On the Mend

I have taken health for granted, especially Owen's. He has never really been sick other than a runny nose here and there. Well he is on the mend, and couldn't be happier. He is back to his cheery, funny, good sleeping self, and we are so happy to have him back. Sometimes you just don't realize what you have until it slips away. Owen, we love you and are so glad you are feeling better.

My Little Helper

Micah has turned into quite the helper these days. He will (usually) gladly help Owen. Today he helped by taking Owen's shoes off for him. And here is a video clip of him playing with Owen by helping him review his animals. They are both congested and Owen definitely pulls a "mama, mama!" but I still thought this was sweet.

New Plant

I recently learned of a plant in my Real Simple magazine. It is a blooming succulent and looks gorgeous in our dining room. It was $7 and supposedly blooms year around and requires little to no care (seriously I have yet to water it these past two weeks and the soil is still moist.) If you want blooming flowers but don't want to spend tons on fresh cut ones, try out a kalanchoe!

Make A Difference

I copied this from one of Dr. Grant's blogs and thought I would pass it along to you!

During the month of March, thousands of pro-lifers from around the nation will be participating in Red Envelope Day. Why don't you join us? The idea is very simple. We all just send Red Envelopes posted to the White House to arrive on or before the last day of the month.

We will all write a very simple message on the back of the envelope:

"This envelope represents one child who died because of abortion It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world"

That's it. Some folks are gathering groups together to do mass mailings. Some have had a rubber stamp made to mass-produce the message. One enterprising group has even had postcards and postage stamps which can be purchased.

Regardless of how you do it, just do it. And make sure your Red Envelopes arrive at the White House on or before March 31, 2009.

The address is:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Send a letter. Make a difference. Save a life. Be a part of Red Envelope Day.

Recap

Our week has left little time for blogging. I thought I would do a bit of a recap.

Monday (around 4:30 am): Seal barking cough coming from Owen's monitor. Uggghhhhh. I am no stranger to croup this year, and I know what is happening. I get him up, steam up the bathroom with the hot shower after I blast him with some air from the freezer. I settle him down with help from Matt, get him some advil (he had a 104 fever) and am able to get him back to sleep by about 7am. Monday afternoon (Matt gets home early thankfully and watches Micah) I take Owen to the doctor. He confirms the croup and says it is a virus, so no meds can really help. We discuss a steroid, but decide to let him try to beat this one on his own.

Tues-Thurs: Lots of Advil, lots of movies (Finding Nemo seems to bring him some comfort-thanks Aunt Sarah!), lots of waking up in the night to help Owen breathe between coughs (which is growing more wet and disturbing). All the while, my usually high needs, melancholy oldest is being a true champ. He is entertaining himself, helping me with Owen by bringing me tissues and such, and just bringing a little cheer into our lives.

Friday: After being up all night long trying to keep Owen comfortable amidst coughing fits and moanings of pain, I call and make another appointment. This is about the 10th time we have been to see our pediatrician this winter. The nurses look at me when I get there and just say "sorry." I can only imagine what a sight we are having had no sleep and trying to cough up a lung. The doctor diagnoses Owen with a viral pneumonia (yep, no real cure). He does start him on the steroid to help him breath though. Thankfully, he only wakes once that night.

Weekend: Husband and I are ill, but trying not to complain as it is clearly nothing compared to our little boy. Matt graciously lets me sleep in both mornings and handles the boys solo (no small task with Owen's grumpiness). We try to keep in good spirits as we hear Micah start with a pretty nasty sounding cough. I am fighting the urge to de-virus my house and rest instead. Micah is still leading the group with smiles, jokes, and games. He loves Memory, an internet game called Block in Hole, (very addicting and he is getting very good) a made up ball game that the boys call "tricky ball," and a lot of "races" (really just running from one end of the house to the other.)

Today: I awake much better-only a few coughs and sniffles. Owen awakes a bit grumpy as he coughs up all the junk that has settled the night before. I instantly give him Advil (I have learned my lesson on not waiting to see if he really needs it) and his steroid. Within the hour he is actually smiling, and playing with toys! He even greets Dada with a big hug and smile on his lunch break. He really has had very little to do with Matt since last Monday (I guess I am just a source of comfort right now) so this is a really good sign. Matt is still a little congested but hanging in there. Micah is running a tad a fever and coughing, but somehow remaining in good spirits. Hopefully, I will write of good health soon! Hope you all remain healthy these last few weeks of winter. We cannot wait for Spring!

