Saturday, May 31, 2008

Five die as Honduras jet overshoots runway

Now 5 are dead and 80 are injured. See the article below:


Five die as Honduras jet overshoots runway

We pray for those families that have lost loved ones and for the injured, that they would recover completely.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Trouble at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras airport

Jeremy and I have flown in and out of this airport many times. How scary!!! Please pray for the pilot's family as well as one Nicaraguan's family. It is also reported that 18 are injured. I know all of the passengers would all appreciate your prayers since I'm sure they are suffering mentally and emotionally. Thanks!

Passenger jet overshoots runway in Honduras

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A reminder that the Lord knows and cares

This morning I got an encouraging e-mail from a friend (You know who you are. Thank you!!). I have always known that the Lord knows my needs and cares, but I hadn't thought about one particular thing she mentioned- that He even knows the number of hairs on my head. I couldn't remember the reference, so I looked it up on the internet.

New International Version- Luke 12:7
"Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

I love the fact that our God sees all of our needs as important, and He asks us to bring all of them to Him. That means that nothing is insignificant in His eyes. My problems might not be as "big" as someone else's problems, but that doesn't mean that I should keep my problems to myself and not think that He would want me to come to Him with them. That brings me to other important verses:

Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.- 1 Peter 5:7

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. - Philipians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7


You know, last night I was discouraged because I received an e-mail from someone I had sent our prayer requests to. The e-mail referred to my problems as "trite" because other people have such bigger problems. This person named several problems that she saw as more important than our problems. I know that others have greater problems, and that will always be the case. BUT I do not see that as a reason not to share my needs with others or the Lord. The above verses reinforce my beliefs. When I share my heart and my burdens with the Lord and those who care for us, I am doing exactly what the Lord commands me to do. This morning I woke up determined not to let that e-mail bring me down. Sure enough I got an encouraging one to take its place (mentioned at the beginning of this post). -Thank you Lord!

I want to end with a prayer. -- Thank you Lord for always knowing my needs and providing encouragement at just the right time. You have given me a peace, and I thank you for that. I trust you to care for me and my family. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Thank you for your plans! I love you and praise you!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

buyer decided not to buy a house right now

This is a follow-up to my post below.

I just got another e-mail stating that the buyer that looked at our house on Thursday has decided not to buy a house right now. They are going to look for a house to rent.

We will continue to pray for God to send a buyer for our home.

Thanks!!!

Heavy hearts

(our home in Beaufort)

Today Jeremy and I have heavy hearts and would ask you to pray. We put our house on the market one year ago. We were immediately told by our realtor that even before the housing market took a dive, Beaufort was never the place to sell a house in the summer. Beaufort is mainly a town for retired folks and military, so there isn't the summer demand for homes like there would be elsewhere. It's also a very hot place in the summer, which deters buyers. I forgot to mention that a lot of military has decided to rent because of the bad housing market, which I can understand since they know their stay in Beaufort will only be a few years.

Please take a few minutes to pray. Pray for the Lord to send someone to look at our house who will fall in love with it and want to put a contract on it. Pray for this to happen quickly since summer is now here. You can also pray for the Lord to send more work Jeremy and Spencer's way since we are paying for two residences and the bills that go with a house. Jeremy thought he had a roofing job that would have started yesterday, and the guy isn't returning his e-mails or phone calls. They also put a bid on a condo job near our house, and they never called Jeremy back. This is very discouraging for all of us involved.

**UPDATE- Just a few minutes after I posted this, I received an e-mail from our realtor. It was an e-mail from another realtor stating that her clients like the house and the floor plan. They said it was well-maintained and in good shape. According to the e-mail, they saw the house on Thursday and might have gone back over the weekend. Please pray!!!!

Thank you in advance for your prayers! God bless each and every one of you!!!

Monday, May 26, 2008

A Visit from Grammy and Uncle Doug

This weekend Grammy (Jeremy's mom) and Uncle Doug (Jeremy's brother) came to visit and help take care of us. They really enjoyed their time with Samuel. Samuel ran around the house saying, "Uncle Doug". Samuel loved playing with Uncle Doug, and they laughed so hard; I don't know who had more fun...

