Our God is Greater

I can not shake this song! Right now it speaks to so many areas of my life. Lord you are greater than any other! You are healer, awesome in power...Lord move in my life, move in our family and show us more of your plan for our family!

The Adventures of the Belly Button

Belly buttons are a strange little being on their own. They can be an inny or an outie, you can put a ring in them or you can use them to collect a variety of hair lint. :) LOL! But seriously what is up with the belly button? In our house we have been talking about belly buttons for a while. The reason being is because of little Ms Sara and her umbilical hernia. I wish I had taken a picture of it at it's worse presentation but I never did. You know how it is, a fleeting thought and then it's gone. Well at least that is what it was like for me :( which seems to be happening more and more. I think I am either scatter brained or just getting old...hmmm....maybe it's both! But let me tell ya something, after looking online at pictures of umbilical hernias, Sara's doesn't even compare! There are some gross pictures out there...go look for yourself because I am not about to post them here.
So the topic of the belly button has brought up a lot of questions here in this house:

* Why do we have a belly button?
* How come we have one and the puppy doesn't?
* Why do some have it sticking out (outie)?
* Why does mine go in (inny)?
* Why is mine broken (Sara)?

The best question that has been raised is "Did Adam and Eve have a belly button?"
Ok so how do you answer that one without a bunch more questions come tumbling out?! Like I said, there has been a lot of questions concerning the belly button! SO where am I going with all this...hmmm...well I could get all spiritual on ya, or I could just be honest and say I am just gonna share about Sara's surgery...which do you prefer? LOL! Seriously though with all the talk of the belly button I have told my kids it is how I know I helped give life to them and they will always know they are connected to me in a special way :) It's a small imprint that they are mine and I am theirs. Hmmm, God has imprints on me as well :) Thank you Lord for the belly button! As for the surgery....it went great! Sara was so brave, not a single tear before the surgery. Not a complaint when they wheeled her away! YAY GOD! We prayed for peace and happiness and that is exactly what we got. Coming out of surgery was interesting to say the least. Sara asked me if I was floating! It took her a while to come out of effects of the anesthesia, but once she was out she was ready to go home :) She has a small incision in the belly button that I thought was stitched closed until we removed the bandages yesterday. To my surprise there are none. She was feeling a lot better yesterday but over did it. The stitches inside are hurting naturally and she is walking bent over like a 80 yr old woman. Poor thing! I am hoping she is feeling a little better today. She and her brothers are still sleeping...thank goodness! I enjoy these quiet mornings before they diaperheads all wake up and the noise level in our house rises a few decibels!

What a week...

This week has been so full! Full of kids laughter, singing and just plain excitement. Our church has joined with another church and is hosting VBS this year again. This time we are holding it at our church instead of in the city park. Of which I must say I am happy about. It has been WAY TOO HOT to do just about anything outside. The kids have had a blast. What I think surprises me the most this year is that all four of my kids are enjoying it...of which I was not able to say last year.
This year I am in charge of organizing snacks and preparing them, teaching the 1& 2 graders and leading worship in the opening and closing sessions. Jaron has been helping me do puppet shows as well. I must admit I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing puppets. It is the one area of ministry that I love the most. The kids seem to really enjoy it as well. :)
This week also has brought about a few family decisions that have been in the works for some time. I am not able to share what those are as of yet but they are huge and life changing. When able I will share here what is taking place. I can say we are excited about what God is up to and to be honest nervous as well. Sean and I are seeking God in every step and know we are on the right course. Lately our theme song is "While I'm Waiting"...
So much to think about, pray about and just waiting on the Lord for direction and guidance as we take these steps forward not knowing what His plans are. We only know He is in control.
Today we learned that Sara does indeed need surgery to close an umbilical hernia we thought had closed on it's own. Remarkably as much as we have told her she has no fear! :) Which I must say is a relief. I am sure as the day approaches she will have more questions and may become apprehensive. I am praying she won't though. Monday is the big day. UGH! I really hate that she has to go through this!

Kentucky

My niece Anna stayed with us for most of June. She was with us for 3 weeks. The kids loved having her here. We took her to the zoo of which was her first time ever going to a zoo :)

We really enjoyed having her here with us and although it's nice to just be "us" again, we miss her. The zoo was fun. HOT HOT HOT but fun! Got some great photos...too many to post here but here are a few of our favorites...This past weekend the kids and I took Anna to KY to meet up with my parents, her dad and younger sister and brother. On Sat. my Mom and I took my 4 and my niece and nephew to Twin Knobs Recreation area at Cave Run Lake in Morehead, KY. It is a great lake and place to swim. It was the first time my niece and nephew have ever swam in a lake before. They really enjoyed it. My nephew Timmy even stated...I love the lake there are no alligators or sharks to eat us :). Remember he is from Florida so those are things he would most definitely think about.

Holding our Aunt Linda's pet chicken...Kris loves them and wants his own now.

Sara and Lexi...Lexi was a bit nervous but Sara was like an old pro holding this chicken.

Friendly little bats roosting in the rafters of my parents cabin!

