Angel's World

Larynogoscopy

2011-04-21T13:51:00.002-04:00

On Monday I had my surgery. The Dr. said it couldn't have went better, so I am very pleased to hear that! No talking for 7 days and then it will be a gradual increase in talking. I start vocal therapy in 2 weeks and then should be ok to sing again in about 4-6 weeks. I was put on pain medincine, mucinex, a sinus antibiotic and an anti-reflux medincine. Wednesday I only took my pain med once and today I haven't at all. It hurt to swallow for a few days but now I'm feeling almost normal. I resumed eating solid foods today which makes it easier. For a few days I was only having liquids and soft foods - mostly popsiciles, ice cream, etc. Today, I ate a salad and muffins which was awesome!

The no talking has proven to be a challenge, but what's harder is no coughing or clearing the throat. I can't whisper or mouth any words either, so that makes it doubly hard! I just have a dry erase board to communicate - but with Josh, it's hard b/c he can't read! Josiah has been a great helper and really does well with all this! Josh is more of a challenge for me though, surprise, surprise!

Ronnie has been an awesome husband! He is more than I could ever ask for in a husband! He'll pick me up special things to eat and say silly things to make me smile like, "I don't want to hear one word out of you young lady!" At least I can smile, b/c I can't laugh or cry either! Which is hard b/c at times I get emotional about all this, but I have to remind myself that it's gonna be worth it and I don't what to do anything to mess up the surgery.

I think the worst part is having this sinus infection during all this. I got a sinus infection on Thurs. before the surgery on Monday and I've had lots of mucus building up in my throat and chest which makes it hard to breathe b/c I can't cough it out. So, the netti pot helps along with the meds, but I haven't been able to sleep through the night yet since so that's frustrating. Last night I thought I might choke on my mucus! Sounds terrible I know!

I went to youth group last night with my dry erase board and that was interesting. The youth had fun with it - I got some laughs and poked fun at, but it was all entertaining I'm sure! I'm just trying to keep my spirits up through all this and look for the humor and good out of it all. I hate not talking and it makes me feel handicapped in a way, but I'm looking forward to a better and stronger voice after all this is over!!!!

Getting answers

2011-04-03T23:57:00.002-04:00

So, my visit to the ENT went "ok." The red dot is a blood vessel and the inflammation and problems I'm having in his opinion is not from singing or overuse of the voice. There's no explanation really why I have this blood vessel on my right vocal fold. So, I am now having a micro direct operative laryngoscopy done on Wed. April 13th where they will remove the blood vessel. I won't be able to talk for 5-7 days and will not be able to sing for 4-6 weeeks. UGH!!! So, lots of writing things down and using a dry erase board! Everything should be fine afterwards. So, in a few months all this should be behind me!!!!! It'll be nice to be able to sing in a full voice again!!!!

Vocal Issues

2011-03-31T14:43:00.002-04:00

So, a few months ago I went to an ENT to discuss some vocal problems I had been having for a few months. Thinking I've damaged my voice from leading worship for 12 years is a scary thing!!! He treated me with different meds for allergies like a steroid called methylpredisone and a strong nasal spray. Well, after spending $500 trying to figure out why my vocal range has decreased and why I'm having vocal fatique so frequently I researched online for some help. I found a speech and hearing clinic at IU where there is a lady who does vocal therapy and they do throat scopes. I emailed her and set up an appt. and had an hour and a half evaluation. The throat scope is awesome! It's not awesome to have a long thing stuck down your throat that makes you want to gag, but it took video of my vocal folds while I was doing vocal exercises. Turns out both sides are inflammed, the right side being worse and there is a small red blister like thing on that side which is causing that fold to be stiff. So, when the folds go to close, they aren't closing all the way and there is a gap at the bottom. Therefore, that explains why I have to power or volume in my headvoice right now. What I thought was "allergy related" has turned out to be something more. So, after this very thourough evaluation she set me up with an appt. with the ENT she normally works with - since I told her not to use the one I went to in the first place b/c first off I couldn't hardly understand him b/c he's a different nationality and second off he wasn't on the right path. So, TOMORROW, April 1st, I go to get my diagnosis based on my information from the evaluation and my video of the vocal folds. Not sure what will come of this, so I'm a little nervous. Bad thing is that if I have to not talk for an extended period of time - I'll go insane!!! And Ronnie leaves for 3-4 days for FL on Sat. to go on a fishing trip! So, we'll see what happens!!!

12 Year Anniversary

2011-03-31T14:18:00.002-04:00

I made this slideshow of Ronnie and I from when we started dating till now for our 12 Year Anniversary

Josiah's First Piano Recital

2011-02-15T11:02:00.003-05:00

I just started teaching Josiah piano about a month ago and I went ahead and put him in our winter recital and he did a great job!!!! Here's my little Mozart.....

Upwards Basketball 2011

2011-02-15T10:33:00.007-05:00

The boys have been enjoying their basketball season! This is Josiah's 3rd year to play and Josh's 1st year and they're actually on the same team! Josiah's been making lot of baskets in the games and Josh is doing great in defense! Josh really goes after the ball!!! Surprise, surprise!!! I'm so proud of them!!!!

First snow of 2010

2010-12-07T10:02:00.006-05:00

The first big snowfall was super exciting for the boys! They couldn't wait to get out there and start throwing snowballs!

snowball fight with Dad

Josiah throwing a snowball at me while I'm taking pics!

backyard

our snowman

drinking hot chocolate

wrestling Dad in the snow

more wrestling - what else do boys do?

BIG HUGE LEAF PILE

2010-10-25T10:51:00.004-04:00

raking up leaves!

Getting blown by the leaf blower!!!

guitar player/leaf raker!

OUR BIG HUGE LEAF PILE! HERE COMES THE FUN!!!

This is Josh trying to get all the leaves out of his shirt!!! HA! HA!

It was a great day!!!!

Hearing God's voice

2010-10-25T10:25:00.003-04:00

So, in our night time devotions with the boys we were talking about how to hear God's voice - yeah kind of hard for a child, but I don't think it's ever too early to start teaching them how to hear the voice of God. So, I explained how in your prayer time if you're quiet and you listen God can speak to you in your heart. So, after Josiah prayed he sat quietly listening for God to speak something to him. After a minute or so he opens his eyes and says, " I didn't hear anything." I said, "That's ok. It takes time to learn how to listen for His voice. So, Josh prays and he waits and listens and he says, "I couldn't hear God talking. He wasn't talking loud enough!" It was cute! Then Josiah pops up and says, "I heard God say something! He said I need to be a good boy and listen to my mom and dad." I thought, Well that's a great thing for him to hear God say and then he says, "I just made that up!" ha ha! Kids are so funny! I love teaching them about the things of God and God's word. The questions they have and the things they say are priceless!!

Campout in the backyard

2010-08-28T16:48:00.004-04:00

laying on the trampoline looking at the stars

The boys missed their Royal Ranger campout for church b/c we were gone that weekend, so we promised them we'd campout in the yard before it got too cold!!! They LOVED it! We played football, pretend bow and arrows, ate hamburgers and hotdogs, mac-n-cheese, watermelon and beans (boys love beans, ya know?) had a campfire, roasted marshmallows and told stories and then went to bed! I had to go inside twice in the middle of the night - once b/c I was about to wet my pants and the second time for Josiah to go to the bathroom! I was soooo tempted to stay inside and get in my comfy, warm, bed!!!! We had a great time!!!!