Zoo Fun

Matt had the day off on Monday. It was gorgeous again, so we went to the zoo. We haven't been in a while as a whole family and were excited to see the boys' reactions. Micah is in a new phase of curiosity. He wants to know specific details about things, instead of simply "what is that." I think the zoo got boring for him a few months ago because he knew what all the animals were, but couldn't see anything else to learn. Now we were talking about what the animals were doing, where they live, what they eat, and whether or not they would bite him. Micah has never been bitten by anything. I don't know what this new interest is in the animals biting him, but he apparently has a pretty big fear of being bitten! We also got to feed the lorikeets some nectar. Micah thought that was really neat. Owen loved being outside, strolling around and looking for all the animals. His favorite was the duck taking a bath. He loved to call out every time it would dunk its head under.

Just in Case You Were Wondering

I am in the process of making some changes to our blog-updating if you will. Many things will stay the same, just playing with colors, adding some pictures, etc. Our new header picture is courtesy of Taylor, who took some family photos of us back in October. Isn't it gorgeous? I am forever grateful to have these photos. I figured I would use this time to give a little history of the blog. We started this back in 2005 as a way to keep our friends and family updated about my late pregnancy and birth of Micah. For whatever reason, I was not into talking on the phone those last few weeks; I was miserable. Matt came up with the idea to start a blog, and would update occasionally. He also gave the blog it's name. We knew we were going to name our son Micah, and he thought of the Micah Mandate, which is the verse from the eighth verse of the sixth chapter of Micah. We had no idea at the time that our sweet boy would be born on none other than the eighth day of the sixth month, but it makes the title all the more clever. Anyway, we thought of changing the title when Owen was born-didn't want him to feel left out, but decided against it (Micah is the reason we started the blog after all. ) Now, I have completely taken over the blog; Matt hardly ever posts, though he still gives me ideas, critiques, etc. I love having a place to jot things down, and having a way to keep our friends and family a part of our daily life. But, I was feeling a bit of a block and was hoping the change in scenery might help channel my creative energy ;)

Funny Micah Quote

Micah is feeling a bit under the weather again. We went to the doctor today and his lungs still sound good, so we think this is just a virus. He has been a bit puny today, but for whatever reason when Micah's throat hurts, he will not lay down to sleep. I think the drainage must bug him. Anyway, one of his many attempts tonight to stay awake:

(So you can better understand the following reenactment: Micah will often say things that he really wants us to say, so he often refers to himself as "you")

MICAH (coming out of his room and yelling over the landing): What do you need?

MAMA (interceding on his behalf so that Dada wouldn't come up for some discipline): What do you need, Micah?

MICAH (in his most puny, I am so so sick voice) Do you think you need a gumball? Do you think that will make you feel better?

MAMA (trying extremely hard not to laugh, but cracking a smile just the same) That was very clever Micah. You may have a gumball tomorrow, now GO TO SLEEP!

Oh, the joys of raising a three year old!

25 Random Things

I was tagged by Lindsey, so here is my list:

