Life Lately

Things have been pretty crazy for our family lately. Our time home is filled with preparing for our move to New Orleans which will happen 11 days from now. That coupled with sorry internet service has resulted in my lack of blogging lately. Nonetheless, I wanted to give a quick update on what's going around here.

Paul worked his last day at the Sumter Chick-fil-a today. Although he will still be working for Chick-fil-a in NOLA, he was very glad to be done. I am glad that he won't have an hour commute one way to and from work each day although city traffic will now be an issue in his commute.

We are living amongst towers of boxes. Packing, getting the house clean, doing laundry, and keeping the kids alive is how I spend my days. The house is becoming less of a home as more and more of our stuff is packed up in boxes. There are so many feelings flooding my mind...excitement, fear, saddness, happiness. I can't wait to see what are apartment looks like. All I have seen of it is the outside and some floor plans.

We have talked with Parker a lot about our move. I'm not to sure how he is going to handle this, but he already has staked his claim that this is his house. He doesn't like the idea that someone else could be living here and we will be living in a new house. He is excited about the playground that will be outside of his new home. We have caught him peeing in places like the trash cans and the bath tub instead of the toilet. We think it could be related to anxiety about moving. My sister said he is just marking his territory. Haha!

Ellis is thrilled about all the boxes she can climb on. I thought Parker was bad about climbing, but Ellis is worse. Since she is still so young, she doesn't really have any clue as to what is going on.

We have been getting ready for Christmas. The presents are bought and wrapped. We've talked about the first Christmas over and over again while looking at our Nativity scene. We've celebrated with our family and friends at church celebration and have discussed our family Christmas plans. In our family, we decided to not do the whole Santa Claus thing, and we also only give our children only 3 gifts. It makes Christmas so much simpler and helps keep the focus on Jesus. Parker has asked me so many times, "Is it Jesus birfday yet?"

It's getting late some I'm going to end our little update. I'm hoping to get a chance to blog some more. Merry Christmas, y'all!

Pancakes

We have a tradition in our house to make pancakes for breakfast with a candle for the birthday person. This year we will be at our house on Christmas morning for the first time, so we decided to make pancakes for Jesus's birthday and Parker will get to blow out the candle for Jesus. This morning I was making pancakes for breakfast and we had the following conversation.

Parker: (running into the kitchen) It's Christmas! We eat pancakes for Jesus birthday.
Me: No, buddy, it's not Christmas quite yet. We are just having pancakes for breakfast just because.
Parker: I like pancakes.
Me: I know you do. They are your favorite breakfast food.
Parker: Jesus like pancakes too
Me: I'm sure he does.

Parker is so excited about celebrating Jesus's birthday. He keeps asking me if it is Jesus' birthday yet and telling me that Jesus likes pancakes on his birthday. Although he is looking forward to opening presents on Christmas, it just makes me so proud that he is just as excited about Jesus's birthday.

Little Sneak

After breakfast this morning, Parker asked for a piece of candy. I don't let him have candy after breakfast, so I told him no. He spotted a half-eaten roll of Smarties sitting on the corner of the table and asked for it. I again told him no because of the aforementioned rule and because that was Ellis's leftover candy. A few minutes later Parker got down under the table. I then saw a hand pop up from underneath the table and blindly began feeling around in the area where the candy was located. The little sneak thought he could sneak that piece of candy off the table. Nice try, Parker!

Although this was an unsuccessful attempt, there have been numerous times where he has sneakily gotten my cell phone and has dialed many people's numbers stored in my phone, including my OB/GYN!

Parker's Vote

Me: When Daddy gets back, I'm going to go vote.
Parker: I wanna boat.
Me: You're not old enough to vote. You have another 15 years. If you could vote, who would you vote for?
Parker: a red boat
*Realizing now that he really thinks we are going to ride/get a boat.
Me: Parker, we are not getting a boat. We are going to vote...vvvvote.

I wish I could exercise my right for a boat.

I see...

When Parker says, "I see...", it sounds like he is saying, "I eat..."

That's just good to know if you hear him say, "I eat Daddy," or "I eat trash."

Ellis at 14 Months

My baby girl is growing up too quickly! I need a pause button.

•  This little girl is unstoppable. She will walk and climb anywhere she wants.
• She continues to add words to her vocabulary.
• She loves to mimic sounds people make. She has no fear to try out her vocals.
• She believes 100% that she's a big girl now and that she can do whatever any other kid can do.
• I've seen some mini temper tantrums. I'm hoping that these don't accelerate into full blown temper tantrums as she grows closer to the terrible twos.
• She loves playing in her kitchen. She hasn't gotten to the point where she's pretending she's cooking. She likes to open and close the doors, put food in and out of the bins, and bring me some food to pretend to eat.
• She and Parker have become great playmates. Sometimes Parker instigates trouble, but I love to see them playing together.
• She loves to wrestle. If you are laying on the floor, you are fair game for some sneaky wrestling moves.
• She's so adorable. I just love to watch her in amazement. She's growing up too quickly. She's loosing the babiness and is growing in to a toddler.
• She just a sweet bundle of cuteness. I could just love on her all day.

Getting Closer

It's a little over 2 months away until our big move! It's starting to get real. I'm really excited about moving to New Orleans and becoming a seminary family, but I'm also nervous. That's a lot of change, and it's so far away from all that is familiar.

I've been pulling out things to get rid of since we will be living in a small apartment. It's so hard to prepare to move in to a place that you've never seen. All I have is a floor plan. Going by that floor plan, I've realized that we are going to have to sell our couch. I love our couch. It's red, comfy, and big. The big part is the reason it's got to go. I have to admit that out of all the things we are getting rid of the couch makes me the saddest. All the extra stuff that we had hanging around is not hard to get rid of. I started going through stuff with the rule that I have to love it and/or need it in order to keep it, but I love our couch and I don't get to keep it. The two pieces of furniture that we actually bought that weren't hand-me-downs, we have to get rid of because that just won't fit in our apartment. Sad times, but to bring myself back to reality, it's all just stuff. Stuff that will one day break, wear down, and eventually decompose out in a landfill some day.

All this reminds me that following Jesus is not easy. We have to surrender everything to Him, and that's tough. The deeper in my relationship with Christ the more I realize I haven't surrendered to Him. It hurts to release our tight grips on the comforts of this world, but the beauty of having surrendered what we deem as precious, to be filled all the more with my precious Savior makes all the pain worth it. I love the adventure of following Jesus. To the world, He may lead me down the path of craziness and stupidity, but as the Alpha and Omega, I know that I am secure, eternally secure, and that's all that matters. As we shed some of our earthly belongings to prepare for our move, I'm also shedding some more of the inner belongings that are taking up valuable space for the Holy Spirit to reign supremely in my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Ellis at 13 Months

Ok...so I'm late again on posting the monthly update. So much so that I confused myself about which age, 13 or 14 months, I was supposed to be posting on. You may have noticed that I haven't done a lot of blogging lately. I'm gonna get better. I had been focusing on Paul's mission trip to Peru and then while he was gone, we distracted ourselves from missing him by spending some time in the upstate and then doing some fun activitives around home. Alrighty then, let's get to the subject at hand.

