Lackadaisical Blogging

My lack of blogging the last few months, isn't because I do not have anything to say. Matter of fact I have a lot to say, I just was not sure how to put them into words and it has been, to say the least, an emotional roller coaster of sorts. The last four and a half months have been busy and worrisome for us. We were told Doug had the one thing you do not ever want to hear. Then we have to wait on our insurance and the doctor to call back with an appointment set up for follow-up for everything, after a week we call back and find out the doctor is no longer there and everything was up in the air. He is then transferred to the partner, who has a major patient overload now because of everything that happened. A biopsy is scheduled and comes back negative, which we are so thankful for. In the mean time we are stressed about everything, so we focus on the boys and plan their birthday parties, soccer games on Saturdays and the fair. Right after Eli's birthday at the end of September I was baptized at the lake, Doug had his biopsy the next day. Then a couple of weeks later I realize that I am pregnant. That undeniable feeling you get and low and behold the lovely nauseousness presents itself. I begin to not feel well a few days later and realize that we were having a miscarriage. A huge emotional blow because we had been waiting for so long. The next day Doug gets the flu then Eli gets sick and we have to postpone Nic's party with all of this happening in one week. We reschedule Nic's party for the following week and then my 30th birthday follows a few days later. In the meantime Doug is going to the doctor to try and find out what is going on, it seems that no one can figure it out. He is stressed out about work because he is so sick and they were hassling him because of it. Even though we are both emotional wrecks with everything going on we push forward for us and our family knowing things will eventually be okay. We have prayed a lot, had a wonderful time with the boys during Thanksgiving and Christmas and celebrated our 9th anniversary at the end of December. Doug is working for a different company and loves being able to focus more on his customers and not how many prescriptions they can get through in one day. He has seen another doctor who sent off a ton of blood work and we are awaiting all of those results. But as of late, you can see a difference in him, his appetite is back and he isn't as stressed out and sick. We are hoping for good news to come and have gotten back to the basics of God, Prayer and Focusing of our Family.

Christmas 2009

Christmas this year was memorable for all of us and definitely unforgettable with the weather, which I loved. We had an extended winter vacation, like most schools here and enjoyed every minute of it. Christmas Eve afternoon we loaded up and headed to Broken Arrow to Mimi and Papa's for pizza and gifts then we were going to go to Grannie's but those plans were postponed because of the blizzard. After having a ball at Mimi & Papa's we loaded up for our drive home, which normally takes about 40 minutes took us 2 1/2 hours with a few stops to clean wiper blades and a bathroom break we finally made it home to put too very tired boys to bed after we wrote a letter to Santa and set out cookies, milk and a coke and left reindeer food out the front door. The next morning we had so much fun watching them open their gifts and then I got started on our traditional family lunch. After Nic's nap we loaded up and went back to Mimi & Papa's and for more fun and food.

These are the gifts that Eli made at school for us, a great family treasure for years to come.

Eli & Nic playing sword fighting on the Wii with Daddy & Papa.

Our tree before the boys found their gifts.

The boys opening their gifts from Santa.

And presents from Mommy & Daddy.

Then on to their stockings and they had quite a few items in there. We had a wonderful Christmas season and hope you and your families did too.

Nicolas' 3rd Birthday

The last few months have been so crazy and my blog has been put on the back burner for some time and so much has happened that I want to share. For one, Nicolas had his 3rd birthday the middle of October. We had to postpone his party for about a week due to Doug and Eli having the flu and another unforeseen circumstance that affected us, but more about that later.

So on his actual birthday, I took Nic to the doctor for a flu swap to see if he had it, which he didn't, and the doctor gave him and I both Tamiflu just in case. Then off to the bakery to get his cake and by the pharmacy to pick up a balloon for him and our medicine. Once home we gave him his presents, he got what he wanted and loved playing with them.

Little man's cake, he picked strawberry. He had a dump truck theme this year.

We rescheduled his party for the following Thursday night at Chuck E Cheese, everyone had so much fun.

Nic decided that since he could not get the ball rolled all the way up, he would take it up there and throw it in.

Cake and present time!

He is meeting Chuck E Cheese, he decided he needed to give him a high five. I can't believe our baby is three, it just does not seem possible. But for now I have him at home until preschool starts next fall.

Eli's 5th Birthday

I have picture overload below with pictures from Eli's birthday little over a week ago. His birthday fell on a Friday this year so he wore his school spirit shirt to school and I picked him up we came home to open a gift from us and one from Nic before we went to lunch at Logan's Roadhouse. Our little tradition that we started on Eli's second birthday, the day Logan's opened in Owasso so now we go on all of our birthday's. After lunch we picked up his cake (from the best bakery, D's Sweet Designs) and came home to get ready for his party that evening. He had a few friends from school come and they all had such a ball. After playing in the bounce house or castle as the boys call it, they ate pizza played more, then gifts, pinata, cake and more playing. It was such and enjoyable evening with family and friends. This year's theme was all about Transformers and it was such a hit. After the party we went to the high school football game and the boys had fun there as well. Needless to say they crashed when we got home that night. It is hard to believe our little man is five it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was just a baby.

