Battle of Wills

I know this may come as a big surprise to some of you (ha), but Lindsay is extremely stubborn! We are working through some major behavior issues, which she chooses to use mostly against me and Lance.  Yesterday, Lindsay and I went toe-to-toe not long after she woke up that morning and throughout the entire day.  However, what happened last night takes the cake...

The three of us had no more sat down to eat dinner last night, when Lindsay says that she wants to get down.  Lance instructs her that she needs to stay in her chair and eat.  Well, this ticks her off just a little and she tries to pick up her plate and sling it across the table.  He catches it before she really has time to complete the task and this really ticks her off!  So she grabs her cup and throws it on the floor!  So now, it's like, ok, you are still going to sit in your chair and I guess you won't be eating or drinking while you are sitting there!!  Then she gets all crazy and pleads with me to let her down, she pulls out all the stops.

After she sat there for what seemed like forever, she asked to get down using her manners.  Lance told her that she needed to apologize for the way she acted and he would let her down.  She looked at him and said, "I don't want to say your sorry.  I  don't want to say it."

If that's not rebellion I don't know what is!!!!

Needless to say, after she sat there for even longer, she finally relented and apologized to her daddy for being so ugly and went on her merry way.

Doesn't this paint a perfect picture of how we have that same rebellion in our lives?  No God, I'm not apologizing, I'm not going to let you have this little piece of my life.  Wow, who would of thought that the Lord would use my two year old's rebellion to convict me of the rebellion in my own life?!  Very humbling, isn't it?

Are you prepared?

As parents, we try our best to protect our children.  Some of us might even be labeled "over-protective".  However, the true reality is, that we cannot protect our kids from everything that this world throws at them (this is where our faith in the Lord comes in).  Falling down, scraping knees, busting noses are all part of growing up and learning how to survive!!

My niece and nephew came to stay with us for a few days this past week.  For fun, we thought we would take them to the water park in Canton, but since the weather didn't cooperate, we ended up at the Dallas World Aquarium.  We arrived around lunch time, so we decided to eat lunch in one of the cafe's.  We had been sitting down for about 15 minutes munching on chips when all of the sudden Lindsay starts to cough and takes the most strained breath I have ever heard.  My mom was sitting across the table from us and she very calmly said, "Kelly, she's choking".  I reached over, snatched Lindsay out of the booster seat, laid her over my legs on her belly, and hit her on the back with the base of my hand 3 or 4 times .  This all happened so fast, I really don't recall the exact order of how things happened.  As soon as I hit her the first time, she did start to try to cough and spit and drool.  I looked over my shoulder and told the waitress, "we need some help over here" and they guy at the table next to us said, "she's coughing, that means she's getting air".  Albeit a strained cough, she was coughing!!!  All of the sudden this paramedic lady appears out of nowhere to check Lindsay out.  Thankfully, after a lot of coughing, she was back to normal.  She ate a little lunch and then had a great time at the aquarium!!

Why did I lay her over my legs instead of on the floor, I have no idea, but the Lord was in control of the situation and He gets all the glory!  I know that I cannot protect Lindsay from every little thing, but I now know that I can be a little more prepared, just in case!!

Out of the blue tonight, Lindsay told me, "I was coughing in my booster seat.  The lady had on gloves (referring to the paramedic lady). I coughed up a chip."  This happened on Thursday, so I have no idea what brought it to her mind.  

I am so thankful that I did not panic and that I felt the peace that passes all understanding!

Silly Girl

Lindsay has reached that time in her life where she just cracks us up all the time!  Yesterday at the doctor's office she was sitting in my lap observing all the other kids.  She was narrating for me a little girl's interaction with her mom.  Lindsay looked at me and said, "Mama, that baby is crazy!"  Of course, I couldn't help but laugh and thankfully the other mom didn't hear what she said!

You know how it is when you notice that your kid is being really quiet, it almost always means that they are up to something that they shouldn't be?!  Here are some pictures of Lindsay after I caught her getting gum out of my purse (and eating it too).

Tonight we made a birthday card for Lance (shh, it is a surprise!), and Lindsay kept telling me that she was going to draw a circle, square, whatever it was that she was going to draw.  Of course, her shapes were not recognizable, but she was giving it a good effort.  After a while of coloring on a plain piece of paper, she wanted her Wonder Pets coloring book.  I thought I would ask her just to color a specific shape on the page.  Here is how it came out:

I thought for a two-year old, this was pretty darn good!!  We'll keep this one for the record books.

Lindsay is also into taking pictures of herself with my camera.  Most of the pictures are just a big blob, but I thought this one was cute...