• Ellis may have struggled with weight before, but she is making up for it now. She is eating like crazy! She will eat and eat until her belly is swole.
• She finally got her confidence and started walking.
• Along with this new found confidence, she decided that she should be able to climb Mt. Everest. I thought Parker was bad about climbing when he was little, but Ellis wants to climb everything.
• Ellis is quite the talker. Me ma (pick me up), cup, ball, I eat are just some. She says all kinds of stuff that you have to listen to catch what she's saying.
• She loves to play Pat-a-Cake. Before I get to the "throw it in the pan" part, she will throw her hands up and say "throw it."
• She also loves Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She does the motions to it and will sing "how I." So cute!
• She has moved up to 18 months clothing. She is finally in the clothing size she should be in! Yay!
• She wants to explore her world. She wants to be down and walking around.
• She already has a little rebellious streak in her. When we tell her to stop doing something that she shouldn't, she just smiles and keeps on doing whatever it is. Oh my!
• She is such a sweet little hugger and kisser. She can just melt your heart unless you a little person. Then she will attack you with hugs as she lays on top of you on the floor. (Poor Perry he experienced this many times when we were in the upstate visiting.)
• She has a little lovey that she calls baby. She sleeps with it and will carry it around with her.
• She's so fun to be with. She loves to interact and try to copy what you do.
• She thinks she's a big kid now. It's like she thinks now that she can walk she can do anything that all the big kids do.
• Have I mentioned before that she's the most adorable little girl in the whole wide world and I love her so much more than I could ever describe?

Little Bits of Randomness

I'm absolutely loving this weather. I love the cooler days which means open windows which means lower electricity bill!

I cooked enough potatoes today to feed a small army and only two of us were eating potatoes and one of the two was a one year old whose helping is small. Before I started cutting, I thought that I should go ahead and finish up the bag since there wouldn't be enough left to make an adequate dish. Boy was I wrong. I should have thought about how cutting potatoes multiplies the amount like Jesus taking the 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed the 5000. I guess we will be eating potatoes the rest of this week.

Speaking of multiplying, I think the Dum Dum suckers are multiplying in the candy bucket. I let Parker have a piece of candy after lunch and dinner if he eats a good amount. He really likes Dum Dums, and most of the time that's what he picks. There shouldn't be any left by now, but somehow he keeps pulling one out.

I really like cooking with cast iron. The clean up is the easiest. No washing! Just wipe out with a paper towel until all is clean. If there's a tough spot, just put in a little salt and wipe and it's done! Back in the cabinet it goes. Maybe I should only cook with cast iron.

A lot of times I have thoughts that I run through my head like a Facebook status. I know that's sad, but 9 times out of 10 they never make it on Facebook. I don't want to be one of those people who just put way too much information and blow up everybody's news feed with their every thought or action.

Time is flying by too quickly. In my mind I keep thinking that we have 6 months before we move to New Orleans but it's really more like 3. There is just so much to do. So many things we want to do, people to visit, etc before we move so far away, but time is just ticking away.

Speaking of New Orleans, Paul got his acceptance letter from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary yesterday. So, it's official! I'm so proud of him. This has been something he has wanted to do for a long time and now it's finally happening. I know it's going to be tough, but I'm excited because I know this is what God wants for us. Living for Jesus is sooo not safe or boring!

Well that's enough random thoughts for the moment. I've got to go get busy doing my afternoon chores. Oh what fun! No, really I'm kinda excited about doing them but the reasoning is a whole other post.

 

Confessional

I have to confess...confess that I'm a lousy housekeeper. Most days if you would drop by my house unexpectedly, you would find remnants of about 3 meals hanging around on my kitchen floor, pots and pans sitting on the counter waiting to be washed, and a sea of toys to dodge on the living room floor.  I like things to be clean and organized, and I can get my house that way, but the problem is I'm lazy. There are so many other things I would rather do than to clean up. The ironic thing is that while I'm ignoring the everyday house cleaning, I've been working on getting things ready for our big move to New Orleans which is a little less than four months away. I've been getting rid of clutter at least and packing up a few boxes. I would much rather do those things than clean up a kitchen. I know that sounds weird.

I've been on a mission for some time now to be more disciplined with my time. I can do good for a few days. Then things get crazy and I'm back to square one. But I'm not giving up. I'm not striving for perfection. I'm just striving for better. Thank God He is so gracious to me. He can help me overcome my laziness that is preventing me from being the best that I can be. I've been learning how to give myself some grace. I know that the reality of having littles running around means that keeping a house pristine clean is out the window. Like a friend of mine said cleaning up after children is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing. That being said though I still know that I can do better.

I'm putting this all out there because it feels good to get my dirty little secret (pun intended) out there, and hopefully help encourage someone else who is struggling like me. So there you go. 

Parker at 3 years

There is just know way I should be writing about my 3 year old boy. He just can't be 3 already! He has done so much growing up over the past year.

• Stats: 35.6 lbs  40 inches tall. Yep, he's a biggun. I'm going to be looking up to him one of these days.
• His interests: trains, cars, planes, generally just things that move, riding bikes, puzzles, books, hide and seek, jumping, tumbling, water, music
• Favorite shows/movies: Word World, Caillou, Curious George, Wild Krats, Cars, Thomas the Tank Engine, Toy Story
• Favorite color: green
• Favorite foods: spaghetti, broccoli, cheese, raisans, rice, salsa, tacos, black beans, corn, bananas, pretty much any fruit
• Foods he doesn't like: mashed potatoes, any potato unless its french fries or sliced thin and crispy, tomatoes (unless it's salsa)
• He loves the water! He took some swimming lessons this summer and was quite the water bug. He would jump in without holding anyone's hands. He wouldn't hesitate to put his head under water. He would have been content to stay in the pool all day.
• His speech has improved greatly especially in the past few months although people who aren't around him much might disagree. He's talking a lot more and it is becoming easier to understand what he is saying.
• He's very social. He will make friends with other children when we are out and about in places where there are other children.
• He loves music and dancing. He has some interesting dance moves. Sometimes he will even "break dance." He just roll all around on the floor and hold one leg in the air while he's in the bear crawl stance.
• He's still a daddy's boy. He tries to be just like Paul.
• That being said. I'm his comforter. I'm the one he goes to when he's upset or hurt.
• He's such a loving, snuggly little boy. He loves to snuggle up with us on the couch and wrap up in a blanket. He gives some good hugs and kisses. He makes sure you get kisses right on the lips. He doesn't settle for a cheek.
• He likes to be a helper. He does a good job helping me around the house and taking care of Ellis.
• He is such a good big brother. He looks after Ellis and plays with her. Of course like every brother and sister, they have their squabbles, but for the most part they are great companions.
• He has yet to have his first hair cut, but soon it's gonna have to happen. He doesn't have a lot of hair, but it just needs some trimming and shaping in some places.
• He's convinced that he is a six year old boy.
• Most days his attire consist of only underware. Some days I can manage to convince him to put on some clothes.
• He has a pair of green crocs that he wears a lot. I don't know what we are going to do when he grows out of them.
• He can dress himself. I just love to see what outfit he's going to put together.
• He thinks band-aids and kisses make any boo boo better. However, lately he also thinks any boo boo should warrant a trip to the doctor. His reasoning is that "doctor's fix."
• Doctors may fix boo boos. But Parker thinks Paul can fix anything that's broken. I mean anything.
• I love his little toddler sense of humor. He will just laugh and laugh at some of the silliest things. Sometimes I'm not even sure what makes him laugh.
• He loves to put together puzzles. A new puzzle can keep his attention for a loooong time. Even an old puzzle can keep him busy for a while. At church on Sundays, he will spend most of the worship hour time in the nursery putting together every single puzzle in there.
• He has pretty much given up his nap. Every once in a while he will take a nap in the afternoon, but if he does, I limit the amount of time he sleeps or he would be up waaaay late at night.
• He loves to color and is very good at it. He actually colors objects on the coloring page. He doesn't just scribble all over everything.
• He is potty trained except for at night. It may be a while before he's in underware at night.
• He just absolutely melts my heart. I could just bunch him up and squeeze him and kiss him all day long.

