Here is the little man with his new "do":
The crime scene (please ignore the breakfast dishes piled in the sink):
Here is the lone innocent party (so far)today.
Musings on life with three silly boys - there's never a dull moment!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Typical Saturday...round 2
Another discovery awaited me this morning. An artist of a different kind decided to cut his own hair using scissors that I thought were out of reach. I have been needing to get his hair cut, I guess he just prompted that to need to happen TODAY. Poor little thing, he cut his hair so short that when he gets it cut this afternoon he is going to look like a little Marine!
Here is the little man with his new "do":
The crime scene (please ignore the breakfast dishes piled in the sink):
Here is the lone innocent party (so far)today.
Here is the little man with his new "do":
The crime scene (please ignore the breakfast dishes piled in the sink):
Here is the lone innocent party (so far)today.
Typical Saturday...
It's 8:30 am on Saturday morning, do you know what your kids are up to? Apparently I do not.
We have an artist in the family, however, as of late he has been a graffiti artist.
Does anyone know how to get the "surprise ink" marker out of piano keys? Using a rag with warm water has not helped one bit. Sigh...
It makes me remember a Jeff Foxworthy comedy routine where he was imitating his mother who lamented "We just can't have nice things!" when they were small and scribbled on or broke things around the house.
Here is the proud artist...
Admiring his handiwork...
A close up of the graffiti...
Trying to clean it off
We have an artist in the family, however, as of late he has been a graffiti artist.
Does anyone know how to get the "surprise ink" marker out of piano keys? Using a rag with warm water has not helped one bit. Sigh...
It makes me remember a Jeff Foxworthy comedy routine where he was imitating his mother who lamented "We just can't have nice things!" when they were small and scribbled on or broke things around the house.
Here is the proud artist...
Admiring his handiwork...
A close up of the graffiti...
Trying to clean it off
Friday, February 26, 2010
Jenny
Jenny passed away on Monday and her funeral was yesterday. I watched the live streaming video and was amazed at the strength and faith of that family.
One of the things that touched me the most was that Jenny's brother Josh got up in front of everyone and pledged to Jenny's 9 year old daughter that they were going to fight for her faith. As a young child losing her mother I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her, and I can see how easy it would be for her to blame God and shut Him out of her life. The fact that the family pledged to make a special effort to fight for her faith was truly touching.
Last week at a women's event at church we discussed the importance of having good adult influences in our children's lives. There are some things that we as parents simply cannot provide to our children because we are their parents. It is that positive Christian influences of other adults that help them along in these areas.
Jenny's funeral made me think about the adults in my children's lives and I am so appreciative of the Christian support and positive influence they provide to my chidren.
If something were to happen to me and I was not able to be there for my kids like Jenny's situation, I am confident that the people in my children's life would do the same thing and fight for the faith of my children.
What about you? Have you surrounded your children with positive Christian influences who will fight for the faith of your children?
One of the things that touched me the most was that Jenny's brother Josh got up in front of everyone and pledged to Jenny's 9 year old daughter that they were going to fight for her faith. As a young child losing her mother I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her, and I can see how easy it would be for her to blame God and shut Him out of her life. The fact that the family pledged to make a special effort to fight for her faith was truly touching.
Last week at a women's event at church we discussed the importance of having good adult influences in our children's lives. There are some things that we as parents simply cannot provide to our children because we are their parents. It is that positive Christian influences of other adults that help them along in these areas.
Jenny's funeral made me think about the adults in my children's lives and I am so appreciative of the Christian support and positive influence they provide to my chidren.
If something were to happen to me and I was not able to be there for my kids like Jenny's situation, I am confident that the people in my children's life would do the same thing and fight for the faith of my children.
What about you? Have you surrounded your children with positive Christian influences who will fight for the faith of your children?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday throwback
This picture takes me back a few years to a busy time when I was not getting much sleep and life was flying by at lightning pace. Oh, how I wish I could go back to those days to hug them a little longer and smell that sweet baby lotion skin!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Next Survivor Series
I received this email from a friend and think is is hilarious! I have no idea who originally wrote it (certainly not me but I can sooooooo relate), so I can't give any props to the author. Hope you enjoy too!
