Just Being a Boy!

This is the heat vent in Samuel's room.

This morning, he was having some nudie time and when I walked into his room he said, "Mommy I pee peed in the heater!"

He doesn't want to pee in a potty, but he'll pee in his heater.
Thank God for Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner and Shaklee's Basic G!

A Smile to Brighten Your day!

Samuel has had a few major developmental spurts over the last month or so. He has started talking in sentences and now he never stops. Sometimes it's one demand after another. This gets old very fast. Every once in awhile I'll get a "Tank you so much mommy!" And Tim got a big "I wuv you too daddy!" the other night! It's amazing how sweet he can be at times.

He can also be quite funny. One night we were going over his big boy bed rules. I explained that he was not to leave his room, but if he needed me, he should call me and I would come into his room. Sure enough at 2am that night, I heard, "mommy, mommy, mommy!" So, I dragged myself out of bed and made my way to his room. I opened the door to find him sitting on his heat vent with a smile on his face. He said to me, "Good job getting out of bed, mommy!" I couldn't help but smile back and chuckle.

Samuel is also at the stage where he wants to do EVERYTHING BY HIMSELF!!! I never thought that being two was so terrible until I told him "No Samuel, only mommy or daddy can use the drill" and the child proceeded to throw himself on the ground, screaming like I had cut one of his limbs off. So is life with a toddler!

All in all, it's been delightful watching my little guy's personality develop. He is the smile that brightens my day!

NICU Baby Update

Thank you to those who have been praying for little Gary and Craig. A quick update.

Baby Gary is now off the ventilator and is doing OK. This is huge b/c both babies have a condition called BPD which is made worse by the ventilator. He is having his ups and downs and could be put back on if he continues to have a hard time. Otherwise he is doing well and is gaining weight.

Baby Craig is still on the ventilator. He is also having continued head swelling which is indicative of some type of blockage in his spinal/brain area. They are debating whether to place a shunt in his head which is a major surgery and could really put this little guy at a great risk for infection. Please keep praying for the swelling to go down. Craig also needs to gain some more weight.

The family sounds like they are in good spirits and are full of faith that God can work a miracle for their boys!

Our Story

THE GIRL FROM MY PAST

In order to understand just how incredible my marriage is, I must start with a few words about my upbringing and past. Growing up, my family was broken by divorce several times and I learned too much, too young about loss and absent relationships. As with many young girls in this situation, I was prone to "look for love in all the wrong places" if you know what I mean. I aways had a guy attached to my arm and turned into quite the wild woman in college. I liked the free spirited type -musicians, writers and artists. And I always wondered deep in the back of my mind if this guy would be "the one" despite our inability to have a stable relationship? After several serious relationships, it always ended in heartbreak. I was even engaged and had my wedding called off about 8 weeks prior to the wedding date. Yes, ladies, I had my dress and every other detail all planned out. Although this was crushing, this was the absolute turning point in my life.

For those of you who are questionable about God, this might make you uncomfortable. But I have no other explanation to give you for the radical turn of events in my life at this point. This is when I decide that I was going to give absolutely everything I had, every hope, every dream, every hurt over to the Lord and trust Him to work out my life for me. After all, it was too big a mess for me to figure out on my own. And so it began - the 3 year process where the only man I dated was the Lord himself. This was the time I truly realized who I was and where I was going in life. I learned my passions, my purpose, and I learned to be happy with myself as a single person. Yes, I desired to meet the man of my dreams but I was no longer looking for love.

A HUGE INTERRUPTION
I was a manager at a college bookstore and a new employee was hired and sent my way for training. My boss neglected to tell me the day this new employee would be starting. In walked Tim (eager to start work) one fine morning interrupting my work plans for the day. I was frustrated to say the least and was not the usual courteous person I tend to be. I actually told him to leave and come back in an hour so I could finish what I was doing. I had met Tim one other time and remember summing him up in my head after a brief 30 second encounter. I totally thought he was a "player" because he looked me right in the eyes the entire time he was talking to me. I was sure he was trying to be smooth. And now, this young, player of a guy was working for me at the store.


THE SIX PACK
After working together for a few weeks, I realized that Tim wasn't such a bad guy after all. He was a great worker and did everything I asked. heehee (Loyal kind of guy that he is) Then one one day, I was blind sided when I caught glimpse of his 6 pack abs while stretching and fixing his shirt. OH MY GOODNESS! As if that wasn't enough, he bent over to help me lift some boxes and I noticed just how fine his rear looked in those khaki's he was wearing. WHOA! I called my friend, Courtney, and said "My hormones are out of control - I am attracted to this young college guy and I need some serious prayer. " I kept thinking I had lost my mind. No way, no how was I going to get sidetracked by some cute college guy (who happens to be 5 years younger than me by the way). NO WAY!