Ellis at 12 Months

Well, since Ellis is actually 13 months now. I figure I better post about her 12th month of life. We've been dealing with reaaaallllly slow internet lately so that has put my blogging on the back burner. It's just too frustrating to deal with. However, today it's faster so I've got some catching up to to. Without further ado...

• Stats: 19 lbs 1.5 oz  27 3/4 inches long. She has overcome her failure to thrive and is holding steady between the 10th and 25th percentile. I found Parker's measurements at this age and he was little over 6 pounds heavier and 6 inches taller than her. I guess I'll have a big child and a small child.
• She can now say mama, dada, poppop (my daddy), meemaw (Keri's mother-in law), mimi (Paul's mom), hey, kitty, ball, baby, night night, peek-a-boo, and she meows like a cat.
• She can't walk yet, but I think it's more of lack of confidence than lack of skill. She has taken some steps and can stay upright, but most of the time will sit down when we stand her up to walk.
• Her favorite toy is a push walker. She can manuever it all around and go back and forth almost running down the hall while pushing her walker. She does this all day long.
• Her favorite tv show is Super Why. (Don't worry. I'm not plopping my one year old in front of the tv.) When it happens to be on that show and she hears the music, she crawls over to the tv and is glued. She dances to the hip hip hurray song.
• She loves to dance. Whenever music comes on, she starts dancing away. She really gets into it.
• She still only has two teeth. I thought for sure she was going to get her top two teeth for her birthday, but it didn't happen. They are so close. Her gums have had that swollen look all month long. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to bother her, but she does chew on a lot of things.
• She gave up the paci this month. I had planned on getting rid of it at 12 months, but the actual doing it happened more by accident. I was laying her down for a nap one day and was about to get her paci out from under the crib when my phone started to ring. I took the chance and decided to leave her without her paci, and she did fine. So that was the end of that.
• She likes to climb. Yikes! I often see her hike her little leg up onto something that's close to her size. She likes to climb up onto Parker's bed. She is so proud of herself sitting up on it, but she just hasn't figured out how to get down on her own yet. It's a good thing she is around the 10th percentile for height.
• I think she is going to be our little sensitive child. It doesn't take much for her to break out into tears wails. Oh my, the teenage years are going to be rough.
• She likes to point. She will point her chubby little finger in all directions wanting you to look or go in that way.
• She has been working on feeding herself with her spoon. She wants to be so independent. I'll put the food on her spoon, and she will get it to her mouth. She is growing up too quickly.
• She's so busy learning and exploring her world that she doesn't want to go to bed at night. A lot of nights, even though she's tired, she will fight going to sleep. She will scream when I put her down. When I go in there to console her, she will arch her back to try to get me to set her free to roam. I hope this passes quickly because I miss the no fuss bedtime.
• She will hold up her finger when you tell her that she's one. She's such a smart girl.
• She likes for you to touch your finger with her finger, and then she giggles. I don't seem what's so funny about fingers touching, but I think her reaction is adorable so we laugh together.
• She gives some really cute looks, and she has some beautiful blue eyes to back them up. She's going to be a heart breaker.
• She is such a joy to be around. She's so loving and bubbly. Just absolutely precious.

Dear Mouse

Dear Mouse (I'm hoping that there is only one of you, but if there is more this letter is for you too),

You are not welcome in our home. I had to put on my big girl panies and spend the whole afternoon cleaning up your disgusting poop and pee thanks to your teeny bladder and intestinal track. Seriously, get control of yourself. I don't appreciate you leaving your disease-filled poop behind as you explore OUR home, especially in my kitchen. I am declaring war on you. You will leave this home either voluntarily or in a mouse trap. If you are wise, you will pick the former. We will find your secret passage ways and block them off, so you better get out tonight. Oh and you better not be making no mice babies in this house. You better start watching your back because we are going to borrow my sister's cat, and I hear she's a little hungry. You can't say I did not warn you. After all the work I did today cleaning up your mess when I had other stuff to do, I better not find any more droppings around when I get up in the morning. I probably used a whole tree worth of paper towels cleaning up after you, and if you knew me, you would know that I rarely use paper towels in order to save money and live a little more green. Speaking of living green, I had to throw away recyclables that I had been saving to take off just in case you had investigated them too. I also had to run the dishwasher several times and wash boogoodles of dishes and things. And while I was doing all this I let my oldest child sit in front of the TV and watch movie after movie so now his brain is going to turn to mush. Even my youngest child sat and watched some TV when she woke up from her nap so now I'll have two children with mushy brains. Then because my kitchen was in complete disarray, I had to fix supper using only the microwave which meant we ate canned food. And if you knew me, you would know that we rarely eat canned food because it's just not healthy. What a pain you have been! You will feel pain if you don't get out. Again, you are not welcome here!


Sincerely,

Your Worst Nightmare

P.S. We've already taken care of (and by that I mean exterminated) two of your kin folk. Nanananabooboo!

Dear Parker (a special 3rd birthday letter)

Birthday pancake tradition continues

My Darling First Born Son,

You simply cannot be 3 years old! Time has flown by since you were a snuggly rather large little newborn baby boy. I was looking at pictures of you the other day from a year ago and could not get over how much you have changed. You have definately lost all of your baby look and have taken on the full fledged little boy look. Even though you are now a big three year old boy, I still want to hold you and snuggle with you like were still the little 9 lb 8 oz baby, and most of the time you are willing to appease this desire. You have the ability to melt my heart with one look. You take care of me and kiss my boo boos. You make me so proud as I watch you come along side me and help. You have been such a great big brother to Ellis. She is such a blessed girl to have you watching out for her and playing with her. Daddy is one of your best buds. You bring such a sense of joy to his heart as you mimick his every move. Watching you learn and grow has been so special. You soak up the world around you like a dry sponge submerged in a bowl of water. It is thrilling to know that the same desire and curiosity you have for life now can catapulte you onto greatness as you continue to grow. You are also learning about our awesome God. We pray that all that you are learning right now about God and His creation develops into a deep trusting that His great love is the only way for salvation. You are so special. I just can't put into words what all you mean to me. I love you with 100% of my heart! What a blessing you are to our family.

