Everything

I came upon this video and well there really are not words to explain it, but let us Praise our Father in Heaven for NEVER giving up on us, for fighting for us, and never ever releasing us, even when we "try" to walk away.
(Scroll down to the bottom and pause my playlist)

Toot Your Own Horn Jubilee

“I’ve been challenged to participate in a blog jubilee. Against my better judgment, I have been told to brag about something good, positive, uplifting, or kind that I did this past week. It’s not easy to boast about my thoughtfulness, but in return I will be allowed to build up and encourage other women! Feel free to visit Amanda at iammommy.typepad.com to join in the jubilee!”


Well here I am going so against the grain of everything that is natural to me! LOL

I have been able to start teaching Jackson to read (as you read in my previous entry).
I have cleaned up puke and poop at least 30 or more times in the last 2 days because Emma's got a stomach virus and she's 18 months old and when she gets sick it's all over her and all over me.

I hope you'll join in!

Jackson

Jackson is 5 and we do kindergarten work for him. Reading has not been coming naturally. Heck just learning his letters hasn't came easily for him. Let me share that he had NO desire to learn his letters and I refused to push it. He's a very strong willed child, and after talking to other homeschoolers felt confident that one of these days he'd catch on, the desire would take over and all would be well. He LOVES to be read to, so I have felt that his desire to read himself would take over sooner rather than later. About December it started to take over. Everything I used to teach Jacob did not work. It left him frustrated, angry, and often in tears. I often left our school time feeling frustrated and like a failure as a mother and teacher of my younger son.

Emily shared with me what she was using for her little girl so I ordered the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Well after just 2 lessons, it's already clicking. Let me tell you how awesome it is to see your child who for months has struggled finally having it click. He's so excited and just over the moon.

Today and yesterday have been possibly the two best days of homeschooling with Jackson and I look forward to tomorrow as this all clicks for him! He should be reading by the time Chad comes home and I know for Chad and Jack that's going to be an exciting moment when Chad can hear and see him reading.

Hi/Lo Thursday

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.







My high for this week would be that we were able to attend church and Awana and have Chad with us one last time.

My low for the week....well I have two: Chad leaving on Monday to head back to Iraq to finish out his 15 month deployment. My other low would be that Emma is sick. She's been vomitting off and on and has diareah that's just simply water. It seems Satan is back at it.

I would like to ask each and everyone of you reading this right now to start to pray. I know compared to cancer (been there done that, no desire for that again) it's not that big of a deal, but if you've been reading here for a while you understand that Satan has been attacking my family (and me) with sickness since October. I'm praising our Lord though, as ultimately we're blessed in so many ways. We've had the worst thing happen, and God has given us the grace to get through it.

Join in on Hi/Lo and if you're not yet, pray for Abby!

Update

I just wanted to say THANK YOU again. Emma took a nap and has been good since. She does still have some diarreah, but otherwise she's good, sassy, and happy! Chad called and he should be at his base camp by now or soon. Thank you for the continued prayers!!

The Day after he left

Chad left yesterday. To sum it up, it stunk. We have 6 more months left of this deployment. I just keep telling myself "we can do it, we can do it". Honestly today isn't as bad as I thought it might be, after the boys breakdowns last night. Today seems we're right back into or old ways. We all slept in. Jacob was up about 10 minutes to 9 and Emma and I were up at 9, then Jack got up about 9:40. Emma and I were up for only 20 minutes and she coughed and out it came, yep she threw up not once, not twice, but FOUR times. I got to change 3 of those times, and on the last time I'd just brought out a new outfit for her and she threw up on the sweatshirt I'd gotten for her. She also has horrible diarreah, we HAVE to go to the commissary because I only have 5 diapers left. She's napping right now, so when she's up and the boys are done with school we're off to the store. I'm rather annoyed about it all, but couldn't help but laugh at how it all has once again come about. I'm hoping she wakes up from her nap feeling better, only time will tell. Not sure why this came on.

Chad was able to call last night. He made it for the first half of his trip and he was hopeful to get back to his base camp today. He said he was going to call again today so he could talk to the kids, so hoepfully he will be able to. Thank you all again for all the prayers and the support you have given me and my family (including Chad), so far and to come.