FUN at Lake Placid campground

2010-08-28T16:42:00.004-04:00

Every year Ronnie and I help out at the PK (Pastor's Kids) Retreat at our District campground and we bring the boys and they have a blast!!!! This is their favorite!!!

Josh's first day of preschool!

2010-08-28T16:38:00.002-04:00

WHY is my baby boy so big already????

Josiah's first day of FIRST GRADE!

2010-08-28T16:22:00.002-04:00

WOW! Kindergarten FLEW by - I'm assuming First grade will not be any different!!!

Change of plans

2010-08-14T17:10:00.002-04:00

So, some of you know I started to go back to school last year for Early Childhood Education. Well, as time went by I just couldn't feel a peace about it - I kept going back and forth about whether or not I should actually be doing it and I finally realized that if God hasn't given me a peace about it through a year, then I probably shouldn't be doing it! Plus, there aren't a lot of teaching positions open and teachers are getting laid off more and more lately, so I wasn't feeling too great about the direction I was headed. So, I dropped my classes and took my books back for this fall semester and I feel so good about it!!!! I felt like having a full time career was not best for me and my family and plus it could hinder my involvement in ministry at church, so I'm a little smarter now and I didn't pay a dime for it, so I'm ok!!!!! I feel like a huge weight has been taken off of me and I now have peace!!!!

I am looking into doing the Sheffield School for interior decorating starting next year. I can finish it within one year and it's not college courses - I 'll have a certificate in interior decorating which I love!!!! I'll also receive discounts at home stores and will gain access to trade shows!!! I'm so pumped about this and can't wait to get started!!!!! This way I'm not tied down certain hours and days and I can have my own little business and do it as much or as little as I like! And it helps that I absolutely LOVE to decorate!!! It's funny to see how often my tastes change and how different I decorate today as even 3 or 4 years ago, but I love it!!!! I'm excited about gaining more knowledge in decorating my own home and in being able to help others love their homes as well!!!!!

I feel much better going in this direction and I can't wait to see what becomes of it!!!!!!!

Summer 2010 Pics

2010-08-11T14:24:00.002-04:00

I took the boys out in the yard to get a few pics for some picture frames....they're getting so big!!

Summer 2010

2010-08-11T14:09:00.007-04:00

Just a few fun things we've been doing to stay busy this summer!!!!

Josh learning to float

Josiah jumping off the diving board

Josiah going down the slide

Josh in swim lessons

Josiah in swim lessons

Running in the sprinkler

Florida Vacation

2010-06-23T22:48:00.004-04:00

We just returned from our Florida vacation with my parents, my sister and her husband and my brother and his family. We went to Lake Wales to fish, then to Disney World, then to Regal Palms Resort to stay and swim and to Wet-n-Wild water park in Orlando and to St. Petersburg to my Aunt's house - We had a great time - here are some highlights!!! (tons more pics on my FB!)

Daring Josiah going down the slide head first!

My lil Josh coming down the slide with his tube

At Regal Palms Resort - yes we went down together!!!

Swimming at my Aunt Karen's house - just being goofy!

Josiah and Johnathan (cousin) - Mr. Incredible was incredibly HUGE!

Josiah, Johnathan and Josh in front of the castle

fishing on the boat with Papa!!

Everybody at Wet-n-Wild - we hadn't gotten wet yet obviously!

And Josh was ready to get in the water, so he's pouting in the front!

Josiah lost his first tooth!

2010-06-02T08:21:00.002-04:00

Josiah has had this loose tooth for months and he really wanted it to fall out while he was at school so he could put it in a little treasure box and it fell out at school yesterday. He was so excited to show me when he got home! So, of course he put it under his pillow last night and this morning came running in our room, "I got money, I got money from the tooth-fairy! Wow! I can't believe it! The tooth-fairy IS real!" It was so cute!!!!!

Josiah's Kindergarten Program

2010-05-20T13:50:00.005-04:00

My little Kindergartener is nearing the end of the school year and getting ready for First grade! How in the world does time go so fast??? Here he is before his Kindergarten program - his class sang, "Freight Train." He was of course the cutest boy there!!!! hee hee!

Peden Farm Field Trip

2010-05-12T10:12:00.005-04:00

Last week Josh and I were able to go on a Kindergarten field trip with Josiah to Peden Farm in Ellettsville. It was huge! Kindergarten classes from all over the county were there - hundreds of kids and adults! They loved it and had a great time!

playing with the chicks was one of Josiah's favorites

Josh had a hard time holding the chicks b/c he said they were scratching his hands so he held them upside down! The workers didn't like that! LOL!

On the Ellettsville Police 4-Wheelers

Limestone carving

Another semester is over!!!!

2010-05-12T10:09:00.003-04:00

3 more classes done and over! HOORAY! I managed to get a B in my Intermediate Algebra class and A's in two of my Early Childhood courses! I'm signed up to take 4 classes next semester, but I'm off for the summer! So, now I can do more fun things during the day and spend more time with Josh!!!!! It feels weird to have so much time on my hands now, I'm almost bored, but it's nice to not have the stress for a little while and just relax!

After easter egg hunting - Trampoline FUN!!!

2010-04-22T08:40:00.005-04:00

We're so tough! (our fighting moves!)

My boys! Sun was too bright for Josh!

Josh couldn't get up!

THIS is HILARIOUS!!!!

Easter 2010

2010-04-22T08:33:00.003-04:00

I don't think they could be any cuter!

Josiah's dream

2010-04-22T08:18:00.003-04:00

This morning I was trying to wake Josiah up for school and he says, "I'm watching my dream." I asked him what he was dreaming about and he said, "Batman." And then a minute later he says, "Awesome! I can't believe Batman did that!" I"m not sure if he was really dreaming or just imagining, but it was still funny!

Sam Costa Half Marathon

2010-03-30T23:00:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday I ran the Sam Costa Half Marathon in Carmel, IN. I'm trying to get ready for the Indy Mini Marathon in May, so I needed to run 13 miles once to see how I felt. I've only been running twice a week, so I'm not in as good of shape as I need to be. So, my legs started to get tired in the 9th mile and I went out a little fast, so I ended up finishing in 1:53:31 - not great, but not to bad for only running twice a week!

Megan's home!

2010-03-07T16:56:00.002-05:00

I'm sure most of you that keep up with my sister Megan already know that she came home on Friday night. We're grateful that she's doing well. Please continue to pray for her recovery. She has a long road ahead of her and many, many, many medications to take everyday. She still needs lots of prayers!!!! We need to pray for strength and a quick healing and recovery of her incision and from the pain of the surgery. One day she'll be fully recovered and ready to run with me! Can't wait!!!!! Thanks to everyone for your prayers!!!

Megan's Heart

2010-02-19T00:22:00.002-05:00

My sister just got a new heart tonight....wow! She's actually still in surgery and the heart is beating and doing great! This hour is critical and I won't get to see her until tomorrow, which is already here since it's 12:22 am. I'm nervous but anxious to see her. I'm so grateful that God has provided this heart for Megan and I pray that the family that lost someone will be comforted and know that they have helped made a huge difference in someone's life tonight. God, please continue to be with Megan as they finish her surgery - protect her - strengthen this heart and may there be no complications. May there be a quick recovery and a strong and new life ahead for Megan full of joy and happiness. God, may you bless Megan and Chris in every area of their life and fulfill their every desire.

