Friday, February 29, 2008

It's Back...

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this, but the van is back in our possession as of 6:00 pm last night. Hunter was so excited to see his van that he literally hugged it after they brought it out to us; obviously it wasn't a big, bear hug, but it was definitely a loving embrace - too bad I didn't have the camera for that one. The boy loves his van; however, apparently there are limits to his love because this morning he wanted to know where his jeep was.

The van has a new transmission - details are a bit sketchy, but the report I have from the dealership mentions large chunks of metal! I am glad I don't know the details; it sounds very scary to me. I'm just thankful things happened the way they did.

Now comes the re-adjustment period. I have to move forward with this whole issue and get comfortable driving it again. Needless to say, I have a new interest in staying home rather than running errands.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Miscellaneous Updates

The last five or six days have been quite blog worthy, which means we've been busy, which explains why I haven't posted all of this. (Sorry that this is such a long one!) At various points throughout the week, I remember saying to myself, "I should blog that!" Now, I don't really remember what I was going to blog, but here are a few updates to share:

1. The Van: Today was day 11 of this ordeal. Apparently they know what is wrong and are fixing it. I should have the van back Wednesday or Thursday which probably means Thursday or Friday - we'll see. I don't have a full understanding of what is being fixed, so I don't know how concerned I should be about all of this. I am sure the rest of the week will prove interesting though!

2. Hannah: Little Miss had an appointment with an ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor) on Thursday. She hasn't really had that many ear infections - only three - but two of the three were in the last two months. The last one took two rounds of antibiotics to cure and she's still not quite right. I keep telling the doctors that and they keep saying her ears shouldn't be bothering her. Finally we saw a doctor who listened to me and spent a little time examining Hannah. She said that Hannah had several fluid pockets on her ear drums but no sign of infection. Given Hannah's irritability, she thinks the fluid is causing Hannah constant discomfort, hence the ENT referral. The ENT looked at her ears, administered a hearing test of sorts, and said that she isn't deaf, but she doesn't hear well - good news, bad news?! I guess this explains why she says, "Huh?" all of the time. We just thought she learned a new word; can you say horrible mom??? Anyway, Hannah is scheduled to have tubes placed in her ears on March 12.

3. Pete(David): A few months ago our church began a nomination process for new deacons. Our pastor mentioned to Pete that his name had been submitted for consideration as a deacon. Pete was humbled and honored to hear this, but never really thought more about it since we are so migrant. Once the nominations closed and the interview process began, Pete found himself right in the middle of everything. The church voted, he went before an ordination board, and on Sunday he was ordained a deacon. We are so proud of him. For those of you who know him well, you should be very proud of him too - he didn't actually shed a tear during the service; he did come close a few times, but he made it all the way through. Way to go Petey/Davey - he'll kill me when he sees this, but I found it amusing nonetheless!!!


4. My Brother: Ben had another ultrasound today trying to determine the cause of the swelling in his arm. This time doctors were able to locate the problem. He does, indeed, have a blood clot located under his right arm. Apparently the hospital did not look under the arm when he first had this checked at the beginning of the month. He started a blood thinner today and will meet with a vascular specialist later this week. The prognosis seems good at this point. Doctors are a bit concerned that he's so young to have this. Please keep him in your prayers.

5. My Friend Paula: Many of you were praying with me for her unborn twins, Gracie and Tyler. Paula was induced last week; Gracie came first and Tyler followed 8 hours later!!! Paula had to have emergency surgery to stop hemorrhaging, but she is doing well now. Both babies were born perfectly healthy at 37 weeks. They are all home recuperating now. Thank you for your prayers for them!

6. Hunter: We are on attempt number 121 (not really but it seems like it) to get him potty trained. He's not liking this at all. He's generally an easy-going little guy, but certain things set him off. The only other two things he's ever been this upset about were sleeping in his crib during the first few months and learning the alphabet song - no clue on this one! He did eventually start sleeping all night in his crib, he does know the alphabet song, so I have hope that he will one day be potty trained. For now, it's a bit of a crazy battle. We'll get there though.

Hunter in his big boy undies. If you look closely, you'll see Hannah in her big girl undies. She hasn't really caught on either, but she's trying - sometimes!

