Bendabout Bits

Mike's Mission Trip to India 2010

2010-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Mike returned from India on Monday February 15th after a 2-week mission trip. Below is just a sampling of some of the photos he took while in India. Mike said he is already planning his next trip! I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you who made this trip possible for Mike. Whether you gave financially or of your time in prayer, or both, we appreciate you!!! We know that God knows who you are and He will bless you. Thank you for making such an amazing adventure possible. I know that in just two days of the trip there was 50 professions of faith! YOU share in a part of that victory. May God bless each and every one of you.

Here is the blog of the missionaries ~~Nate and Kari~~ that are currently living in India. We ask that you continue to pray for them as they teach the Word of God to those in India!!

Mike's Mission Trip to India 2010

2010-02-18T08:27:00.001-08:00

2/2010 India Trip

2010-02-18T07:51:00.001-08:00

The guys always drew a crowd wherever they went.

So sweet and innocent, one of my favorite pictures.

Some of the believers in a training class.

This was one of the nicer places the guys went to eat....look at the dishwasher...yes, it is a dog and yes, the guys still ate there. And to think we complain when we have to wait 15 minutes for our food...shame on us.

Look close....the women are doing the days washing....look who is sharing the wash water with them. So which one of you is still going to complain about not having the newest front loading washer?

Faces of India

2010-02-18T07:41:00.001-08:00

These boys just returned from hunting fox.

Some of the precious children

Mike and Barry witnessing to a man.

hmmmm

2010-01-12T14:29:00.001-08:00

I've tried to re-post the below without all centering issues, can't figure it out....oh well, you get the drift. :)

Books Read in 2009

2010-01-12T10:51:00.001-08:00

My goal for 2009 was to read 2 books a month! I far exceeded my goal! I know that I read 35 books, but I can't remember all of them. Below are ones that I remembered. Some I recommend, some I do not. My goal for 2010 is to read another 35 books! (and this year I promise to write them down!)

Homer's Odyssey (*****) What a fantastic Book!!! This is a TRUE story about a blind cat that no one wanted, was adopted, and ended up saving a young womans life on more than one occasion! The cat scared away a burglar!!! This is one of my new favorites. Read the book, and think outside the kitty litter box so to speak. Even if you aren't an animal lover, you can learn something! Compassion for those smaller and weaker. Strength for those of you that don't want to roll out of bed in the morning! If Homer can live a happy life, so can you! I laughed and I cried reading this book. The GOOD thing....Homer is alive and at a healthy 13 years of age. Read the book and visit Homer's Human's blog here.

Knowing God (*****) Fantastic Book, Must Read!! What an amazing author, I would recommend any book by him!

Hard To Believe (*****) Fantastic Book, Must Read!!

Don't Make Me Count to Three (*****) By Far THE BEST Parenting book I have ever read!!! And if you know me, you know I've read them all! If only they would have taught this in all my child development classes in college!!

Shepherding The Child's Heart (*****)

What's The Difference (**) No Photo Available

Helicopters, Drill Sergent's and Consultants (**)

Mommy, Teach Me (***)

Diner s, Drive Ins and Dives (**) The recipes included aren't that great.

That's My Son (****)

Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible (**)

The Birth Order Book (**) I studied Birth Order when getting my Bachelors degree....I was hoping to learn something new. It is a good book if you are new to birth order, but if you have studied it before, you won't need this one.

Look Me in The Eye, My Life With Aspergers (****)

Parenting with Love and Logic (***)

Total Mo ney Makeover (**) Not that I didn't like this book, but if you read any Dave Ramsey book, you'll get the idea, no need to keep buying his books. GREAT plan that DOES work!

What in the World is Going On? (***)

The Beloved Disciple (*****)

Don't Lose the Wonder (**) Another old one.

No Photo Available

Strong Willed Child (*****)

D are to Discipline (****)

Parenting From the Pew (**) Not sure I agree with all of it, but will be good for those parents that have perfect angels that can sit for long periods of time. IF you have a strong willed child or a child with ADD or ADHD, don't bother with this book.

Simple Church (*****) Good book, not sure I agree with everything, but I agree that "church" as we know it today is not what God intended.

The Five Love Languages of Children (*****)

Emotions, Can you Trust them (*****) This is an older book and I was surprised by how good it was!

House (***) By one of my most favorite Christian authors! Not his best work, but good.

Have a New Kid By Friday (***)

Discovering God's Purpose For Your Life (**)

Sorry, no photo available.

