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Monday, April 28, 2008

Break it down :)

My Dad sent this to me and I thought I would share!

It's wicked funny....

Cast of Characters: My hubby, my brother, and my son

Enjoy!



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Friday, April 25, 2008

Desperate times.....

What do you do when you realize you used the last of the cream for your husbands coffee?

Use the heavy whipping cream, of course!

A girl can NOT go without her coffee especially when the full pot of coffee is staring at her from the counter, taunting her with it's aroma "you can't drink me, you can't drink me" That's what you think, missy!!

A few days later my hips tell me I shouldn't have used the heavy whipping cream...and I agree with them!

(I did mix it -half and half- with soy milk, so that's not as bad, right?)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A cruel joke!!

Yesterday I was chatting with a girl I work with (we both work from home for the same company).

She and I are extremely similar it a lot of ways. Despite the 12 year age difference we always say we're twins separated at birth a few years apart!

So, while we were chatting I happened to mention that I've had a headache for 5 days straight!!! It's been constant and I've tried everything to get rid of it. She started to chuckle and then said, "You're 29, right?"
"Yeah, forever 29!". She said the same thing happened to her right around the same time. Something happens to us around our 30's and allergies seem to be the result! HA! Now isn't that just a cruel joke.

I ended up going to Walgreens last night and picked up a few allergy meds and wouldn't you know it....no headache today!!

I sent her a message today and this is how it went:

Steph says "I went out and bought some allergey meds at Walgreens last night and took them as soon as I got home...voila...no problems with a headache today!!!!!...what have you done to
me?!?!?!?!?!!...i don't want allergies!!!

Karin says HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH! (see how she pity's me?!)
I tell ya, there is somehting that happens to us women in around 30 that makes allergies
"magically" appear!...and it seems more like the headache side of allergies vs. the runny nose
sneezing side

All that to say...BEWARE...allergies sneak up on you when you least expect it! And they get you good!!!!




Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Random pictures

Here are a few random pictures that I've taken over the past week and a half. I thought they were pretty cute so I decided to share!

Enjoy!


Caleb and his devilish grin!



I found Afton like this when I walked into the bathroom
to dry her hair after her bath. Apparently she was
trying to be like our cat!




Miya and Afton after they went to a kids workshop with daddy.
They built an ant house!



Caleb at the park. Afton wouldn't sit still long
enough to get a good picture!



So, that's it for now! Just a few of my fav's. I'll probably go through the rest of my pictures in
the next few days and find more to share!


Happy Tuesday!

Monday, April 21, 2008

The "G" family vs. the ER

We have another wonderful chapter to add to our ER stories!

Before I tell you the latest and greatest let me take you back a bit for a bit 'o history!

It all started last summer at the "little park". It was a beautiful, sunny day. We were playing on the swings, the kids were going down the slide, my sisters and I were taking funny pictures, and Afton was learning how to go across the monkey bars.

She was doing well until she decided to try it herself...and fell! Right on her elbow. Nobody panic, this kid falls all the time and I usually wait it out a bit. We figured it was a bit more than a bump when she was really saying it hurt, a lot. Afton said it every time we went over a bump or sneezed! So, I dropped the family off and away we went to the ER. 3 1/2 hours later (and pretty late at night!) we came home with a temporary cast and orders to see a specialist the next day.



I was praying the visit would not involve a cast. As we all can imagine, cast + 3 year old + summer = no fun for anyone! Long story short she had a bit of swelling and I was instructed to have her "take it easy". (Um, ok...she's 3, I'll see what I can do)

Skipping ahead to October...

Caleb was pretty sick and I was watching him carefully. He
always seems to get really high fevers. 103 isn't uncommon for him. However, when I picked him up after his nap he seemed much warmer than usual and kind of lethargic. Those two never mix! So, I took his temp and it was 105!!! A bit panicked I called his doctors office and they proceeded to inform me that technically it was 104 since I took it rectally! Who cares!?!?!?!?! So, that meant another trip to the ER!

