I am thankful for my husband's pay this week of 36 cents. I am thankful that the company spent more money in time for their payroll people to put this into our account. I am thinkful that it is not 0.00. I am thankful that it won't be this low again. I'm thankful that we can only go higher from here. I am thankful because You are in control, God, and You know how this can be used for Your glory. Somehow.
Miracle Money is needed now.
Recompence of reward.
Money come now!!!
Discouragement, GO!
I will always serve the Lord no matter what.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where do I begin?
OK so A LOT has happened since the last entry......you probably thought I was forgetting about this great way to communicate....well I didn't, here I am! We have moved, we live in a very nice place albeit temporarily. We have a month to month lease so if they want us out (the house is for sale) we will have 30 day notice, but on the other hand if we find something better the we can do the same. It was a big blessing to move when we did, we had help and any other weekend would not have worked due to school starting and all. So that is a load off the shoulders now we just have to pray for rent each month and maybe for a more permanent situation.
Daniel- We decided to put him into a private school due to his new diagnosis in the AS (Autism Spectrum) and he is doing so much better! Grades are not great BUT when the kid comes home happy and talkative, WOW that is so much better than last year when he was sullen and had a "bite-your-head-off" attitude. The teachers are wonderful and I already told them that I was their biggest fan, because they are a blessing for our family to help Daniel how they have. And they really haven't done anything different than what they would normally do, they teach for the Lord and it shows. I have learned more about ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) than I ever wanted to know, I have met some fabulous people that I never would have met and I have a new respect for people who have been in this (having a child on the AS) for a longer time than me. I found out some things about Aspergers and how to help them, it's a long list but I will be brief....one thing that Daniel cannot do is read facial/non verbal expression. People, that's 80% of all communication! He can't read when someone is giving him a happy or suprised look, you have to tell him what you are thinking and feeling for him to then relate that to the look on your face. He is very concrete, you cannot use sarcasm or idioms like "it's raining cats and dogs" he doesn't get it. Now, he has learned through repetition that some things are just "sayings" and not true facts, but that's what's so neat, is that his brain has ALREADY figured out some things even without all the intervention techniques. God has done the work. He still needs help though. Creative Writing and Language (let's try teaching the English rule "i before e except after c" because it is not always true!) are very hard for him, his brain works over time on those concepts so he gets frustrated easier. The teachers have been great to him and limited the homework in that area so he DOES do some work in that it's just not 7 pages (it would take him 3 hours). He has the meltdowns where he reacts to change in an immature for his age way. He will cry if he doesn't get his way, he will yell. We are learning how to deal with this. He likes things to be the way you say or else he doesn't seem to cope well (when we go to the store and I say I will only get 3 things...yeah, you get the picture). He is also very inappropriate with his physical touches. He will get too close, he will touch people in an inappropriate way, not because he wants to make people feel uncomfortable but sometimes he does, he is very akward in social situations. But let me tell you what this great state of West Virginia has to offer those with an ASD.........oh you will not believe it, there is a place called the Autism Training Center and it is based in Marshall University (in Huntington, WV). They will actually come to your house and evaluate the person and then offer interventions and PBS (Positive Behavior Support) and then have meetings with teachers and parents and grandparents and the PTO president if they want to come! They have books, DVD's, CD's all at a lending library and they will send it to you and you send it back in the envelope they send you (no postage for you to deal with!), they have ID cards that they will make and laminate so a child can keep it in his pocket in case they need help, they have support groups, parenting groups, classes, make and takes (I made Daniel a daily schedule to follow and laminated it!), articles, someone who would come with you to meet with teachers, and EVERYTHING IS FREE! Yes, you heard right, it is AWESOME! If any other state has this in place, I guarantee it would still be at the top in the country. I am totally amazed. I have already registered, got my membership card and will have to wait a while for a specialist to come available in my area (a year?) but they said they want to eliminate the wait period for personal PBS and are hiring more people but everything else I mentioned is all available to me now. I am so thrilled to have this available. I want to thank the person responsible but how do you? How do you tell someone that they turned a very shaken wandering person into someone with knowledge and tools to charge on ahead? I am in awe. Can you tell?
So that's what we are doing learning all we can and little by little coming up with ways to teach Daniel how to behave in a mature manner and overcome what he hasn't already.
Another thing to be thankful for is that Josiah, Zoe and Ezra are all at the same school. It was nice because Ezra could have gone to preschool in several other schools but there was an opening at the school I wanted him to go to! They are still in public school but we are praying that we can make enough money to send them all to the private school Daniel goes to. If you have 3 kids there, you get the 4th one free! Works for me! It's still a pretty penny but from what I've seen in Daniel, so worth it. For now, they are doing fine where they are, all good reports from the teachers. Josiah's teacher said that he is talking more where before if he said 4 words to her it was a banner day. Zoe's teacher keeps telling me how she goes over and above the call of duty either with the project she has or when she is done goes to help others. Ezra is having a good time, has made some friends, likes writing and doing "homework" with his brothers and sister.