Grammy took over the cooking and cleaning, and Uncle Doug worked in the yard. Since Uncle Doug has a lawn care business, it was nice to have his help all day Sunday. You should see the number of yard bags they filled with leaves, etc.. I know that both of them are worn out today! All of the bushes and trees were overgrown when we moved in, so it needed a lot of work. It's amazing how long it took them to get it looking nice... Maybe Jeremy can take some pictures for me to post. Thanks so much for your help, Grammy and Uncle Doug!!! We appreciate it!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Samuel filling his piggy bank from Grammy













Grammy and Samuel













Uncle Doug and Samuel













Grammy, Uncle Doug, and Samuel

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Christian novels and movies



















Since I went on bedrest almost 3 weeks ago, I have read 3 excellent novels by Karen Kingsbury. If you like Christian fiction, she has some great books for you. I started with Someday, which is #3 in the Sunrise series. It made me wish I could read #4, but it won't be out until late September. Then, Tressa loaned me Between Sundays, which is a stand alone book. Then, today I finished up A Thousand Tomorrows, which is the first book in the Cody Gunner series. Now I have to figure out what I want to read next. I'm out of Karen Kingsbury novels until I can put some on hold at the library and have Jeremy pick them up.

I also got a free trial to Total Access by Blockbuster, and my first movie arrived on Friday. I watched it yesterday while Jeremy, Samuel, Grammy, and Uncle Doug went to the park. It's called Love's Unending Legacy, and it's one of the Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke. I never read the books, but I got into the movies when we were in Beaufort when I found them at the library. I can't wait to get the next one- Love's Unfolding Dream.

I will share more titles once I read or watch more.

I wonder why...

Today Jeremy and Samuel went to Sunday School. Here they are right before they left:




















Apparently Samuel wasn't too thrilled with going to the nursery because he cried from the time Jeremy got near the door to drop him off, and he was crying when Jeremy went to pick him up. So strange... The ladies said that maybe he's teething. I know he's been teething, but that has never stopped him from playing. He has always enjoyed the nursery. Today he spent the hour crying and being held by one of the workers. Who knows??? I hate the thought of him in there crying while Daddy was oblivious to it all.

Samuel's napping right now, and I'm hoping he takes a long one. Jeremy, Uncle Doug, and Grammy are at the store, and I'm resting on the bed (as usual). Friday and Saturday weren't good days for me, so I'm trying to make today a better day. I can't figure out which is worse- the side effects of the medicine I take or the withdrawal when I don't take it. I think I'm going to be glad a week from tomorrow when this medicine is a thing of the past.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

I think I'll take a long nap, Mommy and Daddy.

Most days Samuel naps 2 hours, but some days he will nap up to 3 hours. From the time he was on a regular nap schedule, I set a 3 hour limit on naps to keep it from interfering with his bedtime. Well, yesterday Jeremy woke Samuel up at the 3 hour mark. Samuel was sacked out. Jeremy went in his room making a loud noise since the door isn't shutting properly, went back out into the hall and turned on the light, went back into his room, left the room to get the camera, and then took several pictures of Samuel. All of that and Samuel didn't even wake up. He was sleeping so sweetly on his side. Oh, and he's just started sleeping on his back. (From the time he was about 5 weeks old I put him on his tummy, and that's how he has slept ever since. And, yes, I tested his ability to turn his head and not suffocate himself before I let him sleep on his tummy. I also credit Angelcare and breastfeeding for taking away my fear of SIDS.)

I love to watch Samuel sleep. I used to check on him every night before I went to bed, but I quit doing that awhile ago since we were using the Angelcare monitor, which monitored his breathing. Now that we're not using the monitor anymore, I tend to go in to check on him before I go to bed at night.

Here are 3 pictures- two of Samuel asleep yesterday and then one of him still sleepy in Daddy's arms. Yes, he still wears a sleep sack at 2 years old. I love them!!! Thanks to the sleep sacks Samuel has never even had an opportunity to climb out of the crib.



































Friday, May 23, 2008

Our Live-In Help

Since May 7, Mom, Dad, and Aunt Faye have taken turns living with us and taking great care of us. I wanted to post some pictures of Samuel with them. You can see how happy they make him from the big smile on his face! (Most of the time it takes lots of pictures before I get a good smile out of him, but it didn't this time.)






























Thursday, May 22, 2008

Samuel's tricycle

Samuel is enjoying the tricycle that Uncle John gave him for his birthday. He's been riding it on the screened porch:




















Monday, May 19, 2008

Some photos from bedrest

**This is my 2nd post of the day.**

On Wed., May 7, Tressa picked me up from the hospital and brought me home (Thanks, Tressa!). My Aunt Faye came to take care of our family from Wednesday to Monday. Since my birthday was Thursday, May 8, she also brought a homemade cake, which was so yummy!!!! (Thanks, Faye!!!)

















