Boo Hoo It's the Flu!.........

.......and boo hoo is the understatement of the year. I have it, Carter has it....I just hope that Kyle doesn't get it too! Hopefully, we'll be better soon. It's been a week and we have left the house exactly one time to go to the Dr, the pharmacy, and the post office. I have had enough of myself...so has Carter. You'd have thought he won the lottery when the doorbell rang today and it was the Fedex man. Everyone is afraid of our germs. My MIL won't even come near us.


Please say a little prayer for Vicki and whoever helps her with our Awana class tonight. We have 10+ Kindergarten/1st graders. Trust me, she will need your prayers!


Okay, enough whining.....back to bed!

p.s.....we all took the flu shot! No one is safe from it!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!

Did you know......

...that the list of "Medications Acceptable During Pregnancy" has nothing "good" on it. So, say you feel like you have been run over by a truck, you can take Tylenol.

You can't take NyQuil, or better yet the good old tried and true southern cold/flu remedy Rock-N-Rye. Nope. Can't take it.

Just wondering...Can you whine without complaining?....... (I'm not complaining about being pregnant...I'm whining about being sick!)

WHINEEEEEE!

Happy Valentine's Day...

...to me! What could possibly be better than a fancy smancy dinner out with my sweetheart this Valentine's day? Let me tell you what! Getting a call just before I was about to cook our own fancy smancy dinner (HAHA!) from my stepmom inviting us to their house for some good home cooking from THE best cook in the whole entire world......that's what! To a very pregnant southern girl, it just doesn't get any better than good home cookin'!

To make things better, I got to sneak a visit with my nephews Landon and Max on a weeknight! A rare thing! To make things EVEN better, the reason Max and his dad were here tonight was that his dad has a job interview just down the road from here and how fabulous would it be if he got it and they moved back home?!?!?!?!?!?!?! IT WOULD BE VERY FABULOUS! (they currently live about 2 hours from here)

So, if you could, please say a little prayer that Heath's interview goes amazingly well tomorrow, and they offer him a fabulous package that he simply can not refuse! (Not that he needs help mind you, he is definitely the brains of the family!...but every little prayer helps, right?)

The excitement of this possibility totally over rides the memory of a reeeeally bad day out with my formerly sweet baby turned maniac rambo toddler. Seriously, I won't go into much detail only that it involved a buggy in Walmart, flying boots at the grocery store, followed by locking my keys in the car (for the first time in my whole entire life), and that maniac rambo toddler running the isles of the drugstore while I made the call to Onstar since my cell phone was inside the car with the keys. (Thank you Christina, for wrangling him for me!)

I have two words for you............Onstar Rocks!!

Hope you guys had a great V'day! Mine ended on a good note. My little guy is worn out from playing with his cousins, my big guy has been sawing logs for at least an hour, and I'm off to join them in sweet slumber! Good night to you!

Two Diet Cokes, a dash of black paint,

....and a bottle of the nastiest brightest pinkest fingernail polish you can imagine. Those, my friends, have been just a few of my son's weapons of choice this week. And, by this week, I mean starting SUNDAY. This is TUESDAY.

I should have known I was in for it when he came running into the bathroom while I was getting ready for church on Sunday morning. He said, " Mama, mess!" I said, " Carter, did you make a mess?" He shook his head vigorously and said. "Daddy, Coke." He was being pretty specific so I decided I'd better check it out. He ran into our bedroom and climbed onto the bed and pointed to an empty Diet Coke can turned upside down, in a puddle, right smack in the middle of our bed. Great! So, I strip the bed, clean the mattress and carry on getting ready.

He was good during church..........mostly.

Sunday afternoon while we watched them put up the sign, Carter was facinated with all the bulldozers and backhoes and trucks in the area so he was pretty well occupied. ........mostly. He did however, manage to get black paint in his hair, on his scalp ( I just scraped the last of it off tonight!) and all over his hands while we had our backs turned for a moment.....

Monday night I was finishing up my bedtime routine and I thought Carter was watching tv with his dad when he came running into the bathroom. He said, "Mama, mess." (you better believe I'm passing the buck, do you know how many times a day I hear those words?) I said, "go tell Daddy" and carried on with what I was doing. He came back in a minute. More urgently this time, "Mama, Mess!" I followed him into the bedroom to find his dad sound asleep and ANOTHER big puddle on the bed. Carter said, "Daddy Coke" I'm 'bout to get ahold of daddy and his stinkin cokes he leaves within Carter's reach! So, it's 8:30-9ish and because I have no idea where our extra sheets are or how long since they have been washed, I strip the bed, wash and dry the sheets, and clean the mattress.................AGAIN!