Gabriel is home with me most days, and what a joy and sweetie he is! I am no longer babysitting, I am doing work with All Squared Away an organizing company. I work when the kids are in school or when Ramon can be home evenings and weekends. Gabriel gets to go to Aunt Mesa's! We love her! She had a baby 2 months ago! Victoria McKay O'Connor 9/7/08! I am a proud Aunt! She is so beautiful and growing like crazy! (It's all that mommy milk!) I am so thankful I got to be there when she took her first breath and share the moment with Mesa and Ben, she is my best friend and pretty much my sister and my brother is the coolest bro in the world.
Ramon is doing well, we are so blessed to have a faithful man as daddy and husband to this family. Someone hit him in his Jeep last month and totalled it and he was able to get a replacement car with the insurance AND he was not seriously injured! WOW! He is losing weight and running and getting into great shape. He ran his first
5K race too only weeks after the accident (see? he was in shape!) and he didn't come in last! Woo hoo! I am so proud of him! We are praying for God's continued provision for all our needs.
Well, this seem so long, so I will close for now but more to come!
Daniel- We decided to put him into a private school due to his new diagnosis in the AS (Autism Spectrum) and he is doing so much better! Grades are not great BUT when the kid comes home happy and talkative, WOW that is so much better than last year when he was sullen and had a "bite-your-head-off" attitude. The teachers are wonderful and I already told them that I was their biggest fan, because they are a blessing for our family to help Daniel how they have. And they really haven't done anything different than what they would normally do, they teach for the Lord and it shows. I have learned more about ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) than I ever wanted to know, I have met some fabulous people that I never would have met and I have a new respect for people who have been in this (having a child on the AS) for a longer time than me. I found out some things about Aspergers and how to help them, it's a long list but I will be brief....one thing that Daniel cannot do is read facial/non verbal expression. People, that's 80% of all communication! He can't read when someone is giving him a happy or suprised look, you have to tell him what you are thinking and feeling for him to then relate that to the look on your face. He is very concrete, you cannot use sarcasm or idioms like "it's raining cats and dogs" he doesn't get it. Now, he has learned through repetition that some things are just "sayings" and not true facts, but that's what's so neat, is that his brain has ALREADY figured out some things even without all the intervention techniques. God has done the work. He still needs help though. Creative Writing and Language (let's try teaching the English rule "i before e except after c" because it is not always true!) are very hard for him, his brain works over time on those concepts so he gets frustrated easier. The teachers have been great to him and limited the homework in that area so he DOES do some work in that it's just not 7 pages (it would take him 3 hours). He has the meltdowns where he reacts to change in an immature for his age way. He will cry if he doesn't get his way, he will yell. We are learning how to deal with this. He likes things to be the way you say or else he doesn't seem to cope well (when we go to the store and I say I will only get 3 things...yeah, you get the picture). He is also very inappropriate with his physical touches. He will get too close, he will touch people in an inappropriate way, not because he wants to make people feel uncomfortable but sometimes he does, he is very akward in social situations. But let me tell you what this great state of West Virginia has to offer those with an ASD.........oh you will not believe it, there is a place called the Autism Training Center and it is based in Marshall University (in Huntington, WV). They will actually come to your house and evaluate the person and then offer interventions and PBS (Positive Behavior Support) and then have meetings with teachers and parents and grandparents and the PTO president if they want to come! They have books, DVD's, CD's all at a lending library and they will send it to you and you send it back in the envelope they send you (no postage for you to deal with!), they have ID cards that they will make and laminate so a child can keep it in his pocket in case they need help, they have support groups, parenting groups, classes, make and takes (I made Daniel a daily schedule to follow and laminated it!), articles, someone who would come with you to meet with teachers, and EVERYTHING IS FREE! Yes, you heard right, it is AWESOME! If any other state has this in place, I guarantee it would still be at the top in the country. I am totally amazed. I have already registered, got my membership card and will have to wait a while for a specialist to come available in my area (a year?) but they said they want to eliminate the wait period for personal PBS and are hiring more people but everything else I mentioned is all available to me now. I am so thrilled to have this available. I want to thank the person responsible but how do you? How do you tell someone that they turned a very shaken wandering person into someone with knowledge and tools to charge on ahead? I am in awe. Can you tell?
So that's what we are doing learning all we can and little by little coming up with ways to teach Daniel how to behave in a mature manner and overcome what he hasn't already.
Another thing to be thankful for is that Josiah, Zoe and Ezra are all at the same school. It was nice because Ezra could have gone to preschool in several other schools but there was an opening at the school I wanted him to go to! They are still in public school but we are praying that we can make enough money to send them all to the private school Daniel goes to. If you have 3 kids there, you get the 4th one free! Works for me! It's still a pretty penny but from what I've seen in Daniel, so worth it. For now, they are doing fine where they are, all good reports from the teachers. Josiah's teacher said that he is talking more where before if he said 4 words to her it was a banner day. Zoe's teacher keeps telling me how she goes over and above the call of duty either with the project she has or when she is done goes to help others. Ezra is having a good time, has made some friends, likes writing and doing "homework" with his brothers and sister.