In case you are wondering what Hunter is doing - he's pretending to be a caribou. I know this because I asked what he was doing and that's the answer he gave me. Why a caribou? I have no idea!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

After the Pigtails

Showing off her crazy hair!


I am sure Hannah will probably kill me for this one day, but I had to share.

Amazing Love

Our church has been collecting donations to send to our troops for distribution to refugees in Afghanistan. Two weeks, 89 boxes, and 1400 pounds later, I participated in the largest shipping experience of my life. Who knew that you could get 89 boxes of varying sizes into a large pick-up truck and a Jeep Cherokee with two kids in car seats? We only spent three and a half hours at the post office - the kids were great and the postal employees were incredible!!

We live in an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Though things have greatly improved here, you can't go a day without seeing something still in ruins or someone who is still dealing with those effects. To think that people who have struggled so hard to put their own lives back together would be this willing to help people they have never met in a country where they have never been is simply AMAZING!

A sampling of the boxes
Large pick-up truck almost fully loaded

Jeep fully loaded

Can you see the frustration on Hannah's face?

Below are pictures that we received from our friend who is currently stationed in Afghanistan. (Note: He has the same job as Pete in the Navy. His story could very easily have been Pete's story.) As I look at these pictures, I am reminded of The Starfish Story, especially these last few lines:

..."But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

I feel confident in saying that we ARE making a difference

to this family

and this child

and this child


and these children

and all of these people.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

One Green Clown

The other day Hunter came home from pre-school painted like a clown. By the time I saw him, he had rubbed most of his paint off - notice the sweatshirt - but I hear he had a grand time being a clown. I can only imagine!

After my clown and his sister took naps, we enjoyed some serious playtime in the backyard. Lucky for us, we have a plethora of lizards which both kids find endlessly entertaining. I pretty sure it's not a mutual feeling for the lizards, but we have a great time nonetheless!

One green clown!

Finding Hunter

Which way did that lizard go?

Yummy strawberries!

Day 6

Today is day 6 of our vehicle ordeal, and we literally have no news. I call everyday (even though the dealership promises to call when there is news) for a status report and I get the same line (see last post for exact phrasing).

Pete finally made some progress with a Chrysler rep, so the rental has been extended five days (silent Hooray!). The rep basically told Pete that unless they can prove that the problem is the result of negligence on our part we should be guaranteed a rental until the work is finished. The news did offer a ray of hope in this otherwise bleak situation. At least I know I have transportation for the next five days. Hopefully, we'll know more answers at the end of the five day period.

I can honestly say I'm not in a big hurry to get the van back. I find myself struggling with some trust issues regarding its safety and reliability at this point in time. My prayer is that they are able to fully understand the problem and repair it so that my family will be safe. In the meantime, we have a great rental, a Jeep Cherokee. As Hunter said, "That's mine? It's so nice!"

Monday, February 18, 2008

Van Update (or lack thereof)

The van has officially been in the shop for four days as of 5:00 today. There really isn't much to tell yet. I called the shop late Friday afternoon for a status report and was told the transmission guy was looking at it; however, it would be Monday before he knew anything for sure since transmission people don't work on Saturdays and the shop is closed on Sunday. I called at noon today and got the same story: "He's looking at it; we don't know anything just yet."

I called a Chrysler rep. late this afternoon to try to get an extension on the rental since it expires tomorrow at 5:30 (kind of like Cinderella and her carriage except my deadline is considerably earlier than midnight and being without a vehicle limits me and the kids a lot more than it did Cinderella and the mice). The Chrysler rep. called the dealership for a status report because he needs that in order to extend my rental. He got the same story: "He's looking at it; we don't know anything just yet." There's a definite pattern developing here!

I'm a planner and this certainly makes planning difficult, especially when you throw Pete's work schedule in the mix. With any luck tomorrow will bring news - hopefully good news. I could use a little of that right now, but I won't hold my breath. I am pretty sure there is a lesson, if not multiple lessons, for me to be learning here; I just haven't figured out what it/they is/are. Of course, one could have something to do with patience. That's a lesson I keep thinking I've learned and keep learning that I haven't.

'til tomorrow!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Snack Time

The kids insisted they needed snacks, so I asked them to go sit down. Meanwhile, I turned around to grab their plates and cups to turn back around to find both children politely sitting on the floor with paper plates provided by Hunter. They did what I asked! Perhaps I should be a bit more specific about things the next time. Oh well, who really needs a table anyway?? Cheetos may even taste better served picnic style!