This morning I was brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts in the bathroom...(I'm going to quit going to the bathroom!) when I smelled a funny smell. Carter was in the living room watching Diego but I hadn't heard him in a few minutes so I head out in search of the smell. He was hiding behind the couch with a bottle of pepto pink fingernail polish.......open! It was all over his hands, his pj's, some on the rug, some on the hardwood, some on the chair. I almost fainted. I think the fear of seeing pepto pink all over my house is the single thing that kept me upright at that moment. Thankfully, it all came out. I have no idea where he got that polish, I hope he doesn't have a stash of it somewhere!

I will spare you all the nasty details of our trip to the grocery store and how he stripped down while in there. By this time, I was so exhausted, I think I have blocked most of that experience out...... but I will tell you that at some point after lunch today I noticed I had something stuck between my two front teeth and I meant to go get it out....I remembered it on the way OUT of the grocery store....fabulous! Just fabulous!

If tomorrow starts off like the last couple of days have, I'm taking Carter to his Maw Maws to spend the day (it's supposed to be rainy and cold and we'll be trapped inside)..........please don't call to warn her!




p.s....reading back over this I would just like to clarify that we do watch our child.......mostly!

Praise Him in This Storm

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

During the tornado that hit our area last Wednesday morning so many people lost so much. Lives were forever changed in an instant. One family lost their precious mother during this storm. Yet they praise Him. They want the countless passerby to not only stop and look at this sight and be reminded of their mother's death. But to be reminded also of her life. To know the Jesus that she knew, and now rests with.

Yesterday afternoon we went to this sight in search of my sister, who is friends with the daughter of Mrs. Tinker. Crystal (my sister) had been asked by Leslie (the daughter) to make a sign to place at the sight of the home where Mrs Tinker was killed.

As we stood there while the sign was put into place I was amazed, and also quite appalled at the number of people who stopped casually to ask if this was the place where the woman was killed! There were some who stopped to console the family or hug them or bring food and drink, but many just wanted to see.

When I offered my services to Leslie in sending these nosey, rude, too many question asking people on their way she said she didn't care what they asked, as long as they read the sign, and maybe it would touch someone's heart on behalf of her mother.

We didn't make it home in time for church last night, but Leslie and this verse preached to me right there in her mother's front yard. She told me that this verse had come to her in so many ways, so many times over the past few days. Overlooking utter and complete damage and destruction stands a message of peace, hope, and love sent straight to us,...to me....from a so often underestimated God.

These pictures were taken with permission from Leslie.

Praise the Lord... and pass the cookies!

UPDATE: I spent some of my day today at the Rosalie Community Center. For obvious reasons I can't be out picking up debris or operating a chain saw, but I can offer my help in other ways. The ladies of the Rosalie/Pisgah and surrounding communities are providing food for clean up workers. I was amazed at how many people came through that place today. AMAZED!! This area is not only a neighboring community, but it is in our Sand Mountain Baptist Association, and it is where I grew up. The people you are watching on TV are people who I have known my entire life. To see the devastation first hand is unbelieveable,...almost unbearable. I went down the road behind my Mom's house today, one that had been closed until today and I literally drove with my mouth open. Even after everything else I'd already seen and heard, this was utter and complete devastation. I mean a road, several miles long, with maybe 3 houses untouched. The rest were gone, ...demolished. It is a miracle no one was killed on that road. A miracle.

I want to challenge the ladies in our community, our church and surrounding churches to take some desserts, drinks, or other food to the community center next week. It is right beside Rosalie Elementary School. The people who are working there are gettting tired, and are going to need reinforcements and help as this is bound to be a very long drawn out process.

It's also a huge ministering opportunity. As I drove down that road today I stopped at one point because I couldn't figure out where I was exactly. There were NO landmarks. A road I've traveled thousands of times and I was disoriented due to the devastation! I saw a familiar face running towards my vehicle. It was an old softball coach of mine. I was looking for his house and couldn't figure out where it should be. It was under a pile of massive oak trees. I asked him if they were okay and he said yes. I said to him, "God was watching over you." He said, "Something was." I told him, "It had to be God, nothing else could bring you through that!" Please pray for these families!


And on a MUCH MUCH lighter note:


My new bestest friend in the whole world, Kelly, from Dr H's office called me earlier today with some fantabulous news! I had the test done on Monday to see if I have gestational diabetes. When I was pregnant with Carter, I failed the first test and had to endure 6 hours of peeing in a cup and being stabbed by multiple nurses every single hour on the hour for a second test. That one came back negative, but I will forever be scarred by the experience. Yuck!

All that to say, I PASSED THE FIRST TEST!!! Yay! No 6 hours of needle poking this time!