Thank all of you for your continued prayers and support for our family during this time. We love you!

Super Fan Night

2010-02-09T19:24:00.005-05:00

We had a Super Fan night in FUEL (our youth group) before the Super Bowl where everyone could dress up in their favorite sports team - which was mostly Colts. The whole room was decorated in Colts decroations, but I wanted to share one picture....Ronnie looks a little different than the rest of us!!!!!

Growing up

2010-02-09T19:19:00.002-05:00

Both my boys recently had birthdays. Josiah turned 6 on Jan. 23rd and Joshua turned 4 on Dec. 30th. I don't get much time to update my blog lately - (sorry Meg!) So, here's some pics we took when we went to Bouncertown in Greenwood for the boys birthdays....

What will 2010 bring?

2009-12-31T23:22:00.004-05:00

2009 has been a great year for us. We love where we live and we love our church and the ministry that we're involved in there. God has provided and blessed us in numerous ways and for that we're grateful. I started going back to school this year and I'm really enjoying it. I took two classes last semester and got A's in both, so I'm feeling good about this! Next semester I start my early childhood courses and finish up some general education.

I'm really looking forward to this new year. I hope I can find more time to run this year and right now I'm signed up to run the Indy mini if time and life allows me to train somewhat. I'm looking forward to seeing how Josiah progresses this last semester of Kindergarten and go to first grade and watching Joshua go to Pre-K in the fall! Life is flying by and the boys are growing so fast!

I know God has great things in store for our church this year. We'll be starting a building program, which will be stressful, but very exciting! I'm excited for the new things God is going to do in the youth and the souls that will be saved this year! I know God has amazing things in store for all of us in this new year!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T23:13:00.005-05:00

We traveled a lot this Christmas.! Our first stop was at my sister's house in Alexandria, VA and my brother and his family and my parents were also there. We all had a great time together and the kids enjoyed all the snow!!!

Our next stop was to Petersburg, VA a few hours away from Megan's where Ronnie's parents live. We stayed there for 5 days and had lots of time to relax!!! And then we stopped at my parent's house in Indy on the way home to have Christmas with them.

We have been so blessed this year and I'm so thankful for all the things God has provided for our family this year. He has been good to us!

Stinky Accident

2009-12-16T08:26:00.004-05:00

This morning Joshua had a stinky accident in his pants and he says, "I think I forgot how to go poopy in the potty. I felt something coming out of my bottom and I thought it was a toy, but it was poopy." I think he's really looking forward to some new toys for Christmas!!!!!

Nap time

2009-12-09T14:53:00.002-05:00

I have found that if Josh gives me any trouble to lay down for a nap all I have to say is, "Do you want to sleep in your Lightning McQueen sleeping bag?" And all is well!!!

But what I really loved today is when I put Josh in his sleeping bag he said, "Mom, I'm gonna dream about you." And later I asked him why he wanted to dream about me and he said, "Because I love you."

Conclusion - go get a cool sleeping bag for your kids!!!!

Fall Family Pictures

2009-11-03T12:23:00.007-05:00

This year we decided to do some outdoor fall pictures and I love them! Check out more by clicking on the Family Pics link!

Kelsay Farms

2009-10-12T13:54:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday we took the boys to Kelsay Farms in Whiteland, IN. Unfortunately the one we went to last year in Bloomington was not open this year, so we had to drive almost an hour, but I think it was worth it, the boys loved it!

Joshua's Prayer

2009-09-10T08:42:00.002-04:00

This morning after breakfast Joshua wanted me to read his Bible to him and the last two stories we read were about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then about asking Jesus to come into your heart. So, when we were done I asked Josh if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus into his heart and he said, "Yes." I told him that when we ask Jesus into our heart and live for Him then we will go to heaven. He then says, "I don't want to go to heaven." I told him that was where Jadon was and that mommy, daddy and Josiah are going to heaven too. So, I asked him if he wanted to pray again and he said, Yes. So, we prayed and asked Jesus to come into his heart. Afterwards we called Ronnie and told him and he asked me, "Mom, are you talking to Jesus?" I said, "No, it's daddy." And he said, "Is Daddy and Josiah in heaven?" I said, "No, you only go to heaven if you die or when Jesus comes back to get us and take us there." And he said, "Did Daddy die? I don't want to die." Guess I shouldn't have mentioned the dying part. Kids ask so many questions!!!! Nothing is easy to explain to a 3 year old!

Jadon's 7th Birthday

2009-09-01T10:33:00.003-04:00

It doesn't seem possible that 7 years have passed since Jadon was born. When I think about it, at times it seems like it never even happened. I remember being put in the helicopter to fly over to Baltimore and Ronnie having to make the hour drive not knowing what was going to happen in the next moments. I was heavily sedated on Magnesium to stop labor, so I was in and out. I had already dialated to 4 centimeters at 24 weeks. The next 6 days in the hopsital were a waiting period - up and down contractions and wondering how long Jadon was going to stay inside. Then on that 7th day they had to do an emergency C-Section and he lived in the NICU for 2 weeks before going to see Jesus.

Those 3 weeks of my life were the scariest 3 weeks I've ever experienced. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald house there in Baltimore and I lived in the NICU for 2 weeks. I didn't want to miss a moment with him. I remember the day one of the nurses let me change his diaper. I had never handled such a fragile baby. And then she allowed me to put medicine on the sores on his skin were the tubes were. He was so fragile and small. He was on the highest level of ventilation the entire time. He couldn't breathe on his own at all. He had so many problems - under developed lungs, bleeding in his brain and through his body. Then when the day came when everything in his body started to shut down it was over within hours. We had never cried so hard in our lives.

Did I go through periods of anger? Yes. Was I mad at God? Yes. Did I question God? Yes. I didn't feel like it was fair. I had done everything right. I kept thinking, "Why me?" "What did I do to deserve this?" I learned it's ok to question and be angry. But, we can't stay that way. I had nights that I just screamed and cried and didn't understand why my baby was born so early and why I couldn't have had a normal pregnancy like everyone else around me. But, I learned that God's plans aren't always our plans. We don't understand the ways of God.

I may never know why Jadon was born early and taken to be with Jesus, but I know that He has a much better life in heaven than he would've had on this earth. He would've lived a very difficult life if he would've survived. Having been on such high levels of ventilation he could've been completely blind and most likely would've had a severe case of cerebral palsy, would've been fed through tubes, not been able to talk or walk. I wouldn't want that for Jadon. He's in God's hands - completely healed and whole.

God has healed my heart and given me two more precious boys, Josiah and Joshua. I am so grateful for them and for the blessings God has restored to us. He is faithful! 2 Corinthians 5 talks about our heavenly dwelling. v. 6 - 9- Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

We've been getting Josiah and Josh gifts in honor of Jadon's birthday each year. And this year Josiah (5) said, "How will we get to Jadon's birthday party?" Jadon, your brothers can't wait to meet you!!! And your dad and I can't wait to see you and hold you again!! I love you Jadon!!!