1st Soccer game

This year Eli is playing his first season of soccer and he is loving every minute of it. Doug is his coach and I am helping out with the couple of games that he cannot be there. At this age they play three on three and their quarters are only eight minutes long. During games this is a long time for boys and girls that are all under 6, without a water break or timeout. Unlike most of the teams, who have five or six players we only have four little guys and they get tired and thirsty really fast during the games. We had our second game this morning and the boys won 7-3 and played so great. Watching the games is so much fun, there are a few that has played a season or two but most haven't played at all. These pictures are from their first game when it was still dreary and yucky but this morning it was so beautiful. We have seven games left in the season and it looks like it is going to be a really fun one.

This is one of my favorite pictures, with both teams running to the ball.

Letter to my dear friend Ragweed

Dear old friend Ragweed,

Every year you rear your huge ugly head and make us all miserable. Why oh why? The runny noses and sniffling, sneezing, coughing and that horrible pressure in our heads. Please, just go away for a while. If you wouldn't mind, could you take some time off and come back again next year or better yet hibernate for a time? We would truly appreciate it.

First Day of Pre-K!!

The first day of school was over a week ago and Eli is loving every minute of it! He can't wait to get to school everyday and he likes all of his new friends and his teacher. Pre-K is only for a few hours each day but it is getting him into the routine of school everyday and what to expect while there.

~ ~

Elijah,

Over the last five years (almost), we have watched you grow and learn tremendously and we are overjoyed that you love school so much! It has been so much fun being your parents and it is a little sad to see you grow up so fast, it seemed like yesterday you were born and now you are on an education adventure of a lifetime. We look forward to you sharing your daily adventures with us and what you learn each and every day.


Knowing we have guided you and taught you well, gives us great satisfaction because you are such a wonderful little man!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

We love you little man, enjoy your school year!!!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Informal Book Club

Okay, ladies I am participating in an informal book club. If you would like to participate, I have the information below with the instructions. If you would like to participate, send me an email confirming you would like to participate and I will send you the name and address of the person you are to send a book to.

*Instructions*

Please send a paperback book or audio book you have already enjoyed to the person whose name and address you will receive. There is no need to box the book you mail. A mailing envelope is fine. It will be interesting to see where the books come from and what books you received. You should receive 36 books.

Next, you copy this letter or post on your blog and send it to 6 different people. Do not send them a book. Put my name and address on the back of the six letters or email it to the participants.

If you can't do this within a week, please let me know so that we can be fair to the participants.

I hope you will be able to participate and it will be fun to see what books to will receive.

Thanks for Their Gifts

Thinking, praying, worrying and wondering why. What is the purpose of it all and how do we navigate through it? I know I have a purpose because without my faith in the Lord, I would literally crumble into a million pieces onto the floor. Knowing the people you love and care about are hurting and not being able to make their pain and worry go away, just makes you feel helpless and hopeless sometimes. Then there are times just being there for them helps and knowing they know you are praying for them and have many others thinking and praying for them helps. The day to day life and functionality gets lost and you sometimes get lost as well, floundering around and questioning what happened. How did everything get so off track and how do you get back on track? I know these things happen to everyone you just never expect to feel yourself being the one to flounder and wonder. But I know I should be thankful for everything in my life and know there is a purpose to this path and I should learn from the journey we are taking in our lives.

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:10-13.

Health Happenings..

Update: After I posted this earlier, we found out Doug has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and had to go get a stat X-ray on his colon, more details will come from the doctor once it is read . We now need to change his diet and most likely go ahead and change all of ours, to gluten free. I know our grocery store carries gluten free items and am going to try and set up a tour to find all of the items that they have, so that I do not have to search when I go grocery shopping. We are asking for guidance from the Lord and we are glad we finally know for sure the self diagnosis we made earlier. It is a relief to know something for sure and how we can handle and take care of it now.

For those of you who know and those who do not, here is an update on Doug's back and shoulder. If you remember, back in January he fell at work and hurt his back and shoulder and getting hurt at work, well can be a hassle to say the least. Why? Well you have to deal with worker's compensation insurance and not your own health insurance, which would have solved everything by now. Back to treatment, at first they thought is was a pulled muscle and said it would heal on it's own, wrong. All the while, he has been hurting and nothing really being accomplished, let's just say when it comes to a company's insurance paying for something, they deny, deny and deny more until you take them to court. That's right court. So, finally a judge court ordered treatment for his back, in May, that's right nearly four months later, all the while he is at home hurting. He has a 3/4 inch tear in a ligament in his lower back, which will eventually heal on it's own, we hope. They tried physical therapy to help with the muscles around it but that just made it hurt worse. So now, this Tuesday, I will be taking him to the orthopedic specialist to get a shot in his back, right in the ligament to see if this helps. They have approved three shots, how kind of the insurance company. The lawyers will also be meeting on Tuesday to try and decide what they will do for his shoulder, a torn rotator cuff, that's right they are fighting against treating that as well and here we are six months later, with nothing accomplished. Doug is a trooper, he has been back to work under doctor's order for a month now, although he is hurting, he loves his job and his family and we truly appreciate him and love him very much. So, please keep him in your prayers and we hope that these treatments work and he stops hurting.