1. I am not really good at coming up with "random" things, I do much better with a specific list of questions to answer.
2. I have never been very creative, but so want to be. I am actually sometimes envious of other's creativity. I am a great copycat though :)
3. I am a nutritionist, though I have never been employed outside of college with anything related to this. I am however always using my knowledge with Owen, who has several food allergies.
4. I require my children to eat fruits/veggies with every meal, and can become overly worried if they have had a couple of meals without them.
5. I love good food. I would rather go to a nice restaurant over getting/giving presents any day. I also love it that Matt will share food with me so we can try an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert (though we are often too full for dessert). Matt and I actually always share a meal when we go out to eat. Thankfully, we have similar tastes.
6. Olives are the only food I cannot eat. This really annoys me, so I force myself to eat one every once in a while to try to overcome-still no love. My children, however, LOVE olives, and I often have to take them away after the third helping so that they won't get a stomach ache.
7. When I was in high school, I tried never to wear the same outfit twice (my friends and I would swap clothes). Now, I live in pj's and have a few select ones that I wear quite often. I do still love clothes though.
8. I love to go barefoot. I think I once went a whole summer without wearing shoes (except flip flops to stores) My feet stopped burning on the asphalt after a couple of weeks. I am barefoot right now even though my toes are icicles. Matt will often bring me slippers and force me to put them on because "my feet look too cold."
9. I don't think I will ever like it if my kids go outside without their shoes on (hypocritical I know).
10. Italy and Greece are on the top of my list of places I want to go. We are hoping to make it before we are too old to enjoy.
11. I love to read and watch movies. They are probably my two favorite leisure activities.
12. I love to sit/lay out in the sun, but I am way too worried about skin cancer to do it too often. I lube up with SPF 30 on my face and 15 everywhere else. I have a bottle of sun screen in my purse, in the diaper bag, and in the console of my car- Always be prepared right?
13. I cannot go to bed if my house is not put back into proper order. Matt is finally learning exactly what that is and is wonderful at helping me out.
14. I have to have coffee pronto when I wake up. I am hopelessly addicted.
15. I love babies-the way they smell, the way they feel, look, sound. I don't always love the hard work that being a mother brings, but I still hope to have a few more babies.
16. I have had too many cavities to count despite the fact that I brush, floss, and rinse EVERY day-it just isn't fair!
17. I am a planner and I have a hard time when things don't go according to plan. I do have to say that I am getting much better thanks to my laid back husband.
18. I love to check things off my list: read my Bible, pray, read to the kids, teach them something worthwhile, be silly with them, get some exercise, make meals, clean-up. I can become overly obsessive and upset if I don't get all these things done. Again, something I am working on and getting better at-it is a process.
19. We are all still in our pj's today-see I am not THAT uptight!
20. I love to watch the Food Network. It is often on in the background during all my down time-that is folding laundry, cooking, straightening up, etc.
21. Okay, maybe hot baths are my favorite leisure activity, but I have to take a shower first. I can't soak in a bath of dirt! I love to read something and light a candle when I am in there.
22. I can only drink spring water, but I love it and drink 3-4 bottles a day. I have tried in an attempt to save money and bottles to switch to tap, but it tastes horrible even with filters. I think Matt is going to get me one of those water coolers filled with cool Spring water soon-hint hint. They come and change it out for you when you run out.
23. I love ginger. I eat all the pickled ginger that comes on a sushi plate and sometimes ask for more. I am making double ginger cookies today and can't quit eating the candied ginger that goes in them. It looks like Owen has a new favorite too. Oh, and I love sushi.
24. I love my husband more than words. I often can't believe I am living a fairy tale with him.
25. One of my favorite places to go is the beach-gulf beaches to be exact. I am hoping to take Owen on his first ever beach trip this spring, except in utero-Micah has been twice. I think some of my favorite memories are from beach trips.

I think all of you who read my blog have done one of these lists; if not, well you're off the hook. I will say it has been a fun exercise to try to think of things that maybe most people don't know about me, so if you haven't done one-think it over.

Outside Time

We finally got to go outside and play this weekend. I know we could bundle up and go other days, but the boys really aren't into being cold (neither are Matt and I). We were very excited at the beautiful weather and headed to Home Depot to buy an experiment. We have a place for a sandbox, but since the boys and I aren't all that fond of sand, I was thinking of filling it with something a little different. Since Owen loves to "stoop and duuuummmmmppp" these days, I thought we would give pea gravel and shovels a try. It was a huge hit, for Micah too. The boys had a blast scooping up the rocks, filling buckets and trucks, and dumping them back out again. Looks like Matt and I will have a project the next warm day-cleaning out the area and filling it with rocks. Here are some pictures of our fun. Something noteworthy: Micah was very excited about all of this and spent the afternoon laughing and playing, while Owen took this new project very seriously as if he was doing the most important thing in his life to date. Matt and I laughed because if you know our boys, you realize they typically have reverse reactions to new things.