Josiah's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-19T11:01:00.003-04:00

Josiah couldn't wait to get to school this morning!!! He's been counting down the days till his first full day of Kindergarten. The day didn't start too good with Joshua coming in our room at 6:30 with a temperature of 101.2 saying his head, tummy and neck hurt. So, he got some tylenol and wanted to go downstairs and watch cartoons. Josiah woke up and was so excited!! Of course he wanted pancakes for breakfast, so we all ate pancakes except for Josh.

Ronnie had to go to work so I took Josiah to school, along with Josh in tow, and we took Josiah to his class. He has to check in his mailbox to see if he has any letters - the teacher writes letters to the students and then they write her back. She had given him a letter yesterday, so he is in the process of writing her back a letter to bring tomorrow. Then, he puts his backpack in his cubby and lunchbox in the big pail and signs in. He was so cute finding his seat and sitting down next to his classmates. He didn't even care where I was. He's so independent. So, I could tell it was time to say good-bye and so I knelt down to hug and kiss him and I started to get emotional. At that point Josh started whining and crying and he cried all the way out of the school, "I want my bubby!" So, I told Josh we could watch a movie together when we got home and we laid on the couch together and watched "Toy Story." His fever seems to be gone and he's acting much better now! This year will be a bonding time for Josh and I.

Josiah is riding the bus home today and he's thrilled about that. He already told me on the way to school that tomorrow he wanted to ride the bus to school. He has to wear a bus tag around his neck for the first week or so to make sure he gets to the right class and on the right bus. This will be a huge day for him - can't wait to see him when he gets home!

Not already???

2009-08-05T14:04:00.002-04:00

Today Josiah asked me...."Mommy, was Josh and I in your tummy?" "Yes, you both were." "Well, how did we get in there?" I refuse to answer any question like that at this time! It's starting already!!!!! Help me Lord!!!

NO MORE Training Wheels!

2009-08-02T16:09:00.003-04:00

Josiah has accomplished riding his big boy bike without his training and he is SO proud!!! First he started out on his old bike, which is now Josh's bike since it wasn't as far from the ground and his feet could touch down on the way, but now he's doing great on his big bike! I really thought it would take a lot longer for him to learn, but he really surprised me!! GO JOSIAH! (I know, I'm a proud mommy!)

Indpls Children's Museum

2009-07-27T15:52:00.003-04:00

Josh leading in prayer at the pulpit

My little preacher

IN Youth Camp - 2009

2009-06-27T14:03:00.003-04:00

Our group

The girls

This week Ronnie and I took some of our youth to the IN Youth Camp in Hartford City, IN. Everyone had a great time and God did some amazing things in the students lives! Got to sleep some today while the boys were playing downstairs and sleep in my own bed with my husband and take a shower in my own CLEAN bathroom!!! It was wonderful! I did have quite an experience on the blob....During our Furr-a-thon the winning team had to choose a counselor from each team to be blobbed by someone who was much larger than us and of course I was chosen on my team! Unfortunately, I hurt my neck, which has been hurt in that same place in the past and will have to go to the chiropractor for a while to fix it. Plus, I have some pretty nasty bruises on my left thigh and back of my leg....wish it would've been worth it! Check out the video! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=1108149941736&ref=mf

Indy Zoo

2009-06-08T15:54:00.005-04:00

I know I'm going craaazzzy with the blogs now, but I'm just trying to catch ya'll up on my life....in case you didn't think I had one!!! We went to the Indy Zoo a few weekends ago with my parents and had quite an interesting trip! After we go somewhere I always ask the boys what they're favorite part of the trip was and their favorite part of the zoo was the elephant poop! During the elephant show the laid the elephants down on their side and one decided to let out gas and then proceeded to poop as he was lying down with his butt facing us!! I think Josiah wanted to throw up, he was disgusted and so was everyone else! Despite the elephant poop, we all had a good time! The boys were obviously exhausted by the end of the day!

Slip-n-Slide

2009-06-08T15:44:00.005-04:00

Every kid should own a slip-n-slide at some point in their life!!!!

Memorial Day

2009-06-08T08:01:00.007-04:00

I've not been good about keeping up with my blog....so this is pretty late.

Over Memorial Day we got together with my parents and my brother and his family and we tried to do some jumping pics - Dana introduced me to those - they didn't all work out! Ronnie obviously didn't feel like cooperating - he just wants to be the funny guy and my boys had a little trouble jumping at the right time, but they still turned out pretty funny!

Aunt Kelly is trying to steal Josh's bike!

And it seems we always have some time to play woofle ball - I'm glad that my kids are finally close to some of their cousins - they have a blast together!

My mom trying really hard to hit that ball!

Cousin Kelsey

Cousin Kaitlyn

Josiah and cousin Sabrina

Josiah

And then we got a litte silly and took some pics just for fun!

I've always been the victim and now it's my turn!!!

End of School Bash

2009-05-28T11:50:00.003-04:00

Snowball fight...with flour balls
Human Video

Game

Jordan

Forevermore

We had our youth service down at our local park last night and brought in a band called, Forevermore. They're teenagers who attend a church in Indy. We had a great turn out - over 100 kids showed up! We had fun playing games, and eating food and just hanging out...

Fun in the sun

2009-05-21T15:15:00.002-04:00

Even though we don't have a REAL pool, we still had some fun in the sun today!!! We used our little blow up pool today on the deck....the boys loved it!

Josiah's T-ball

2009-05-20T13:59:00.003-04:00

Josiah is loving playing t-ball...here's some pics to enjoy!

BIG Spills!

2009-05-11T12:08:00.002-04:00

Lately we've had several big spills - mostly among Joshua and me! Last week at Wal-Mart, we were putting the groceries on the belt and the boys like to help me put them up there and all the sudden I hear a loud crash and turn around and Josh had grabbed the glass jar of Prego spaghetti sauce and glass and spaghetti sauce were now all over the aisle! Nice! So, as the cashier is calling for maintenance I try to finish up while every other person in the aisles near me are staring straight at us! Hello people - just MYOB!

So, then two days later I'm making a peanut-butter and jelly for Josh and I grab the glass jar of Jelly and drop it right on the tile in the kitchen! What in the world??? I had just bought that jar a week ago, so it was pretty full! Luckily Ronnie was home that day to help keep the boys away and help me clean it up!

And then this morning the boys were in the pantry figuring out which cereal they wanted for breakfast and Josh knocks over the mostly full container of Oatmeal all over floor! I could not believe it!

How many spills can we have in one week???? Just wanted to give you all a little laugh and let you know you're not the only one cleaning up spills and messes everyday!

What's been going on....

2009-04-30T13:45:00.004-04:00

Ok, so Megan has been bugging me about updating my blog...so here's what's been going on in my life since Easter.....since Easter is soooooooo over!

Josiah started baseball and has his opening ceremony this Friday night! His team is the Rays. He absolutely loves it!! He's so cute in his helmet!!! Josh loves going to the ball field and just running around and eating snacks and playing with his toys! He so wants to be just like his big brother and do everything Josiah does!

Things at church are going great! We're thrilled about what God is doing in our youth. We've grown in numbers each month. When we first came we had about 30 youth coming and now we're averaging now in the upper 70's-mid 80's. The students are bringing their friends and they're getting saved and they keep coming every week! God is really doing some awesome things and we're so excited! This summer I actually get to go to youth camp, so I'm excited about that too! I haven't been since we started having children, so it's been 6 years or more.