Love,

Mama

Dear Ellis (a special first birthday letter)

My Precious Baby Girl,

What a joy it has been to have you in our lives this past year! I can't believe you a one. You should still be this tiny, cooing baby fresh and new in a brand new world. You have been a brand new challenge in parenthood. Not because you were a difficult baby because you weren't, but because I am now a mother of two. This brings all new fears. Will I love you just as much as I love Parker? How can my I have such a great love for both my children? Will there be room in my heart? I found out the answer is yes, and it wasn't hard to do. The day you were born my heart swelled with love for you, and it has only grown deeper and more expansive over this past year. I don't know how it happens; it just does. It has been incredible to watch you grow and mature into such a precious and full of personality little girl. I just melt as you play with my hair as you hug me and hold me tight. You love me so dearly. I love to snuggle with you although most of the time you are too busy exploring your world. You are curious and smart. I can foresee a life full of continuous learning in your future. You are so proud of yourself when you accomplish a new milestone. And you should be! You are a very determined little girl. I pray that as you continue to grow that you would develope a great love for our Savior. I pray that the meaning of your name "The Lord is God reigns" will be true in your life. I don't know what your future holds, but I do know that we have committed your life to the Lord. When the time comes that you understand what Jesus Christ has done for you, our prayer is for you commit yourself to Him and grow into a deep and intimate relationship with Him. As much and your Dad and I love, Jesus Christ loves you even more. We are so proud of you! Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter.

Love,

Mama

Literal

Me: What did you eat at VBS last night?
Parker: nandy (candy)
Me: What did you eat for supper?
Parker: chicken
Me:What did you eat with your chicken?
Parker: with my hands   *as he holds his hands up to his face like he's chomping on a chicken leg.



Not quite the answer I was gong for. I just love how children are so literal.

The Fly Hunter

If they had a show about a little boy who hunted flys, Parker could be the star. He reminds me of a cat when he spots a fly. He will follow it all around watching it and waiting for the right moment to attack.  He actually has pretty good reflexes and has killed some flies with his bare hands (yes, it is gross). One time he had injured the fly to where it couldn't fly but it was still alive and he carried it around in his hand. I didn't know whether to be proud or just grossed out. I was a little of both. I don't know where his interest in flys comes from. He actually is interested in all kinds of bugs. I'm so excited that he likes to pick up bugs and bring them to me to check out (please note the sarcasm). I guess the classic poem is true. What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.

Seeking Your Support

The following is a letter Paul sent out seeking support for a mission trip to Peru in September. I wanted to share so you can have an opportunity to be a part of the exciting trip Paul is taking.

Dear Fellow Servant in Christ,

            I am writing to you to seek your assistance in furthering the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am privileged to have the opportunity to travel to Peru on September 19-29, 2012 with the purpose to share the gospel with the Urarinas of the Amazon River basin. The Kershaw Baptist Association has adopted 15 Urarina villages along the Rio Tigrillo for the next three years.  Some of these villages have no Christians and no Christian influence at all and desperately need to hear the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will be a part of a team of six.  We will be in the Amazon jungle traveling by boat and hiking to the villages. While we are there, we will be building relationships with the locals, discipling the ones who are Christians, and reaching out to some villages who have yet to hear the gospel.

            I seek your assistance in two different ways. First, I ask you to pray. Pray for the people that we will come in contact with as we travel and as we visit the Urarinas. Pray their hearts will be prepared to hear and accept the message of truth. Pray for us as we travel. This is not an easy trip. It will require a great deal of travel, physical exertion, and expense. Pray that we will remain healthy and in great shape in order to glorify God. Pray that we will be under the protection of God during this trip. Finally, I ask you to pray for the funding for this trip. I am confident that God will provide the funding needed to make this trip possible, and I ask you to give Him thanks and praise for His provision.
            Secondly, I ask you to pray about how God would use you to help provide the funding for this mission. I ask for your assistance not for me but for the furthering of the message of hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ in obedience to His commandments.
            I am excited to be able to have the opportunity to have a part in sharing the Gospel with a group of people who for the first time have the chance to hear the Gospel. There is no Bible in their language but through translators we are reading and delivering the powerful message of Christ. This is very primitive for a mission trip. However, lack of comfort is no hindrance for me in being able to bring glory to God by serving Him through this mission trip. I can’t wait to get back and report to you the work that God did through us and in us and the Uranian people. Thank you for your support!

Your brother in Christ,

 Paul Camp


If you feel lead to give to help Paul go on this trip, you can send a tax deductible gift to Bethany Westville Baptist Church 3100 Young's Park Rd. Westville, SC 29175.  On the memo line, note Paul Camp Peru Mission Trip. This trip costs approximately $4000 so any amount of money you give would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your support, not for the sake of Paul, but for the sake of the gospel. I want to express my gratitude for you faithfulness using the words Paul wrote to the Philippians. "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." (Phil. 1:3-5)


If you would like to read more about Kershaw Baptist Association adopting the Urarina villages click this link to read an article in the Baptist Courier.

Six

Me: Parker, how old are you?
Parker: Two
Me: How old are you going to be on your birthday? (which is eleven days away!)
Parker: Six

Parker is determined that he is going to be six on his birthday. We've had this conversation many times, and he always says six. Six is his favorite number right now. Whenever he can get a piece of candy, marshmallow, or some kind of little treat, he always negotiates for six. That little booger! I don't know what it is with the number six but I'm sure glad that he's only turning 3.

Ellis at 11 Months

Since my baby girl will be turning one in 2 days, I thought I better write her 11 month post. But before I do that, allow me to freak out a bit that my baby girl is turning one in 2 DAYS! 2 DAYS! and my baby girl will be TURNING ONE! Ok, I got that off my chest.

Ellis is growing and developing by leaps and bounds. I can't even blink or I'll miss something.

• Stats: 17 lbs 1.5 oz! She packed on 28 ounces in 21 days at the beginning of the month which put her back on the growth curve. Yay for the 5th percentile. She has been packing on the weight since then so I'm curious to see what she will be at her 12 month check up.
• She can now pull up like at pro. At first, she could get her self up, but she was scared to drop back down. She would fuss and I would come save her. She finally got the hang of it and can pull up and sit down without problems.
• She has been crusing around the furniture. She will also walk behind her push walker thingy. I'm sure it won't be long and she'll be walking. I have to admit that makes me kinda sad. She's growing up.
• She has stood up, completely on her own, out in the middle of the floor for a few seconds one time. I freaked out when I saw her do it. She often will stop in the middle of crawling and push her butt in the air like she wants to stand up.
• She now says mama, dada, baby, kitty (she says it in a very high pitched voice and the t sounds aren't completely distinct, but you know that's what she's saying), nigh nigh (night night). I have heard her say no copying Parker. Her brother is already causing trouble! Haha!
• She likes to copy sounds we make. I would write them out but it's kinda hard to translate silly sounds into words.
• She will occasionally blow kisses. She will hold her hand on her mouth and blow out to where it makes a kinda pooting sound. I know that doesn't sound cute but like I said it's hard to put sounds into words.
• She will play Peek-a-boo and she will cover up her eyes and go "peee" in a squealy voice.
• She still only has her bottom 2 teeth, but her top gums are so swollen. Maybe soon those top teeth will finally make their appearance.
• She spooks really easily. For instance, at Chick-fil-a one day, the cow came around and she freaked out.  Another time, she was around a cat that was the "I'm friendly, but I could bite you without a moment's notice" type. After rubbing around her stroller, it stretched up to get closer to her and she freaked out. I can foresee Halloween being terrifying for her.
• She likes to put things inside of things while playing like she likes to put balls inside cups.
• She really enjoys eating table food. I have to watch her to make sure she doesn't put too much in at one time. Although when she's full, she'll start tossing food overboard.
• She likes to nod her head but when she does she also lifts her eyebrows. It's too cute.
• She can get a little attitude with you if you take something from her that she really wants!
• When she's waiting on her food, she will squeal to let you know to hurry up.
• She sleeps with her butt up in the air. Again, so cute!
• She is making the transition to one nap much to my dismay. There are days where she will still take 2 naps, but most day now she only takes one.
• She loves to play in Parker's room. Sometimes this means arguments between her and Parker when she gets into something that he's playing with.
• She is so smiley and laughs very easily. She gives good hugs and kisses and is just oh so lovable!

