I can't wait to get this. Just the trailer had me dying laughing:
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Memories
I love hearing about Christmas traditions that people not only grow up with but also the ones that they build into their own families. I especially like the ones that are a bit different...something I had never heard of. It reminds me how unique each family is. Here are some of my favorite memories of our Christmas traditions, what are yours?
1) Every year as children we knew that we had to listen to Paw-Paw read the story of Jesus' birth before we could open even one gift. Oh it was so hard to sit still while looking at all of those presents just inches away! Paw-Paw is gone now but we have continued that tradition with someone new reading it each year. Now it is my children who find it so hard to sit still!
2) When I was very young...no older than 5...I made an ornament that my mom kept. Over the years it started to fade and it wasn't quite as stunning as the day I had made it, but it became a joke in our house that I always wanted that ornament front and center on the Christmas tree. Each year I would proudly display it in the front only to find the next day that it had been moved to the back of the tree! This was an ongoing joke between my mom and I. After I married Larry he received a Christmas gift from my mom and inside was that ornament so that he could have it front and center on his Christmas tree! Now Larry and my kids are part of the joke and know that each year my ornament has to go front and center! Here it is since I know you are wondering what such a beautiful ornament would look like!
3) Shrimp....yes I said shrimp. My family is from New Orleans so we have always had shrimp on Christmas. My cousin Khara and I look forward to seeing each other each year at Christmas and always say "I'll meet you by the shrimp!" Our family does a buffet type table but it isn't uncommon for me and Khara to have chairs up to the table so we can just stay by the shrimp and eat! OOOHHH and I can't forget my Aunt Jan's stuffed artichokes. YUM!
4) Each year I spent Christmas Eve with my mom, step dad, and my mom's family and then I would hop on a plane Christmas morning to see my dad. Those are bittersweet memories because it was so great to see my dad but reminds me how hard it was to live between two parents who lived in different states.
5) As a child I always had my own little Christmas tree in my room with my own ornaments. Many of them show something I was interested in...a tennis player, a guitar, the characters from Sesame Street, etc. When Larry and I got married we kept the ornament tradition. We have an ornament from our first Christmas together in 1991when we were 16 years old, one from our first apartment together, and a pregnant lady the year that I was pregnant with Clayton. Now the boys have their own little tree in their room with a cub scout, M&M's, spiderman, etc. That tree also has ornaments that they have made which will no doubt be front and center on their trees when they are adults!
What is amazing about that list is that 33 years later those traditions are still a part of my life and now a part of Clayton and Evan's lives. Even the travel is now a part of my life again! One week from today we are headed back to see family and looking very forward to it. Save me a spot by the shrimp!
1) Every year as children we knew that we had to listen to Paw-Paw read the story of Jesus' birth before we could open even one gift. Oh it was so hard to sit still while looking at all of those presents just inches away! Paw-Paw is gone now but we have continued that tradition with someone new reading it each year. Now it is my children who find it so hard to sit still!
2) When I was very young...no older than 5...I made an ornament that my mom kept. Over the years it started to fade and it wasn't quite as stunning as the day I had made it, but it became a joke in our house that I always wanted that ornament front and center on the Christmas tree. Each year I would proudly display it in the front only to find the next day that it had been moved to the back of the tree! This was an ongoing joke between my mom and I. After I married Larry he received a Christmas gift from my mom and inside was that ornament so that he could have it front and center on his Christmas tree! Now Larry and my kids are part of the joke and know that each year my ornament has to go front and center! Here it is since I know you are wondering what such a beautiful ornament would look like!
3) Shrimp....yes I said shrimp. My family is from New Orleans so we have always had shrimp on Christmas. My cousin Khara and I look forward to seeing each other each year at Christmas and always say "I'll meet you by the shrimp!" Our family does a buffet type table but it isn't uncommon for me and Khara to have chairs up to the table so we can just stay by the shrimp and eat! OOOHHH and I can't forget my Aunt Jan's stuffed artichokes. YUM!