Short prayer request

Please pray for our family as we prepare to say goodbye to Chad (again). He heads back to Iraq, after being with us for the last 18 days. We have had a wonderful time with him, but it hurts to let him go again. No amount of time would be long enough, until he's home for good later this summer. I keep telling myself "just 6 more months". I'm ultimately just feeling sad right now and trying not to cry.
Tomorrow after the kids and I drop him off at the airport, we're going to a friends house. She moved in December about an hour away, so she's only about 30 minutes or so away from the airport (which is the same distance from here, just another way). It'll be nice to spend the afternoon with a friend, and just take a break from the sadness. He's putting euro on his cell phone so he can call me before his flight takes off to Kuwait (he leaves from a smaller airport then to a bigger airport so he'll call from the larger airport where he has a bit of a layover).

Thank you all for your prayers and support over the last 9 months and the last 18 days for this deployment and R&R. You do NOT know how much it means to me.

Well I'm off to go spend my last hours with my husband.

God Bless

Family Pictures

The pictures were taken on two different days. We had taken our family photo's, 1 picture of of Emma and Chad where he's holding her over his head, and the one with Chad and the boys...all those were done on the same day. Then the ones of just Emma and the two of Emma and Chad (where he's in black) those were all taken on another day. Why two days??? Because Miss Emma had NO DESIRE to take pictures the first day and we were VERY lucky to get the ones we did get! LOL Ahhh 18 months old is a fun time!

My Father In Law

Hi Amanda brought it to my attention that I hadn't updated on my FIL. I'm so sorry! I updated other places and let this one slip by. He made it through the surgery, and is recovering. He needs to make a lot of major life style changes. I'm honestly not sure if he will or not, but I am praying and ask that you pray as well. He needs to stop smoking, he needs to start excercising, and needs to lose weight, and eat healthier.

If there's any other news, I'll do my best to blog about it. For now though time's limited with Chad and my focus is on him and our family. Thank you for stopping by and reading though.

We did have family pictures taken, I'll add them soon. (But not right now!)

God Bless

Garmisch and Salzburg

Hi we had a great time away in Garmisch, we went sledding and were blessed to find an AWESOME sledding hill. I am pretty sure we were the only American's there (didn't hear any other people speaking English!), we laughed a ton and just had a blast sledding down the big hill and climbing (or should I say hiking?? LOL) back up it! As you know all good sledding hills are a killer to go back up and it hurt!). Emma LOVED sledding! The boys loved it, Chad and I loved it! We also enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub at the resort and just having family time!

Salzburg is/was beautiful! I'll get all the pictures uploaded and will get them added on here eventually. We don't have too many more days left with Chad, he heads back on Monday, so we're making the most out of our time with him. Once he's gone I'll be back to writing more and actually reading blogs.

Thank you for all the well wishes, excitement for our family being reunited (even though temoporary) and prayers. We appreciate ALL of it!!!! I'm trying not to think about Monday, sometimes denial can be good! :) :)

Tomorrow we're going to go and buy me my SLR camera!!! I'm getting a Canon Rebel digital SXI 12.2 mgp. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with it. I wish there was a photography class I could take here, but since there isn't I'll be heading over and reading more of MckMama's suggestions. I will need to buy a good editing program, but one thing at a time!

Oh and we bought a van. It's used, but we are saving and plan to buy a new minivan completely with cash (no payments!!) so we're saving and hopefully by the end of 2010 we'll have enough saved up for me to get my Honda Odyssey! :) For now it's just a used, but in good condition Chrysler Caravan. I'm truly thankful for it, we were so crowded in the little bmw, seriously don't be impressed...BMW's are not that special here in Germany...they're on the same level as Fords and Chevy's in the states...a good, sound car...but not special over all! :) It's still kind of fun to say we own one, although before we move to the states we'll sell it..it's just a little beater of a car that gets from point A to point B.

I will write more later!

