoes off outside and use sanitizer when they come in. We are hoping this will help cut back on some of the infections that Tucker is very susceptible to. As for now, we just pray and wait and trust in the Lord. If this genetic disorder is what he has then we will learn to deal with it. We will make it work for our family. If it isn't, then we will continue to search - but, either way we will make sure that we keep letting the Lord be "The "Wall" We Smack Into"! 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,  and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Dennis the Menace

    I had great intentions to sit down and write about the things that have been going on lately with Tucker and with life in general. We had a fun weekend that I was prepared to write all about....and then...my day happened!

    Oh my word! My. Day. Today has not been my day. In fact -- it's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! I woke up late. That's where it began. Okay, okay - so I didn't actually wake up late...but, I did get out of the bed late. Oops! If I'd have known the problems it could cause I'd like to think I'd have gotten right up when the alarm went off this morning! wink! 

     I'm fortunate enough to have a husband that gets that mornings can be a little chaotic trying to get the big kids ready for school and everyone fed (because in the morning at my house you would think that these 4 kids had never even had so much as a crumb in their life!) so he packs Dylan and Madi's lunches and he feeds the kids breakfast! Yay! All I have to do is pack their bags for the day - make sure folders are signed and in their bookbags, I put their lunch boxes in for them....all the stuff mommy's love to do! So, I'm doing my job (in a hurry since I'm behind this morning) when I realize that Madi and Dylan's bookbags have been sitting on the hook all weekend with no attention. No signed folders. No Friday folders had been checked. Even Friday's moldy yogurt was left in the snack bag! Gross! Overall, though...no biggie. I got it done. On time. After I get the kids out the door I decide I'm going to start over and today is going to be great! I have lots to get done today (because needless to say yesterday's checklist didn't get finished with everyone at home) and doing it with a bad attitude isn't the way I wanted to do it! I prayed for the Lord to help me stop, take a deep breath and realize that I can only do so much and what gets done is good enough! I put the little kids in the play room and I proceed to work on my first step of the day - getting the kitchen cleaned up. I've loaded the dishes and put away all of the stuff that was out from breakfast - I've wiped down the countertops and it just dawns on me that the boys are being so good! Hmmm...good? Maybe I should go make sure they are actually being good and not really really naughty. I walk in the play room and see no boys. Bella is playing nicely on the floor with a baby doll and I ask her where the boys are...she just kinda looked at me like "I'm not getting in the middle of it" - it's then that I realize that the window is open and the screen is busted out! Yep. You read it. The. Screen. Was. Busted. Out. My one and two year old have escaped through the window. Now the frantic mommy kicks in. Where are they? They can't be out there alone! What if they got hurt - after all, it's a pretty good drop from the window to the ground?  I run outside and can't find them anywhere. Nowhere. Finally, it clicks. Dustin loves going up to see his Papa (he lives in the house in front of ours). I go running up there and there they sit. Dustin and Tucker sitting on Papa's porch with toy trucks. When Dustin saw me he grabs a bundle of flowers and says, "D'ese fowers for Mama." Are you kidding me? My two year old knows how to open the window and get out and then he is going to try to smooth it all over with flowers? Really? So, I scold him and tell him that what he did was dangerous and it scares Mommy. He says, "Sowwe, Mama. I not scare you anymore." If this were the end - my day may not be terrible, horrible or no good - just very bad. However, it doesn't end here. I fed the kids their snack and while they are having snack at the table I'm in the laundry room folding clothes - when my mom shows up with some goodies for me. I walked out to her car with her when she was leaving to grab one thing she had forgotten to bring in when my two year old thinks it would be funny to play another joke! He locked me out of our house. Locked. Me. Out. Who is this kid anyways? Well, wouldn't you know that in the 3 minutes that I am standing outside the bottom falls out. It started pouring. When I got back in the house it looked like I had taken a shower in my clothes. I didn't even get through the door good before I heard, "Sowwe, Mama, Sowwe."  I feel like my morning came straight out of a movie. A movie titled, Dennis the Menace, to be exact.

    I had to do lunch mom for Dylan's class today and I always have a sitter to come sit with the little kids so I don't have to drag them all out during nap time. I couldn't bring myself to leaving my "sweet" Dustin with a sitter today, so, I took him with me. He was very proud to tell Dylan's teacher, "I come school with Mama cause I not listen!" 

    For today I have decided that Tuesday is a wash and I will pick back up on Wednesday. As for Dustin and I - we're gonna take a nap! 

Dennis - I mean Dustin! wink!

   I wanted to post a link to a dear friend of mines blog. Her and her husband are trying to raise money so that they can adopt a child (or maybe 2) from Africa. They would appreciate any donation you can give. Thank you!! :) http://watsonswackyworld.blogspot.com

 

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. - Romans 12:9