So, these next couple months my life will revolve around church and baseball and I love it!!!

Easter

2009-04-15T11:12:00.003-04:00

We had a great Easter this year. On Friday, we colored our eggs, then we went to our church's egg hunt on Saturday. That night Ronnie's parents and sister's kids came in from VA to spend a couple days with us. We all went to church together on Sunday and had another egg hunt after lunch in the yard. Wish it was a little warmer, but at least the sun was shining!!!

10 Year Anniversary Cruise to the BAHAMAS!

2009-04-01T10:41:00.003-04:00

Yes, Ronnie surprised me with a cruise! All I knew was that we were flying to FL and then we get to the airport that morning and I see we're headed to Jacksonville. I don't know anything about Jacksonville, so I'm wondering what's going on. We get to Jacksonville and as we're about to go down the escalators to baggage claim I see this sign that says, "Welcome Carnival Cruise guests" I thought, "Hummm...I wonder if that's what we're doing???" Ronnie sees me looking at the sign and says, "Well, I might as well tell you that we have to put these tags on our bags." And pulls out these Carnival tags you put on to be transferred from the airport to the port! And then he told me we were going to the Bahamas!!! I was so shocked!!! I had thought a cruise was a possibility, but I didn't think the Bahamas! So, I got to experience several things I had never done before. The experience of crusing on a huge ship for one was a first and snorkeling and feeding stingrays!!! So, here's some pictures to enjoy! There are LOTS more pictures in my pictures link!

Our ship - we couldn't fit it all in the picture!

This was on formal night

In Nassau Bahamas

The island where we snorkled with the stingrays

10 Years Happily Married

2009-03-24T14:03:00.003-04:00

On Friday, March 27th, I will have been married to the love of my life for 10 years! We've had some great times and some rough times, but I wouldn't trade them anything! God has blessed me beyond what I deserve by giving me such a faithful and dedicated husband. And I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did 10 years ago!!

On Thursday morning Ronnie and I will be leaving for our 10 Year anniversary trip. (For those of you who were in my wedding...can you believe it's been 10 years already?) Ronnie has planned this entire trip himself and I know very little! He's told me what clothes to have and one of those things was a semi-formal dress, so this should be good!!!! I'm so excited and impressed that he has done all this for me. He's been so secretive about everything. I haven't been allowed to get the mail for 2 months now, can't look at his email, and he changed the log in information on our credit card website, so I can't see it or pay it. So, he's covered his tracks for several months now hoping I don't find out anything. He's starting to get a little stressed now that's it's coming up in the next two days....we know that men aren't normally detailed and they usually need our help, so I can imagine his stress! Hee hee!

So, when I get back I'm sure I'll have lots to share and lots of pictures to post!!!

Minister's Wives Retreat

2009-03-18T15:30:00.003-04:00

Monday and Tuesday my Pastor's wife, Tanya and I were at our IN District Minister's Wives retreat in Indy. It was so refreshing!!! The theme was: Women in ministry have a platform...does yours speak of a testimony or a title? We heard testimonies from different women in each session and I was able to share my testimony about losing Jadon in our last session. It's amazing to hear what God has brought people through! Susanne Cox was our speaker and she did an incredible job! I loved basking in the presence of God in worship and His presence was there in a powerful way! I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to participate in these retreats.

One assignment we were given is to write a blessing over our husband and over our children. I do not bless my family enough, but I believe speaking blessings over our families is important and powerful. My dad was there at the end of our last session and each year he comes and does a communion time and he talked about blessing. He read the blessing he wrote for me that he read at my wedding and he read one that he had written for my mom. They're so meaningful. I Peter 3:8-12 says, "Finally, all of you be of one mind having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous (humble); not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessings, know that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

This was when I was sharing my testimony about Jadon.

My sister-in-law, Kelly and I praying together

Me and my Pastor's wife, Tanya

Josiah's first shot at a b-ball game

2009-03-07T12:32:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday was Josiah's last b-ball game and he FINALLY made a shot in a game! He'd been doing so well in the last few practices making shots, but couldn't quite get one in while someone was guarding him.....thankfully, I captured it on the camera!!! I'm so proud of my big boy!! He's the one with his feet off the ground - I think he got about 6 inches of air!

A move of God

2009-03-04T13:52:00.004-05:00

Starting this past Sunday-Wed. we've been having special services with a guest speaker, Nigel McNeil. The sanctuary has been packed out every night. We've had awesome moves of God in these services and I've been so encouraged by the hunger in our church. From young to old the people here are just hungry for God and desire to see His presence move in their lives. It's been a time of refreshing and renewal and I'm thankful that God meets his people when we hunger after Him. I'm so excited to see what God going to do in the future with our church!

God is good!

2009-02-19T14:38:00.002-05:00

Last night we had a great youth service. The teens were very responsive in worship and in the altar. Recently we have seen God so some awesome things in the lives of some of our teenagers in our youth group. I am so thankful that they are allowing God to speak to their hearts and that they are being willing to change and get rid of the things in their lives that hinder them in their relationship with God. It's so encouraging to see how God is moving and working!!! THANK YOU, LORD! God, I pray that their hearts remain open to You and that we will see HUGE things happen!!!

No more sickness please!

2009-02-10T10:28:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago Josiah had a fever and was throwing up, then the next week Josh got a fever for 5 days and then last Thursday Ronnie came down with a fever. It's continued to today - 6th day. But, he's getting better and at least his temperature is normal at this point with medication. He went to work today b/c he has so much to do and he's tired of being home sick. It's passed through everyone in my family except for me, so let's hope and pray I don't get it!!!!

Today, I'm cleaning like crazy....so I stopped to take a break! I just finished vaccumming out the car and wiping it down on the inside and washing the kitchen floor. I've been doing laundry like crazy with Ronnie being sick and washing bed sheets like crazy! So, now it's time to clean the bathrooms!!! And the boys are whining for a snack....

And this weather we're having is absolutely amazing!!! It got up to 68 yesterday and it's supposed to be just as warm today!!!! I love it, but I know it'll go back down. At least the worst is over!!!! Come quickly spring!

Tips on saving money

2009-02-05T14:35:00.003-05:00

I don't normally watch much Oprah, but I saw one episode this week that gave some pointers on how to save money and they had the thriftest family in America on there giving pointers with some others. I was acutally surprised at the number of things that were mentioned that I already do, so that made me feel really good. But, I did learn something new. And we'll see how well it really works, but I guess you can save a lot of money by unplugging all your appliances or whatever you have plugged in all the time and only plug it in when you're using it. So, I unplugged lamps, my keyboard/amp, humidifier, etc. and we'll see if it really works?? Has anyone else ever tried this???

Also if you google your home town and type in restaurants, free stuff you can find restaurants where kids eat free on certain days of the week. Now, going out to eat isn't something we do very often, but if you're dying to or need to, then you'll know where to go!

Now, the coupon lady said you need to buy 2-3 copies of the Sunday newspaper for the coupons to really work effectively. So, I'll have to see about that. But, I reguarly cut coupons out every Sunday and use them for my groceries. It doesn't save a ton, but every bit helps, right? But, if you only buy what's on sale and never pay regular price for anything, that helps too! So, it's worth it to check out the ads to see what's on sale and plan accordingly for that week on what you're going to eat according to what's on sale at the store. And also printing coupons offline helps too!