God Bless

Prayers Immediately

Chad's mom called a little while ago and Chad's step dad has been admitted to the hospital, he had a heart attack and in the morning will be going in for a quadruple bypass. My FIL is VERY overweight, he's probably around 400 lbs, is my guess, and he's an extremely heavy smoker, so he has a lot against him. Please pray that the Lord guides the Dr's hands in the morning, that the Lord will give Dayton the desire and ability to stop smoking and start eating healthier and excercising, for him to survive this he's got to do these things.

Thank you

Blessings Abound Us

Hi! There's not a lot of blogging or blog reading going on here, I've had moments where I get on and read, but not a lot. I will not even apologize if I've not stopped by your blog, I'm picking and choosing how I spend my time online, if I've felt moved enough to leave a message then I have, but there are times I don't have a lot to add or have not taken the time to read.

We're having a good time. We had our taxes done today, that was good! :) We're getting a really nice amount back. I jokingly told Chad today after we got the number back that "sometimes it actually pays to be poor" LOL. Most is going into savings, but what's not is paying off a bill and I'm buying my long desired camera and Kitchen Aid mixer!! The camera will be a Canon Rebel SLR or EOS. I can't wait! I've been doing a lot or research, I have 2 friends who have a good deal of knowledge on camera's and have asked them their opinions, thoughts, suggestions, etc which has been a great help.

Chad and I also have set up additional money to go into our savings and by the time Chad gets home we'll have a really nice amount saved. Then next year after income tax time we will have enough to order a brand new van and pay for it in cash. I want no debt, that's goal for me. We're not sure when we'll actually order the van though. Chad wants to wait until we get back to the states and just do it there, and just let our savings continue to grow. We are praying and asking God to guide us. We want to be good stewards with our money.

Chad and I have had a great deal of discussions about how our life is and how much God has blessed us. We so do not deserve all these blessings, but we are so very thankful for them. It's amazing this road the Lord had led us on, it's one that I've never imagined some great things, some of the most difficult ever, yet through it all the Lord has held Chad and I closely and through him he's had has cleave to each other as well. Our marriage is stronger now than it's ever been and I see it getting nothing but stronger. I do not believe that our trials are over, they will not end until we are face to face with our Savior. I do believe that we can make it through anything because of God, because we are one in flesh as husband and wife, and because we have amazing prayer warriors that have prayed for us and continue to pray for us as a couple and a family. I think it's so important to not only be a couple who prays together and alone, but have friends (and family) who pray for you. I hope each of you have that and if you don't, let me know and I'll pray for you and your marriage. We need prayer when things are going beautifully and not so beautifully.

I doubt I'll write again until next week. We leave on Friday for Garmish, we'll be enjoying the snow while we're there. They already have quite a bit there and are getting more right now and will be getting more over the next few days! We have decided we'll most likely just all go sledding together as a family. Spend time in the pool, and the hot tub (which is not hot, but like a perfect warm bath outdoors with the snow falling on us,...oh it's the best!!!!). Chad and I are both getting massages on Saturday! I'm really looking forward to that! LOL We are then heading to Salzburg on Monday. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

God Bless

Not Me Monday

If you want to play go on over and read the rules and join in!
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It is not me who's celebrating my birthday, I'm surely not going to tell you my age, 32, and I sure am not completely enjoying my 30's. No as women we're not supposed to enjoy our 30's. Phhhh

It is NOT me whose husband is home from Iraq for R&R and is pretty sure not
a single person who does this can top these first two! Wahoo! LOL

It is not me who's taken a nap a few times the last few days!

It is not my husband who is making me a birthday dinner! I am surely NOT bragging! LOL

It is not me who's getting a van at the end of the week either! (It's used, but it's a van none the less)

It is not me who'll be in Salzburg, Austria next Monday so I will not be able to participate next week! wahoo! LOL

I do not have to go because my birthday dinner is done! LOL

Have a great week and join in!

He's Home!

Hello everyone! Chad made it home yesterday! Oh I wish I could describe to you all the emotions that are still going through me, but it's not possible! I'll write more, but for now here's a few pictures!

Emma in her little outfit my friend sent to us from Florida for Daddy's arrival home!!! (She was chowing down on a pretzel at the airport and in the middle of eating and saying "cheese" at the same time! LOL)

Daddy and his little Princess! She went right to him!

