Art?

Yeah, I don't know about that. Please know that I use the term "art", very loosely, but I just finished this canvas for our living room. I was inspired by something similar (kind of) at Canton a couple months ago. It was way out of my price range, but after looking at it for awhile, thought that maybe I could do somehthing like it on my own. There are so many things I know I can't do and am happy to pay for someone else's creativity (for example, refer back to my Chuck the Chicken post) but this one I thought I could tackle. And at only about $20, I think it will work.

Fun with Friends

This week my friend Ruth came in town from New York for a visit. We worked together at Recollections, but she moved away last year. It was SO GOOD to see her. She is expecting her first baby this fall, a long-awaited event for her and her husband. It was great getting to see her cute little tummy. She'll be an excellent mommy (or mum, and she says~ she's from the UK, and is so very cool).

Some of us that used to work together(and a couple of faithful customers)met her for dinner tonight, and it was so fun to be with them. Made me realize how very much I miss working with these girls. I'm so thankful that I still get to work with Tracy, and thankfully I get to see Anna and Molly every once in awhile, but I don't see anyone else nearly as often as I would like. Nights like tonight remind me that these are true friendships that have formed though, because we are able to easily pick up right where we left off, and before you know it we're talking and laughing about the same old things. Thank goodness for good friends...

Summertime Already?

Yes, I think so. We are already having 90+ degree weather here...and I'm already dreading our electric bills this summer. Yuck. It looks like our water bill won't be great either~ the boys are loving the sprinkler. I'm sure once we start going to the neighborhood pool and the water park though, it will be old news. It's so fun to watch them play all together...

Maria Sue Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman, his family, and his music, have had a huge impact on me and my Christian walk for as long as I can remember. I've always been amazed at his ability to write and sing songs that expressed exactly what I was feeling at different points in my life. I'll never forget when Brian took me to his concert for my 19th birthday (12 years ago...I am so old)and he was as amazing in person as he is on the radio.

I'm sure most of you have heard this story~ it's been all over the news. Last Wednesday the Chapman family lost their youngest daughter, Maria, in a terrible accident. She was one of their three adopted daughters from China, and from what I can tell, was a precious little girl that was adored by her family.

I can't stop thinking about them right now. It's always hard to understand why things like this happen, especially to a family as close-knit and dedicated to the Lord as they are. It's a reminder that none of us are exempt from heartbreaking losses like this. From what I have already read about how they are dealing with everything, it is obvious that they are clinging to their faith, and honoring the memory of their little girl in incredibly special ways. I came across this video from YouTube of Maria and her daddy washing dishes and singing together, and it made me smile. It's just one example of the special bond these two obviously had.

First Popscicle

I have few words for this one...the pictures speak for themselves. All I can say is~ THIS IS ONE YUMMY BABY BOY. :)

Spike and Speedy

Well, we have made a couple of additions to our family that I swore would never happen. Meet Spike and Speedy, our new lizard friends. Speedy is the one in the picture, and Spike is hiding~ he's not real friendly. Yes, I said lizards, in an aquarium, in my living room. Wow. Am I embracing this mom of boys thing like a champ or what? :) The crazy thing is that I'm almost as fascinated with them as the boys are. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hold them, and I definitely will not pull the worms out of the bowl every day to feed them (there are plenty of volunteers around who are more than happy to touch a worm), but I like to watch them.

This whole lizard thing started when Hudson was trying to catch one in our garage. I told Brian about it and he caught one at church and brought it home that day. The boys named him Spot, and less than 24 hours later, Hudson had an "accident" (code for he dropped his cage) and Spot was killed instantly. Very tragic in the life of a 3 year old. Brian couldn't stand how sad he was, so they hopped in the car, drove to PetSmart, and came back with Speedy. The next night Brian caught Spike outside on our front porch (why are we buying lizards if they are this easy to catch?), and so now we have two. Wow...

TOOT!

