Ah, Summer!

Tomorrow is the conclusion of two weeks of VBS. Last week our church had it's VBS week. They did a High Seas program and I worked in the Galley preparing snacks, yum! I had to work in order for all our kids to go. Elizabeth's teachers loved her of course.
This week a very close to home church is having their VBS and they take the oldest four without me having to work!!!! I have been able to get so much done! Unfortunately they don't have it on Friday... I have been able to tackle the procrastination piles that have piled up since we adopted Elizabeth while the boys have been there. Just the computer counter and the guest bedroom left...um, don't think that all that can happen tomorrow, but we'll see!
Mr. Incredible left the house at 4:30 this morning for a day in Denver and will be home sometime after midnight tonight- what a day for him! We all missed seeing him this morning and I know bedtime is going to be another stressor.
People comment to me how much Elizabeth is changing and growing. I can remember what she was like when we got her, and she isn't anything like that now, usually. But I just don't "see" the monthly progress that ECI is saying. I guess because it just happens so gradually, but at least it is happening!
I've done something a little crazy twice now- gone and looked at houses for sale!!!! I don't want to move, but if we could get a bigger house with a bigger yard.... The realtor is so sweet, she sold us this house now almost eight years ago. My times have changed- biggest thing we only had two kids then! Either I was having some sort of moment or God is working on me, because when she asked how many kids we had I said, "Five, four boys and two girls." I didn't say this just once, but several times! I knew I was saying it wrong, but couldn't for the life of me say it "right"! I had mentioned to Mr. I several times that if we wanted to adopt again maybe we should start again, but he's put me off and I haven't really felt God calling us to a certain country or anything. Then day before yesterday was one of "those" days and I said we were done as far as I was concerned. So I couldn't believe when less than 24 hours later it really seemed like God was controlling my tongue and I was talking about another girl!!! Wait and see for the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever.
Last week we began a Financial Peace class, not that we have financial chaos, but it's at a really cool place for the kids to play and they play FREE so the course is just a bonus! We are most interested in college and retirement, but after the houses I looked at yesterday, if we want anything that remotely meets our criteria and space needs we will have to shell out many pretty pennies. I saw what not so many pretty pennies and cramped space buys yesterday- YIKES!!! We could always build on our land, but wanting to be debt free and building a new house don't go hand in hand. Hmmm, more of that waiting...
But God continues to be faithful. Mr. J's busted head didn't require a visit to ER or the doctor or stitches. Mr. M hasn't thrown any dog poop into the pool this summer. Found out that Mr. M has been getting gluten on Sundays at church for the last month- that explains A LOT. Mr. Z gets to participate in a play camp. Elizabeth doesn't drag her foot quite so much- I look like an idiot high stepping next to my two year old, but pride went out the window three kids ago :) Just to find a helper, the right helper. Anybody, anybody???!!!!

Health Update

Well I apparently suffered a ruptured hemoragic ovarian cyst. Without doing a laproscopic scope -it's a probably, but a fairly high probably given my symptoms and their presentation and then abatement. I got to spend all day in ER then have an overnight stay up in postpartum. That was a weird experience - I had always had a baby before when I was on that floor. My symptoms had been EXTREME pain followed by a "pop", abdominal tenderness and swelling. It was the last two after the pain and the pop that made me worried. Apparently if I had been male and with those symptoms I would have gone straight to surgery. The first thoughts were appendicitis, diverticulitis, and then finally "female trouble". Hopefully, I won't have to EVER repeat that experience again.
Lest our life become boring Mr. J gave himself a 5mm gash on the top of his head Sunday night. The blood was gushing and my first thought was another trip to ER!!!! But fortunately he got a goose egg, his eyes were responsive, he wasn't dizzy, didn't get a headache and the gash was small enough to not require stitches. Maybe that incident might curb his jumping up on the counter to get something out of the cabinet.
Today I woke up feeling the best I had in at least a week if not two and that's on five hours sleep and no coffee in days!
We have VBS this week and after how I felt yesterday I wasn't sure how the week was going to go. Of course Elizabeth's teachers think she's precious. I have to agree.