Emma, Chad, Jacob, and Jackson

Jack, Chad, and Emma cuddling last night before bedtime.

He's almost home!!

Chad's going to be home in a few hours! I'm so excited I'm about to burst! Oh my goodness you just don't know, you just do not know! It's been 8 1/2 months people, 8 1/2 months since my husband was home! I can not wait until I see his face and feel his arms around me, I know I'll have to fight the boys and who knows maybe Emma. I will have my camera all ready to take pictures of the sweet and precious reunion you can count on that! Oh my I can not wait until I see him, safe and sound back in Germany! It's 3 AM here and I'm sooo insanely wired! So I got our room cleaned up more than it was. Trust me I still wouldn't let any of you except for Emily and Tami in my room right now, well probably B too, but well all 3 are in the US and none of them were willing to fly over and help me out. Emily acts like being pregnant is some big issue or something, plus she said all she'd do is sit on my bed. Humph what kind of help is THAT? ROFL!!
Got to love her, what else would I do with that girl?
The kitchen is clean! I swept and mopped it and removed all the recycling. I took 2 bags of recycling out and a bag of trash out at oh 1 AM! :X There are still a few more things of recycling to go out, the boys will take those out in the morning when they've gotten dressed and had breakfast, before we leave. The bathroom is spotless, you could eat off the floor in there! The dining room is clean and the living room is decent! I got my bed cleaned off and almost all of my clothes hung up. I discovered I need more hangers! I forgot that the boys inherited some of our hangers and well obviously I need to replace those since most of the clothes that were in baskets are now out! I only have a few, but also have dirty clothes that need to be washed, that will be done tomorrow...I'll be using my strong husband to carry down the hamper!! Wahoo! :) I intend to use him! LOL Get your minds out of the gutters (or not! LOL That was just for you, Emily!)
I need to run the vacuum in the morning, figured I'd be a good upstairs and downstairs neighbor and not do that tonight, although I'd prefer to have it done tonight, but not really the appropriate or neighborly thing to do at 3 am. I'm nice like that! LOL

Anyways............... :) I'm hoping I can get some sleep. At this point it'll only be about 4 hours of sleep but a little would be good. I plan to vacuum in the morning, get the kids breakfast and Jacob needs to take a shower too, have them take out the recycling and the boys have to clean up their room some more, and I'm going to straighten up Emma's, since I didn't get to it and the boys have drug out a ton of her toys and they've not done it.

Thanks for the warm thoughts and especially the prayers! The airport is only 30 minutes away, so thankfully we don't have to leave hours ahead of time. Pray for no traffic jams or back ups, please. Pray for a smooth and quick drive to the airport and back!

Oh and I think I may take a nap tomorrow! Wahoo!! LOL
God Bless

Overwhelmed

So often life throws us curve balls. God allows them to happen, although I do not beleive that it's his desire for us, but we live in a sinful world, we have free will, ultimately bad things happen, even (or especially?) to Good people. I am NOT saying I'm a good person, although I try to be. I want to have a heart like Jesus, but it's so far from his. I judge, I make snide remarks, I'm full of sin all over the place. Yet I'm forgiven.

Knowing the truth, knowing the Lord has me and loves me...I shouldn't feel like this, but here I am. I hurt my back today carrying a tote that obviously was too heavy for me to lift, although I didn't lift it much and used my legs, I still managed to hurt my back. It has been sore since I did it, but it's now really HURTING. I'm guessing I sprained or pulled a muscle. I'm hoping some tylenol and the heating pad will help, when I go to bed here in a few.