4) Each year I spent Christmas Eve with my mom, step dad, and my mom's family and then I would hop on a plane Christmas morning to see my dad. Those are bittersweet memories because it was so great to see my dad but reminds me how hard it was to live between two parents who lived in different states.
5) As a child I always had my own little Christmas tree in my room with my own ornaments. Many of them show something I was interested in...a tennis player, a guitar, the characters from Sesame Street, etc. When Larry and I got married we kept the ornament tradition. We have an ornament from our first Christmas together in 1991when we were 16 years old, one from our first apartment together, and a pregnant lady the year that I was pregnant with Clayton. Now the boys have their own little tree in their room with a cub scout, M&M's, spiderman, etc. That tree also has ornaments that they have made which will no doubt be front and center on their trees when they are adults!
What is amazing about that list is that 33 years later those traditions are still a part of my life and now a part of Clayton and Evan's lives. Even the travel is now a part of my life again! One week from today we are headed back to see family and looking very forward to it. Save me a spot by the shrimp!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Larry's test
We had a frustrating day on Wednesday. Larry's scope went fine. The doctor came to talk to us before we left and with a big smile told us that his blood test had been negative so it looked like good news but she biopsied to be sure we weren't missing anything. We will get those results at his appointment on January 7th. She also mentioned that she saw evidence of acid reflux and we told her that heartburn was a very new symptom for him that had just popped up recently. I told her that we, of course, don't want him to have Celiac but at the same time we were disappointed to not have any answers. She told us that all of his symptoms are anxiety related and basically said he needed to live with it and move on with life. HUH? I couldn't believe that she in no way wanted to consider anything else and just wanted Larry to live with it. If he could live with it do you think we would have gone through all of this?!
She said he probably had IBS. I told her that he had already been diagnosed with that and been medicated for it and it didn't work. She said medications don't always work. OOOOK...... So then I asked how she would explain Evan's symptoms. I told her they were clearly food related. I could give him certain foods and expect a reaction in 12-24 hours. She said our foods are highly processed and we need to start cooking from scratch and buying organics. (Insert shocked look on my face that says "come back to the real world where time and money aren't exactly in abundance"). I then explained that one of the items that bothers Evan is an Organic pasta sauce. She then replied that we still can't know what is in it.
It was at that point that I realized that she in no way wanted to help us find answers so we said "Thank you very much" and got out of there. So what does all of this mean? Well, first we want to wait for the biopsy and see if anything comes back. To assume that Larry's symptoms are anxiety related is not completely out of the realm of possibility. There is no doubt that he has been under a great deal of stress in the last couple of years. At the same time we have not in any way eliminated all possibilities including food allergies so I will not accept "live with it and get on with life" as an answer at this point. After we get the biopsy results Larry and Evan will both be going back to our primary doctor who specializes in allergies and we will be asking what the next step is. I assume he will test them both for food allergies.
In the mean time I'm also not completely ignoring her comment about over processed foods. One of the foods that is clearly an irritant for Evan are frozen biscuits. I plan on making some from scratch this weekend to see if he still has a reaction. Also, about 5 months ago the Lord blessed us with a wonderful brand new bread maker so I am going to start making many of our breads from scratch to see if that possibly helps. If not, it sure can't hurt and it really isn't that time consuming to throw the ingredients in the machine and hit START.
So her comments weren't completely lost on us but the delivery of them and the lack of care for the seriousness of the symptoms was bothersome to me. In the end we are not a whole lot closer to having an answer. Frustrating.
She said he probably had IBS. I told her that he had already been diagnosed with that and been medicated for it and it didn't work. She said medications don't always work. OOOOK...... So then I asked how she would explain Evan's symptoms. I told her they were clearly food related. I could give him certain foods and expect a reaction in 12-24 hours. She said our foods are highly processed and we need to start cooking from scratch and buying organics. (Insert shocked look on my face that says "come back to the real world where time and money aren't exactly in abundance"). I then explained that one of the items that bothers Evan is an Organic pasta sauce. She then replied that we still can't know what is in it.