Skip ahead a few more months....

Mike was really sick and couldn't stop coughing. He had a fever, chill
s, body aches, and would cough until he choked. All the signs and symptoms pointed to the flu. Well, finally, one night he asks me to take him somewhere. Really tired of taking up residence at the ER I decided to try a local (25 minutes away) urgent care. We got there around 5pm and were out within an hour and a half!!! We managed to shave off about 2 hours!!! Hooray!!
(Mike ended up having pneumonia, so he had to pick up meds that should have been made out of gold for the price they charged. He was better after a few days so I would have paid it 100 times if I had to!)


That brings us to yesterday...
We had a double/triple birthday party with my family. It was a beautiful day so the kids were outside playing. Caleb was totally taken with the "tractor" so Uncle Lee offered to hook up the trailer and give the kids a ride! As they were going around the yard the tire on the trailer ran over a stick, which broke, and went flying up to hit Afton directly in the left eye!

I was inside so I only heard the cries of pain! I take one look at her eye and realized we had another ER visit in our future.



Needless to say, after talking with her doctor, packing up the van with kids and stuff, driving over an hour to get home, unpacking kids, rocking Caleb and laying him down and finally getting to the ER it was getting late. We walked into the ER at 7:05pm and walked out 3 hours later at 10:05pm. Then we went to Walgreens! Thankfully they are open 24 hours so we filled her RX. Afton and I finally got home at 10:30pm. I was able to crawl into bed at 11:30 and immediately fell asleep!

This morning Afton's eye still looks "bloody", but they always look worse than they are. Thank goodness eyes heal faster than cuts and scrapes!

The morning has been a bit rough though. I think our fiasco yesterday took a lot out of me and the kids! It was rough getting going!

So, that is our story in a nutshell!

I'm hoping to avoid the ER for a long time, but summer is coming and that means my kids are prone to injury! I'm starting to feel like my best friend, Kate with all these trips to the ER!

Here are a few happy pictures from yesterday!

Afton & Caleb before the "accident".




We put a helmet & safety goggles on Afton after her "accident". She really wanted to go back out! So, while we waited for the doctor to call back she & Caleb went for a few more spins around the yard with Uncle Lee!





The birthday present Mike & I got my brother! His name is Matt! Get it...a "mat" for Matt?



Thursday, April 17, 2008

Ice Cream!!!!

We caught the ice cream truck!!!!

Hooray!

We were just finishing up dinner when we heard.....the music!!! We all jump up and run to the door. (Well, Mike and the kids run out the door while I run for the cash!)

We get out to the truck and the music is still playing (and it's loud!) Afton chooses a Dora ice cream on a stick and Caleb gets an ice cream sandwich. The ice cream sandwich is HUGE...so I ate half. It was yummy!!

One thing I realized was that I may just go broke with that ice cream truck coming by our house! The prices seem to be a little bit higher than last year! For those two things it was $5.00. So, I came to the conclusion that I will buy one ice cream sandwich and split it between the two kids! HA! That'll solve my problem!

For the rest of the night that's all Caleb would talk about, and for the second night it a row it was the last thing on his lips!

My kids LOVE ice cream!

Something Funny

I pulled this out of a Readers Digest a few days ago and thought I would share it today! It made me laugh!


What to engrave on the inside of my husband-to-be's wedding ring? I turned to my sister and said, "I want something that has meaning and will remind him of me." Her suggestion? "Put it back on."
(submitted by Traci Williams from Maryville, Illinois)


How great is that?!?! I thought that was pretty funny and quick thinking on the sisters part!

Anyway, happy Thursday!

So it has begun...

Ice cream truck season, that is!

After the kids bath I was drying Afton's hair and I heard music. I couldn't figure out what it was and thought Caleb turned something on. I came out to check and realized it was the ice cream truck!!

This is just a side thought: Why would you go through a neighborhood at 6:50 at night, with ice cream, when kids are probably going to bed? That is just a tease!!!

