Great Story and Movie!

We just finished reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Monday. We had bought the movie but I told the kids we wouldn't watch it until we finished the book. That way we could tell how they made the movie different from the book. Also, I wanted them to know whatever they decided in their head of what things looked like from the description from the book was correct no matter what the movie looked like. (That is just the director's idea of what the stuff looked like when he read the book!) They loved it! It was so cool hearing what they thought Mr. Tumnus house looked like and the witch. Being the prefectionist Jake is, he would tell me in detail how which parts of the movie were not correct or out of order. I tried to use this opportunity to instill in him of how great reading is! I think this made some progress! Now we are already into Chapter 2 of "The Horse and His Boy". 

Molly got a haircut!

I had a hair appointment yesterday but Molly had been bugging me so much about her getting her haircut I gave her my appointment! She had this all planned out about how she wanted her haircut and in great detail told Ms. Kendra. Now the goal is to grow out the bangs. She no longer wants bangs. I'm not sure how she is going to handle growing her bangs out! 

Jake's Baptism

This was a happy day for us! We were thrilled that Jake had chose to obey Jesus and follow Him in Baptism. Jake got saved when he was a young 4 years old. He was working with Bruce in the garage and was playing with a screwdriver. Bruce told him not to run with the screwdriver and Jake started asking him why. Like "Will I get hurt? Will I poke my eye out? Would I bleed?" Bruce, working on the van, getting a little irrated with all the "why" questions said "Yes, Jake, yes! All those things could happen or worse." To which Jake said "Would I die?" Exasparated Bruce told him yes. Then Jake was very serious thinking everything over said if he died he would go to hell. Bruce called me in the garage and we asked him why he thought that and he said because he was a sinner. We asked him what in the world did he do that made him a sinner and he said that he has lied and disobeyed. We still were trying to put him off because he was very young but he insisted that he wanted to know he was going to go to heaven when he died by asking Jesus to save him. We told him that he could pray and he wanted us to pray for him instead. We told him that was a prayer he was going to have to say all by himself and whenever he was ready someday we would pray with him. We started to walk out of the garage and he grabbed us and told us that he was ready now and he prayed the sweetest prayer a 4 year old could prayer calling upon the name of the Lord!

We told him about baptism and he said he didn't think he was ready for that (he was scared of the water). We really didn't talk to him about it after that because we really wanted it to be the work of the Holy Spirit and not us. Then one day in June he said that he needed to get baptized and I asked him why. He said because he wanted to obey God. Wow! This is what we prayed for him since the day we found out we were pregnant! If you have trusted in Christ for your salvation you will see Jake in heaven one day! We are thankful for God's Mercy to us!! 

Feeding Time

1. Pappy and Grandma are here for Jake's baptism tomorrow.
2. Ike doing his duty as big brother.
3. Molly sees Ike gets his picture taken being big brother so she will be big sister.
4. Marissa Kay saying "enough's enough now!" 

Product endorsement

All right, I love this thing! I have to admit to you that I do not like to clean my microwave. I'm really not a microwave cooker so I mainly just blow up stuff in there when I am warming leftovers. Not a pretty site. And for me to even admit this to you tells you how much I like this product! It cleaned the microwave like new! I didn't have to rub hard or anything. Seriously, it was just wipe, wipe, wipe...clean! Then I am looking for more stuff to clean! The kids light switch wall in their bedroom and bathroom were horrible. Magic! It is totally awesome! You will love this...I guarantee it! 

Update-Marissa's eyes

Tuesday we had an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist for Marissa and we got the good news we were waiting for…her retinas are now complete! We don’t have to see that doctor for a year!! Everything is going so well for Marissa. Thank you so much for all the prayers that have gone up on her behalf this year! She is now 8 pounds 9 ounces (as of Saturday). That’s a seven pound gain since birth! She is such a blessing in our lives. She is sleeping through the night most nights, which is such a gift to an old mom like me! She hardly ever cries. She is more of a grunter. When stirring around trying to wake up in the morning or from naps, she never works her way into a cry...just seems to grunt around! I know I break all the rules putting her to bed on her tummy but she is just so darn comfy! When you check on her she's got her legs completely tucked under her tummy and that bumper is high up in the air! Adorable! She's getting a little a bald head. Either they baby hair is rubbing off or else her head is growing so much that it has thinned out the hair. I'm not sure but it looks like the new hair coming in may be curly??? She really does remind me of Jake when he was a baby. She needs her fingernails cut. I have only clipped them one time. I hate that job! Anyone want to come over and clip her nails for me???

I may be right...or I may be crazy!