Of course I may be a little biased when I saw this but she is just the most precious little girl ever! She continues to bring so much joy into our lives. I don't know how it is possible but I love her more every day.

$5,000 a Week Forever

I saw a commercial for a Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes to win $5,000 a week forever. That sounds really nice, so I went online and filled out an entry. The odds of winning are like 1 in a billion something, so if we win it will totally be a God thing. Of course, if the odds were 1 in 2 it would still be a God thing.
Anyway, to the point of this post. After I filled out the entry, I started thinking about what I would do if we won. My first thought would be that Paul wouldn't have to work while he was at seminary, so he could totally focus on his studies and still have lots of family time. My second thought was we would be able to do so much to bless other people.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how God has been changing me and molding me more toward becoming like Christ over the past year and a half. I was thinking about those thoughts I had about winning the PCH sweepstakes, and it hit me how much God has been teaching me to completely trust Him.
 A year or so ago my thoughts would have been to save a lot of that money to create a nice security blanket for emergencies. I would have thought about how we could afford to have a second car again...a brand new car. I would have thought that I could replace our old, hand me down furniture with pieces that actually matched and that I could pick out from the thousands of options out there. But most of all I could feel secure.
As I was contrasting my thoughts, I was just so humbled that I had to retreat to my room and cry. Cry tears of shame, sorrow, joy, and peace. My Savior loves me so much that He walked hand and hand with me through some of the toughest, most confusing times of my life in order to teach me that He is all that I need, that He is the only security there is. I think about the line in "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" that says "and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Oh, how true those words spring up from my soul! There is nothing in this world that satisfies me like Jesus...especially the financial security that I had long craved. I KNOW that God will take care of us and the way He does that may not be easy but it will always be good and perfect.
Whether we win or not doesn't matter. I just love that God is all that I need, and now I know that in the deepest part of my soul.

God Bless America

As we celebrate our nation's independence, one might often hear someone say or sing "God bless America," but what does that really mean? I've been thinking about that a lot the past few days. We all love God's blessings- family, friends, health, safety, prosperity. America has definately experienced great blessings from God.

However, America is no longer one nation UNDER GOD. We have fallen so far from the biblical principles of which this nation was founded. It's awful! I just don't understand why God still has His protective hand around America. He has every right to just turn us over to our sinful desires and let us self-destruct.

I don't expect nonbelievers to live according to God's commands. They are doing what they are supposed to be doing, living according to the flesh. But Christians, people who have devoted their lives to a merciful Savior, should be living sold out expressing their love both with words and actions to Jesus Christ and the people He died to save.

There will come a day when the church will be persecuted in America. I'm not talking about the can't pray in schools kinda thing. I'm talking about real persecution. But then, maybe God will truly be blessing America. If the American church is persecuted, then we will see true Christians take a stand for their faith. The pretenders will slink away and not make a squeak. History shows that when the church is persecuted, growth happens. The Kingdom ignites like a wild fire.

What if God's blessings for America is for people to loose their right to buy goods and services because of their faith in Him? What if God's blessings for America means you can't provide food, clothes, and shelter for your family because no one will hire you because of your faith in Him? What if God's blessings for America is for you to be tortured until death in order for your persecutors to try to get you to denouce your faith in the God you serve?

That may seem far-fetched as you sit in your cozy home surrounded by your loved ones as you reflect on your day enjoying the safe blessings from God. It's hard to say this, but I would rather have the blessings of persecution that would cause the Kingdom of God to grow and flourish while the ones who just fill a pew on Sunday fade away or denouce their faith in God. I would rather face death for the name of Jesus Christ in order for America to see the true church of God hold high the majesty and glory of the one true King than for things to continue on in its current state. So, as I celebrate the independence of this amazing country knowing that true freedom can only be found in complete surrender to Jesus Christ, I want to reiterate the familiar sentiment with a different state of mind. May God bless America!

Spaghetti and What?!?

While watching the latest Olive Garden commercial about the 4 course special, they explain that one of their entrees to choose from is spaghetti and meatballs.

Parker: I want bootballs.
Me: You do? Those meatballs look good don't they?
Parker: Uh huh...I want bootballs.

I'm not sure how delicious bootballs would be but Parker really wants some. We've had the above conversation several times. So, today I opened one of those nasty (ok they aren't terrible, but when I think about how unhealthy they are I just think nasty) cans of Aldi brand spaghetti rings and meatballs. You really can't compare the two, but Parker really enjoyed his "bootballs."

By the way, Ellis was not impressed with the spaghetti and meatballs. Apparently, she has a sophisticated palate and is holding out for the good stuff.

Little Chef

Parker loves to be in the kitchen with me, and he loves to help me cook. To be honest, I'm not always welcoming to these loves of his. Certain meals just aren't condusive to having little toddler helping hands, and therefore, I can get a little stressed and just maybe a little irritated and just maybe I might raise my voice at him.

Anyway, today I let him help me make super. We made pizzas using tortillas. This was an easy meal for us since Paul was working this evening, and this was a perfect meal for Parker to help me make. He helped me stir the sauce. [This is a little free information here. I make my own pizza sauce using tomato paste. I just add water, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, and italian seasoning and you have it. Whenver I have left over tomato paste, I freeze it in ice cube trays so when you need a little bit for a recipe you have it there without having to open another can. These were also handy for making pizza sauce for two mini pizzas.] He put it on our "dough." Then, we had fun topping. He put his pepperonis in the shape of a Mickey head and adding some olives, mushrooms, and onions.

There was a moment when we were putting together our pizzas that I thought about one of my prayers of that morning. I prayed for God to help me be a good mother and to have a good attitude toward my children no matter what they do. There were moments that day when Parker was doing something that he shouldn't be doing where I could have handle the situation by yelling at him, but God helped me to diffuse the situation and to reroute him to good behavior. Blessings from God! God helped me to show grace to my baby boy and to love him unconditionally. Then, there I was enjoying this sweet moment cooking in the kitchen with my little chef. I couldn't have answered that prayer better by orchestrating my day myself.

Potty Training...Almost There!

Parker has been going pee pee in the potty for a while now. The only snag has been pooping in the potty. He flat out refused to go in the potty. I think it came about because he was constipated so it hurt when he went and he associated the hurting with the potty. I finally took a break from getting him to poop in the potty. I told him if he had to poop to tell me and I would put him in a diaper. He wears underware unless we are out and about for a while, but for pooping the diaper was his comfort. At first, he would freak out about pooping no matter if he was in his diaper just because he was scared of it hurting. After a while, that stopped so my next step was to get him to poop in the bathroom. He just had to stand in the bathroom in his diaper to poop. I told him that we poop in the bathroom and soon he will be pooping in the potty just like mommy and daddy. He got that down good. So finally, I told him no more diapers when he had to poop. He was not too happy with me when I wouldn't put his diaper on for him to poop. He kept handing me a diaper and saying "biper." I stayed strong and used distraction. I told him I would go get the special potty book to read if he sat on the potty. We read Usborne's Potty Time book.