Samuel devoured my cake. It cracked me up because he wasn't interested in his birthday cake that we bought at Publix, yet he loved this one. I guess homemade is best! I will have to remember that next year. I'm not promising anything fancy, but I definitely could make a sheet cake.

















This was taken on my birthday, May 8. I was happy to be at home and with my boys. Here are two of my three boys. Jeremy, my other boy, took the picture. I never thought I would be in a house of all boys...
















This was taken in Samuel's playroom on May 8. (Before my dad painted it on May 15. Thanks, Dad!!!) Samuel was entertaining himself while Faye took care of me and the chores. I am so happy to have a child who enjoys playing by himself. He's so creative and such a boy!















This was taken on Monday, May 19. (My parents arrived on Tuesday, May 13, and they will be here until Wed., May 21. ) My mom took this picture of me and my dad before he took me to my doctor's appointment. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)





















This was taken before lunch on Monday, May 19. Samuel and I were looking at pictures on the computer. Here I am in the recliner that a sweet neighbor loaned us. (She told us to cover it since it was old.) I am 35 weeks pregnant and happy to be home with my sweet family! I love my little Samuel so much, and I think he looks really sweet in this picture. It's hard to believe that soon he won't be my only baby... (I will always see him as my baby.)

My early riser...

Samuel's antibiotic really did the trick because he is playing, sleeping through the night, and happy. The only disturbing thing is that he has gotten up at 6:45 or 7:00 since the ear infection started. I'm hoping it's related to the ear infection and not a permanent thing since he's always been a good morning sleeper. My dad says maybe he's becoming an early riser, but I'm not giving up on him sleeping later for me. I know 6:45 or 7:00 is normal for some of your children, so you're probably thinking that I'm nuts or asking too much. Maybe so... Is it bad to feel like I deserve a break since he didn't sleep through the night until he was 15 months old? Maybe so, but this mommy isn't giving up hope just yet. Today my dad bought a blackout shade for his new room, which is very sunny in the mornings. Maybe that will do the trick, or maybe I'm just going to have to go to bed earlier. We live in close quarters, and I just can't sleep through him waking up.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A First and a Mommy update

Samuel is experiencing a first- not the good kind though. My parents just took Samuel to the doctor, and it turns out that he has his first ear infection. (I guess that's pretty good though since he's 2 yrs. old.) It might even be considered a double ear infection since he has an infection in one ear and an infection starting in the other ear. We thought he was just teething since 2 weeks ago at his 2 yr. check-up the doctor said that his 2 yr. molars were coming in. He has the teething symptoms... Well, yesterday after his nap he started tugging on one ear and crying. Then, last night he woke up crying in the night and couldn't be consoled. Poor baby! I feel so bad for him and hope the medicine kicks in quickly.

As far as a Mommy update, I'm still hanging out on the couch, bed, or recliner (that a neighbor loaned me :)). I will be resting at home from now until Vance is born. I should be ok to do more at 37 weeks (June 2), but the problem is that I am not at all comfortable on my feet and have contractions even when I'm resting and taking my meds. On June 2, I will no longer be allowed to take the meds, but they wouldn't stop labor at that point anyway. So, as of June 2, you can pray for me even more... I would love for Vance to decide to come early as long as it's after June 2.

One last thing- If you're a Mom of more than 2, I applaud you. You are stronger than I am. The end of pregnancy is just not easy for me. If I could skip from 32 weeks to labor and delivery, I would love to have a third child. After going through this stuff, I see our family as being complete with 2 boys; although, I would love to adopt a third child if it's financially possible. From the time we got married, Jeremy and I talked about adoption. We were offered a baby or two when we lived in Honduras, but it definitely wasn't God's timing for us. Then, I was researching adoption when I got pregnant with Samuel. I could see us adopting a child from a Spanish-speaking country one day if that's the Lord's will for us. We will wait and see what the Lord has in store for our family!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Thankful for my 2 sons

This isn't exactly the way I expected to spend Mother's Day, but even on bedrest, I can thank God for my two sons. I honestly didn't expect to be the mommy of two boys because I always pictured myself with girls, but I couldn't be happier with the way it worked out. Both boys were prayed for and longed for long before they were conceived. I know that it is God's perfect will for me to be their mommy! I am so thankful to be a Mom. I love both of my sons (as well as their daddy, who was crucial in bringing them into this world).