Needless to say, Caleb went to bed with "ice cream truck" on the brain! It was the last word he said before falling asleep, and the first thing he said when he woke up!

Please, ice cream truck, come by today!!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

*whimper*

You may be wondering why, on a beautiful day like today, I am sitting inside, on my couch, letting my children watch a show for a few minutes. You're not? Well, I'll tell you anyway...

My head REALLY hurts!

It's the kind of hurt that makes you want to close your eyes. It's probably because I'm lacking a serious amount of sleep, so it will be early to bed for me!

Now I don't want you to think I've been lazy all day because, believe me, I haven't been! This morning, after breakfast the kids and I went outside for 1 1/2. The kids played for a bit and then I walked over to the little old ladies house and decided to rake her lawn. She's like 83 or something and kind of grouchy. I know she's been grumbling about me for the past week or so. That would be because I raked our yard last week and didn't come over and do hers right after. I'm trying really hard to "love my neighbors" and take care of the elderly (even the difficult ones). So, this morning I didn't want to go rake her yard, but I knew that God would want me to...so I did!

After I was done I went inside to retrieve my kids and she says, "God bless you for doing that...now I'll take back all the mean thoughts I've been thinking!" Ummmmm...you're welcome...I think? Oh well, it's not about me anyway so that's a good thing! Then she offered me a Coke.

My head still hurts! Excedrin, pretty please start working quick! Until then I think I'll take the kids for a walk. Hopefully the sun and breeze will help.....

(I just reread what I wrote and found it to be a little "scattered"...sorry...I would delete it, but I worked too hard to type it all out. I don't want all my hard work to go down the internet tubes!)


Saturday, April 12, 2008

You know you're a mom when...

You're siked you got to sleep in on Saturday....

until 6:15....

and, let me repeat, was excited about it!!

That was me this morning! I looked at the clock and said a silent, "Yes!!!"

I was excited because it wasn't 4:30am (my normal wake up time due to hubby's work schedule), and I still had time to shower and get a cup of coffee before I heard the pitter patter of little feet running to say good morning!

So, today is a rainy Saturday and I even heard a rumble of thunder a little earlier. Only one rumble.

Mike is taking Afton and Miya to Lowe's for their workshop hour. Today they are making an ant house. (Just what I need crawling around, right?) This will be perfect for Afton since she is all about the bugs and creepy crawlies!

I'm hoping to get out with Miya a little bit later and go find a book for her. She wanted "her own" book, not a "borrowed" book from me. I totally get that so, sure, why not, right?

I also need to go through Caleb's 3T clothes and wash them all. He's growing so fast and it's time to switch over to the bigger size. Speaking of growing, I just KNOW Afton skipped size 5. She went from 4T to 6 and it seemed like it happened overnight. She is 4 1/2, but tall and still growing!

Until then I will relax with my cup of coffee, listen to the rain, listen to Caleb's feet on the wall (he's awake, but not fussing to get up, so he's good for a bit longer), and just chill out.

Enjoy your Saturday!

(If I see or think of something cool I'll be back)

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

"You're here!"

I just got home from Home Group a few minutes ago, and I went to check on my love bugs. Caleb was all comfy in his bed so I just pulled his covers up around his neck and said goodnight. Afton, I found out, was not in her bed. She was on my side of the bed...all curled up and cozy. So, I pick her up and carry her to her bed. As I was covering her up she opened up her sleepy little eyes, looked at me and with a happy gasp said, "You're here!", then she grabbed my arm, pulled it close to her and fell asleep again!

Those are the moments of motherhood I treasure & want to remember for the rest of my life! I am the luckiest mama in the world!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Trusting God

I receive the In Touch Daily Devotionals every day and this one arrived at the right time. It was last Wednesday and I was struggling with a few things and feeling overwhelmed. Then I opened my email and up popped this! Talk about God's timing! He is so faithful to remind me who is in charge...HIM! It was such a comfort to be reminded that we do not need to do things on our own strength or rely on anyone else!
So, I am pasting the devotional now so you will be encouraged and reminded that God is in control. His timing is perfect. We don't need to worry about anything. Cast all your cares upon Him. He created you & He knows everything about you, even the weaknesses!