Look Who's Feeling Better!

Yes, Micah is healthy again. He is smiling a lot, playing, and just being sweet Micah. We are so thankful that his lungs sounded clear yesterday at the doctor. I am trying not to worry about his stuffy nose as the doctor didn't seem to think it worthy of concern. Have a wonderful weekend!

What We Do When

it is unbelievably cold (schools were canceled here today because it was so cold-a little extreme I know but it really is frigid out there).

We curl up in Mama and Dada's warm, big bed and watch movies.

We shamelessly play numerous video games in our pj's.




We attempt to destroy the playroom with all Micah's new Christmas toys (which all have lots of little pieces) all the while pretending we know exactly what we are doing!



And.....when we just can't take being cooped up anymore, we design an obstacle course to run off some of our boredom!

What's for Dinner

I am making this tonight. It is one of our favorites-you've got to try it!

You can make it ahead and just bake when you're ready. I substitute bread crumbs if I don't have rice crackers-though they are easy to find in the Asian section of the grocery. You can find hoisin sauce (another one of those sauce that you will be licking the spoon!) there also. Also I have, until today, only used ground turkey because I haven't seen ground pork. Kroger had it last week-very cheap ($2.60 per lb.). We'll have to see if it makes a difference. Oh, and this is great leftover! Enjoy.

Again

So... Micah has pneumonia again. He had it back in November, it took him a good 6 weeks to recover, and after having a healthy boy for Christmas, he came down with some breathing troubles last week. The doctor confirmed pneumonia in a different location. I was puzzled, asked if we should be concerned, and he said maybe. He looked through Micah's chart, said he has previously been a healthy boy, and told me that for now we would consider it a fluke and chalk it up to a bad year. He did say that if this happens again, we would have to consider some possible underlying illnesses that could be present. Needless to say, we are praying for a speedy recovery and hoping to bid this pneumonia goodbye at our follow-up next visit and never to return again. On a happy note, Micah has seemed to be handling the illness much better this time. We are so proud of our little trooper as he sucks down quite possibly the worst tasting medicine known to man. Seriously, it is that bad. We get armed with a coke, a starburst, and a bowl of ice cream every morning and evening to help him get the stuff down. He is counting down to the end-only 11 more doses. And brace yourselves for this one, we are hugely thankful for a video game we got him a few weeks ago. This is something I never thought I would say! But, when he can't even walk down the stairs without getting winded, what else can we offer to keep him busy? I can proudly say that my 3 year old can beat me and Matt at at least a couple of the 65 games. A few other favorites from the sickness: A house for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. I think we seriously read it 3 to 4 times a day stopping on each page to thouroughly discuss what is going on. This is not that short of a book, people! I told Micah maybe we can get a hermit crab from the beach this spring. Wishful thinking! Hopefully, the update in a couple of weeks will be of health, happiness, and the return of my energetic little guy. We would love your prayers for his healing!

*this picture is courtesy of Taylor from our New Year's trip.*

My New Favorite Snack

So, I can see from the last post that my husband apparently highjacked my blog! While he is off cheering for the Titans with his family, (they got great seats and offered a ticket to Matt, which he was hugely thankful for) I am home in my pj's enjoying some computer/reading/tv time while the boys take a nap. I am also enjoying my new favorite snack:

1 sliced banana
1 sliced apple
1 spoonful of Nutella (chocolate, hazelnut spread)
1 spoonful peanut butter drizzled with honey

Yep, it is a pretty good day, all except for the missing my best friend part!

Go Titans!

Trip with Friends

We had an extended vacation over New Year's because of the way the date's fell. We decided to use our long weekend to take a trip to see our dear friends, the Brown's. The trip was great. I have officially decided that I have the best travelers ever. They seriously made the 4.5 hour trip with hardly a fuss, and we didn't even have to stop. *side note: the trip home wasn't quite as good, but Owen and I had a little head cold and we had to stop for a meal making it a little longer. Despite my feeling during the last half hour of the trip, I think they still did great considering. We really just spent the New Year visiting with our friends and eating lots of snacks (a wonderful cheese ball with strawberry preserves and some artichoke dip that Taylor made and a buffalo chicken dip that I made per Matt's request.) The kiddos had a blast (I think Dylan has her first crush-on Micah!), and we even got one day pretty enough to play in the grassy spot across from the Brown's house. The rainy day wasn't so bad either as we had a fun day at IKEA and Mellow Mushroom!