Gabriel is home with me most days, and what a joy and sweetie he is! I am no longer babysitting, I am doing work with All Squared Away an organizing company. I work when the kids are in school or when Ramon can be home evenings and weekends. Gabriel gets to go to Aunt Mesa's! We love her! She had a baby 2 months ago! Victoria McKay O'Connor 9/7/08! I am a proud Aunt! She is so beautiful and growing like crazy! (It's all that mommy milk!) I am so thankful I got to be there when she took her first breath and share the moment with Mesa and Ben, she is my best friend and pretty much my sister and my brother is the coolest bro in the world.
Ramon is doing well, we are so blessed to have a faithful man as daddy and husband to this family. Someone hit him in his Jeep last month and totalled it and he was able to get a replacement car with the insurance AND he was not seriously injured! WOW! He is losing weight and running and getting into great shape. He ran his first
5K race too only weeks after the accident (see? he was in shape!) and he didn't come in last! Woo hoo! I am so proud of him! We are praying for God's continued provision for all our needs.
Well, this seem so long, so I will close for now but more to come!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
my baby girl is so tough..........
How tough is she??
Well, she plays flag football on a team with her older brother, she is the only girl on the team AND only one of 2 girls in the 6-team league, not only that, but at the last game she smashed into one of the boys on the other team and got a bloody nose!
yes! She cried a little and was sent out of the game only to get wiped up and then want to go in the game again and not miss any playing time! Then it started bleeding again, I wiped it but she was in a hurry and I didn't get it all and they said she couldn't play with blood on her face! Is that not a statement some tough-guy would get? But it was for my little Zoe! She plays so hard and she is in it to win it every game and practice. The team is currently 2-0 too with only one other undefeated team, go us! I'm so glad she is like this now, it will serve her well all her life so that she doesn't give up even when life gives her a bloody nose.
I can learn a thing or two from her, life has given us a few bloody noses as of late but I am not giving up. I know that somehow, someway, we will be able to look back and see that even though we had a million things come against us at once, we got through it and the Lord was the One behind the scenes working things out for our good.
A few things have happened that I am not sure about, one thing is that Daniel has been seeing a counselor for issues and problems that I won't go into here, but she (the counselor) suggested that Daniel be tested for things and it turns out that he has Asperger's with ADHD. This is a big blow and an AH HA! moment all at the same time. I never dreamed he would have anything like this and now as I look back I can see the signs. We are in the process now deciding what school is best or if homeschool is best or what. [and another bloody nose we have gotten is that the rental house that we had wanted fell through so now we don't know where we will be going or where the kids will start school and school starts in 1 week!]
So right now, this moment, I am pretty stressed. And in my stress, I am thinking of Zoe's bloody nose and how she didn't give up, still wanted to play and still played hard even though I know her nose was throbbing like crazy. I am gonna keep going. I am praying and asking God where we should go, scouring the paper, asking around, asking for help, praying for the money so that we can rent with a deposit and everything needed to move. I am also keeping my chin up. What else can I do? The Lord has to do the rest. He is still in control. He still loves me. I still love Him. He has always directed me and I know I felt a peace about where we were to live after this house so why am I so stressed? it's just me. I need to rely on God, work through the pain and be ready when we do find that perfect house and have the money in hand.
Back to packing and planning........bloody nose and all.
Well, she plays flag football on a team with her older brother, she is the only girl on the team AND only one of 2 girls in the 6-team league, not only that, but at the last game she smashed into one of the boys on the other team and got a bloody nose!
yes! She cried a little and was sent out of the game only to get wiped up and then want to go in the game again and not miss any playing time! Then it started bleeding again, I wiped it but she was in a hurry and I didn't get it all and they said she couldn't play with blood on her face! Is that not a statement some tough-guy would get? But it was for my little Zoe! She plays so hard and she is in it to win it every game and practice. The team is currently 2-0 too with only one other undefeated team, go us! I'm so glad she is like this now, it will serve her well all her life so that she doesn't give up even when life gives her a bloody nose.
I can learn a thing or two from her, life has given us a few bloody noses as of late but I am not giving up. I know that somehow, someway, we will be able to look back and see that even though we had a million things come against us at once, we got through it and the Lord was the One behind the scenes working things out for our good.
A few things have happened that I am not sure about, one thing is that Daniel has been seeing a counselor for issues and problems that I won't go into here, but she (the counselor) suggested that Daniel be tested for things and it turns out that he has Asperger's with ADHD. This is a big blow and an AH HA! moment all at the same time. I never dreamed he would have anything like this and now as I look back I can see the signs. We are in the process now deciding what school is best or if homeschool is best or what. [and another bloody nose we have gotten is that the rental house that we had wanted fell through so now we don't know where we will be going or where the kids will start school and school starts in 1 week!]
