Sickness Everywhere!

We have done so well this year staying fairly healthy. We had a bug back in September that we all passed around, but really not much to report since then. My kids have not even been to the doctor here for being sick yet, and that is saying alot with 4 kids and the winter time.

Wednesday I got up with a headache, which quickly turned into a migraine even when I was doing all the "right" things to get rid of it. By the time Jamie got home that afternoon, I was laying down with the lights off. Thank the Lord for wonderful well behaved children! The girls sat in the room with me and whispered and Micah started his homework. Jamie took over when he got home and took the kids to church and by the time he got back, I was up a bit and things were better.

Thursday started out OK. Chloe and I did our regular errands and such and thank goodness Jamie came home early that day, because about 3:30 that afternoon it hit me out of the blue that I was sick! TERRIBLY sick! I was up pretty much all night. Friday Jamie worked from home so that I could rest as much as possible and keep a watch on Chloe.

Today Abbi came up to us about 4:30 and said her stomach felt funny. We both looked at each other and said, "Oh no!" You guessed it...she's sick! Poor baby! She is laying in my bed right now and is being a trooper, but I know she feels terrible.

So basically we are praying that it ends here. Thank the Lord for Jamie having a flexible job too! He is a great daddy and knows just what I need when I don't feel well (even making a sprite run after the kids went to bed). Even if he does treat me like I have the plague when I'm sick. HA! He pretty much just throws what I need to me from across the room, but I forgive him. He is a germ-a-phobic!

Our First Fun Snow

Jamie was suppose to be in Nashville today with the youth since we are out for MLK day. Last night we found out that the church bus was dead, so they scrambled together and found enough vehicles to fit everybody only to wake up this morning to a blanket of snow. Needless to say, his trip got cancelled anyway and he is home with us. I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. I can't really say that I'm upset about that. I was kind of glad to be honest.

But, it was our first really fun snow of the year. We got a couple of inches probably and it was so beautiful to wake up to this morning. I'm also very thankful for small blessings, because they didn't have to miss another day of school. The kids were excited and we went out and played for a bit. It was too hard to resist even though the temps are only in the teens.

It was too powdery to make a snowman, so they had fun tromping around, making snow angels, and having a snowball fight. Chloe enjoyed eating the snow more than anything I guess. She said it was "good, it tastes like ice".


And, of course, the biggest kid of all!

Hannah and Chloe Brags

Hannah got a certificate and dog tag for perfect attendance. We've done great this year as far as not missing school. Hannah had to leave early one day due to a sick stomach and Micah went in late one day due to a headache, but other than that, no school missed, which is amazing to me with 3 kids and over half the year gone.

Also, on the Chloe front. She is starting to go potty! I can't even tell you how happy I'll be to put the diaper days behind me. They have been wonderful years and ones I will hold fondly in my heart, but I've changed diapers for almost a decade straight and had 2 in diapers twice. And at almost 3 years old, diaper changing is no longer "cute" in the least. I'm also ready to get rid of that budget line in our monthly expenses, which averages out to about $10 a week.

She was showing many signs of readiness, so we dove in this week to give it a whirl. She has had success (both #1 and #2), so I guess she is ready. We'll see what the next few weeks bring on that. It was so cute today to see her sitting on her little pink potty and beside her was her doll sitting on its little potty chair too. There are just some pictures that are not appropriate for the internet, so I'll leave that to your imagination

We all have Logs

Matthew 7

Do Not Judge Others

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.^[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.^[b]

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye^[c] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,^[d] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

In order to witness, we need to see others through Jesus' eyes. Care about that person and try to put your feet into their shoes for just a moment before making a snap judgement or writing that person off completely. Try to realize that we all come from different points of view and you are not above their sin.

We are quick to think that the homeless man on the street corner is not worth helping, because he could just go get a job. Sometimes life is not that easy, and you are blessed if you have people to help you and a job that will pay the bills.

We are quick to think that the drug addict should just quit. Do you have an addiction of any kind? Cigarettes? Shopping? Caffeine? Junk food? How are you any different?

We are quick to judge an unwed teen mother, yet we are just as quick to tell people that we are "Pro-life" in the same moment. All life is worth celebrating, because it all came from GOD. Those young ladies need out love, support, and encouragement.

We are quick to judge those with a bad attitude. Have you ever thought about why that person may have a chip on their shoulder? Perhaps they are dealing with things that are much bigger than they are.

As Christians, we are called to be Christ-like. We are called to serve and care. You will never be able to witness if you are pointing out everybody else's sins. You will never be able to serve if that person doesn't think you care about them as a person. We can care about "winning souls" all day long, but unless you care about them as people, they will never even listen to you.

There are some sins that are more visible to us on the outside. It is almost like those people wear the scarlet letter. People that we think are the "face" of sin. We all have sin! Every one of us and we have no right to point out someone else's speck when we are dealing with our own log. Hidden or not, "small" or "big", sin is sin to God

Do you know what the face of sin looks like? Go look in the mirror!

Bragging Again!

Well, I'm going to brag again on my little smarty pants around here. Abbi brought home 2 awards today too. She got "all A honor roll" dog tag (and award in math for having an "A") and a certificate for reading more than 140 books. She was very excited and she has also worked very hard this 9 weeks.
Hannah also did great this 9 weeks. Kindergarten students only get checks on their cards though. Her teacher is just amazed by her progress though (as are we) and Hannah is reading 1st grade level books right now. Amazing!

Report Card Time

Yesterday, was report card day. I could not have been any more proud of my 3 students! They all brought home excellent report cards and comments from their teachers. I knew they were smart, but you know us mommies always like it when others recognize that fact as well.

Micah has really worked hard this 9 weeks and all that studying paid off. He got on the A/B honor roll, the highest English grade, the 2nd highest Science grade, and excellent penmanship recognitions today. He was very proud of himself and I was too.

The Marriage Debate...

which is always handled with maturity and seriousness, of course.

Is that Cindy Lou Who I see?

Today was "crazy hair day" in Abbi's class. We had fun this morning creating a masterpiece on her head. When we were finished, she looked like she might have walked out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Isn't it pretty?

It is even prettier, because it isn't on the roads!

Back in the Swing of Things

Yesterday the kids started back to school and everybody, including Jamie, is on regular schedule. I love having the kids home and miss them like crazy while they are gone, but I think we all do better in a routine of some sort. It was harder to get up this morning than yesterday and I expect that tomorrow may be even worse until we get used to all this again.

So, not much to report except that we are back at it after our lovely 2 weeks off. The kids haven't had too much homework (yet!), and Jamie is at a meeting at church right now, so the house is quiet. Chloe dragged the Mega Blocks out and that caught some attention.
Hannah is just too tired to move and complaining a bit about "not feeling well". She tends to "not feel well" if she is overly tired, so hopefully she'll be fine when she gets to lay down. Look at her tired little eyes.