It worked! That calmed him down so I went to get another book to read. While I was gone, he pooped in the potty!!!!! I made a big deal about it. You could tell he was very proud of himself. Then later on in the day, he had to poop again. This time there were no please for his "biper." He just sat right down on his potty and went. I am hoping this is the start of being completly potty trained. Well, at least during the day. It might be a while before he's diaper free at night.

Rewind: Beach Vacation

In May, Keri and her family went to the beach on vacation, and they invited us to come along. The kids and I went for part of the week, and we left Paul home to work. This was Ellis's first trip to the beach. She didn't like the beach at all. When I would put her in the sand, she would cry. So most of the days, we went to the beach while she stayed at home for her nap (don't worry. Keri's father-in-law was there with her.) We had a great little get away, but of course, we missed Paul.

WARNING: If you don't like to look at a bunch of pictures of cute children, then you might want to skip the rest of this post.

Ellis posing in her cute bathsuit.

Such cuteness!

Hannah and Ellis are having a serious conversation.

One of their favorite activities- wrestling!

Watching a little TV. Gives the adults a little peace and quiet.

Adorable!

Everyone, except Ellis, loved playing on the beach!

Hugs!

So beautiful.

They made a friend. Hence the strage red-head in the picture.

I love this little boy!



I just absolutely love Zoe's chubby thighs!

Ellis at 10 Months

I told myself that I wasn't going to wait until the end of the month in order to post about Ellis at 10 months, but here I am again on the day before Ellis turns 11 months creating this post. So, here we go.

• Stats: 15 lbs 7 oz and 27 in. She had lost a couple of ounces from when she got her weight checked last month so the doctor told me to focus more on giving her the cereals and mixing it with pedisure and give her yogurts and puddings to help fatten her up.
• She's a fast crawler. When she's got somewhere to go, you better move out of her way or she'll run you over.
• She is pulling up on her knees. Sometimes she'll just bounce up and down on her knees.
• She says "dada," "mama," "hey," and "babeh" (baby). Mostly she repeats them after us. This morning I got her up and brought her to my bed to nurse. She looked over at Paul's side and said "dada." He wasn't there because he had fallen asleep on the couch reading, but she knew he should be there.
• She celebrated her first Father's Day. She is also starting to love on Paul more.
• She is starting to come out of her shell and be more social with other people. In fact, when we were at a family reunion, she went to a complete stranger (at least he was to her) and let him hold her for a while and I was even right beside her. That's amazing! Although when she's sleepy all that goes out the window and no one else will do except her mommy.
• She's so nosy. Really she's just curious and is soaking up the world around her. She doesn't want to miss a moment of the action around her. She may be sleepy, but she won't give it up if we are out and about. She has to be in her bed in order to go to sleep.
• She rode her first ride. Well her first ride without a parent holding her. She rode the piggies at Dollywood with Parker while we were there on vacation. She was not happy about it at first especially since it jerked when it started but as it went around she enjoyed herself.
• She is now eating table food. I still give her the pureed food too because I want to make sure she's getting enough to eat with her weight issue. She's was ready to feed herself and she let me know it by always trying to take the spoon away from me.
• She loves sweet things just like me. I've given her a few treats of sweets and she gets so excited. She will scream at you if you don't hurry and give her another bite.
• She and Parker play so well with each other. If he lays on the floor, she will climb on top of him like she's wrestling him. Her favorite place to play is in his room. Parker wants her to always be awake to play with him. I know as they grow older they are going to have some fun times together.
• She is so giggly. It doesn't take much to make her laugh!
• She has started to do this head nod thing. She'll just be sitting and playing, and she will start nodding her up and down.
• She has a picnic basket toy that she loves to pull things out of. I will put all sorts of little toys in it and give it to her, and she will be entertained for a while.

Ellis, you are an abosolute joy in our lives. I couldn't imagine our family without you. You are a blessing! You are growing up way to fast. I can't believe that you are almost one year old. You are such a precious girl, and I love you so much!

Ellis on her first by herself ride.

Look at those beautiful baby blues!

NO!

I've had so many conversations like these recently.

Me: Parker, let's go brush your teeth.
Parker: NO!

Me: Eat your supper, Parker.
Parker: NO!

Me: Is Ellis your sister?
Parker: NO!

Me: Do you love your mommy?
Parker: NO!

Me: Parker, put on some clothes.
Parker: NO!

I could go on and on. Parker's new favorite word is no.  Apparently, he thinks it's fun to be contrary. I'm just working on ignoring it and not getting in a back and forth no/yes argument. Oh the joys of toddlerhood.

Finally, we have a plan!

We have been living for a year and a half in what I would call a transition stage. Although if you ask God, He would tell you we weren't in a waiting period transitioning into what God had planned for us in the next stage in life, but we were right were He wanted us, right where He planned us to be.

Before I tell you where we are headed, I want to tell you where we've been. A year and a half ago Paul resigned from the church where he was serving as an associate pastor. We knew that our time there had been served, but we didn't know where we were going next. We moved in with my dad and stepmom thinking that we would quickly find another church where Paul would serve in a ministerial position. Three months later, we were still clueless as to where were going, but we had to figure out something because I was 6 months pregnant and we wanted to be in a place of our own before Ellis made her apperance. Paul moved up to a manager position at Chick-fil-a, we sold our SUV in order to make rent payments, and a month later we moved into our current home here in Westville.

We knew our time here wouldn't be long term, but we settled in, welcomed our second child into the family, and Paul continued to send out his resumes. He interviewed at several churches, but so far none were where God wanted us to be. At one point in time, we were thinking that we would be here for several years, but I have to admit that the idea of Paul having an hour commute one way everyday for several years drove me crazy.

Recently, Paul's boss has been talking with the managers that work for him to figure out their long term plans as it pertains to them staying with Chick-fil-a.  Paul just didn't really have an answer for him. He could commit to being at Chick-fil-a for a couple more years with the possibility that he could get a position at the new Camden one when or even if that ever happened which would be a whoolllle lot closer. He had preached for a pulpit committee for a bi-vocational position, so that was another possibility. He also mentioned the idea of going to seminary. Even before we got married, Paul had talked about going to seminary. Paul had a conversation with a friend who is a pastor about seminary. He told him that it wouldn't get easier to go. The more children you have and the older they get doesn't make it easier.

We talked about going ahead and going to seminary. Sure, Paul could have gotten a ministerial position and gotten his seminary degree online and/or through extensions, but Paul learns best in a classroom setting. He was looking at Southeastern and New Orleans as a possibility, but New Orleans was where he was really interested in. I, on the other hand, was a little bit hesitant about being so far from family and everything that was familiar to me.

After some personal time in prayer, I knew that the only reason Southeastern was still on the table was because of me. I knew that a Seminary education has been something that Paul has wanted for a long, long time. I knew that we were at the perfect point in our life for us to become a "seminary family." I knew that God would provide whatever we needed for this to happen. He would be there with me when I would be in an unfamiliar place and missing my family and friends back in SC. So, I told Paul that we need to go to New Orleans for seminary.

What a peace it is to have an answer to what we have been asking God in prayer. We finally have a "plan." I put that in quotes because when you live for Jesus you don't really have plans, you just take one step at a time wherever He leads.