THE
NEXT SURVIVOR
SERIES
Six married men
will be dropped on an island
with one car
and 3 kids each
for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports
and take either music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must:
-take care of his 3 kids;
-keep his assigned house clean,
-correct all homework,
-complete science projects,
-cook,
-do laundry,
-and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
-with not enough money.
In addition, each man
will have to budget enough money
for groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out on time--no emailing.
Each man must also take each child
to a doctor's appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and
inconvenient visit per child to the Emergency Room.
He must also make cookies or cupcakes
for a school function.
Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside, and keeping it
presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television
when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
The men must shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn themselves with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished,
and eyebrows groomed
During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe
abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches,
have extreme, unexplained mood swings
but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.
They must attend weekly school meetings
and church,
and find time at least once to spend
the afternoon at the park or a similar
setting.
They will need to read a book to the kids each night
and in the morning,
feed them,
dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair
by 7:30 am.
A test will be given
at the end of the six weeks,
and each father will be required to know
all of the following information:
each child's
birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size,
doctor's name,
the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still
has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment's notice.
If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over and over
again for the next 18-25 years,
eventually earning the right
to be called Mother!
THE
NEXT SURVIVOR
SERIES
Six married men
will be dropped on an island
with one car
and 3 kids each
for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports
and take either music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must:
-take care of his 3 kids;
-keep his assigned house clean,
-correct all homework,
-complete science projects,
-cook,
-do laundry,
-and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
-with not enough money.
In addition, each man
will have to budget enough money
for groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out on time--no emailing.
Each man must also take each child
to a doctor's appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and
inconvenient visit per child to the Emergency Room.
He must also make cookies or cupcakes
for a school function.
Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside, and keeping it
presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television
when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
The men must shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn themselves with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished,
and eyebrows groomed
During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe
abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches,
have extreme, unexplained mood swings
but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.
They must attend weekly school meetings
and church,
and find time at least once to spend
the afternoon at the park or a similar
setting.
They will need to read a book to the kids each night
and in the morning,
feed them,
dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair
by 7:30 am.
A test will be given
at the end of the six weeks,
and each father will be required to know
all of the following information:
each child's
birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size,
doctor's name,
the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still
has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment's notice.
If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over and over
again for the next 18-25 years,
eventually earning the right
to be called Mother!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Mighty to save
Jenny's surgery to begin the amputation of her legs below her knees will commence in the next few minutes. In her honor, I thought I'd post a video of the song that has become a banner song for Jenny, how God is mighty to save.
Please continue to pray for Jenny, her daughter, and family during this time.
Update on Jenny
Mon, Feb.15, 10:30pm Update
Posted 4 hours ago
Today has been like a punch in the gut. It has been a long day of talking with doctors for extended periods of time. Dr. Kollipara and Dr. Lester are now two of our favorite people in the world. They genuinely care about Jenny.
Before reading any further, we are asking that all of those who know Malaya or have children who know her, please refrain from sharing the following to people who might pass this on to Malaya. We trust you to keep this from those who might pass it on.
After hours of discussion, we are left with only one option—they are going to have to perform an amputation below Jenny’s knees. Basically, the medicine that had to be used to treat the Strep A and sepsis focused primarily on the organs. The doctors didn’t have a choice. They had to protect the essentials—the organs and the brain. Because of this, blood was not able to flow to the fingertips and toes. The tissue in her feet is dead and it will not grow back. There is a probable concern that a secondary infection has developed in the feet, and this could work its way up the leg causes serious consequences; notably, death.
We are begging God to:
-Save Jenny’s hands. They are looking good today and we want it to stay that way.
-Protect Jenny from all of the negative emotions that could come with the realization that life will now be different.
-Bless David with the words to say as he communicates this to Jenny.
-That everything in this surgery will go smoothly. This is a complicated procedure, so please pray for the doctors to be on their “A” game.
-Protect Malaya’s heart.
-Help Jenny to experience healing and grace so that she can be made whole.
There is some good news:
Jenny has been able to communicate some today. The only word she has muttered is, “Help.” Other than that, it has been a lot of head nods. Talking with Jenny made our day. She confirmed that she misses American Idol.
All of her numbers are improving. Her white blood cell count is still very high, which most likely means there is a secondary infection.