The Shack (Disgusting book, don't read) IF you want to know why, let me know. I could write an entire blog entry as to why NOT to read this book. I'm amazed by how many Christians LOVE this book and by how many of my churched friends recommended this to me. I'm not putting a link or a photo, I cringe thinking someone might actually click on it and order it!

Love and Logic for Early Childhood (***)

Parenting isn't for Cowards (***)

Love and Logic Tickets to Success (*)

No Photo available

Bringing up Boys (*****)

December 21, 2009

2009-12-21T16:34:00.001-08:00

New Posts coming....don't freak out!!!! whoohooo

Monster

2009-04-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind in my blogging it's not even funny!! Here is a another book that I read in January from one of my favorite authors, Frank Peretti. IMHO it wasn't as good as his others. It seemed as if there were way too many characters to keep up with. Still, it was a good book and I would recommend it....and you know I'm not too much of a non-fiction reader...but I LOVE Peretti. The great thing about him, is he sucks you into his books quickly!! It was an easy read and I think it only took 3 nights or so to read it.

Finding Nemo...

2009-04-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Not the fish....our new puppy!!! Yup, new baby at our house. Mason loves him, Stanlie loves him and Mike loves him. Mokie...not so much, but Mokie doesn't like anyone...but me (Melissa). Once we get this guy potty trained he's gonna be a GREAT dog. He has SUCH a sweet disposition. His mom was pure Beagle and daddy....well, no one really knows. They "think" it was a brown dog. Nemo has the coolest markings. We gave him the name "Nemo" because he has a gash on his ear....kind of like Nemo's gimpy fin. Enjoy a few pics of his first day home with us. ((My camera is broke...so I had to borrow my moms camera...I HATE her camera, hence the terrible pics))

"Look mom!!! He loves me!!"

They ran for an hour!!

resting...

and resting....ahhhh the life of a little boy and his dog...stay tuned. :o)

Bye Bye first tooth

2009-03-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent pics of Mason...some with and some without his front tooth. Sorry for the fuzzy ones, he was "helping" me scrapbook and wouldn't stand still. LOL Oh and I posted some of his "dorky hat" pics. He LOVES that stupid hat!

Where have I been??

2009-03-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, 2009 is off to a BAD start! God is faithful even in the valley’s of life and that could not be more evident this year. In no particular order, here are just SOME (yes, not all, some are too personal to share) of the events of 2009…

The encapsulated version. (I do not feel like typing much right now) :o)

Mike had surgery on his neck.

Mason took a hard fall while at my parents on one of the days I was home having a miscarriage. My parents and Mike had to rush him to urgent care. It knocked his front tooth loose. He would not eat or drink for 2 days. As we were getting ready to take him to the ER....because he was getting dehydrated…he finally drank. I took him to the pediatric dentist that Monday, where he had to have that front tooth pulled. It was fractured high above the gum line…NOT a fun experience for any of us. Ten days later we had to rush him back to the dentist because his pediatrician thought that it was abscessing….thank heavens it was not!

We had to put our beloved cat, Dustie, to sleep.

I had two miscarriages during the SAME pregnancy…yes, you read that right….TWO miscarriages SAME pregnancy. Twins? Ectopic? My body not getting rid of everything? No one knows this side of eternity.

9 weeks of blood work. One week alone, I had THIRTEEN vials of blood drawn. Yup…my arms are all black and blue. I'm a hard stick, so it wasn't fun.

I had surgery 2 weeks ago.

All children are miracles from God…but we found out this week that Mason is even more of a miracle than we had thought. I have a blood condition called Lupus Anticoagulant. It basically means that my blood does not clot the way that it should, hence all the miscarriages. IF we wanted to try again, I would have to give myself a shot of Heparin EVERY day and be followed closely by a team of specialists. Even then, there are no guarantees. Basically, it means no more children for us. Amazingly, other than getting high blood pressure my last few weeks with Mason I had NO PROBLEMS with my pregnancy with him. Not even morning sickness!!! We are more convinced than ever that God has AMAZING plans for that little boy!!

If you count all my lab work…. between the three of us.....we have had FORTY, yes 40, medical related appointments this year (and it is ONLY March 8th)!!!!!!! That equals to over $700.00 so far in Co-pays and over 1,000 miles driving. (Thankfully, we have not received our bills yet for the two surgeries this year) We are praying ever so fervently that we have hit a plateau now!!