Note: Hunter was wearing pants until he got them all wet when he accidentally overflowed his cup while he was helping himself to a water refill using the handy refrigerator water dispenser. You have to love his independence, but sometimes it can be a bit messy!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

A Valentine's Day to Remember

Before you get too excited and expect a sweet, loving anecdote, I should warn you that my original title for today was The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Valentine's Day. After processing today's events, I realized that title was probably a little harsh and ruins my generally optimistic nature; however, the original title does capture my true feelings for a few hours anyway.

We loaded all of our goodies into the van and headed to school as usual. Both kids were so excited about their parties. Hannah didn't really understand; she just gets excited whenever Hunter does. They both had a blast at school and brought home lots of fun, sweet trinkets from their morning. We ate lunch complete with heart lollipops for dessert followed by great naps (for them not me).

After naps, we headed out to run a few errands; that's when all the fun began! We were about three miles from the house in the turning lane on a major street when my 18 month old van lurches, jerks, and simply stops. Completely unsure of what just happened, I started to panic. I shifted to park then back to drive and accelerated - still nothing. Realizing that I wasn't going anywhere, I turned on the hazards, found the number for roadside assistance, and requested a tow truck only to learn that the tow truck will take at least an hour.

Even though Pete happened to be in town today, he was still across the river and I couldn't get in touch with anyone else. Pete still had to catch the ferry to his truck to come get us. Needless to say we spent over an hour sitting in our van on this major street while the tremendously friendly people in our town honked, yelled crude comments, shared repulsive hand gestures, and attempted to run us over. Not one motorist stopped to offer any assistance. Three police officers passed without even a glance in our direction; a fourth actually pulled up behind me, asked what I was doing, then said since the tow truck was en route I would be safe until it arrived and he left. Simply Amazing!!!

Finally the tow truck arrives, begins to connect the chains to the van when I ask the guy what about my kids inside the van. He says, "Oh, I'm glad you mentioned that. You'll have to get them out!" Really?? I hadn't thought about that. My question: "Where I am going to take them?" After all, I'm in the turning lane of a major road with a median dividing the six lanes of traffic - not exactly the ideal play area. Seriously, what are my options here? So we wait for Pete who arrives a short time later. We cross three lanes of traffic with two small children and two car seats - quite a sight!

We arrive at the dealership (that's an even longer yet similarly unbelievable story), get a rental, head home for a late, easy dinner, and call it a night. It's definitely a Valentine's I'll remember for years to come.

In retrospect, today could have been much worse, but that was a concept far beyond my comprehension while in the middle of the whole ordeal. We are blessed and I am genuinely thankful!


Mentally preparing for the day's festivities

Hannah's handprint project

Hunter's handprint project

The Poem reads,

Thank you God for flowers so grand/This one was made with my two little hands/It's a Valentine Wish from me to you/That says Happy Valentine's Day/To my mommy and daddy too!

Hunter's favorite card

Hannah's personally decorated treat bag

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Valentine's Day Preparations

We made our cards a few weeks ago, but we needed to finish a few things in time for school tomorrow. First, we made some cupcakes for Hunter's class. Hunter isn't really interested in eating them; he just loves making them. Then we spent time assembling our goodie bags for both classes. Hannah helped but had no interest in being photographed during this event (this was prior to our stand-off).


Lastly, we headed to church for a Valentine's party/activity. Neither child sat still long enough for any pictures though. With any luck, we'll have some pics from the events tomorrow.

Stand-off

Two stubborn red-heads in one house equals one very interesting afternoon!

Hannah, who has had a mind of her own since well before she was born, has decided that dropping food on the floor is the best way to rid herself of something when she decides that she is finished. In an effort to combat this new behavior, we've been sending her to time-out until she picks up the mess she just made. She usually picks up her mess in less than a minute; however, that wasn't quite the case today!

I asked her to pick up her cheese; she said NO. I put her in time-out; she screamed (see picture below), but she never tried to get up. After 30 seconds I asked her to pick up the cheese; she said NO. After a minute I asked again - same response. This went on for almost four minutes. I was shocked; she had a similar stand-off with Pete a few months back, but she's never been this obstinate with me. She was convinced she wasn't picking up that cheese, and I was equally convinced she was. She picked up her cheese and continued on with life as if nothing had ever happened (see second picture below). What a day!