Thank God for the incarnation of Jesus. He chose to enter into pain so that he could love it and redeem it. We are experiencing this power today.
We are still praying for a miracle in Jenny’s physical feet. The time of surgery is set for 9:30am. May the same power that was able to lift up Jesus from the grave be upon her.
Posted 4 hours ago
Today has been like a punch in the gut. It has been a long day of talking with doctors for extended periods of time. Dr. Kollipara and Dr. Lester are now two of our favorite people in the world. They genuinely care about Jenny.
Before reading any further, we are asking that all of those who know Malaya or have children who know her, please refrain from sharing the following to people who might pass this on to Malaya. We trust you to keep this from those who might pass it on.
After hours of discussion, we are left with only one option—they are going to have to perform an amputation below Jenny’s knees. Basically, the medicine that had to be used to treat the Strep A and sepsis focused primarily on the organs. The doctors didn’t have a choice. They had to protect the essentials—the organs and the brain. Because of this, blood was not able to flow to the fingertips and toes. The tissue in her feet is dead and it will not grow back. There is a probable concern that a secondary infection has developed in the feet, and this could work its way up the leg causes serious consequences; notably, death.
We are begging God to:
-Save Jenny’s hands. They are looking good today and we want it to stay that way.
-Protect Jenny from all of the negative emotions that could come with the realization that life will now be different.
-Bless David with the words to say as he communicates this to Jenny.
-That everything in this surgery will go smoothly. This is a complicated procedure, so please pray for the doctors to be on their “A” game.
-Protect Malaya’s heart.
-Help Jenny to experience healing and grace so that she can be made whole.
There is some good news:
Jenny has been able to communicate some today. The only word she has muttered is, “Help.” Other than that, it has been a lot of head nods. Talking with Jenny made our day. She confirmed that she misses American Idol.
All of her numbers are improving. Her white blood cell count is still very high, which most likely means there is a secondary infection.
Thank God for the incarnation of Jesus. He chose to enter into pain so that he could love it and redeem it. We are experiencing this power today.
We are still praying for a miracle in Jenny’s physical feet. The time of surgery is set for 9:30am. May the same power that was able to lift up Jesus from the grave be upon her.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Praying for Jenny
The sister of Jonathan Ross, who is one of my frinds and is the worship leader at my church, is going through some tremendous health struggles that have had her on the brink of death for the last couple of weeks. She went into the hospital with flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with pneumonia. From there I beliive a staff infection set in and her organs started malfunctioning, and it has been a rollercoaster ever since. She has now lost two teeth due to biting down too hard on the ventilator and they are scheduled to amputate below her knees tomorrow due to the onset of gangrene in her feet. She is a 31 year old woman with a husband and daughter, and this has all come about so suddenly.
Please check out her Caring Page web site for the details and PRAY PRAY PRAY for this girl! Rock the heavens with our pleas for her!!! The link is https://www.carepages.com/carepages/JennyBizaillionUpdates.
James 5:16 (New King James Version)
16 Confess your trespasses[a] to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
A GREAT web site for coordinating volunteer activities
I came across a great web site that is FREE and helps to coordinate volunteers at: [ www.lotsahelpinghands.com ]www.lotsahelpinghands.com.
You create a private group with one person as a coordinator, and send out emails to invite people to join the group. When the invitees respond, the coordinator adds them to the group. The coordinator can then set up calendar dates and list what is needed on those dates. The group members will then go to the web site and sign up for the event or to bring something. Once the person signs up, the system will generate an email confirming what they have signed up to do or to bring. The best part is that it will send them a REMINDER email the day before their designated volunteer day.
Since it is a private group, the coordinator can add details such as dietary restrictions, phone numbers, addresses, etc. and it also has a google maps link so the user can print out a map with directions to the location. There is also a place to fill in what meal you are planning to bring, and you can look to see what others are planning to bring to avoid duplication.
I thought this would be great to coordinate meals and such for friends and family who are experiencing personal crisis, new babies, or surgeries without a million emails going back and forth to the entire group about who is bringing what.
Check it out for your church group, school, Girl Scout troop, baseball team, or whatever!