I have left some things out, but I am sure you can get the gist of things here. So if I have not returned a phone call, email or letter….PLEASE understand why. Things have been BEYOND hectic here, some weeks we have had appointments literally every day. I am praying that we have gotten all that out of the way now and we can enjoy the rest of the year…..WITHOUT doctors!!

Oh I forgot one more thing….Mike turned 43 and I turned 36!!!!

What a cat!

2009-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer – If you do not like animals, do not read any further. If you love animals, PLEASE be sure to read until the very end, as you will see this story come full circle. I know it is long, but it will be well worth your time.

If you have not noticed, I express myself mostly through writing. I do not know why, but it seems to have some sort of therapeutic effect on my soul. Below is a heartwarming and heart wrenching story all wrapped up into to one beautiful soft white ball of fur…..Dustie.

One afternoon in 2001, I got a call from a girl in our youth group at church, Stephanie. Stephanie told me that she had found a beautiful white kitten on our local golf course. She said that her mom told her she could not keep it and needed to take it back. She could not find anyone to take it, and she did not want to take him back to the golf course. She called me asking what to do….fate.

Thankfully, Mike was home….fate. We hopped in the car and drove up the street to Stephanie’s house. We walked in and saw an emaciated, flea riddled, filthy, matted haired - white kitten. The only thing attractive on this kitten was its green eyes that had a sparkle….a sparkle of hope…and a soft pink nose. Mike took ONE look at him and said, do not take him back to the golf course, he is coming home with us…..fate.

I was shocked with Mike’s reaction as we already had a cat, Mokie, and that was MORE than enough….or so I thought. We had no idea how Mokie would feel as his territory was now going to be invaded. Mokie was hesitant at first, but not this new white cat. As feeble and frail as he was, he marched right up to Mike’s recliner and sat in it, just as if he had done so a million times before. I quickly fed him water and cat food and cleaned him up as best I could. He then hopped up on the back of the couch and fell right asleep….he KNEW he was home….he KNEW he was safe. He slept peacefully for a very long time.

Even though his belly was beyond full at this time, you could still see EVERY bone in his body. As emaciated as he was, I imagine he would not have lasted another 24 hours. He was excessively young to be on his own, and obviously, he and his littermates had been dumped at the golf course. Stephanie said that she called to them, but the “white one” was the only one that came to her….fate. He was so small at this time - we didn’t even know he was a “he” yet.

Now it was time for a name….we thought of all the common “white” names…Frosty, Snowball, etc….but none of them fit. At this time he had a patch of fur right smack dab in the center of his forehead that was grey….it looked like he bonked his head on something “dusty”…hence DUSTIE! The “ie” came just because our other cat is Mok”ie”. It fit, and it was the perfect name for him….even though that “dust” spot faded away just as quickly as his ribs receded into properly nourished flesh!!!!

The next day I took him to our local veterinarian, Dr. Tracy J. Patton, whom we consider more than just a vet…he is the one whom we trust with the very lives of our fur family members and whom we consider a friend. Dr. Patton’s technician could not even identify if he was male or female, I don’t know if it was because he was so young, or because he was so frail!! Dr. Patton actually thanked us for rescuing him and said he seemed like he would have a great personality….and boy was he right!!!

Dustie grew into the most amazing cat, I have ever had the immeasurable pleasure of loving, YES, I said LOVING. For example, Dustie hummed, he did not meow (see post from 1-20-09 for more on his humming). Dustie hummed to us all of the time. Dustie had no greater pleasure in life than to sit and sun bathe in the window all day while chattering to the array of birds in the window. His favorite bird watching/sun bathing spot was our front bay window. Even the neighbors would comment about the pretty white cat that was always in the front window. Every day when I would come home from work, there was Dustie, looking out the window. I’d like to think he was waiting for me, but I’m sure he was just fascinated in his bird watching. I strategically placed bird feeders at several of the windows that were Dustie’s favorites (which are still there today, and will remain there). He never tired of looking out the window; however, he NEVER tried to venture back outside. NEVER. Anytime a door was opened to the outside world, he would run the other direction….as if to say, PLEASE don’t let me go back out there, I like it here.