HE WANTS TO KNOW WHERE I GO TO CHURCH?
One day Tim asked me where I attended church. Most people in my work environment would rather avoid that topic. So, I answered flippantly and almost fell over when he responded to me about where HE attends church. No way! This guy is a Christian too! And so it began. Tim made me feel like an innocent sixteen year old with a serious crush. From that day forward I noticed that my deodorant stopped working every time I was at work. I was sweaty and my words were always jumbled when I talked to him. It was official - I liked this Tim guy. Was I crazy? He was my employee, he was 5 years younger than me and he was on his way to graduate school somewhere in the US.


I'LL PICK YOU UP AROUND 6:30
It finally happened. Tim asked me out for Italian one evening after work. I was besides myself while getting ready. I'm sure I changed my outfit 20 times until I ran out of time and he was in the driveway. We debated a few theological ideas over dinner and had a pretty uneventful evening. I must say I enjoyed the level of intellectual conversation the man could hold. After all he is the smarty science type. We decided to keep our relationship on the down low as to not rock the boat at work.


RED LIGHT OR GREEN LIGHT?
I want you ladies to know that I prayed incessantly day after day during this part of our relationship. I was so afraid of going down a path that God had not prepared. Tim was so "not what I had imagined." I wrestled everyday with the thought of pursuing a relationship with him. Everytime we got together I would put him through the ringer - interrogation, questions, intentions. I thought for sure I would drive this guy away. But he kept coming back for more. What strange and unusual behavior. Then one day, I heard God say to my heart, "Enjoy yourself Michelle!" And so I did. I stopped fighting my feelings, I stopped hiding my feelings and I embraced the relationship in front of me. It was beautiful - truly it was. The first time Tim kissed me goodbye (a brief peck on the lips) I turned my head away bashfully and said to him, "I'm just a little girl in a big girl's body." Strange thing to say perhaps, but it was evidence of God restoring my innocence to me and it was like experiencing everything for the first time.


And so we spent endless hours talking. I emptied the closet of my past to him and it didn't change a thing. He loved me just the same. He loved me for who God had made me today. He made me feel safe. In fact I learned that Tim always looked me in the eyes when talking to me and that was because he had nothing to hide. I came to see how God was loving me through Tim and that this type of love was vastly different than anything I had ever known before.


A LONG STORY MADE SHORT
We dated for 5 brief months and were engaged for another 5 months. The wedding planning was intense but well worth it. So 10 months total for us love birds and we tied the knot! We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were meant to be together and that God creatively brought two very different people together to make a very lovely union. He's laid-back, I'm intense. He's a country boy, I'm a city girl. He's as steady as can be, I flutter around like the wind. He's younger, I'm older. He's full of faith, I tend to worry. He can be forgetful, I am extremely organized. As you can see... A match made in heaven!!!


Tim and I just celebrated our 5th anniversary and we are about to have our second child in May. We are still in love and we are still everything I never thought could ever be in my life. We have joy, peace, kindness and security in our home. I give God all the credit, because with Him I know all things are possible. My marriage is evidence!

Babies in Need of Prayer!

Samuel and I were browsing Babies r' Us today when we stopped to ask a sales clerk about a particular item. There was another woman who was also looking for something and she decided to stop and talk to the sales clerk as well. I overheard her asking him if they carried any clothes for very young preemies (like 2 lbs). After overhearing her, I made a suggestion and then we started to chat. Her name is Sharon and her daughter, Tracie, gave birth at 25 weeks gestation to twin boys on January 14th, 2008. They are currently in the NICU at Strong and are hanging in there by the grace of God.

Baby Gary: Born at 1 lb, 13oz and is now 2lbs 2oz. He had to have heart surgery when he was about 2 weeks old and has also suffered some brain bleeds that seem to be under control for the moment. He is doing well with breastmilk feedings and is being weaned off the ventilator.

Baby Craig: Born at 1lb 5.5oz is now 1lb 15.5oz. He had more severe brain bleeds that they did not think he would survive but did. He also suffered from some brain swelling. They have been suspicious of an infection at his IV site but cultures came back negative.

I asked Sharon if I could put the family on the prayer list at church and she just smiled that warm smile knowing God was in the middle of our interaction. She continued to tell me that they are looking for all the prayer warriors they could find and that she knew the only way the boys have made it this far was by God's grace. Sharon has written scriptures pertaining to healing and has placed them on the babies incubators. They speak these promises to the boys each day. Though I do not know them personally, I am burdened by their situation and amazed at their strength. Would you join me in praying for this special family?

With permission I might be able to give you access to their carepage website. So let me know if you will put them on your daily prayer list. And does anyone out there know the answer to Sharon's question about finding such tiny clothes?

It was a long night!

Samuel woke up around 2:30am and I'm pretty sure he never really went back to bed.... Nothing wrong, just a toddler with a creative mind racing and a body ready to go. I think he came into our room 6 times. I went to bed at 11pm, woke to pee at 2am and I'm pretty sure I never went back to bed until 6am when Tim let me sleep for a few hours. Poor Tim - no sleep for him.