Samuel is a joy and is constantly putting a smile on my face. The Lord must have known that I needed his laid back personality in my life (as well as his daddy's laid back personality) since I'm such a type A. He is always laughing, talking, smiling, learning new things, and playing. He adds a lot to this household! I look forward to seeing all that God has in store for his life (and mine).

Now, when it comes to Vance, I don't really know what he is like other than how active he is in the womb. If his level of activity in the womb is any indication of his personality, I think he and Samuel will be a lot alike. I look forward to meeting Vance soon (but not too soon). I know that the Lord has a plan for Vance's life, and I thank the Lord for him. He is so loved already!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

On bedrest

Well, my life changed drastically on Tuesday afternoon. I was on the couch resting and blogging, but I kept having contractions. I had decided to rest like that because I had been having more contractions than I was comfortable having at 33 weeks... Well, my instincts kicked in, and I called the doctor's office. They told me to go straight to the hospital. I thought the nurses would monitor me for a few hours and send me home. Boy, was I wrong. I was having contractions a minute or two apart, and I was also 3 cm dialated (externally). I spent almost 24 hours in the hospital. The good news is that Vance is about 5 lbs. 3 oz., and doing beautifully. When I was discharged at 2PM, I was put on bedrest for at least the next week; although, I will probably spend the rest of my pregnancy on bedrest since I can't do anything without having contractions. I don't expect to make it to 40 weeks at this rate... We are praying that Vance stays in until at least 37 weeks. Will you please pray the same? Thanks!!!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Turning your coins into bills

I don't know about you, but I tend to save coins. I used to take my car to one of those self-serve car washes, so I saved my quarters in order to do that. (These days a car wash is the last thing on my list though...) I also keep coins in my wallet and pick up Jeremy's coins from his pants. Today I decided to see how much money I could get for all of those coins. The funny thing is that I thought I might have $10 worth of coins, but I was wrong. I had $27 worth of coins. After Publix took out their fee, I walked away with $25. If we weren't paying for two houses, I would have taken that money to buy something fun for Vance, but I decided to take it straight to the bank and deposit it.

Have any spare change around your house? Take it to your local supermarket and turn your coins into bills. You just might have enough to buy something fun or to take your hubby out to dinner.

Free place to store documents

Just last week Jeremy's computer crashed. He was kicking himself for not backing up his documents. He had planned to put all of them on Google Documents, but he just hadn't done it yet. He is praying Geek Squad will be able to retrieve all of his files... That made me think about friends of ours that have an external hard drive. I told Jeremy that we should get an external drive. Then, I realized that there is a free way to save our documents until we can afford to buy an external hard drive. It's called Google Documents, and you don't have to have an e-mail account with them to use this service. I just checked it out and uploaded several documents that I would hate to lose. Not only can you upload, but you can share documents with friends. Jeremy and Spencer have used this feature to "turn in" their hours to someone they're working for. One more great feature is that you can send an e-mail to a special e-mail address they assign you, and they will convert the e-mail to a document. Or you can attach a document to that e-mail and they will save that attachment. It's amazing...

To check out this free service, go to Google and look for Google Documents. You too might find it useful!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Brown Bag Popcorn


I recently ran across a way to make microwave popcorn without paying so much. I went to Publix and bought a bag of Jolly Time popcorn for $1.50, and then I went to the Dollar Tree and bought 50 brown lunch bags for $1. Last night I decided to try it out. It's so simple. Just add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels to the brown bag, turn the end of the bag over 3 times, and stick it in the microwave for 4 minutes or less depending on your microwave. I stood beside the microwave and waited until I felt like it was done but not burned. Voila! You can add salt, butter, or whatever else you are craving once you pour it into a bowl. Pros- It is simple, cheap, healthier, and tastes great. Cons- Not all of the kernels popped. I will definitely quit spending money on packaged popcorn.

My next project is to make Kettle Corn, but for this I took some birthday money from my parents and ordered a Whiley Pop stovetop popcorn popper. I found a good recipe on Instructables, which by the way, is a very cool website! Once my popper arrives, I will whip up a batch of my favorite, Kettle Corn, and post the results!

Happy Popping!