I Am Back

Well December was a whirlwind with 2 hospital stays-- one just before Christmas. But we made it through the month. Even though things have been hard, God has really been comforting me with his presence.

I have been struggling with not feeling very useful and feeling guilty because I have had to depend on Kenny for so much help. Kenny is so amazing and never complains about having so much on his plate. But I know he is tired and feels overwhelmed a lot of the time!

I keep praying for healing and relief. I hope that season is coming soon. But Jesus has been working on my heart to be content even if I am sick.

Last night I was feeling discouraged because I couldn't even do our grocery shopping. I didn't want to send Kenny out after the long day he had. Then Kenny suggested Amazon Fresh-grocery shopping online! I had checked out Amazon Fresh before for things like milk and eggs but wasn't too happy with their prices. However when I was looking at other items last night, I thought their prices were pretty comparable on most things. So I did my grocery shopping on Amazon Fresh and felt like I had accomplished something and contributed! The groceries were on our doorstep before 6am this morning in cold totes and Kenny was able to put the groceries away before he went to work. :)

A Day Out

Today I took the kids to Kid's Quest Museum in Bellevue! We only have about a month left of our annual membership and I thought we should take advantage of it! The kid's museum in Bellevue is pretty small so I found the kids loosing interest in it when we were going weekly. It has been quite a while since we have gone, so the kids really enjoyed their time there today!

I was a little hesitant to go today because I have been so tired lately. But now that the kids are older, I was able to sit and watch them enjoy themselves for the majority of the time!! Here are some pictures of all the fun!

2011 Costume Party

Last Monday night we went to the annual Costume Party at Blue Sky Church! It was so much fun! There were two bouncy houses, lots of games, and tons of candy! :)

Caleb dressed up as a pirate and I painted a beard on him. Chloe was a ladybug and I even painted a ladybug on her face. I dressed up as a cowgirl and Kenny went as himself-a software developer! :)

Our small group decided to make our own shirts! We all had a word or two on our shirts and when we lined up at the end of the night we made a special phrase. The phrase was 'A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away'! The picture turned out a little blurry because of the fog machine, but you get the idea!

Caleb said 'it was the most fun night ever'! Here are some pictures! :)

Our New October Tradition

On Saturday we had a family pumpkin carving day! :) First we went to Michaels and picked out some fun carving patterns. Then we went to QFC and the kids got to pick out their own pumpkins! They were having a fantastic sale! Only $3.99 for large pumpkins!

Once the kids picked out the design for their pumpkins, we got to work. Caleb picked a design with 'fire' eyes and mouth. Chloe picked a kitty design. Kenny did a pumpkin with 'crazy' hair. And I decided to try to make a pumpkin lantern!

Even though Kenny and I did most of the work it was still fun for the kids to see the process of the carving and to put their pumpkins in their rooms. :)

We decided we should make a yearly tradition of carving pumpkins together! It was so much fun!

Another Hospital Stay

So, after my wonderful couple days of great energy, I got sick again! Last Sunday afternoon I started having sharp pains across my shoulder blades and pain under my right ribs.

On Monday, I was super tired! I took a nap when the kids did and when I woke up my pain was worse. It was actually Date Night for us and I was trying to tough it out.

Well, we never made it to the restaurant for our date! We spent our date in the Evergreen ER at the new Redmond location. :( I have to say, their service was amazing! They didn't even triage me! They took me straight back to a room and were treating me in no time! :) They ended up admitting me that night and I got to go in my first ambulance because the main hospital is in Kirkland.

The ambulance ride was better than I expected! I totally thought I would get car sick. I was on a strong anti-nausea med, so maybe that helped! :)

After spending three nights in the hospital, I got to come home last night! The doctors think the pain I was having had to do with my liver swelling from all the excess iron deposits on my liver. I have iron overload, a complication from all the blood transfusions I have had and a side effect from my blood disease.

I had my first chelation treatment last night to help bring my iron levels down. Please continue to pray with us for healing and quick recovery!

Yesterday I accomplished....

Yesterday (Friday) was such a productive day for me! I woke up feeling really exhausted, but once I got going I got so much accomplished!

When I was still sitting in bed, I decided to try something new and fun with my eye make-up. Then Chloe wanted some make-up. :) Since we were staying home for the day, I put pink and purple eye shadow on her. She loved it!

Then I figured since I managed to put my make-up on, I should go do my hair. So I flat-ironed my hair and it looked so much better! :)

Next the kids helped me clean up the dining area in the kitchen. We mostly cleaned up art supplies and the paper scraps on the floor. Caleb even vacuumed the kitchen floor for me-thanks buddy!

Once one half of the kitchen was clean, I figured I better clean the rest! I couldn't believe I had the energy to clean my house! Jesus answered my prayers for more energy!

AND I even cooked dinner for our friends last night! Kenny was so excited, because I haven't had enough energy to cook a nice meal in a long time! He LOVES it when I cook! :)

I hope and pray I can have more days like this!

Does Jesus Have A Wife? :)

Today, during lunch Caleb asked me, "Does Jesus have a wife?" I responded by saying, "No, but that is a really good question Caleb!"

There was a moment of silence, then Caleb said, "That's too bad! I wish Jesus had a wife!"

It got me thinking... I wonder if Jesus ever wished He had a wife? Or was He totally consumed by His heavenly father?

But, I'm glad Caleb thinks that having a wife is a good thing! :) I pray that he meets a really special woman some day!

Spaghetti, Gondolas, and Gladiators

This week we have been learning about Italy! We have been eating Italian food for dinner, listening to Italian music, and even riding in pretend gondolas in Venice!

One night we made Italian flags and learned how to say 'hi' in Italian-'chow'! Last night Caleb and Kenny made shields out of cardboard so they could pretend to be gladiators from Rome!

We even started talking about putting on the armor of God! The shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit... Here is a picture of Caleb the gladiator with his armor on! :)