I hope this is as encouraging to you as it was to me!


In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley


April 2, 2008 - Trusting God - Psalm 25:1-5

Welcome to the In Touch Devotional.

Life can seem confusing at times. Sudden changes in our circumstances or the people's behavior can make us wonder how to go forward. That's why God gave us His Word as a reliable compass to point the way in difficult times. But we need an abiding trust in Him if we are to effectively use His guidance and follow His instructions.

We know God is trustworthy. He is the One who created us. God sent His Son to die in our place. He adopted us permanently into His family. With His great power, He resurrected Christ. With that same power, He is able to keep every one of His promises. These are solid reasons that we can depend upon Him.

There are several signs that we don't trust the Lord. Sometimes we rely on other things to determine our course of action. We lean on our reasoning power, material desires, or feelings. You may also seek advice and help from other people instead of from God's Word. These ways show a lack of trust in Him.

Some things keep us from placing our full confidence in God. One obstacle is a lack of awareness that God desires an intimate relationship with us. If we don't realize that He is deeply interested in our affairs, then we won't look to Him for guidance. A second barrier is pride. We often would rather rely on ourselves than depend solely on Him. Placing our confidence in the almighty, eternal triune God is always wise. He can be trusted in every situation.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Interesting article

I just thought I would share this article with you! (Click on the link to read)

How would you respond if you were in the same situation? Would your first thought be "What would Jesus do?"

Just something to think about today...

From the mouth of Afton

This morning Mike and I were talking about Charlton Heston passing away, as well as his religious beliefs. (I thought I read something about him not believing in God, but don't quote me on that. I haven't researched it & I don't want to start a rumor). Afton happened to hear our conversation. A second later she comes up to me and says, "I have two things I want to say...um...I love God...and I want a frozen yogurt." You can't get any more simple than that!

Friday, April 4, 2008

April Fools Flashback

Afton's been wanting me to make chocolate chip cookies for her, so I checked the cupboard and realized I didn't have enough chocolate chips *gasp*. So, I asked her if she wanted me to make her some cupcakes instead. This was her answer, "As long as it's with chocolate and not meatloaf!...and NO mash potatoes, they were spicy!"
The prank lives on.....

Friday

Friday's are the hardest days for me. So, today I am praying for wisdom, patience, understanding, kindness, love and gentleness with my children.

It's the end of a long week. Up early every day and going to bed not as early as I would like (or need).

I read somewhere once, "When you are a mother, every day is Monday." How true that is! While I look forward to the weekends I haven't been able to figure out all the reasons why. I don't get to sleep in, I hit the floor running since my kids are early risers, I follow the same routine as I do during the week, and I'm still just as tired by the end of the day. So, really nothing changes for me except that I don't have to sign in to work at 12:00 (which is nice).

Tomorrow I have plans to go meet up with a friend of mine. She lives about an hour and a half away and there is a consignment store near her that is holding their bi-annual bag sale! They have almost new clothes, mostly brand name, and at a GREAT deal! So, I'm very excited for that. I'll be able to get out of the house for a while and daddy and the kids can "bond"! I never realized how much I would love driving until I started working from home. Now I love the quiet rides, or not quiet depending on if I crank the tunes! Plus, it makes me that much more excited to be home later on!

Children are beckoning me and so is my cold coffee!

Don't forget to keep praying for Tricia and Nate! Tricia's surgery was successful, but now the healing process begins. Pray for her strength and her body's ability to accept the new lungs. Pray for Nate as he is obviously by her side constantly which leads to not a lot of rest. Pray for Gwyneth and her continued growth so she will be well enough to leave the hospital and go home with her parents!!! Please click here to read their amazing story of faith!