It was at that point that I realized that she in no way wanted to help us find answers so we said "Thank you very much" and got out of there. So what does all of this mean? Well, first we want to wait for the biopsy and see if anything comes back. To assume that Larry's symptoms are anxiety related is not completely out of the realm of possibility. There is no doubt that he has been under a great deal of stress in the last couple of years. At the same time we have not in any way eliminated all possibilities including food allergies so I will not accept "live with it and get on with life" as an answer at this point. After we get the biopsy results Larry and Evan will both be going back to our primary doctor who specializes in allergies and we will be asking what the next step is. I assume he will test them both for food allergies.
In the mean time I'm also not completely ignoring her comment about over processed foods. One of the foods that is clearly an irritant for Evan are frozen biscuits. I plan on making some from scratch this weekend to see if he still has a reaction. Also, about 5 months ago the Lord blessed us with a wonderful brand new bread maker so I am going to start making many of our breads from scratch to see if that possibly helps. If not, it sure can't hurt and it really isn't that time consuming to throw the ingredients in the machine and hit START.
So her comments weren't completely lost on us but the delivery of them and the lack of care for the seriousness of the symptoms was bothersome to me. In the end we are not a whole lot closer to having an answer. Frustrating.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Little Things
You don't have to read far in the Bible, Old Testament or New, to know that we serve a God who can do BIG things! Even today we hear stories of those things...the person who shouldn't have survived, the one who you thought God would NEVER reach, and raising support tops my list of BIG things God has done! Everyone likes to tell those stories, and for good reason, they inspire awe. We truly have an amazing God.
Today, however, it was the little thing that caused me to be amazed by my God. Sometimes we almost expect him to be in the big things. Big things are his job. But some of my favorite awe inspiring experiences have been when God does something that makes me realize that despite His GREATNESS, he cares about the smallest details of my life.
I mentioned in my last blog that I was going to be teaching in a Kindergarten classroom. I had wanted to work with special needs kids, and Kindergarten wasn't necessarily my first choice of places to serve, but was the place where there was a need. I wanted to make the most of the opportunity that the Lord had given me and yet I must admit that I was a tad disappointed and had to apologize to the Lord for not fully letting go of MY idea of where I wanted to serve. Well I got there this morning and one of the parents asked if I was subbing. I told her that I was new but that I would be in the room weekly from now on. She replied that she wanted to let me know that her daughter is autistic!!! I could not believe it. What a joy to have this sweet little girl in class with me and what a blessing from the Lord to put me in just the right place even though it didn't look like I thought it would! Each of the children was so precious and I truly enjoyed talking to them and getting to know them all. In fact another little girl is the daughter of friends of ours so imagine everyone's surprise when she was dropped off this morning! Our God is a God of big things but its when he does these little things that I get to see how wonderfully personal He is.
Today, however, it was the little thing that caused me to be amazed by my God. Sometimes we almost expect him to be in the big things. Big things are his job. But some of my favorite awe inspiring experiences have been when God does something that makes me realize that despite His GREATNESS, he cares about the smallest details of my life.
I mentioned in my last blog that I was going to be teaching in a Kindergarten classroom. I had wanted to work with special needs kids, and Kindergarten wasn't necessarily my first choice of places to serve, but was the place where there was a need. I wanted to make the most of the opportunity that the Lord had given me and yet I must admit that I was a tad disappointed and had to apologize to the Lord for not fully letting go of MY idea of where I wanted to serve. Well I got there this morning and one of the parents asked if I was subbing. I told her that I was new but that I would be in the room weekly from now on. She replied that she wanted to let me know that her daughter is autistic!!! I could not believe it. What a joy to have this sweet little girl in class with me and what a blessing from the Lord to put me in just the right place even though it didn't look like I thought it would! Each of the children was so precious and I truly enjoyed talking to them and getting to know them all. In fact another little girl is the daughter of friends of ours so imagine everyone's surprise when she was dropped off this morning! Our God is a God of big things but its when he does these little things that I get to see how wonderfully personal He is.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Some Updates
I just wanted to follow up on a few things I have discussed in this blog:
1) I found a place to serve at church. While I thought it would be in special needs or in 5th grade, apparently the Lord had other plans. I will be serving in Kindergarten. It probably isn't the first place I would have chosen but I certainly have plenty of experience so I am expecting it to be a great year!