So right now, this moment, I am pretty stressed. And in my stress, I am thinking of Zoe's bloody nose and how she didn't give up, still wanted to play and still played hard even though I know her nose was throbbing like crazy. I am gonna keep going. I am praying and asking God where we should go, scouring the paper, asking around, asking for help, praying for the money so that we can rent with a deposit and everything needed to move. I am also keeping my chin up. What else can I do? The Lord has to do the rest. He is still in control. He still loves me. I still love Him. He has always directed me and I know I felt a peace about where we were to live after this house so why am I so stressed? it's just me. I need to rely on God, work through the pain and be ready when we do find that perfect house and have the money in hand.
Back to packing and planning........bloody nose and all.
Friday, August 8, 2008
its raining..........
when it rains......
well, let's just see what ELSE can happen. I'm only having to deal with some major issues at the moment and each one are a pretty big deal, manageable by themselves but what about when they are all piling up together??
First of all, Ramon's grandfather, a great man who raised Ramon as a child. Ramon's mom died when he was 6 but before that and then permanently after that, Grandpa was there for him. He was 55-60 years old and had a small child to deal with and Ramon remembers him never complaining about going out to play catch or to play golf or anything. A great man. He also took Ramon to church and established a Godly foundation for Ramon, that is priceless. So Grandpa has gone to be with the Lord just yesterday. Ramon was on his way there and about an hour from the destination, he got the call that Grandpa was alive no more. Pretty crushing after driving for 10 hours. But we know where he is. He is there now and can be with his family there. I am planning to fly up there for the funeral on Monday and then drive back with them Tuesday. That seems simple enough, right? Well, I can't afford to fly my other 4 kids (Daniel the oldest is already with Ramon) so what do I do with them? I find 4 different homes for them to go to! It takes a few (try many) phone calls but right now I have homes for all but 1 for the the 2 nights I will be gone. Now it will be packing time for all of them, laundry and everything else to get ready for the kids to go spend the night for 2 nights. Not to mention, packing for myself and my husband is out of town!!
Now that isn't too bad, right? But wait, there's more....... we will be moving this month. It's pretty sudden, but there is a buyer for the house and we can sell it fast and not get as much out of it or keep trying for a long shot. I think we have decided to go for the quick sale. So now, I'll be packing up the house to be out by Aug 22-23, anybody want to watch 5 kids for 2 weeks so I can get done??? Pretty please. Along with this is finding a house to rent. I think we have found a really good one, but we need to pray in the money right now for first month's rent and deposit, it's a pretty penny.
But wait there's more.......The kids will be starting school on August 26, at a whole new school. I have to figure out which one and call each of them to get transcripts transferred and make sure there is room in each grade so we don't do 2 different elementary schools. Check the bus schedules for the new house, just in case we want to use the bus system. The kids did not like the bus too well last year.
But wait there's more.....the Jeep stalled on me today stranding me in the middle of an intersection then thankfully on the side of the road for 30 minutes. I was thinking cha-ching tons of money to fix that so I may not be able to fly out now, and then horay! it started up! My dad was out of town, my husband too of course so I called my brother who was so helpful! They will look at it in the morning to see what's up.
But wait....then I get stung by a bee! Who gets stung by a bee anymore? me, in the middle of craziness!
Let's see how much more stuff we can pile on top of Andi??
so now for my eternal optimism............... things to be truly thankful for..........
1. Great pastors who help with decisions that need to be made during less than ideal circumstances.
2. The Lyons family, who was there to lend Shannon to watch the kids so that I can rest, and follow me in the Jeep to make sure I was safe, and then taking one of the kiddos while I am away and oh yeah for being such a great example to us in every way.
3. For Mandy who is sleeping over at my house so I can work my overnight job while Ramon is away. Who else would do that kind of thing? I am going to owe her big time! She's the best.
4. For Mesa and Laura who are taking care of 1 kid each while I am away, what godly women! It makes me feel so wonderful to leave my kids with quality people.
5. For my new neice, I knew you were a girl all along! I'm sorry for missing your shower but I promise to shower you with Aunt Andi's love for your whole life!
6. For Ben for being the voice of reason in the absence of the top men in my life, you are the best little brother!
7. for having baking soda on hand to make a paste for those pesky bees!
So you see, I have so much more to be thankful for than I have to be sad about. And when these things are resolved or settled, then I will have even MORE to be thankful for! God is still on the throne and nothing that is happening is a big shock to Him. I guess He knows I can handle it. That's another thing to be thankful for that He is trusting me with these crisis situations all at once and since it is happening, He knows I'll get trough it, He knows I'll succeed in spite of it.
If you've read all the way to here, wow! you are good because this is long! Now you HAVE to comment! I'll keep you updated as to what is going on and at least by next month, things should be fairly EASY.
well, let's just see what ELSE can happen. I'm only having to deal with some major issues at the moment and each one are a pretty big deal, manageable by themselves but what about when they are all piling up together??