You Have to Try This

....if you like ketchup. While visiting at the Brown's for New Year's (more to come from our trip later), I tasted a new find of Taylor's: Private Selection's* organic tomato ketchup. I think I could seriously eat a few spoonfuls for dessert! It is especially great for us because it has no high fructose corn syrup (Owen is allergic to corn.) I definitely added it to my list and was so happy to find it right with the other ketchups for only $1.85 for a 20 oz bottle. So, if you like to dip like me, head over and buy a bottle of this. You won't be sorry.


*Private Selection is one of Kroger's store brands, which I highly recommend. It is great quality, and they carry lots of affordable organics with this label. Sorry to those of you without my favorite grocery store.

Christmas in Memphis

*all the grands, and great-grands with "Pa Pa, Bill"*



The day after Christmas, we loaded into the Subaru and headed to Memphis to have Christmas with Nana, Mimi, Pa, and Bill. The weather was fabulous, and the boys were so excited to have so much attention from the family, whom they love. Really, the whole Christmas week was that way. What a blessing because Micah's first two Christmases were filled with tears from being overwhelmed, and Owen was a bit unsure of all the commotion last year. This was the first time Matt and I have really been able to watch our families enjoy our boys at Christmas time. It really took a lot of pressure off us as we were able to watch them have fun instead of trying to keep them calmed down the whole time. Much of our family came over on Saturday to have food and exchange some "dirty santa" gifts. It was 70 degrees and windy: wonderful for all the kids to be outside! Owen and Micah took turns flying their new balsa wood toy airplanes while Matt threw the football with my brother and cousin. The trip was a wonderful close to the Christmas festivities.

*opening a new drum set from Nana*

*comparing watches with Uncle Andy (he got a watch that was just like Uncle Andy's!) *

*Owen found a new best friend: Pa, who is my Uncle Phil*

*With Mimi and Pa. Owen seriously sat in this chair with Pa the whole night*

Recommendation From the Christmas Loot

Thought I would pass along this recommendation for all you with little ones out there. It is a great story book with beautiful illustrations.

"I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian--from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God's revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning--a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned."
--Rev. Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York
This is what the author said in an interview when asked why she wrote the book:

"When I first saw that everything in the Old Testament, is pointing to a child—the one who is coming—it blew me away. Suddenly, here was a way to read the Bible without it leaving you condemned (I’ll never keep all the rules all the time) or in despair (how can I ever be as brave as Daniel? or David?).

I found it so moving when I started to discover how the Old Testament is basically one long record of failure—the failure of God’s people time and time again to live rightly, to rescue themselves—and that the stories in the Old Testament are all getting us ready for the One who is coming. They are all signposts to the True Hero, the True King, the True Prince, the True Servant, the greater David, the greater Daniel. The Rescuer.

As a child, I thought the Bible was packed with rules you had to keep (or God wouldn’t love you) and heroes setting examples you had to follow (or God wouldn’t love you). I thought, in short, that the Bible was all about me and what I should (or shouldn’t) be doing. Until I read a Story.

It’s the Story running like a golden stream underneath all the other stories in the Bible: the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. Suddenly, I realized the Bible wasn’t about me and what I should be doing at all. It was about God and what he had done. And it changed everything.

So, throughout the mapping out of the book and writing the stories, I was resolute in my determination to avoid even a whiff of moralizing in terms of applying the stories. The absolute last thing I ever wanted to ask a child was: “And what can we learn from David about how God wants us to behave?” The story isn’t there to be an example for us to follow. If that were the point, Jesus would never needed to have come. We could have saved ourselves.

The story is there because it’s true and because it’s telling the bigger story—of the greater David who is coming. To do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, to fight the battle we could never fight. To be the Hero we all need. To be our Rescuer.

I wanted children to know this Story—and to meet this wonderful Hero in the pages of this book. Because rules don’t change you. But a story can."