My lil Joshua

2009-02-02T13:56:00.002-05:00

At 1 AM last Thursday Joshua woke up with a fever....it lasted the entire weekend. I took him in today to the dr. and he was checked for pneumonia and strep and didn't have either!! Thank you Jesus! This fever is just holding on longer than normal. Today, it's been lower so I'm hoping that means it's almost over. If he has it still by Wed. or Thurs. I have to take him in again. I had just taken both boys in for their annual check up's on Friday. Josiah is only 5 lbs heavier than Josh and 3 inches taller. (they're 23 months apart) So, obviously Josh has the Hinson genes of being tall!!! Hope he doens't pass up Josiah! How do you explain that to a kid?

Josiah's 5th Birthday

2009-01-26T10:59:00.004-05:00

Musical chairs

Batman cake

Trying to pop his balloon

Hot potato
Cousins

Josiah had a great time at his Batman birthday party on Sat. He had 4 of his cousins there and some friends from church. Wish it could've been in the summer so he could invite more friends, but I only have so much room in my house! We played pin the tail on the donkey, hot potato, musical chairs and a balloon game to see who could sit on their balloon and pop it first! Josiah had some trouble with that one! I'm so proud of my big 5 year old!!!!

I'm Listening God

2009-01-21T13:52:00.003-05:00

God may speak something to our hearts or speak to us through someone else to tell us something He would like for us to accomplish. Sometimes that task seems too hard and we may feel inadequate or afraid of failure. This is where I am right now....a word has been spoken to me that makes me afraid and I've been afraid of it for a long time and have never tried to accomplish this one thing, so if God really wants me to do this, then I must be sensitive to His leading and allow Him to work through me. So, this afternoon while I was doing my Bible reading I read in Exodus 4 (I know you're wondering why I'm reading Exodus - b/c I'm doing the Bible Reading Guide to read the Bible through in one year) and the Lord is speaking to Moses telling him to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go and Moses says, "Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech." The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

And we know God sent his brother, Aaron to help him and the Lord said, "I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do."

I'm like, "Ok, God I hear you!!!" When God calls us to a task, he will furnish the means and ability to fulfill that task. God promises to give us help and power. Thank You Jesus, because I cannot do this on my own. And if I did, it would not be with Your anointing. It is through you that we receive anointing to complete the tasks You have ahead for us.

Thank You, Lord

2009-01-20T11:28:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday night we had an incredible service. We had a special guest speaker in and he spoke both in the morning and at night. God really moved among our entire church. Our congregation here is so hungry for God and when you're hungry, God will show up. We had several youth and adults filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and others were healed - it was awesome! God is doing an awesome work in our church and I'm so excited for what it ahead! I know God has enormous things in store for our church and I can't wait to see what God is going to do! He's already stirring our hearts and spirits and we're excited to see the souls that will come and give their hearts to Jesus and the lives that will be changed! God, You are so good! God, help us to be sensitive to Your Spirit and be led by Spirit. Lord, lead us to our destiny!

Josiah's first basketball game

2009-01-10T15:14:00.003-05:00

Josiah played his first b-ball game this morning with Upwards which is a Christian organization. His team is the Falcons. He's the youngest one on his team - it starts at Kindergarten, but they allowed us to go ahead and sign him up. I feel bad that he's the smallest one, but he'll learn and next year he'll know more of what to do. He just has fun running up and down the court and trying to get the ball. Figured I'd go ahead and start him playing - plus it gives him something to do during the winter. He absolutely loves going to his practices and playing in the games and he has a great attitude! Let's hope that great attitude lasts for years!!! I'm so proud of my little basketball player!!!! GO JOSIAH!

Christmas Overview

2008-12-31T14:54:00.004-05:00

Nathan and Kelly and kids

Ronnie's parent's and sister Jen and kids

David and Kathy, Meg and Chris and us

Us getting ready to have communion

Well, a lot has happened since I last blogged...we had a great Christmas in Virginia and then in Indy. We had some fun times with our families and made some good memories. It was nice to get back home though and sleep in my own bed and be back to a somewhat normal life! I put a ton of pictures in my family album, so if you'd like to see some of our Christmas festivities....enjoy! Here's a few pics of family...Hope everyone had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Vacation....

2008-12-17T15:09:00.003-05:00

We're leaving tomorrow afternoon for our LONG drive to Virginia! We decided to split up the trip by driving some after Ronnie gets off work tomorrow and spending the night somewhere and driving the rest on Friday.

I've been making oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies this afternoon for our board members and their wives. Tonight is our FUEL Christmas party. Thank goodness it didn't get canceled because it took forever to decorate the room! We're having chicken strips from Chick-Fil-A!! We got an awesome deal - buy one tray get another free so we get 4 trays for the price of 2!!!

Tonight I have to finish any laundry we have and get packed up tomorrow to leave. I probably won't be able to blog again for a while, so I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!!!

Christmas program

2008-12-15T14:22:00.008-05:00

The boy's toddler class sang three songs yesterday in church service. Their favorite of course was "Jingle Bells." And they both got to be little lambs in the manger scene. Aren't they adorable???

Early Christmas

2008-12-15T14:12:00.003-05:00

This morning we had Christmas with the boys early b/c we leave on Friday morning for VA and couldn't do it any other day this week before we left. Josiah woke up this morning and asked, "Is Santa here?" It was raining outside so he thought the noise was reindeer on the roof. So cute! They were so excited to find presents unde the tree this morning and their reactions when they opened thier Christmas presents were priceless. I've never seen them so excited before!! After all the presents were opened we had one left and it was their big surprise...a wii. Josiah says, "We must've had a lot of money to pay for that!" We had been telling him that the wii was too much money and we couldn't get one. It was hilarious! What thrills me the most is their excitement when they open each present! Josiah said, "We must've been on the nice list, not the naughty list!"

This is Josiah's reaction to opening the wii...he's wanted one for a long time!

Josh kept saying, "Oh my goodness! Another present!"

FACEinHOLE

2008-12-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Our snowman

2008-12-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

The boys couldn't wait to get out in the snow again today, so we built a small snowman with the snow we had and pulled them around on the sled. They had a blast! Some of their neighbor friends came over to play too!

New tree decorations

2008-12-03T10:58:00.001-05:00

Josiah and Joshua wanted to have blue decorations on the tree this year, so here they are with their new Christmas tree....

WHOO HOO for snow!!!!

2008-12-01T11:50:00.002-05:00

The boys are loving the snow today. We took a few moments to go outside and make some snowballs and have some fun.....

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-12-01T11:45:00.002-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with our family in Indy. Just wanted to share a few pictures with you!!!! The first one is of me (minus makeup) and my dad after we finished our 4.5 Turkey Dash Run in Broad Ripple. The second picture is all the grandkids - Jonathon, Josiah, Kaitlyn, Sabrina, Kelsey and Joshua. And the third picture is all of us - Ronnie, Nathan (my bro), Chris (my bro-in-law), my dad, the kids, Kelly (my sis-in-law), me, my mom, Megan (my sis) and Carol my brother's mother-in-law.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T13:48:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow we're off to Indy to my parent's house for four days for Thanksgiving. My sister, Megan and her husband will be there and my brother's family, so it'll be a nice family reunion! Josiah is so excited that we get to spend three nights at Papa's house and he gets to see his cousins!