I’m pretty sure I’m a hypochondriac and should not be watching shows like “Mystery Diagnosis” on the Discovery Health Channel. I watch these shows and then think I have most symptoms and fret about it for awhile until I drive Bruce crazy. But tonight’s episode the woman really did have a few symptoms like I have. The reason I had Marissa so early was because I suffered from the HELLP Syndrome. That is a condition when you’re pregnant and your body turns toxic to the pregnancy. Basically, it tries to fight the pregnancy. My symptoms were high blood pressure, protein in the urine, edema, pain that resembled gall bladder pains, low platelet counts and liver enzymes going out of whack. This occurred at the end of my second trimester around 24 weeks. My doctor told me the only cure would be delivering the baby. We were able to hold off for two more weeks (that was nothing more than God’s sovereignty) and then in an emergency C-Section Marissa was born. After delivery my blood pressure immediately came down but I had fever and serious infection. I was on triple IV antibiotics for 4 more days after delivery but then was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health. Well, as the days went on with Marissa in the NICU, I developed this rash on my hands. I went to the allergist as well as the dermatologists and they both said it was from stress. I took several doses of steroids, oral and topical, and it would help for awhile then just come back. Then one day I started itching. All over. My hands, my back, my head and I had red bumps all over! I called the dermatologists and they said to go to Urgent Care. There the doctor said I had an allergic reaction from eating fresh strawberries. I told him I’ve eaten fresh strawberries all my life when its strawberry season but he said that had to be it. He gave me two different drugs in an IV and sent me home with a anti-histamine for anxiety. Well, nobody could argue I had an anxiety problem with my little baby in the hospital on a ventilator! The thing is now I still have problems with my hands and I still get this crazy itch all over sometimes. Which brings me to the show on Discovery Health tonight…I think I still may be having liver problems! Now that I have a blog you all can experience my hypochondriac self diagnosis as well! Should I go to the doctor???!!

Happy Father's Day!

After Sunday School we came home and grilled out with Papa and Lula. Lula, Molly and I went to a baby shower for Lula's friend and the boys stayed home and finished the dog house and loaded up scrap wood etc. to take to the farm. When we got home around 4:30 Bruce said that for Father's Day he wanted to go check out the farm and dump that stuff. It had been 5 months since we went out there. It was really over grown with all the rain but the lane was still there! Bruce got his truck lifted in the 5 months of absence and it was a much better drive being higher up. Except I kept feeling like the truck was going to roll over as we climbed the misty mountain! Marissa's first trip out to the farm and she slept the whole time. Never even got out of the truck! (I'm kinda glad though...what would I have done with this 8 pound 9 ounce 4 1/2 month old baby in the woods??) The big kid's had a blast exploring and playing in the tree house while Bruce sawed the tree that was down blocking the path. Let me tell ya, this is NOT what we did on Mother's Day but Bruce had a ball working hard, sweating and 4 wheeling! 

Speaking of the dog...

For Father's Day Bruce wanted to go to the farm. Of course we had to take the dog! It's the one place we can let her run around without a fence or leash. She does so well to stay with the kids while they explore. They are more adventerous with her knowing that she will lead them back to Bruce or the truck. These pictures were taken driving to the farm. The trip home that poor dog was so tired, as soon as she got in the truck she fell asleep! 

Everything's going to the dog!

Our dog, Honey, a very cute one year old beagle, has been kicked out of the house since baby sister came home. Of all the occupants of this house to get jealous I sure didn't expect it to be her! And I did not have the time and energy to cater to her feelings so...out the door she went. This week Bruce and kids built her this cool dog house. It has a front porch to keep her water and the food dish goes inside. She has a big comfy pillow in there too. Of course we have yet to see her actually go into the dog house but I'm hoping she is smart enough to get in out of the rain! 

Jake's Monster Truck

I got the monster truck then I decided to start taking pictures of it. I came up with this one. It's up in the air and it's getting ready to land on a car. I don't know why the hairbrush was there! I think it was Ikey (my little brother). (Mom typed this for Jake just as he told me. He wanted to be on the world wide web!) 

Cake, anyone?

I love my mixer! Molly and I whipped out a cake in no time. We started at 8:00 p.m. and had the cake in the oven by 8:10. Clean up was done by 8:15! We didn't frost the yellow cake. We like to frost individual pieces so you can decorate it as you see fit. Maybe sprinkles, maybe gel writing pen, etc. It's great fun. I must say, the cake did have a few crunchy bites. (Molly cracked the eggs into the mixer bowl.) All's well, part of the joy of cooking with a 5 year old! 

We had a great weekend at Pappy and Grandma's house. Marissa was delighted to meet her Aunt Deb and Uncle Brian as well! I have no reason to believe that Marissa is going to be spoiled! Can you tell I figured out how to blog the pictures? Not without help from my friend at church! Thanks Rachel! That last picture looks like Marissa is going to sock it to Pappy... "Why I oughta...where's my bottle?!" 

Saturday's are made for baseball! 

Sweet dreams!

Molly fell asleep in the van coming. Don't you hate when that happens and somebody takes your picture? 

I though I would keep everyone up to date on Marissa's progress on my blog. That way if you are interested you can tune in see how's it going!

She is doing great! We've been home a little over a month now and she now weighs 7 pounds 4 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long! She is off the apnea monitor and the oxygen. All that is a concern now are her eyes. Her right eye is still not complete but the blood vessels are gone, which is a praise! She does have the chronic lung diease (BPD) but as her lungs regenerate that will take care of itself. (About the age of 2) Until then we just have to be sure and keep her safe from infection and germs. If that is even possible...but we try.

The kids adore her! They could not be more thrilled with their little sister! Such big helpers they are too. Even the nasty of jobs of dirty diapers or spit up they are right there giving me a wipe or burp cloth. Jake enjoys reading to her, Molly likes to tell her girl secrets and Ike likes to hold her. All four kids are such a joy!

Thanks for checking in on Marissa. I will update again soon! Please leave a comment if you like! 

S P E L L I N G B!!

Don't ya just love the watching the spelling bee every year. Ever since about 1996, 7, or 8 when ever that crazy homeschooled girl won it I have been addicted!! OK...now I have to spell check this! (It picked up 'homeschooled' giggle, giggle!)