I'll be back later with a fresh cup of hot coffee!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Confessions Of A CF Husband: IT'S A GO!!!!!

Confessions Of A CF Husband: IT'S A GO!!!!!

Prayer Request

Please be praying for Tricia tonight! (Click on this link to read their incredible journey)
Please pray that this surgery will proceed and that God will direct the surgeons who will be performing the surgery. Also, pray for the donor and their family as someone passed away in order for Tricia to have the opportunity to receive new lungs!
If you have a few minutes (or hours) you should definitely read their amazing story!
Don't forget to pray right now for them and every moment they cross your mind!
I'll check back later on....

April Fools Day Recap

IT WAS A SUCCESS!!!!

My carefully-planned-for-a-week-and-a-half joke worked out amazingly well! I even "fooled" more people than I expected!!! I was able to fool my kids, my in laws, my hubby and my coworkers!!

Let me start from the beginning...


About a week ago I ran across a magazine article involving April Fools Day food pranks. I knew this was the right prank for me because my entire family can't resist homemade cupcakes! So, I excitedly started preparing. A few days before the "event" I bought my ingredients and pulled up the recipe. Then, on Monday night, I gathered up all of the necessary prank stuff and got to work. After an hour, my "vision" was sitting in front of me! (Not quite looking like the picture, but, then again, I'm no Martha Stewart!)


Now for the real test...my kids!

Afton, of course, comes running over and begs to have one, "May I have one, pleeeeeaaase?"
Not wanting to disappoint her I said, "Sure!" Secretly thrilled that they passed the "sight" test! At this point I'm giggling to myself in anticipation! So, I sit both of them down at the table and put a "cupcake" in front of each of them. They are literally drooling as we thank God for our food. As soon as "amen" was out of our mouths the "cupcakes" where in theirs! All of a sudden Afton looks at me, then the cupcake, then at me again and says, "Mom, they're......spicy!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....then I break the news that they are really dinner!! Talk about disappointment! I let them eat some M & M's after...that helped!


Now I knew the real test would be adults! So, the next morning my father in law came to watch the kids for a few hours while I went to a meeting at work (yes, I brought the "cupcakes", more on that in a minute!). I showed him my hard work and asked him to try one because I had "tried a new recipe". Never one to turn down my baking he picked one up and took a pretty good bite! It didn't take more than a few seconds of chewing to realize these were not my normal tasty treats! Needless to say, it came out of his mouth pretty quick!! First adult victim down, many more to go!

I have to back up a bit because I forgot one VERY important detail. I gave my hubby a container with four "cupcakes" in them. I knew I would be hearing from him later.

When I get into work I bring my "goodies" to the kitchen and put them on the table. My first victim walks right in and promptly reaches for one (meanwhile I am wringing my hands in anticipation). I start in on my "try one because I tried a new recipe and I'm not sure if they taste better than they look". It work like a charm!! The facial expression changes from eager anticipation, to surprise, to disgust, then horror, then disgust.....etc. I think I was called a few names at that moment, but I can't remember all of them because I couldn't hear through my own laughter! Second adult victim down. Then he helped me lure in unsuspecting co-workers and the morning progressed swimmingly!!!

After I got home I called my hubby to see what he thought of my smartness and he wasn't very impressed, but he got a good laugh out of it! (note to self...don't mess with Mike and his food!)

The kicker was at 5 o'clock last night when my mother in law called! My FIL brought one home with him so she wouldn't feel left out (how thoughtful). She had just walked in the door, starving, and was excited to see a cupcake on the table. FIL gave her the same line I gave him and she fell for it!!! She called me and was laughing away as she called me a brat!!! She emailed me later to tell me to forward in on to my brother in law (her son)...so I did!

That's the end of my April Fools....oh, no it's not....I forgot to add that a girl I work with brought one home and tricked her brother. He almost barfed on the kitchen floor! Success! She rated me in her top 5 of April Fool pranks...almost #1!

Just wait until next year.........