I love all the wonderful memories that we are able to make with this little blessing from God!

The Garden

We have leafed out, literally.  We decided to give gardening a try this year and so far it has exceeded my expectations.  Our soil is pretty much clay, so I was concerned about root rot since it doesn't drain very well.  To combat that, we have been aerating the soil near the plants to help get some air in there.  So far it has worked just fine.

You can't tell a whole lot from this picture.  The plants in the row to the far left kind of blend in with the grass!  But it is full of peppers, hot and sweet.  The plants in the middle row are on the opposite end of where I took the picture and it is tomatoes.

The squash!!  These babies are really starting to produce a bunch of tiny little squashes!

Hot Banana Peppers ~ if you look toward the middle of the plant you will see a pepper growing sideways and just in front of it is another one growing up, but it kinda looks like a leaf in this shot.

Cherry Tomatoes ~  there are about 3 tiny green balls so far on this one.

We are just now starting to see the fruit of our labor and I'm pretty darn excited about it!  Thankfully, the rain, up until the last week, had been consistent enough to keep it watered (and sometimes drown)!

I have spent long hours planting and weeding in the garden (ok, so I've been good at planting and letting Lance do most of the weeding).  But I guess I'll have to get out there tomorrow and give it a good watering.

"I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, And the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.  And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.  And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known"

Birthday Par-tay!

We gathered this past weekend to celebrate Lindsay's birthday.  We decked our yard out with balloons and Elmo stuff and were expecting an "easy" birthday party.  Well, I don't know if you know this or not, but there is no such thing as an easy two year old birthday party!  It was ca-razy, but Lindsay had a blast and many friends and family members were there to celebrate with her.

Our favorite baker and cake decorator, Alissa, made this beautiful cake for Lindsay.  Elmo is affixed to the cake with a skewer, so after the party we let Lindsay eat him like a sucker.  She had a blast with him!!

She really didn't need any help with the candles, but I guess that is what I am doing?!

All of the kids LOVED the slip-n-slide and water activities.

A shot of the little ones playing!

After the party, she was one tired girl, but still wanting to play with all her new stuff.

Next year I will have to try to do better to get pictures of all the kids, but I was just a little busy!!  Thank you all for coming and sharing this special time with us.

Two Years Already?

Over the next few posts, I would like to tell you about each member of our family.  First up, Lindsay Elise.

This weekend we will celebrate Lindsay's 2nd Birthday by partying Elmo style.  This Mama is having a hard time believing that her baby is going to be two!!  

Lindsay loves to talk, sing, and dance.  Her rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star will make your heart melt.  She is affectionate, loving, reserved but fiery, tender-hearted and just flat-out hilarious!  I love it when she nods her head in agreement as she is trying to convince me to do something for her.  It's like "come on Mom, that's a great idea".

The other day while I was getting her breakfast ready she went and got Lillian (her baby doll) and put her in the high chair.  Then she found a bib to put on the baby and tried to get a spoon out of the drawer for her.  She was going to give Lillian her breakfast!!!  I finally convinced her that Lillian could just sit on the table and watch!!

It is so awesome to see her bow her head when we pray with her at the dinner table and at night-night time.  She squints her little eyes and keeps them shut the whole time.  What really cracks us up is when she keeps her eyes closed while she is putting a bite of food in her mouth or taking a drink during the prayer!!!

She wants you to kiss her boo-boo every time she falls down or bumps into something.  And I am willing to kiss everyone of them!!  She is starting to show compassion for others by her willingness to kiss their boo-boos.

Our prayer for Lindsay is that she would fall in love with Jesus.  Compassion is just one of the many things that she will be taught by Jesus.  I am excited to see what her next lesson will be as He molds and shapes her into a warrior for Him!!  That is so cool!

My baby is growing up so fast and so I know that "It Won't Be Like This For Long".

*Editor's Note:  I am having trouble uploading images, so I'll try to post more pics after her birthday party.

Hyperthyroid - What's the Big Deal?

The big deal is Graves' Disease.  I have Graves' Disease.  

My autoimmune system is wreaking havoc on my body and my mind.  I am no longer the reserved, easy-going, patient person I used to be.  Anxious, worrisome thoughts now crowd my mind.  I'm forgetful, crazy, troubled, defensive...

So, am I really nuts and incapable of caring for myself, much less Lindsay?  No, but this disease has changed me in ways that I do not like.

But the totally rad part about all this is that my old, tired, worn out body will be made whole again when my Saviour decides to take me home!!  Isn't that totally awesome?

The Lord has given me this burden to bear.  So, I trudge on, hoping that my battle with this disease will bring glory and honor to His name.