You create a private group with one person as a coordinator, and send out emails to invite people to join the group. When the invitees respond, the coordinator adds them to the group. The coordinator can then set up calendar dates and list what is needed on those dates. The group members will then go to the web site and sign up for the event or to bring something. Once the person signs up, the system will generate an email confirming what they have signed up to do or to bring. The best part is that it will send them a REMINDER email the day before their designated volunteer day.
Since it is a private group, the coordinator can add details such as dietary restrictions, phone numbers, addresses, etc. and it also has a google maps link so the user can print out a map with directions to the location. There is also a place to fill in what meal you are planning to bring, and you can look to see what others are planning to bring to avoid duplication.
I thought this would be great to coordinate meals and such for friends and family who are experiencing personal crisis, new babies, or surgeries without a million emails going back and forth to the entire group about who is bringing what.
Check it out for your church group, school, Girl Scout troop, baseball team, or whatever!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Let go and let God
A girl in my Sunday School class made a very astute observation today. I love listening to her comments in class because they are always insightful and practical. Their family has been in limbo trying to sell their house and recently put a contract to buy another house contingent upon their house selling. She had agonized over all the details and tried to make things work the way she thought they should. This morning she was talking about her three year old son who needed help putting on his belt. He kept fidgeting and trying to hold it, and his involvement was making the process harder. She finally cried out in frustration, "If you would just let go, I will fix it for you!"
Immediately after the words came out of her mouth, she realized that God must feel the same way about us sometimes. We try and try and try to make things work the way we think they should work, when all the while God is telling us to just let go and let Him fix handle it.
Let go and let God. This is going to be my motto for the week.
Immediately after the words came out of her mouth, she realized that God must feel the same way about us sometimes. We try and try and try to make things work the way we think they should work, when all the while God is telling us to just let go and let Him fix handle it.
Let go and let God. This is going to be my motto for the week.
Friday, February 5, 2010
#1's class picture
Here is a picture of #1's 4 year old class at Northland. The class pictures of #2 and #3 will be coming soon...stay tuned!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Join my team!
I have decided to participate in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies again this year. I formed a team called Northland Christian School.
Raising money to fund research and awareness for premature births is a cause I feel strongly about due to my own personal experience. Our twins were born 3 months too soon, and struggled to survive, weighing just over 2 pounds each.
If you live in the Houston area and would like to join my team and raise money for the March of Dimes, please let me know. Donations to the March of Dimes can be done by clicking on the icon right below the blog title picture. My goal is $500 - will you help me meet or beat that?
Raising money to fund research and awareness for premature births is a cause I feel strongly about due to my own personal experience. Our twins were born 3 months too soon, and struggled to survive, weighing just over 2 pounds each.
If you live in the Houston area and would like to join my team and raise money for the March of Dimes, please let me know. Donations to the March of Dimes can be done by clicking on the icon right below the blog title picture. My goal is $500 - will you help me meet or beat that?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
The onion
Tonight I was trying to figure out what seasoning would work best for my can of green beans. I opted to open up a package of dry onion soup mix and added it to the pot. As I was stirring, I started thinking about onions. They flavor almost anything and can be used in just about any recipe.
No one ever buys an onion to eat by itself, but rather they use it to make the rest of the food delicious.
I think God does the same thing in our own lives. The onion is like the most difficult and trying times in our lives. They make us cry and no one would willingly choose it by itself. However, God uses those trying times to weave flavor into the casserole of our lives.
Green beans taste ok by themselves, but are so much more tasty with the help of an onion. The good times are more meaningful because of our experiences in the difficult times.
Kinda weird thought, I know... :)
No one ever buys an onion to eat by itself, but rather they use it to make the rest of the food delicious.
I think God does the same thing in our own lives. The onion is like the most difficult and trying times in our lives. They make us cry and no one would willingly choose it by itself. However, God uses those trying times to weave flavor into the casserole of our lives.
Green beans taste ok by themselves, but are so much more tasty with the help of an onion. The good times are more meaningful because of our experiences in the difficult times.
Kinda weird thought, I know... :)
Locked out of the house
Yesterday I got locked out of the house while bringing groceries in from the car by my mischevious 4 year old. He turned the deadbolt, so even with a key I was out of luck while he stood there giggling. Matt was outside as well, so I'm glad he decided to open it again for us (after several minutes of knocking, pleading, and finally threatening). What will they think of next?
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