So, last night we got our tree up and decorated. This year I bought new tree decorations. I was getting so tired of the ones I bought the first year we were married. The boys wanted blue so we got blue and silver decorations. Last night we were putting on the lights when they went to bed so when they woke up this morning they were so excited to see it all done! Josiah said, "Wow! How'd you do that?" I'm so excited for Christmas this year! The older they get, the more fun it is! Until they're too old to care much...

We haven't gotten around to putting lights up outside yet, that'll be next week...

So, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and fun with your families!!!

YOUTH CONVENTION!

2008-11-20T13:51:00.001-05:00

This weekend is our IN Youth Convention and I am soooooooooo excited!! I can't wait to see what God does in the lives of our teenagers!!!!! It's going to be a blast!

New Family Pictures

2008-11-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

We had some pictures taken on Monday night to give out to family for Christmas....I posted one, but you'll have to click on my family pics links to see more....

Snow flurries

2008-11-17T12:56:00.001-05:00

Today we had our first snow flurries and the boys went crazy!!! They were so excited! Josh could hardly get any words out to tell his grandma about the snow he was so excited! Josiah cannot wait to get a big snow and build a snowman! They haven't seen snow in a while, so they're super excited!!!

Women's Conference

2008-11-10T09:12:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I attended the IN Women's Conference in Indy. The speaker was Lisa Bevere and she was great! She's much different than her husband! She has some incredible testimonies of where God has brought her from and some great insights on what kind of women God wants us to be. One thing she did talk about was affiming your husband. I am guilty of not affirming my husband enough. We need to build up our husbands strengths and not just always point out his weaknesses. I am so blessed to have Ronnie has my husband, and I am beyond grateful for his faithfulness to me and the boys. So, I need to remember to affirm him and build him up, and tell him what a sexy hunk of a man he is before some other woman does!!!!

Boys eat a lot!

2008-11-04T13:59:00.002-05:00

Last night Josh did not want what we were having for dinner, which was chicken devon. Skinless, boneless chicken on top of rice, with broccoli, cheese and a cream of chicken sauce over it. My boys are not big on broccoli, so I chop it up very small. So, last night he went to bed with no dinner because he didn't like all that other stuff on his chicken. (I know, I'm such a mean mom!)

Today has been a different story. He ate normal for breakfast - some Cherrios and OJ. Then, for lunch he has 3 chicken nuggets, about 12 mandarain oranges, chocolate pudding, a whole Peanut-Butter and Jelly sandwhich, and a whole apple. WHAT IN THE WORLD????? That's like two lunches!!! This kid isn't even 3 yet!

So, I guess this is what happens when you send your kids to bed with no dinner!

VOTE AND PRAY!

2008-11-04T10:17:00.004-05:00

God, we pray that You will keep your hand on our nation through this election. Guide the people as we vote, to make right choices. No matter what the outcome, we lift up our political leaders to You and ask You to guide them in every decision they make and we pray that they would rely on You for direction and wisdom.

Reaping what I sowed....

2008-10-30T13:10:00.003-04:00

Remember years ago when our parents told us, "One day you will reap what you have sown..."And today that proved to be true. Today I spanked Josiah on his bottom and he laughs and says, "That didn't even hurt!" It was all a game to him. And I say, "Josiah, you're not supposed to laugh when mommy spanks you." (As I'm trying to keep from laughing myself, b/c he's making me laugh!) And he says, "But, it was funny...." I said, "It's not funny when you get spanked." And he replies, "Yeah, but I'm a silly nugget-head!"

I remember numerous times when my mom would spank us and my brother and I would laugh and tell her that it didn't hurt. And she was always trying to keep from laughing with us!! But, when dad got home, it was another story!

So, today I'm reaping what I sowed years ago....what a weird feeling!

Jumping in the Leaves!!!

2008-10-18T14:33:00.003-04:00

Josiah and Josh had a great time today jumping in the leaf piles that daddy made!! I love this part of fall!!!! It's so beautiful! Check out the rest of the pics in the family pics link!!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-12T15:05:00.003-04:00

On Saturday we took the boys to the pumpkin patch and they got to ride the little train and the hayride out to the pumpkin patch, which looked like it was really a mowed down corn field with pumpkins in it! Oh well! They both loved petting the animals!! My favorite was the donkey because he reminded me of the donkey on Shrek! Check out all our pics under the Family pics link!

Fall

2008-10-11T10:11:00.002-04:00

I absolutely LOVE all the colors outside right now!!! Last year we didn't see any b/c we were in FL and here in Bloomington, it's so beautiful right now! Our backyard is starting to show lots of colors now too, so we took some pictures in the yard yesterday.

Boxing

2008-10-08T14:09:00.003-04:00

My boys have learned how to play the Nintendo wii at my parent's house and other people's houses, but since they do not have a wii yet at home, they like to improvise and still play the games without the wii. Here are some pictures of them boxing with their water wings on their hands for boxing gloves and the string that hangs from my ironing board is what they're boxing. Then of course, they start boxing each other. The pictures are a little blurry due to some fast moves! Guess the wii is on the Christmas list for this year!

All Done

2008-10-04T12:33:00.002-04:00

We finished painting last night and the stairwell was done without having to rent anything...thanks to some friends lending us some things!!! I'm glad to be done!!! It looks great! And I have a wonderful hubsand who worked so hard on the stairwell!!!!!

Time for some waffles and oatmeal!

Painting and more painting

2008-09-30T16:50:00.003-04:00

I started this morning at 7:30 taping my downstairs....I love the color downstairs, but the dummies used flat paint....you can't wipe it and it doesn't stay clean when you have kids and it marks up really bad! So, I'm using the same color and going over the entire downstairs...quite a job, but it's looking much better....I quit at 3:15 and my first piano lesson started at 4:00. I took a very fast shower!!! I have a 30 min. break right now and then 5 more lessons....then I can eat some dinner!!!! I'll be dead beat tired tonight!!!!

And tomorrow I get to paint some more!!!! Until I get to the stairwell, because that is going to require me to rent a stairwell ladder....ugh!!!

Monroe County Fall Festival

2008-09-19T20:28:00.003-04:00

Josiah and his friend Mackenzie from church...
Josiah, Morgan and Josh riding motorcycles
Josiah and Morgan on the Scrambler!
Josiah petting the baby alligator!

This weekend is our fall festival in our town. Our church does a booth and sells tenderloins, drinks, fried twinkies and a few others things to raise money for Speed the Light. It's a HUGE fundraiser! It starts on a Thursday evening and goes until Sat. night. Ronnie's been there the whole time, so he'll defintely be tired on Sunday morning! The boys went this morning and played games and saw an animal show and we went tonight and rode some rides with some friends from church. They had a blast!! More pics in the family pics link!