The kids and I had a great time in KY! The kids love KY and ask every time we leave when God will move us there. I just keep telling them it's in God's hands. Right now He is using us in IL and until He opens the doors there and shuts doors here we will keep serving Him here.
I have to agree with them though. I too LOVE KY! A piece of my heart is buried there with our oldest son, SeanPatrick but I just love KY.
While there Sara became sick. You would never have known it the way she played but her stomach was in great pain. She has been dealing with stomach pain for some time now (2 yrs) and the doctor has repeatedly stated that the umbilical hernia has closed. Well this weekend is flared up and guess what IT'S NOT CLOSED!!! Poor thing! Her little belly button looked like a golf ball was sitting under the skin. We had to cut our trip short unfortunately but I wanted to get her home to see her doctor. At the advise of my sister n law we drove straight home from KY to the ER at home. The ER was a nice 3 hour visit-Sara & I got home at 4 am. UGH!
Ya know I really do not like ER doctors. They always seem to act like we are there to waste their time. That is how we were treated and I made sure to let that doctor know that my daughters health and welfare is of up most importance to me.
We were sent home and told to give her motrin or tylenol and see our family doctor. Xrays and lab work came back fine. But when we saw our family doc I was told that the bruising in the belly button was not a good sign :( and now we are off to see a surgeon next week.
UGH!!!! I would rather it be me than her in this pain. It breaks my heart to see her in such pain. I hope that the surgeon makes a good decision and fixes this hernia asap!

Our New Baby

Sometimes in life you make mistakes and there is no reset button. A few months ago after many months of discussion my loving husband took our dog Izzy to a shelter on my birthday. Which made turning 40 even harder. But we had been discussing it for months, were trying to find a good home for her to no avail. Some of you may be wondering why, well there really isn't any good reason...giving away a pup that is part of the family is always difficult. But it really boiled down to her size and my injuries. She was and is a great dog! She has been adopted from what I have been told :) She was just more dog than I could handle to be honest. She was constantly hurting me, not meaning to remember she was the size of a lab but thought she was the size of a teacup pup. But after the last injury to my ankle and Achilles tendon (that is still giving me issues), Sean decided he had had enough and was not about to wait any longer. Well its been almost 3 months and our other dog, Bentley has been a mess. He misses Izzy terribly, is always looking for her and has just been a sad pup. Yes dogs do get sad! I have witnessed it many times. After spending time in Florida and he was able to play with my parents two dogs...Peggy and Reggie....I realized what we needed to do for Bentley. He needed a play mate.
Now I do fully support my husbands decision but honestly the weeks after she left and even now i miss her terribly. She was a good dog like I said but just more than I physically could handle...my knees are very grateful but my heart has been sad since she left.
So I have been searching for a playmate. Well yesterday I found one. Meet the newest addition to our family...This little guy is a mix. His momma is a Maltese mix and the owner believes his father was a black and tan duchsand. Regardless this little guy has captured all of our hearts! Bentley wasn't sure of him at first but now just loves the little guy. :) He is young! Younger than I thought. I thought he was like 8 weeks old but after looking at the ad I responded to again, I have realized that he is only 6 weeks old. Of which I am saddened by. When we had puppies last year we did not let them leave till they were 8 weeks old, believing that they still need to be with their momma for another two weeks. Either way this little guy is ours now. We will be setting up his first Vet visit but in the mean time we have to figure out a name for him.
Right now we have a list that has about 20 different names on it and when our oldest son gets home for his friends house today he will add his favorite names and we will start the process of narrowing them down. I was at first fond of Charlie but since spending more time with him I am just not sure anymore. I think having the kids help name him will make it easier. Or I can hope.

Our Florida Vacation

just a few pictures of our time in Florida. We had such a blessed week with family and friends. It was so great to see my nephew Kurtis graduate!



This little turtle was just swimming along the rocks seen in the pic below. Took us all by surprise. It was a true blessing to see. First time we have EVER seen one in the wild.

Summer has begun...

and boy is it hot! Today the first day of June and we are already seeing temps in the 90s...which is unseasonally hot for our area. We have two more days and we will be heading south to FLORIDA to see my nephew graduate from high school. He is the first of the neices and nephews to graduate so its a pretty big deal. Actually I am amazed at how many graduation ceremonies places have now days. There are preschool graduations, Kindergarden graduations, elementary school, junior high and then high school graduations. Goodness I dont ever remember any of these when I was in school. Well except the high school one.

Anyway, so today I have a bunch of things to get finished before we head south for our very long car ride...15-16 hours...ugh! Lately we have been enjoying going to Ferne Clyffe State Park. Through one area of picnic spots there is a creek that runs through it. It is a dry creek meaning there is only a few spots that have water in them, it more than likely was started as a drainage ditch that quickly grew into something more but then again it is full of river stone so who knows. Either way in some areas it is absolutely beautiful. I always forget to take my camera when we go but this past Friday we were finally able to take Sean with us (the kids and I). Sean has never been there so it was a nice treat to show him around.

Spring Musical Surprise

This afternoon the elementary had it's Spring Musical where every grade performs and the school band also performed. Each class had songs to sing or play on bells or recorders depending on the grade. My camera's batteries were dying but I was able to snap a few pictures of the kids singing. The K and 1st graders did some really cute songs that they did motions too! My two Kindergardeners were right in the middle singing and dancing. It was sooo cute!
To our surprise the 2nd graders also played handbells as part of their performance. Ms Henshaw then announced that not only did the students compose the piece they were playing but our Kristofer came up with the name.... "Ring Bell, Ring!" Kristofer's OT Jennifer Lane, was there supporting Kris and she leaned over and asked me if I knew this...NO! My heart was swelling with pride and I don't think any other momma could smile as big as I was. He is amazing!

Then the 4-5th graders got up and sang. They did AWESOME! Here is Jaron in the back with his 3 best buddies, Tavyn, Devon and Bump (his nickname). We are SO PROUD of all 4 kids! Then the band played again and Kris and Jaron were part of that :) The biggest surprise of the day was when Ms Henshaw announced that Kristofer was the recipient of : OUTSTANDING 2nd GRADE MUSIC STUDENT!!