I'm excited about this journey we are about to take, but I know it will come with its own hardships but nothing that God can't handle. Please be in prayer for us as we prepare to head to New Orleans in January. Pray that Paul would be accepted and that scholarships would cover costs of tuition and things (going into debt over a seminary degree has been one of my fears for a long time whenever Paul and I would discuss going to seminary). Pray that God would provide a job for Paul in New Orleans that would cover our living expenses. Pray for us as we move and settle in a new location so far away from home. Pray that God would help us save somehow for another vehicle. I would love to have a new to us vehicle that has a lot less miles on it and a little more room for this family of four to travel from NO to SC when we visit family than our 2003 Ford Focus with 160,000 miles on it (again, I don't want to go into debt for a vehicle. I don't like debt of any kind as you may can tell). While you are praying for us, please pray for Paul as he prepares to go on a mission trip to Peru in September. This is not an easy trip. It involves living in very primitive conditions and there's a lot of tough travel to get there. It is also a very expensive trip because of the travel and the supplies needed in order to serve in the remote jungle. Also, it is a 10 day trip, which means 10 days of no pay for Paul who is the sole provider for our family, but I know God will provide or He would not have called Paul to go on this trip.

Thanks for all your prayers and support! Sorry for such a long post. I had a lot to share.

We love Daddy!

I couldn't have asked for a better husband and father. Parker is quite a daddy's boy. Ellis loves her daddy too although she's still attached to me. This evening Paul was cutting grass with the pushmower around the edges. Parker got his Bubble Mater and started "cutting grass" with Paul. He followed right behind Paul and did everything he did, even to wiping sweat off his face when Paul did.
I'm so glad that Paul is such a godly man for Parker to look up to. Now, it's cutting grass, but I know that it's so much more. He's is looking up to Paul learning how to be a man of God, a good husband, and a great father.

Frugal Friday: Cook Up Some Savings

I love going out to eat. It's fun to eat food that you usually don't make at home. Of course, it's nice to not have to think about what should I make for supper today (although sometimes I have trouble deciding what I want to eat from the menu.) But the best reason I love going out to eat is I don't have to do the cooking and the cleaning!

It's so easy to pick up food to bring home for supper on a busy day or to go out to a restaurant on a lazy day, but if you go out to eat a lot it adds up. So, my Frugal Friday tip is to cook up some savings. I know this is nothing new to you, but sometimes we need a reminder. Cooking at home not only saves you money, but also can benefit your health which can save some money on medical costs. You can control the ingredients you use and choose to cook in a healthier way.
Maybe you don't feel confident in the kitchen. Maybe you don't have a lot of ideas on what to cook. Maybe you don't have a lot of time to prepare a meal. Whatever your excuse is, it can be overcome. Use the internet to find some tips on cooking or some recipes. Check out cookbooks from the library. Chances are someone else has faced the same difficulties and have written a book or a blog about it.

I have to admit that I could help our family save more on food costs if I did some meal planning. After I get back from vacation I'm going to do better on that.

Ellis at 9 months

Ok...so I'm way late on this since Ellis turned 10 months old 3 days ago. I swear I just blinked and the month went away. Ellis has had a busy month growing and developing!

• She is gaining weight and growing, but her weight and length stats vary from the pediatrician and the GI. At the peds, she weighed 14 lbs 14.5 oz and was 26 in. A week later, she was 15 lbs 6 oz and 27.5 in. So she's somewhere in that range, but at both offices she had gained and grown and that is all that matters.
• She learned to crawl, and she is so proud of herself. She wants to explore the whole house on her hands and knees.
• She can wave bye-bye. She actually does it facing out like adults do instead of the usual facing toward herself like most babies start off doing.
• She learned to clap and enjoys playing Pat-a-Cake.
• She hums when she eats throughout the whole meal.
• She has started to warm up to other people. She will actually reach out and go to a select few people from me! To top that, she let one of our youth walk around and hold her while I was near her. I was shocked! However, when she's sleepy, she wants only me.
• She still loves to jibber jabber. Boy, will we be in trouble when she can say actual words. She's going to talk our ears off.
• She can pull up to her knees. She hasn't figured out how to pull up to a standing position but she's working on it.
• She will repeat "dada" after us, but I don't think she has made the connection of calling Paul "dada."
• She can have a temper. If you take something from her that she is very interested in, she will let you know that she is not happy with you.
• She and Parker have begun to play with each other. She will follow him and he will lead her to his room or somewhere to play. They will "talk" to each other. She will laugh at Parker.
• She is more sensitive to tastes and textures than I remember Parker being. She doesn't like her food to have little chunks in them, and when I gave her cinnamon in her applesauce, she didn't seem impressed. I hope that this doesn't mean she's going to be a picky eater.
• She's getting close to having two teeth. That second tooth is just waiting to break through the surface.
• She began picking up stuff with he pincers. She loves eating puffs. When she gets some more teeth she will be able to eat some table food.
•  She had her first trip to the beach. I'll post pictures sometime although I don't have many of her on the beach because she didn't like it.
• I celebrated my first mother's day as a mother of two thanks to her.

She is a sweet girl and generally a happy baby. She has brought so much joy to our family. I love watching her grow and develop (although I have to admit that it makes me sad that she will be one in 2 months). I can't wait to see the person she becomes. My prayer is that she will live her life for Jesus Christ.

Mr. Fix-it to the Rescue

While walking along on plastic railroad ties type thingies that hold in the sand at our local playground, Parker stopped when he came to one that was cracked opened.

Parker: It broke.
Me: Yes it is broken.
Parker: Daddy fix.
Me: Do you think Daddy can fix anything?
Parker: uh huh (with a cute little head nod that made him look like a bobble head doll)

After Paul fixed Parker's overhead light in his room which hadn't been working for months, Parker thinks that Paul can fix anything that is broken. I think it is so sweet that he has that confidence in his Daddy.

It makes me think about my own faith and trust in God, my heavenly father. God certainly has the power and authority to fix any problem I face. Of course, it is not always in my best interest for God to fix all the problems I face and tie them up in a nice, neat package. Problems, trials, difficult situations, and pain all remind me that this world is not my home. When I face troubles, I have to put my complete trust in God for Him to carry me through in a way that brings Him glory. He is my Mr. Fix-it; although most of the time, He is Mr. Fix-me.

Ellis at 8 Months

I figured I better right this post now since Ellis will be 9 months old in 3 days.  I usually do this post at the beginning of the month. I had planned on taking some more pictures of Ellis to go along with this post and I never got around to it so this post got pushed back too.So, without further ado here's what is going on with Ellis at 8 months.