A letter to Jadon

2008-09-15T14:31:00.005-04:00

Jadon David,

Today is the anniversary date of when you went to see Jesus. Six years ago today we watched you as you left this earth and your spirit went to Heaven. I remember holding you for the first time that day knowing that day was going to be your last day with us. It felt so unfair to us and to you. I remember holding you after you left us - seeing you for the first time dressed in a little blue sleeper with no more tubes attached to your body. I knew you weren't there with us anymore, but I didn't want to let you go. All of our dreams for you were gone. I wish we could've had more than those two weeks together, but I am so glad that you are living a much better life with Jesus than you would've here on this earth. You never had to experience the awful sin of this world and for that you are so blessed. I know the two weeks you spent on this earth were not enjoyable for you, but I thank Jesus for giving us that time to see you and be with you. I pray that you don't remember the pain or the suffering you went through while you were here. I pray that you do remember us being there with you, talking to you, singing to you, holding your hand, praying for you and just sitting beside you. At times it doesn't even seem that you were even here. It almost seems as if it was a dream.

I don't know if you can see us down here on earth, but you have two awesome and beautiful little brothers, Josiah and Joshua and we talk to them about you and they ask questions about you and want to see you just as much and your daddy and I do. I share about you and show your scrapbook to lots of people because we will never forget you. Your story ministers to others and reminds us of how precious life is and how grateful we should be for what God has given us.

I can't express in words how much I miss you and cannot wait to see you again.

I love you Jadon,
Mommy

Josiah's been taking piano lessons...

2008-09-09T19:42:00.004-04:00

Josiah just started taking piano lessons last week and look how far he's come!!!! It's amazing! He defintely has a natural gifting for piano! I'm such a proud mommy!

Yearbook Yourself

2008-09-09T14:07:00.003-04:00

One of my friends introduced me to yearbookyourself.com and I got hooked!!!

This is what I would look like in 1968! You wouldn't believe how much I look like my mom here!

This one is from 1962....

and this one from 1964...

Try it out....it's lots of fun!!!!

Never....

2008-09-06T14:01:00.002-04:00

Never allow the bank teller to write your account number in on a deposit slip. Ronnie took a deposit last week and he didn't know our checking account number b/c he didn't have the checkbook and so he gave the teller his license and she wrote in the wrong account number....someone else's account number! So, the other day I get a letter in the mail saying my medical insurance payment was returned and as I went over my bank statement online I noticed a big deposit that wasn't on there that I had in my checkbook. I faithfully keep good track of my transacations online and when I get my statements in the mail, and I was pretty sure I had enough money in there to cover it! So, they found it and we realized what happened. Now Ronnie has the account number memorized! Everyone makes mistakes, but that's a pretty big one! So, they credited us back the $30 charge for a returned check and everything's fine. You just never know what's going to happen!!!!

So, today we planted some shrubs in front of our house. The previous owners pulled everything out I guess, so now I have greenery! Why is that stuff so expensive????

Happy 6th Birthday to Jadon David Hinson

2008-09-01T16:04:00.003-04:00

On Sept. 1, 2002 Jadon David Hinson was born to us. Our firstborn son was born at 25 weeks and was too underdeveloped to survive more than two weeks in the NICU. He weighed 1 lb and 13 oz. His life will never be forgotten and we will remember him forever. Our time with him was short, but we look forward to seeing him again one day when we get to Heaven!

We have always gotten Josiah and Joshua gifts in honor of Jadon's birthday and this year they both got scooters. Joshua got a spiderman scooter and Josiah got one for big boys, a Razor! So, they're super excited! And one day Josiah and Joshua will meet their big brother in heaven and we'll have have a big reunion!

We love you Jadon David!

Hillsong Pastor Michael Guglielmucci on Today Tonight

2008-08-29T14:40:00.001-04:00

Healer (Cancer Faked) Mike Guglielmucci

2008-08-29T14:38:00.001-04:00

PK Retreat

2008-08-28T08:48:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I was able to be a part of the Indiana PK Retreat. They didn't have these when I was growing up, so this was my first one to go to. The entire District staff is a part of the retreat and ministers to the PK's all weekened. Of course I'm too old to attend now, but my brother, Nathan has been leading worship at them and he asked me to sing on the worship team along with his wife, Kelly. I don't get to sing with him very often, so I really enjoyed it. He does an outstanding job with worship! The entire weekend was great! The kids really entered in to worship and prayed around the altars. Many were touched and I also really enjoyed the girls breakout session where I got to be on a panel for girls to share things and ask questions to us "older PK's." One night for dinner was a country/western theme so that explains the picture with my dad. All the district staff dressed up and served the kids that night.

Being a PK growing up wasn't always easy, but I'm so blessed to have the parents I do have and I learned a lot about ministry before being in full-time ministry. I saw good things and bad things, but my parents did a good job protecting me from the bad things in ministry. I'm proud to be a PK because of my parents and they did an awesome job instilling Godly values and morals in my life- even when I didn't want them to! Yes, as a PK you may have stricter rules and disciplines, but it's only for your good in the end! I'm so glad my parents didn't let me do whatever I wanted, b/c who knows what kind of person I would be today? Not all PK's are perfect and not all PK's are bad kids! We're normal just like everyone else, but it is a special privilege and an honor to be a PK! Yes, people in your church will expect more out of you and some will expect you to never make a mistake, but that's just part of it. We all live to please God and not men.

Fun at McCormick's Creek State Park

2008-08-19T11:31:00.004-04:00

We live about 10 minutes away from McCormick's Creek State Park and it's beautiful!!! Here's some pics of the boys having fun at one of the playgrounds! Check out more pics in the Family pics link!

Bowling Night

2008-08-19T11:24:00.003-04:00

Last night we took the boys bowling with Ronnie's parents. They've been once before, but since playing bowling on the wii I think they enjoyed it even more this time! Sad to say, but with the bumpers up, Joshua and I tied!! Obviously Josiah likes to throw his ball up in the air as he throws it!! I think waiting for Johsua's ball to get to the end of the lane took longer than anything! Congratulations to Ronnie for winning with a score of 178! (His best game ever!) We won't mention my score!

Josiah's first day of Pre-K

2008-08-15T13:05:00.003-04:00

Josiah has never been to preschool ever until this year. We signed him up for 3 days a week and unfortunately we didn't get him into the morning class b/c we weren't registered early enough....since we just moved here two months ago. So, he's going from 12:30-3:00 pm. I was a little concerned on how he'd do b/c he normally takes a nap during this time, but he's doing great and he absolutely loves it! After lunch he goes upstairs and gets his Batman backpack all on his own and puts it on 15 minutes before we even need to leave!

The first day I tried to stay for a few minutes and I was helping him cut out some pictures of food and he turns to me and says, "Mom, I want to stay here all by myself." I asked, "Do you want me to go home now?" And he said, "Yes." So, I hugged and kissed him goodbye and drove home feeling like my 4 year old no longer needs me around. It was sad, but of course I know he still needs me and will love me for a few more years anyway!

When I picked him up I had Josh with me, so Josh didn't want to leave b/c he wanted to play. So, he came home and said, "Mom, I want to go to school!" Sorry Joshua, you're not old enough and I'm not ready for that either!

So, Josiah is loving school and is growing up way too fast!!!

College Get Together

2008-08-09T16:54:00.003-04:00

As most of you know, I got together with three of my CBC buddies last weekend....Bethany Scottberg, Kristy Matthews and Kelly Weinberg. Of course we all had different last names back then!!! A huge thank you to Bethany for planning our weekend!!! It was a blast!!

Shopping, eating, talking about the old college days, laughing at old pictures and remembering how silly we were (and still are!). It was like a high school sleep over!!!

Now, I can finally post some pics!!! And of course there are more in the family pics link. And yes, you guys can be considered as part of my family!