First of all, Ramon's grandfather, a great man who raised Ramon as a child. Ramon's mom died when he was 6 but before that and then permanently after that, Grandpa was there for him. He was 55-60 years old and had a small child to deal with and Ramon remembers him never complaining about going out to play catch or to play golf or anything. A great man. He also took Ramon to church and established a Godly foundation for Ramon, that is priceless. So Grandpa has gone to be with the Lord just yesterday. Ramon was on his way there and about an hour from the destination, he got the call that Grandpa was alive no more. Pretty crushing after driving for 10 hours. But we know where he is. He is there now and can be with his family there. I am planning to fly up there for the funeral on Monday and then drive back with them Tuesday. That seems simple enough, right? Well, I can't afford to fly my other 4 kids (Daniel the oldest is already with Ramon) so what do I do with them? I find 4 different homes for them to go to! It takes a few (try many) phone calls but right now I have homes for all but 1 for the the 2 nights I will be gone. Now it will be packing time for all of them, laundry and everything else to get ready for the kids to go spend the night for 2 nights. Not to mention, packing for myself and my husband is out of town!!
Now that isn't too bad, right? But wait, there's more....... we will be moving this month. It's pretty sudden, but there is a buyer for the house and we can sell it fast and not get as much out of it or keep trying for a long shot. I think we have decided to go for the quick sale. So now, I'll be packing up the house to be out by Aug 22-23, anybody want to watch 5 kids for 2 weeks so I can get done??? Pretty please. Along with this is finding a house to rent. I think we have found a really good one, but we need to pray in the money right now for first month's rent and deposit, it's a pretty penny.
But wait there's more.......The kids will be starting school on August 26, at a whole new school. I have to figure out which one and call each of them to get transcripts transferred and make sure there is room in each grade so we don't do 2 different elementary schools. Check the bus schedules for the new house, just in case we want to use the bus system. The kids did not like the bus too well last year.
But wait there's more.....the Jeep stalled on me today stranding me in the middle of an intersection then thankfully on the side of the road for 30 minutes. I was thinking cha-ching tons of money to fix that so I may not be able to fly out now, and then horay! it started up! My dad was out of town, my husband too of course so I called my brother who was so helpful! They will look at it in the morning to see what's up.
But wait....then I get stung by a bee! Who gets stung by a bee anymore? me, in the middle of craziness!
Let's see how much more stuff we can pile on top of Andi??
so now for my eternal optimism............... things to be truly thankful for..........
1. Great pastors who help with decisions that need to be made during less than ideal circumstances.
2. The Lyons family, who was there to lend Shannon to watch the kids so that I can rest, and follow me in the Jeep to make sure I was safe, and then taking one of the kiddos while I am away and oh yeah for being such a great example to us in every way.
3. For Mandy who is sleeping over at my house so I can work my overnight job while Ramon is away. Who else would do that kind of thing? I am going to owe her big time! She's the best.
4. For Mesa and Laura who are taking care of 1 kid each while I am away, what godly women! It makes me feel so wonderful to leave my kids with quality people.
5. For my new neice, I knew you were a girl all along! I'm sorry for missing your shower but I promise to shower you with Aunt Andi's love for your whole life!
6. For Ben for being the voice of reason in the absence of the top men in my life, you are the best little brother!
7. for having baking soda on hand to make a paste for those pesky bees!
So you see, I have so much more to be thankful for than I have to be sad about. And when these things are resolved or settled, then I will have even MORE to be thankful for! God is still on the throne and nothing that is happening is a big shock to Him. I guess He knows I can handle it. That's another thing to be thankful for that He is trusting me with these crisis situations all at once and since it is happening, He knows I'll get trough it, He knows I'll succeed in spite of it.
If you've read all the way to here, wow! you are good because this is long! Now you HAVE to comment! I'll keep you updated as to what is going on and at least by next month, things should be fairly EASY.
Friday, July 25, 2008
My Husband!
Now the time has come to tell you about my husband! His name is Ramon and as of July 30, 2008 we will be married for 14 years. I consider that an amazing gift in and of itself. How anyone could put up with me for that long......he deserves sainthood. Not that I'm all that bad, but I take everything out on him that I can't take out on anyone else. He gets me at the end of my rope most of the time. For that, I repent, he should get the best of me all the time. He deserves that. I am thankful that he's stuck with me through that.
What attracted me to him was his genuine-ness. (Besides the fact that he is TALL, DARK and HANDSOME!) He was not putting on aires for me, trying to impress me, etc.. in fact we were pretty much just friends for a long time. He was the same when he was around his guy friends as he was with me by ourselves, as he was with a group of people out in public. He had nothing to hide and nothing to lose by just being himself. He didn't let everyone in, though, and guarded his heart, but when we did declare our "love" for one another, that was it for both of us. He was all mine and I was all his. There was no one else for me. He was always open and honest and we shared everything.