Then there's Chad coming home. Ok we're talking just a short amount of days now. I'm ready. I'm excited, anxious to get everything done that I want to get done (I know he won't care, but I do), and I'm even a little nervous! I mean think about it, it's been 8 1/2 months since I've had my man here with me and well I think all of us as adults can get to what I'm talking about! It's been a while! LOL Part of me is afraid he's going to jump on me! ROFL Part of me is afraid that I'm going to go back to my sinful nature and tell him "not right now" or something equally wrong. I am working VERY hard to be a Godly wife, I have a LONG way to go, trust me on this, a very long ways. The desire is STRONG though. I want nothing but to please my Lord and my husband. So pray for me ok. Pray for Chad too! Who knows maybe I'll be the one attacking him! LOL

Then on a far more serious note...Jordyn. I wrote a little meme on my facebook tonight and it was on your "First born" (I mentioned this in my Not Me Monday). Anyways....just focusing straight on her made me feel so overwhelmed in how much I miss her. Plus the last week or so I've met back up (via Facebook) with friends from Walter Reed. Oh how I miss her. I long to feel her in my arms. It's funny the things I miss the most, are the absolute simplest of things. The feeling of her warm breath against my neck as I rocked her and the feeling of her hands playing in my hair during the rocking. She also gave the best and tightest little hugs around my neck. Oh I loved those hugs, they were always the best parts of my days! I miss her so much right now. I am struggling not to cry. How do we have a child in our arms for 2 yrs 1 month 8 days and then not? How are we supposed to say goodbye to them? I know the answers, we just do, knowing the Lord's controlling it. Knowing he'll find a way to bring Glory to all of it and he has, he really has and I've seen it time after time after time. Yet I still miss her, long to feel her in my arms, long to kiss that beautiful little face. There will always be the "what might have been".

I'm about to head to bed, but know when I'm needing prayers and feeling at my weakest emotionally, and Satan is trying to get ahold of me, he's not go me....but he wants me.

Thank you for the prayers.

Not Me Monday

Yep it's Monday and as usual I wait until late in my evening to do it, because If I even attempt to blog while my children are up they surely do NOT start pestering me and wanting all of my attention. Surely you know that children are to be seen and not heard, especially in our home!

I did not find myself a little weepy on Saturday as we celebrated Jacob's 8th birthday. EIGHT years, wow have they flown by.

I am not listening to Jackson hack up a lung right now, and kicking myself for forgetting to make a run to the clinic to get more cough syrup for the poor kid.

I was NOT thrilled to find out that Emma is finally eating again. She was more or less on a food strike for the last couple of weeks. I was not getting concerned at all. I did not do a little happy dance when I found out she ate a whole pear, tons of cheerio's, sweet potatoe snacks, and a few other things while at my friends home and drank all of her cup of water! I also was not thrilled that she ate a decent dinner either!

I'm definitely not doing the happy dance that my baby girl seems to finally be on her way to feeling better!

I am definitely NOT overwhelmed at all I still have to get done before Chad gets home. I also do not think others will tell me not to worry about cleaning because they think he'll be happy no matter what. I do not know that he will most definately not really care, but that I CARE and I am the one that's ASHAMED and want our home to be relaxing when he comes home to it!

My bed is absolutely NOT covered in clothes that need to be put away. I do NOT wash clothing and then leave them in baskets for weeks and MONTHS. Nope, that is absolutely NOT ME!

I am not about to bust out of my skin knowing that Chad should be in Kuwait as I type this.

I am NOT insanely excited that before this weekend appears my husband should be in my arms! Oh who are we kidding, I'm so excited. I mean come on, it's been 8 1/2 months! Most women cry over an overnight away!

I did NOT drag a footlocker down to our storage room, and did not manage to pull a muscle or at least strain one, when I had to pick it up and put it up in our storage room. I did not almost cry because of the pain. There is not still one other footlocker just sitting out here in the dining room. Those footlockers are surely not filled with clothes Emma has outgrown and that this Momma is not ready to part with yet!! :X

I have not gotten really, really, really annoyed with some people when on facebook I did a little meme on my first born, who's JordYn and people kept writing her name with an "A" in it. I did not go back and write her name again as a response. It does not annoy me that people can not pay attention to details, especially when it comes to HER.

I will not get to have my husband home in a few days and I did NOT already write about this!

I was not excited to see the Steeler's win? I am not actually a Kansas City Chief's DIE HARD fan, but cheered for the Steeler's none the less, because 1. they're a great team and 2. they're an AFC team and well sometimes you just need to stick with your league! LOL

What did you NOT do last week???