2) Larry will be scoped on Wednesday. He will be sedated for this procedure. This is my friendly reminder so you can pray! We really want some answers and quickly. Both Larry and Evan are continuing to have "issues". I discovered this week that Evan can not have biscuits. Lets just say the side effects were not pretty!
3) Larry is back in Philadelphia this weekend. This is his last conference! He will get home Monday, wrap up that conference and then start in his new position on the 15th.
And a quick praise....
We recently found out that our dog has heartworms. The vet suspects she had them when we got her. When she was tested a year ago her test was negative but he said that it can take months to show up in a test. So...they said they would send the results to the makers of her heartworm medication to see if their guarantee would cover the cost of her treatment which was a whopping $400! They thought they might only pay for 1/2 since we couldn't know for sure if she had them before we got her. Well we just heard from the vet today that they have agreed to pay for the whole thing! What a blessing!
1) I found a place to serve at church. While I thought it would be in special needs or in 5th grade, apparently the Lord had other plans. I will be serving in Kindergarten. It probably isn't the first place I would have chosen but I certainly have plenty of experience so I am expecting it to be a great year!
2) Larry will be scoped on Wednesday. He will be sedated for this procedure. This is my friendly reminder so you can pray! We really want some answers and quickly. Both Larry and Evan are continuing to have "issues". I discovered this week that Evan can not have biscuits. Lets just say the side effects were not pretty!
3) Larry is back in Philadelphia this weekend. This is his last conference! He will get home Monday, wrap up that conference and then start in his new position on the 15th.
And a quick praise....
We recently found out that our dog has heartworms. The vet suspects she had them when we got her. When she was tested a year ago her test was negative but he said that it can take months to show up in a test. So...they said they would send the results to the makers of her heartworm medication to see if their guarantee would cover the cost of her treatment which was a whopping $400! They thought they might only pay for 1/2 since we couldn't know for sure if she had them before we got her. Well we just heard from the vet today that they have agreed to pay for the whole thing! What a blessing!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A day of celebrations
Celebration # 1 was discovered during lunch when Evan came rushing up to announcing that he FINALLY had his first loose tooth. Sure enough it was quite loose. How we got anything done the rest of the day I do not know. He proceeded to spend the next 3 hours wiggling his tooth and asking questions like "What if I loose it after it falls out?", "Will it hurt when it falls out?", "When you loose a tooth does another one push it?" and "Will there be blood?" This made our afternoon lessons go VERY slowly! He had to stop every few minutes and check in the mirror to see if it was wiggling more than the last time he checked. He decided that he should carry a sandwich bag everywhere he goes just incase it happens to fall out and he needs a place to store it. This is what he looked like all day...be sure to notice the bag ;).
Celebration #2 came this afternoon as Clayton went to his last day of speech therapy! He has been in therapy since he was 2 with only a brief break between the time that he "graduated" the first time and we discovered that he needed to go back for his R sound. This was a great acoomplishment for him although he seemed a little bummed because he really liked his therapist this semester! Here is a picture of him with his therapist:
I guess the next celebration will come when that tooth finally falls out! Besides all of the celebrating we are packing Larry for his trip to Philly tomorrow and listening to a rather strong thunderstorm outside in December. Go figure!
Celebration #2 came this afternoon as Clayton went to his last day of speech therapy! He has been in therapy since he was 2 with only a brief break between the time that he "graduated" the first time and we discovered that he needed to go back for his R sound. This was a great acoomplishment for him although he seemed a little bummed because he really liked his therapist this semester! Here is a picture of him with his therapist:
I guess the next celebration will come when that tooth finally falls out! Besides all of the celebrating we are packing Larry for his trip to Philly tomorrow and listening to a rather strong thunderstorm outside in December. Go figure!
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