Since he was/is so genuine, I trust him completely. I trust him so much that if someone were to come to me and say, "your husband made a pass at me" I would let them know that THEY need to repent for lying. I trust him, and he has proved himself over and over to be trustworthy. He has never violated that trust and often protects that trust vehemently by putting in place guards of protection. Like for instance, when we were youth pastors, he would never ride in a car alone with a teen girl, or be in a room alone with a teen girl and even today, if he takes a babysitter home, we always ask the girl's parent's permission before and then he has maybe only done that 2 or 3 times, ever.
This is something I do not take for granted. His life is an open book to me, I could look at his email if I wanted, I could read anything he gets in the mail and know that he is not doing something that he shouldn't do. Not that I have the need to do that, either. He even closed down his myspace because of the scantily clad cartoon ladies (and airbrushed real people)in the advertisements on the sides. Facebook doesn't have a lot of that so he now has a facebook account instead. Wow, I mean, wow. I don't even notice those things (the ads), but then I did notice that the ads on MY myspace were mostly for university degrees and "mom" things but he, as a man, would get the ads targeted to him. I mean, a man in today's world totally avoiding all hints of porn, he is amazing. I didn't ask this of him either. He decided to do this. I'm sure he gets tempted by things and he is still a man of course, but to purposefully avoid things like this is wonderful to me. He really honors me with this.
He is an excellent daddy, too. Having overcome a dreadful childhood situation to become the man and father he is today is a testament in itself, but he goes above and beyond. He loves, cares for, fights for, and spends time with his children. We agreed to have more than 2 children early on, because I was one of only 2 and I thought it was pretty boring (even though it WASN'T) but he was the one to be absolutely thrilled when #4 was accidentally discovered and then came to me later about having #5. I thought he was crazy but then talking with friends who have broken hearts because their husbands don't want anymore kids, I realized what a treasure of a husband I have. Now another thing, is that I had to have 2 C-sections with the last 2 kids and that was a huge ordeal for me, so when we decided to go ahead with #5, I said then that's it, because I don't want to go through another surgery and he was totally supportive. He may have wanted or wants more kids, but he put my health/needs first. And he was wise to ask about #5 when he did, because right now, I will have 4 kids in school this year and only 1 at home, and it will only be a few months before the last one is out of diapers and he is portable and functional and if I had waited and have a BABY now I might have gone crazy. Watching the baby i watch is enough baby for me right now!
Ramon means "wise protector" and he is just that. I am so thankful for him and how he makes his decisions, not on a whim but he really puts thought into them and how it will effect the family. The Lord gave him his wisdom, too. He grew up being abused and tossed here and there and he had to rely on the Lord to protect him and give him wisdom and he has continued to do that. I know I do not fully appreciate all that he is today because I take for granted sometimes the fact that I was raised fairly normally and project that on to him, but whenever I stop to think of all that made him who he is, I am totally impressed.
We've gone through many things in our 14 years. Namely, we have moved 14 times. We bought our first house at 10 years of marriage and when we moved in here it was our 14th move in 10 years. Don't ask, because there is a story behind each one. One I will tell you about is (I think)the 8th place we lived in. We moved there because of the cheaper rent but the place was pretty run down. We knew the owners well and they let us paint and fix it up for lower rent. We moved in in April and by August they wanted us to move out. They just needed to use the house for other things. (Don't ask.) So we found a temporary place to live in September. Then in December the house we moved out of actually burned down. I know, totally God, inconvenient for us but totally God's hand. You know, I'm thinking about this and I probably complained about moving the whole time, but Ramon never once complained about that situation. I think he was disappointed because he wanted a dog but that was it. During all the things we have gone through, he has been my rock and along with THE ROCK (God) we have been able to succeed. And I say again, WE. Together.
One thing that is true about our marriage is that we are so much better together than apart on our own. That should be true of all marriages but in our case it is definitely true. We make better decisions, we deal with the kids better, we don't just "get by" when we are together in these matters.
I love Ramon more today than I did when we said "I do" 14 years ago, and in a way, that is such a corny line but if it were not true then we would not still be together. I mean what can a 21 year old really know about love and commitment when they are so "in love"? But now to be 35, to go through the things we've already gone through together, to experience the things we've experienced and STILL be in love and committed to each other? Now THAT is a God thing. THAT is real love. That is the kind of love that is pure. I am so thankful for that and for my husband Ramon.
What attracted me to him was his genuine-ness. (Besides the fact that he is TALL, DARK and HANDSOME!) He was not putting on aires for me, trying to impress me, etc.. in fact we were pretty much just friends for a long time. He was the same when he was around his guy friends as he was with me by ourselves, as he was with a group of people out in public. He had nothing to hide and nothing to lose by just being himself. He didn't let everyone in, though, and guarded his heart, but when we did declare our "love" for one another, that was it for both of us. He was all mine and I was all his. There was no one else for me. He was always open and honest and we shared everything.