.......I think I'm craving some cherry ice cream just now. The reeeally sugary kind! Or maybe a big chocolate milkshake,....or maybe,...the Sonic dessert menu!!..lol


(I just had to post this 'cause I know ya'll were all hangin on the edge of your seats for my results...lol)

Deadly Tornado

Thankful can not begin to express my feelings today. A very large tornado (early estimations are an F3 or F4) came through our area this morning. We were up and prepared and I had called my family to wake them when I realized this tornado was heading our way. I knew everyone had been reached except for my mom. She lives alone and wasn't answering her phone. As we sat in our closet and waited it out among crib mattresses and pillows I prayed. After it was over I knew from the damage reports I'd gotten that it was close to her house and my aunts thought she was okay but no one had talked to her so until I made sure of that, I couldn't relax.


It took me an hour to make a 10 minute drive due to roadblocks and detours. But thanks to one local policeman (Thank you S.H.!!) who I knew that was over there helping out, and a slight hormonal breakdown, I finally made it through to check on her. She is fine! Thank goodness! Several homes within 100 yards from her house were completely destroyed and several injured, including a 4 month old baby and it's mother.


A mile or so away from her house a woman was killed when her house was completely demolished. There is nothing left of the house except blocks from the foundation. I have heard several reports of another death but that hasn't been confirmed yet. So many are injured, so many without a home, please remember this very small community when you pray....


Also, please remember the family of Mrs Tinker, the woman who was killed. Her daughter spoke to her right before the storm hit and she told her that she was fine, she was in the bathroom reading her Bible. Her Bible was beside her body in the field where she was found. My sister is very good friends with her daughter and went with her to the hospital to identify her mother's body. She said that Leslie, (the daughter) has found great peace in a message she heard only a few days ago. The message was from Rick Burgess after the drowning death of his young son. Please remember this family and all the others affected by todays storms in our area as well as across the other states that were hit.

In the picture below, the foundation is to the far left. The house was picked up, spun around and sat down again. A family with 2 small children were in the bathroom when this happened. Praise God, they are all okay! If you are from this area and wondering, this is Chad Gorham's house. It's on the same road as Pisgah High School.

No Wonder I never see the number I want to!!!

How to weigh yourself

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

We must get the word out.

Vote your Conscience!

Did you go vote today? Do you, like me, feel a state of despair at the current standings and choices so far this election season? I am normally someone who loves a good election. I research the candidates and check their past voting records. This is serious business people! Now, I'm not tryin' to brag on myself, quite the contrary. I say all that to say that elections, especially presidential ones, should motivate even the laziest among us to take action, prepare ourselves, PRAY, then take the time to vote our hearts.

When I went in to vote today I had to laugh a little. I had an unexpected face greet me as I walked in to my polling place of 11 years. My pastor! He was helping to conduct the election at that poll. I couldn't help but think that this election may turn out different than I fear it could if God places pastors at polling places all over this nation.

Not that my pastor influenced my decision today, but if someone were on that fence, trying to decide just exactly who to vote for and why, I think seeing their pastor right before they cast that vote might just make them think about their vote as so much more than a political decision.

What do you think?

Here She Is!

So here are a couple of shots of our baby girl in utero! Relax, the big hole you see in the second pic is a shadow or something. Dr. H assures me it isn't really a hole in her head...(Dad was a little concerned about that one!) Then below I'm including a pic from the 4D of Carter. We got to watch her for a while and they definitely look alike! The chubby cheeks and full lips are something they definitely have in common! We'll have to wait to see if she has her dad's big brown eyes like her big brother does!! Isn't this the coolest thing ever? A sneak peek at our bundle of joy 2 months before her arrival? Sooo cool!

Nspiration?

...I sure hope so! Tomorrow I go to the Dr for my 4D ultrasound. When I was pregnant with Carter we got some awesome pics of him! He actually still makes some of the same expressions we got a preview of via 4D. So! I'm hoping and praying that the ultrasound will show a healthy beautiful baby, and that the healthy beautiful baby will show us her face, and that this will kick her daddy into reality that she is in fact a girl, and she is in fact gonna be here soon, and her Mama is in fact ready to know what her name is. NOW!

I have no idea why this is freaking me out so much. I am not into monograming things. I don't think Carter has one single thing monogramed with his name on it. But! I am a planner, and everything is planned out except for her name and it is driving me NUTS!!! (I secretly think it's also driving my dad nuts too since he asks me constantly what her name is, so apparently, I get the planning gene from him!)

The most important thing is for her to be healthy, and that is my prayer. I just can't help but also pray she loves the camera, 'cause her mama is dying to see her!!



p.s....K Tilley note the time. No 2:45 AM post today! Lack of sleep has caught up with me and I am off to bed! Thanks for checking on me! :)

Twenty Months

Dear Carter,

Today you turn 20 months old. This number alone makes your Mama very nervous since we are getting close to "2 years" and that sounds so "grown up". You are learning so much so fast these days. You can say anything you want to, and like your Mama, rarely shut up. (Poor Daddy!) My favorite thing for you to say is "Love you, Mama". That one melts my very core and as you are beginning to figure out, can get you out of most trouble you get into.