You'll never believe it

I awoke EARLY this morning in extreme pain and after spending all day in ER have earned the privelidge to spend the night. Hope to go home in the am. NOT the way I planned on spending my day! But the kids are being well cared for and God remains faithful. :)

Coming and Goings

I have been sooooo busy lately that I haven't had time to post! Imagine that?!
We just got back from a trip to my parents. It was nice to sleep in and have someone to watch the kids. It was great to stay up after the kids had gone to bed and play Upwords or Yuker. But most of all it was great just to be away. Away from all the busyness that consumes my days lately.

We met with our school district and Elizabeth will continue with her language development services this summer and in the fall begin speech therapy twice a week in addition to the language. So with Mr. M's appointments and Elizabeth's we will have 8 weekly appointments not including any lessons, etc. - 5 at home and 3 away. I am truly trying to be thankful that my kids are getting needed help, but the thought of trying to fit everything in is overwhelming. I had the insane thought of adding to our schedule our local homeschooling group's learning classes that meet once a week during the school year, actually a little less, however sign ups closed early because of being full. We would have lost a whole day of being able to do school and appointments, due to class and mommy recovery- at least it was that way a couple of years ago when we did them. I could try to get on the waiting list, hmmmmm.

Mr. Incredible was just promoted to a managing position at his place of employment. He has been with the company for over 13 years. Hard to believe so much time has gone by. I am looking forward to possibly less travel for him. That would be NICE.

Our summer session of schooling is getting off to a slow start. There's some things that I am hoping to focus on this summer. I hope and pray it happens. Give us a leaping jump on next year or maybe it's ending this year with a bang. :)

Our helper has found a job for the fall, so if you know us personally and know of a young lady (over 18, State requirement) that would like to work in our home with our family for 23 hours a week, PLEASE email me or leave a comment!

I would love to have some wonderfully encouraging words, but alas I am at one of those points of hour by hour and minute by minute praying for strength and wisdom from the Almighty. I know He gives wisdom to those lacking (Prov. 2:6)and strength to the weary (Is. 40:29)and He has a season for everything (Ecc. 3:1). May I be willing to listen.

Be Diligent

It seems like lately I have to keep reminding myself of that. It would be so easy to say, we have___ going on so it's okay if I skip out on___. Some of that is okay of course, but using that continually sets a bad example for me and for the kids. I have been trying to figure out our fall schedule and and what to put in/take out/reschedule, etc.. It gives me almost a panic attack when I try and think of having eight weekly appointments- five at the house and three elsewhere, seriously schooling four and getting enough time to work with Elizabeth on her language and that's not adding anything like piano (Mr. Z and Mr. J have been taking for two years already) or gymnastics (something I think could really help Mr. M). I would love to do homeschooling co-op classes, but that would mean fitting school into four days a week, and all appointments would have to be on non-class days because I remember them tiring me out when we did them a couple years ago. Hmmm. Maybe being diligent at this point just means not adding anything more than we have to, even though I may want to. Decisions, decisions some are easy and others not so much.

In 7 days is.... nothing!

After a couple months or so of "talk" of Mr. Incredible taking a business trip to China and Indonesia. He got an email saying that meetings were set up for later this month in those places!!! There was a flurry of activity for about four days and then another email saying, oh wait we need to postpone! (for which I am extremely grateful) So the whole be ready in 11 days thing, never mind! This has relieved a lot of stress off me in that area, but other areas are mounting- kind of like the growing mountain of laundry to fold. Oh well, God never said life would be easy :), but He gives us the strength to carry on.