Since he was/is so genuine, I trust him completely. I trust him so much that if someone were to come to me and say, "your husband made a pass at me" I would let them know that THEY need to repent for lying. I trust him, and he has proved himself over and over to be trustworthy. He has never violated that trust and often protects that trust vehemently by putting in place guards of protection. Like for instance, when we were youth pastors, he would never ride in a car alone with a teen girl, or be in a room alone with a teen girl and even today, if he takes a babysitter home, we always ask the girl's parent's permission before and then he has maybe only done that 2 or 3 times, ever.
This is something I do not take for granted. His life is an open book to me, I could look at his email if I wanted, I could read anything he gets in the mail and know that he is not doing something that he shouldn't do. Not that I have the need to do that, either. He even closed down his myspace because of the scantily clad cartoon ladies (and airbrushed real people)in the advertisements on the sides. Facebook doesn't have a lot of that so he now has a facebook account instead. Wow, I mean, wow. I don't even notice those things (the ads), but then I did notice that the ads on MY myspace were mostly for university degrees and "mom" things but he, as a man, would get the ads targeted to him. I mean, a man in today's world totally avoiding all hints of porn, he is amazing. I didn't ask this of him either. He decided to do this. I'm sure he gets tempted by things and he is still a man of course, but to purposefully avoid things like this is wonderful to me. He really honors me with this.
He is an excellent daddy, too. Having overcome a dreadful childhood situation to become the man and father he is today is a testament in itself, but he goes above and beyond. He loves, cares for, fights for, and spends time with his children. We agreed to have more than 2 children early on, because I was one of only 2 and I thought it was pretty boring (even though it WASN'T) but he was the one to be absolutely thrilled when #4 was accidentally discovered and then came to me later about having #5. I thought he was crazy but then talking with friends who have broken hearts because their husbands don't want anymore kids, I realized what a treasure of a husband I have. Now another thing, is that I had to have 2 C-sections with the last 2 kids and that was a huge ordeal for me, so when we decided to go ahead with #5, I said then that's it, because I don't want to go through another surgery and he was totally supportive. He may have wanted or wants more kids, but he put my health/needs first. And he was wise to ask about #5 when he did, because right now, I will have 4 kids in school this year and only 1 at home, and it will only be a few months before the last one is out of diapers and he is portable and functional and if I had waited and have a BABY now I might have gone crazy. Watching the baby i watch is enough baby for me right now!
Ramon means "wise protector" and he is just that. I am so thankful for him and how he makes his decisions, not on a whim but he really puts thought into them and how it will effect the family. The Lord gave him his wisdom, too. He grew up being abused and tossed here and there and he had to rely on the Lord to protect him and give him wisdom and he has continued to do that. I know I do not fully appreciate all that he is today because I take for granted sometimes the fact that I was raised fairly normally and project that on to him, but whenever I stop to think of all that made him who he is, I am totally impressed.
We've gone through many things in our 14 years. Namely, we have moved 14 times. We bought our first house at 10 years of marriage and when we moved in here it was our 14th move in 10 years. Don't ask, because there is a story behind each one. One I will tell you about is (I think)the 8th place we lived in. We moved there because of the cheaper rent but the place was pretty run down. We knew the owners well and they let us paint and fix it up for lower rent. We moved in in April and by August they wanted us to move out. They just needed to use the house for other things. (Don't ask.) So we found a temporary place to live in September. Then in December the house we moved out of actually burned down. I know, totally God, inconvenient for us but totally God's hand. You know, I'm thinking about this and I probably complained about moving the whole time, but Ramon never once complained about that situation. I think he was disappointed because he wanted a dog but that was it. During all the things we have gone through, he has been my rock and along with THE ROCK (God) we have been able to succeed. And I say again, WE. Together.
One thing that is true about our marriage is that we are so much better together than apart on our own. That should be true of all marriages but in our case it is definitely true. We make better decisions, we deal with the kids better, we don't just "get by" when we are together in these matters.