Another favorite is "thank you, mama". I have to say when you wake me up every single morning yelling in your best and loudest Paw Paw voice, "CUP...CUP....CUUUUUPPPP" I probably wouldn't be nearly as fast to roll myself out of bed to go get your stinkin cup were it not for the sweetest "thank you, mama" I know will greet me when I return with your precious cup.

So often people ask me if you smile all the time, to which I am so happy that I can answer....Yes!! He does! You are such a people person. You rarely meet a stranger. You're happiest when you can go to Walmart or the grocery store and ride in your beloved buggy and greet every single person you meet with a wave, a smile, and a Hi!

Each morning when you get up you head out in search of your precious boots. You have two pair that you dearly love and usually alternate which pair you put on each day, but on those days that you love each pair equally and that decision just can't be made you just put on one from each pair, and usually, you put them on the right feet! Each night before bed after we take them off for the last night, you tell them "Bye Boots" longingly and nod off to sleep dreaming of waking to wear them again tomorrow.

One of your favorite recent events is from last week when you threw up for the first time in your life. You got a little choked on an apple slice and after several minutes of whining and crying you finally threw it up. When daddy came into the room where we were both covered in it and said, "Carter, did you puke?" You lit up like a Christmas tree and said. "I puke!!" Then you said it about a million more times that night, and woke up the next morning and went right to the spot, pointed and said, "mama, I puke!" You thought that was just the coolest thing ever! The only thing better to you is when someone else pukes and you now know what to call it. When we picked you up from Papa & Gran's Wednesday night, you met us at the door to tell us, "Papa Puke!" I'm sure Papa wasn't nearly as excited and fascinated by it as you were. You are definitly all boy. The more gross something is, the better you like it.

I can't wait to see you become a big brother. You love babies. There is nothing you love better than to show off all your new "tricks" to cousin Landon or cousin Maggie. It cracks you up to watch them laugh and "talk" to you.

You are at such a fun age. Every day brings new words, new accomplishments, new wonders for you to explore. I am so blessed to be your mom. I love you, Carter.

Love,
Mama

Eleven......

...That's how many years it's been since Kyle and I married. ELEVEN! Today! How can I possibly be old enough to have been married for 11 years??? A fact that hadn't really been weighing on my mind due to the craziness of this past week, but was rudely brought forward when at 1:32 AM this morning I was awoken by Victoria Principal trying her best to sell me her "Age Braker" miracle cream. Should I chalk that up to yet another night of prenatal insomnia or is it a sign?

Normally an anniversary is such a happy day but today we greet with such mixed emotion. Jill will be laid to rest today. Even that is met with mixed emotion. There is relief that the suffering she has endured for so long is over, and the knowledge that she is resting with God. Then there is such saddness that the girl who we grew up with, the one with the brightest, prettiest red hair, and the voice of an angel, is gone. That there is a little boy who will grow up without his mother, and a mother who will carry on without her daughter. A sister who will not have that sister to call on.

We drove home from the funeral home in complete silence last night. Changed and went to bed in silence as well. Even Carter knew something was different. That we were sad. I think that in addition to Kyle being sad, he was afraid to say anything. Afraid that he might set off another hormonal breakdown. He has been great this past week. He went when I wanted to go. He stayed when I wanted to stay. He listened when I wanted to talk, or cry. He sat there quietly when I didn't.

I have been blessed. Thank you, Kyle, for the best eleven years I could have ever imagined. I look forward to many many more.

Please Pray

Jill passed away around lunch time today. She was surrounded by family and friends and died peacefully in her sleep. Please remember our heartbroken family as we grieve the loss of someone we have all watched fight so hard over the past five years. Jill's greatest wish was to see her son graduate high school. He is 11.

She may not have made it to see that, but during her tremendous fight, she inspired those of us who love her. Please pray for her son as he continues on in his young life without his mother, and pray for those around him that we shower him with love during this time.

Pray for Jill....

....Please remember my cousin, Jill, when you pray. Jill is 30 and has fought breast cancer for the past 5 years. She was taken to the hospital last night and her family called in this morning. Jill has one son, Alec. Jill has fought this disease every step of the way. Her determination is truly an inspiration to us all. Please remember her and her heartbroken family when you pray.




UPDATE: (Sunday night) For those of you who emailed or asked, Jill is still hanging in there. She was actually alert for a little while today and able to talk with family for a while. Thank you so much for your emails, questions, and comments on my blog!