• Stats: 13 lbs 12.5 oz, 25 inches, and 16.5 inches head circumference. After 1 week of nursing her every 2 to 3 hours and filling her up with solids, she had gained 8 ounces. Then, when we went to the GI doctor she was almost 15 lbs but that was with a wet diaper.
• Although she isn't crawling, she can sure make her way around the room. She rolls all over, turns herself around, and does this kinda sorta army crawl thing.
• You can tell she really wants to be mobile. She's working on getting on her hands and knees. Sometimes she lays on her belly and kicks her legs and arms in and out like that's going to magically pump her body across the room.
• Her teeth are getting very close to poking through her gums so she's chewing on everything.
• She still loves to jibber jabber and she loves to squeal.
• Parker really makes her laugh. It's so cute!
• When she gets mad, one of her veins in her head bulges out and her birth mark on the back of her head gets really red.
• She is still a mama's girl.
• She is a good eater. She loves carrots, sweet potatoes, apple sauce, mangos, and pears to name some.
• She loves to sit up and play and is working on transitioning from sitting up to laying on her belly. She can do it but it takes her a little bit of work to do it. She ends up with one leg straight out and one leg bent back. I think she looks like a cheerleader.
• She loves to sleep on her side. Sometimes she sleeps on her belly, but has her legs turned to the side so it's like half and half.
• She's becoming more social, but she's a little cautious to give a smile to someone other than family talking to her. Strangers can still send her to tears if they approach her in a way that she is not comfortable with.
• She's very good at independent play. She will have her moments though when she's in a clingy mood. Those are the days I get little done except at nap time.
• She's going to end up being a tough little girl. Parker will roll her around on the floor, try to pick her up, hug squish her, and give her kisses that seem almost inappropriate for brother and sister (I've been trying to explain to Parker that mommies and daddies kiss differently than others.)
• Ellis gives some good open mouth slobbery kisses. They are quite sweet but very wet.
• She continues to wedge herself deeper and deeper in our hearts. I don't know how she does it since I love her so much, but my love for her continues to grow and grow.

Please continue to pray that Ellis will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. So far, the doctors seem to think that the cause of her failure to thrive was lack of calories. We have an appointment with and endocrinologest (sp?) tomorrow since she has some cousins with a disorder of that nature. However, it would be almost impossible for her to have the same thing although I guess there's a possibility that there could be something related. I will also take her for her 9 month check up for them to monitor her growth. We are praying that she is growing and will soon catch up to what she needs to be.

Frugal Friday- Save the ends

I'm sorry that I haven't posted a Frugal Friday tip for the past two weeks. I wasn't feeling well one week and we were at Disney on Ice the next week. I really got to start doing these posts ahead of time and have them scheduled to post automatically on Friday. But that requires a little planning and I haven't been very good about that lately.

Anyway...back to the tip for today. Today's tip is to save the ends. I like to save the usually uneaten ends of a loaf of bread to make bread crumbs. When we finish a loaf of bread, I just put the ends in a bag in the freezer. When I have enough saved up, I grind them down to fluffy little bits of bread crumbs in the food processor and store them in an old bread crumb container (from when I bought bread crumbs) and put them back into the freezer. I actually like these bread crumbs better than the store bought kind because the texture is better. Doing this saves in two waves: you're not throwing away any bread and you don't have to buy any bread crumbs. I'm sure it would also be possible to use bread ends to make other recipes like breakfast casseroles too, but I rarely make them so it's breadcrumbs for me.

I also save the ends of onions, carrots, and celery and the carrot shavings and put them into a bag in the freezer. When I buy a whole chicken or split breasts, I will poach the chicken. Then, I use the bones and the ends of the onions, carrots, and celery to make stock. Again, I'm saving what I would usually throw away to make something else that I would usually buy. Plus, I think my homemade stock is better than store bought because I can season it the way I like it. Yum! Yum!

While we are talking about saving the ends, you can also save vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds to use for compost. That way you can make less landfill trash and help out your garden.

It's amazing how what would usually be waste can be put to good use with a little bit of frugal thinking.

Good News!

Ellis had a follow up doctor visit to check her weight and get the results of the lab work. She had gained 8 ounces in a week. Also, all the lab work was normal. The doctor said that it doesn't appear there is anything major wrong with her. We still have appointments with a pediatric GI and endocrynologist in order to make sure there is nothing further wrong that could be causing her failure to thrive. The GI will also be able to help us figure out how to help her gain weight and grow.

We are so thankful to God for this blessing of good news. We are grateful for all the people who prayed for us. Please continue to pray that Ellis continues to grow and gain weight.

Frugal Friday-Paper Towels

Paper towels are quite handy when it comes to messes and drying hands, but they are consumable. You use them and they go into the trash. Of course you can get good deals on paper towels by buying them on sale and with a coupon. However, I got tired of seeing so much paper towels being used or barely used, then thrown away (my husband was the worst when it came to paper towel use). My solution to save money on paper towels and reduce our use was to hide them. That's right I hide our paper towels. Now, I'm not talking about the hiding like you would do for an Easter egg. I simply put them in the cabinet under the sink-  out of sight, out of mind. I have found that having to go through more of an effort to get the paper towel has forced us to use towels and wash cloths when appropriate. Now, we only use paper towels when it is a paper towel only kind of job. I bought about three big things of paper towels when they were on sale when we first moved here almost 10 months ago and I still haven't used them all. In fact, I won't need to buy paper towels for some time.
So, if you want to save some money on paper towels, put them in a place where it takes more effort to get to. Also, evaluate the "job" you are using them for. Think to yourself, "can I use something reusable instead?" Hiding paper towels can save you money and make less waste in the landfills. It's a win win to me!

Gotta get these feelings out

Yesterday, I took Ellis for her 8 month check up. I was already a little nervous about the visit because I had taken her 5 days before for sickness and she still weighed the same. She weighed the same as she did at her 4 month check up and her 6 month check up. I was concerned at the 6 month check up but the doctor wasn't concerned then because that can be a normal thing but now that after another two months of the same they are concerned. And so am I. She's actually dropped about an ounce. Her length and head circumference hasn't changed either. Now, we are trying to figure out why she is failing to thrive. The doctor ordered all kinds of blood test for blood chemistry, celiac disease, and even cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis! That one freaks me out the most. We have to meet with a pediatric gastroenterologist and a pediatric endycronologist. And if all that doesn't give answers we will see a pediatric cardiologist. The possibilities of what's causing her failure to thrive range from simple to scary. Of course, as a mama it's hard not to think of the worse. It's so hard not to worry. I have to admit that I had a hard time this morning. I couldn't quit thinking about worse case senario. The fears were just pouring from my mind. I know that God is in control. I know that He created Ellis exactly how He planned for her. I know that whatever we face He can handle. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel pain. I just kept praying for God to overcome my fears because I couldn't do it.

The doctor wanted me to nurse Ellis at least every 3 hours during the day and increase her solid intake if Ellis would tolerate it. I feel like I have been stuffing her full today. I've been nursing her around every 2 1/2 hours and feeding her as much solids as she would take. We go back to the doctor on Monday to see if she gains any weight from doing this. If she has that will be great but a part of me will feel like this is all my fault. What if everything comes back normal and the whole reason she hasn't grown is because she hasn't eaten enough? Don't get me wrong. I would be so thankful for such an easy solution and compared to the other possibilities this is the best one. But I would still feel like such a failure. How could I have missed her signals that she needed to eat more? She doesn't really cry when she is hungry. I just always end up feeding her when she wakes up. She doesn't eat very long when she eats. It makes me wonder if she is getting the fattening hind milk. Is there something wrong with my milk? Am I producing enough? It is hurtful to think that my milk may not be good enough. This is my second time nursing a child. I nursed Parker for a whole year and he was always around the 95th percentile. She wouldn't even take solid food until a month ago, actually more like 3 weeks ago. I want to be able to breastfeed my child for a whole year, but I want to do what's best for her. If switching to formula is what is best then that is what we will do. But at this point, she refuses to take a bottle. So what am I to do? I know I'm speculating a lot when it will take some time to get some answers, but like the title says I gotta get these feelings out.