The Results Are In- A Follow Up

I don't really know how to begin, because... it is going to sound like I lack faith either in God's healing power or the medical community... and I don't want to sound critical.
I was dumbfounded when the audiologist who conducted the ABR said she has normal hearing, see here. The main reason was not a lack of faith that God could heal, but being around and working with Elizabeth EVERY day. There are some sounds that she doesn't hear. Period.
So now the battle with the medical community begins and the school system. Fortunately, I have God and an awesome AI teacher who also sees that Elizabeth doesn't hear the "f", "p" or "th" sounds. I know that there are probably other sounds, but these are obvious. Her "up" is just the u and she is confusing me saying "push" and "fish". Some might argue that it is her development that is causing the problem.
I am going to try to not bore you with specific details about the testing, but give the overall view. Her audiogram in January showed a hearing loss, but it is a subjective test. The ABR is an objective test, but only leads me to inconclusive answers. There is a testing tolerance, but the machine is not recalibrated before each test. Could the testing tolerance actually change? There is a range for normal hearing. The test shows her brain can "hear" at the top of that range, but not at the bottom. And the upper limit of the range is at a higher decibal than what you need to hear certain letter sounds!!!! So she can't hear at the lower end and if your calibration was off by even 1 decibal it would show that she can't hear at the upper range either, but let's go ahead and say she has, "essentially normal hearing"!!!!
I am praying that my mother's intuition is really God prompting me to push hard for what is best for Elizabeth instead of some paranoid overreaction to the apathy that Mr. M drew from the medical/school community for several years. If I had paid more attention to my mother's intuition then, I would have pushed harder for him. But, hindsight is always 20/20. I just don't want to make the same mistake twice.

Tonight's Savings

Out of pocket I spent $20.88 in cash, 0.22 from a gift card, 13 RR (I believe), 18.46 ECB and GOT 21 RR and 31.99 ECB to spend another day! My total savings was $211.96. Broken down it's a savings of $115.07 at walgreens with a total of seven transactions at two stores to find all the products that I wanted and a savings of $96.89 at CVS in two transactions. I got coupon match-ups at southernsavers.com. Ahhhhh, an evening away once we ate and said prayers and I think it was productive too!!! I basically got my coffee and paper towels for free as well as other stuff that I can use or bless others with!!! Gotta love that!
And Mr. Incredible vacuumed while I was gone!!!!! Oh my goodness, I might faint from excitement!

A Breakdown of what I got:
4 soft scrub cleaners
4 Folgers coffee
3 infusium hair treatment
1 infusium shampoo and 1 conditioner
4 Schick Hydro 5 razors
3 EOC shave cream
2 Bourdeaux Butt Paste
several bags of $0.39 candy
2 Kotex U products
1 six pack of paper towels
4 Crest pro health toothpaste
4 Carefree panty liners
4 Covergirl Outlast

And I can turn in my receipts for $100 worth of coupons from Proctor and Gamble! Bonus!!!

Happy Mother's Day- Belated

This weekend we had the pleasure of my parents coming to visit. They wanted to see Mr. Z in his role of Tom Sawyer. Well, they got to see a little more than that... Apparently the "allergies" that several of us had been suffering from was actually a cold or something. My dad who doesn't "do" puking kids was vomited on by Mr. T when his coughing fit caused him to lose his lunch. My dad and Mr. T survived although there was talk of an ER visit Friday night, but fortunately the medication and nebulizer worked their magic on Mr. T. All told on Friday Mr. T was "sick" three times and Elizabeth decided to follow his example and joined in too (fortunately only once :)). I awoke Saturday and felt like my head had been run over by an 18 wheeler... Sunday I was better, but it still wasn't a picturesce Hallmark day- my parents left and the nasal congestion hit Elizabeth BIG time. Today my only symptoms are having a deeper voice than Mr. Incredible's and sinus pressure. I think we are all on the mend, finally.
It is at times of sickness that you treasure the times of being well. And, hopefully at some point in the next 11 days I can get all the laundry done. What's so important about 11 days?!? I'll save that for my next post!
I could be disappointed that my Mother's Day wasn't filled with breakfast in bed and lunch out at a restaurant, but I wouldn't give up Mr. Incredible's blackberry pancakes and eggs at noon or piddling around the yard with my parents and kid's near for any Hallmark moment...unless it was on a deserted tropical beach and it was truly for just a moment. Because, time truly does fly by and they are only small for just a little while.

National Day of Prayer

Some of my prayer points:

- Our nation (may we repent and turn from immorality)

- Our national, state and local leaders (that they be led and directed by God even if they don't know him)

- the Christian church (may it stand firm against influences and practices that are unscriptural)

- the family (may men and women stay true to their commitment to each other and their children)

- the elderly and the children who have been forgotten or neglected by society