Monday, February 11, 2008

A Future Novelist?

Give the girl a crayon and she sternly tells you NO; give the girl a pen and she happily gets right to work. She's a mess in oh-so many ways, but she's so stinkin' cute!




The Great Waffle Search

I know that I won't be able to fully explain the humor in these pictures but I had to try. As my mom would say, "I must have had my gigglebox turned on that day!" I honestly could not stop laughing at my two little darlings during this entire ordeal. They never cease to amaze me.

What one child has, the other one wants! The kids were cooking yesterday when Hannah realized that Hunter had a waffle. Naturally, she wanted one too (luckily we have two of almost everything around here), but we could only find one waffle at that exact moment. Here came the tears followed by Hunter's best attempt to appease his little sister. He knew we had another waffle, so he started searching. What better place to start searching than under the bed?

Hunter goes under looking for the waffle...

Hannah follows Hunter looking for the waffle...
(You can't see him, but Hunter is completely under the bed at this point!)

I'm laughing hysterically as Hunter pops out to report that he doesn't see the waffle.(I had pretty much figured that part out already since the bed isn't really that big, but they sure did enjoy the hunt.)

We did eventually find the waffle creatively hiding in the closet - go figure! Sometimes I think we are living in our very own version of Toy Story and our toys really do have their own lives to live when no one is looking.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Mardi Gras Mayhem

Mardi Gras is like Christmas around here. We couldn't let the day pass without taking the kids to one of the many parades. We have friends who live on a local parade route, so we decided that would probably be our most comfortable bet for the afternoon - wise decision!

Hannah took a very early nap and off we went to the parade. We waited and waited and waited; finally, Hunter saw the horses in the distance and we knew all the waiting was worth it. He was elated, which means that one sweet little sister was equally elated. They both squealed with delight at the sight of the oncoming fun. Hannah stayed in a lap or on someone's shoulders most of the afternoon, but she did try to hang out with the big kids for a few minutes. Hunter enjoyed the back of the truck for a little while, but he soon learned that to catch the fun stuff he needed to be on the move. Both kids left with quite the stash!

It was a very long but exciting day. Hunter had so much fun that he's ready to do it all again!
One of the big kids!

This is pretty neat from a distance!

Mardi Gras Float

Hunter's catch of the day


An early collection of beads

It's been a long day for one little girl...

and one little boy!

At the Playground

Since last week is a bit of blurr, I'll just fast forward to this week. Pete had Monday and Tuesday off for Mardi Gras, so we took advantage of the extra family time. With two overly energetic kids and beautiful weather, we headed to the playground. Even after some serious play time, the kids still seemed to have all of their energy. We had a ball! Hannah even slept in until 6:00 the next morning, which is unusually late for my little early bird.


Somehow rabbit managed to join in on the fun!

Two peas in a pod!

Dinner anyone?

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Prayers Please

Update: Ben was released from the hospital a few hours ago. The doctors have no clue what is going on. He received an anti-inflammatory shot and has started a steroid for the week. He is to return if the symptoms get worse; if things stay the same, he goes to his primary care on Tuesday. We aren't really sure what kind of news this is. To go from strong indications of a blood clot to total uncertainty is a little peculiar. I guess you could say everyone is cautiously optimistic right now. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. I'll update if we have any news. Thanks for everything!
I had every intention of posting pics from our week last night, but that will have to wait for a little while. I promise to get to that soon!

My brother Ben experienced swelling and redness in his right arm for several days. He finally went to the ER yesterday after my mom insisted. His right arm is three inches larger than his left right now. Blood tests indicate a clot, but ultrasound and cat scans haven't enabled the doctors to pinpoint the problem. He is scheduled for more tests this morning.

He is a 29 year old father of two precious boys - Kade (7) and Garrett (4). Please pray for doctors to be able to locate the source of his problem and treat him accordingly. Please pray for his family; both boys are extremely upset knowing that their daddy is in the hospital. My mom is with them for now. She'll stay as long as need be.

I will update as soon as I know more. Thank you all for your prayers during this difficult time.

Ben and his boys