Oh this baby! Not sure what I'm going to do this one. One of his favorite things is to steal my drinks from me, and if I try to take it back, oh wow. There is no doubt that he is my baby, and as much as I hate to admit it, I probably am letting him get away with way more than I should be. If he wasn't so stinkin' cute and snuggly, and so happy and sweet, it wouldn't be nearly as hard...I may be creating a monster before our very eyes. :)

SO much better! :)

Since all of you had to witness the pitifulness (I'm sure that's not a word, but oh well) that was Hudson last weekend, I thought it would be nice to let you see what I get to see now. The swelling is almost gone, and his eyelid is still a little red, but in comparison...wow. He is doing great, and at his follow up appt. with Dr. Terk, he got the all clear! Hud even gets to go back to school tomorrow (much to his disappointment). :) What would we do without antibiotics? Scary thought...

First (and hopefully last) Hospital Visit

These past couple days have been a total blur. When Hudson woke up yesterday morning, his eye was swollen completely shut. I thought that maybe a bee had stung him the night before (there are always a lot of bees at the fields where Harrison plays baseball) so I gave him some Benedryl. After a couple of hours it seemed to be getting worse, so I called his doctor. The nurse didn't waste much time telling me to take him down to Cook's. Brian was at church with Harrison, so I packed up Hunter, grabbed Hudson and off we went.

I had no idea what was in store for us. As soon as we got there, they took us straight back to be seen. When the doctor came in to check him, he knew right away that it was cellulitis, a fast-growing skin infection. Apparently it entered through a cut on his eyebrow. We have no idea where he picked it up. The scariest part was when the dr. told us there was a possibility of it spreading to the tissue around his eye, and that he would need a CT to rule it out. Talk about sending me into panic-mode~ I called and got Brian out of church and got a hold of my sister to come and get Hunter. The IV and CT were the worst part (he was pitiful), but thankfully it wasn't too long before the doctor came to tell us that the CT was clear, that it was just in his skin, and that a few rounds of IV antibiotics should have him fixed up in no time.

Once Hudson had accepted that we were staying that night (he probably asked to go home about 15 times) he realized that it wasn't so bad there after all. I mean, with endless television, room service that includes pizza, pancakes, and strawberry ice cream, new toys and things to do, and his mom and dad's undivided attention, how much better can it get? He responded very quickly to the anti-biotics, and we were released around lunch time today. That was a great surprise~ they had all told us that the earliest would probably be tonight. He still has a swollen eye, but the redness has gone way down, and we expect him to be good as new in a few days.

We are so thankful for the staff that worked with him at Cook's. They are amazing at what they do, and we were so impressed with how quickly they worked, with how good they were at comforting and calming Hudson down (especially Dr. Wolf, who diagnosed him~ Hudson thought he was great), and their focus on getting him better and making sure we were both informed and comfortable during our stay. We couldn't have asked for a better experience, given the circumstances.

If there is one thing I have learned (I'm sure there are several more) it is to trust your instincts. I had this awful feeling that something was really wrong, and I'm so glad I didn't ignore it. Last night when one of the nurses told me that if I had waited even one day to bring him in that things wouldn't have gone so well, it confirmed what I had been thinking all day. I'm so thankful that he's okay...it was very obvious that God's hand was in the big middle of these past few days...so very thankful.

Field Day

Last Friday was Field Day at Saginaw Elementary School. This year Harrison chose two different races to compete in. One was the 100 yard dash (he placed 4th~ pretty good) and then the 50 yard dash~ and he got first place! So very exciting...that kid can run.

The other interesting thing that day was watching Harrison in action with his friends. My mom and I were busy talking when all of a sudden, she told me to look at him. He was sitting surrounded by four girls, and enjoying every minute of it. Wow...I'm not going to handle the girl thing well at all.

Take me out to the ballgame...

Last week Brian and I took Harrison and Hudson to see a Rangers baseball game. Thanks to Breon and Kecia Dennis, some wonderful friends of ours, we've been able to go to several games, and they are always so much fun. This time was Hudson's first time to go, and he absolutely loved it! His little head was practically on a swivel as he tried to take it all in.

What made it even more fun was that the Rangers played an awesome game. They hit four home runs, which makes fireworks go off...so much fun. That, together with hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, peanuts, etc...it doesn't get much better. :) Maybe next time all five of us will go...