I love Ramon more today than I did when we said "I do" 14 years ago, and in a way, that is such a corny line but if it were not true then we would not still be together. I mean what can a 21 year old really know about love and commitment when they are so "in love"? But now to be 35, to go through the things we've already gone through together, to experience the things we've experienced and STILL be in love and committed to each other? Now THAT is a God thing. THAT is real love. That is the kind of love that is pure. I am so thankful for that and for my husband Ramon.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Gabriel Burton
The Last of my kids is Gabriel Burton. And I mean last for sure of the kids coming from my body! My body has been pregnant for a total of 45 months and nursed a baby for 41 months that is 86 months, so for over 7 solid years my body has been given for my children. I think that that is enough. Especially since I had the last 2 (including Gabriel) by C-Section. 2 surgeries where I was a totally healthy individual and yet cut open. It made the recovery that much faster since I was healthy to begin with -- I NEVER want to have surgery if I'm sick-- but it was quite a lot to go through. I had a C-Section with Gabriel because I had one with Ezra and my midwife's practice do not do VBAC (if you don't know what that is, it's no big deal but the people who DO know what it is no explanation necessary!) I wanted the same doc's and midwives that I was used to and trusted to help bring in my last child into the world. So from the beginning I knew what would happen, this was after RAMON convinced me to have just one more. I'm so glad he did, because Gabriel is such a blessing! It is usually the wife wanting more kids, but it was the husband in our case who brought it up before we were totally out of the "baby stage" why not just one more? I think I asked if he was on something at the time, but I prayed about it and indeed just one more was what God wanted. It happened pretty quickly from there as well. I am so thankful that it was "easy" for me to get pregnant and sustain the pregnancy. I do not take that for granted at all. I see heartbreak after heartbreak in this area and I just have to say that each and every child is a total miracle and that no one is here except for the hand and grace of GOD Himself. Two more things I will add about when Gabriel first got to us, I had to schedule the C-Section for a Wednesday around 39 weeks or so (THAT was really nice, too because I never went through labor with Gabe, boy, am I thankful for that!!) anyway, 39 weeks was around my nephew's birthday and the last year's birthday party we missed because of Ramon needing to go to the ER for something, so I decided to schedule it for 40 weeks which the date was April 5, 2006 or 04/05/06 isn't that the coolest birthday in the year 2006?? I was so thankful for that and I was not worried in the least that I would make it to that day and that I would not have any labor and since everything was prepared I would have a quick recovery. All that happened as if I scripted it. But it wasn't me, it was the Lord answering my prayers. Thank you LORD! Another thing about that is after Gabriel was out and they were "putting me back together", they told me why the last 2 babies were breech (I would have never had them the regular way, it would have been probably very bad for me had we tried). The doctor and midwife said that my womb was heart shaped and the baby's head got "stuck" in one of the sides of the heart and then couldn't rotate anymore! Isn't that the coolest thing ever????? My womb shaped like a heart -- wow! Let me tell you again how great God is!!!!
Anyway, so now we have Gabriel "hero of God" and Burton "famous". Gabriel was suggested by my mom and meant something cool so that's where that name came from, and Burton was after Ramon's Grandfather, Duane Burton Bassett. I thought it was a very cool name for a middle name so I wanted to find a first name to go with it.
He is 2 years old at the time I write this and right now looking at me with his HUGE brown eyes! He is so cute with the huge dark brown eyes and then everything else, skin and hair are so LIGHT! He has such bright blond hair it is almost out of place with the other kids who are pretty similar. I used to look at him and say "where did you come from" since he is totally different (except you can see it in the eyes). He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces, which isn't that bad (almost 9 pounds!), but my next biggest baby was 7 pounds 9 ounces, that is a whole pound and a half bigger! He also has spots. Yes, you read that right, he is spotted with this thing called "Erdicaria Pigmentosa" and it's supposed to make him more prone to allergies and be itchy, but none of that has happened -- thank the LORD! He takes a low dose of Singulair everyday, but that is nothing. The spots are supposed to go away when he is 5 or so, and not hurt him. So no big deal! They look a little strange to others who are not used to it, but soon they will be gone anyway. He is my little spirited one, too. He loves to explore and get into everything. He has the sweetest habit, though. He sucks his thumb but then with the other hand, rubs his ear -- OR the ear of the person closest to him! It's hilarious! If you are the lucky one to be near him, it feels so good. My mom says it's like a little massage! He is all boy but so very friendly and has a winning smile to boot. He is potty training now and it's been the easiest of all the rest. I am going to have a big party with the theme "I Don't Have To Buy Diapers Anymore!" after he is potty trained. Yes, I have been buying diapers now for 11 years, 2 months, and 10 days. I am so done with diapers. But on the other hand, I love the snuggles and ear rubs that come with the diapers so I am not wishing away this and missing out on the good, I am really just looking forward to my "diaper raise"! (Which is what all families get when you no longer have to buy $30 in diapers every month -- or more!)
Gabriel is a welcome addition to our family and even though we have 5, with him it seems even. We have 2 boys, then a girl, then 2 more boys. There is no perfect number of children to have (pudding comes in packs of 4 but juice in packs of 6 so who's the expert here?) you have to listen to your heart and to God for your perfect number. I would never tell anyone to have more kids just because they "only" have 2, that may be THEIR number. Who am I to say anything to them?? They can ask me what it is like with 5, I will be happy to tell them over dinner (their treat) with someone babysitting the kids. But 5 is not for everyone. 2 is not for everyone. 10 is not for everyone. I do chuckle a little when I hear someone complain about having problems with 2. One thing that is essential for every family is to have a mom and a dad who love each other and love the kids. You can go anywhere from there! If you don't have that, then until you get that you cannot move on to the next cool thing for your family! (For all you single parents out there, who are not single by choice but by the bad choices of others -- I salute you and you can do and overcome anything with this next step-->) The next step would be for everyone to love God together. If you have that the SKY IS THE LIMIT!
I will focus on my husband next, I am VERY thankful for him and it will be an honor to honor him especially this month, for on the 30th, we will be married for 14 years.
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