At night, you could hear Dustie snoring, as he would somehow manage to sleep with his head upside-down like a kitty contortionist. Somehow, he would know when we Mike and I were fast asleep as he would come on our bed and sniff in our ears ever so gently. If we “acted” as if we were sleeping, he would then proceed to groom our hair! Yes, he would groom us. He usually didn’t spend too much time on my hair as my hair was long and I’m sure too cumbersome for a kitty cosmetologist. Mike’s hair is a different story. It was nothing for him to spend 10 minutes on Mike’s hair. Sometimes Mike would actually sleep through it, but being the light sleeper that I am, I would hold in my giggles until Dustie groomed his friend and found a place to go drift off to sleep. Mike told me the other day that what he will miss the most is Dustie’s humming. Mike will also miss the times when he would watch TV on the couch, Dustie would hop up on the back of the couch and sniff his ears and groom his hair and then lie down and take a nap on the back of the couch behind Mike’s shoulders. Mike and Dustie had a bond…I think Dustie knew that Mike is the one that made the decision for him to stay with us and they always had a special sort of kindred spirit. Dustie never purred louder than when Mike was petting him.

Dustie was the only cat I have ever known that did NOT like Tuna! He did not like much human food at all…except for lunchmeat and green olive juice. How do I know he liked green olive juice??? ….because I was making a salad and the next thing I hear is a licking noise. I turn around and there is Dustie on TOP of my kitchen counter with his ENTIRE head in the olive jar….at least he was happy. :o) Another oddity was Dustie LOVED to play in the water…he loved to sleep in the bathroom sink and loved to play in the shower water. He would bat at the water droplets on the shower curtain for the longest time. Anytime anyone got out of the shower, you would soon hear that all too familiar "batting" of the plastic curtain. One thing is for sure, Dustie loved his Whisker Lickin treats!! If he wanted a treat you would KNOW it…he would HOLLER at you until you got up from whatever you were doing and followed him. He would not wait! When he wanted a treat, he wanted it NOW!! He would lead you into the master bath right to the drawer where his treats were stowed. Smart kitty.

Sadly, Dustie was taken (all too soon) from us on Monday January 19, 2009. Dustie had a very rare, but deadly autoimmune disease. I am not a vet, but this is what my grief-stricken heart understands. Basically, he got a “virus” and his own immune system that should have “killed” the virus went into hyper drive and actually helped lead the virus to his body’s core. There, his body would continually produce these cells (macrophages) that were ineffective at killing off the virus and his abdomen began to fill with this fluid. Had we not put him down, eventually he would have suffocated, as the fluid would have pressed against his lungs. We knew we made the right decision as soon as we saw the x-ray of his fluid filled abdominal cavity. Dr. Patton assured us that at that time he was not in any pain (and it is my earnest prayer that he was not in pain), but he soon would be. Sadly, there is no cure or treatment for this terrible disease, only palliative care. We knew that Dustie had had enough.

We spent a few more precious moments with our beloved Dustie, before saying one last heartfelt goodbye. We held him and assured him of how happy he made us and how we could have never asked for a better cat. We let him know how he filled both our hearts and lives with so much joy, laughter and happiness. We told him thank you for all the laughs we had over his silly antics. Mike and I sadly said our final goodbyes and sealed it with a kiss on his precious forehead. It was not until after BOTH of us uttered, “I love you Dustie” that we heard a very low and all so faint “meow” from him. Mike and I looked at each other and could do nothing but cry, as we knew he was telling us “thank you, I love you too, goodbye”.

Afterward, the techs from Dr. Patton’s office printed off the Rainbow Bridge Poem and took the (much-appreciated) time to put Dustie’s paw prints on the bottom of the paper for us. I can’t tell you how much I cherish that piece of paper.

We took Dustie home, and put him in his cat bed to burry him. We buried him under one of his favorite bird feeders. Just as Mike and I turned to walk back inside…..Stephanie drove by. The very one that called us 7.5 years ago to tell us she found a kitten….. Fate had come full circle….or as I would prefer to say….unconditional love…had come full circle.

To Dustie – Thank you, for loving us with an altruistic and pure love. Your spirit was just as pure as your beautiful white coat. Thank you for showing us what true unconditional love is. Thank you for showing us that we need to take time each day to rest, play, and of course, watch the birds. You came to us timid, shy, scared, alone, unkempt and unloved. You quickly grew into a beautiful, pure, happy, nurturing, talkative, graceful, elegant and deeply loved part of our family. You were a blessing. Our home will never be the same, our lives will never be the same. For a cat, it is amazing how much you taught us without one word ever being uttered. We are deeply saddened that your amazing life story was cut way to short. Dustie, we will never forget you…..Dustie, we miss you…..Dustie, we love you……

Special thanks to:
Dr. Tracy J. Patton and his amazing staff @
All About Animals
415 S. Hwy. 88
Claremore, OK 74017
918-343-9130

Below is our first picture of Dustie. As you can tell, it only took a few days for his belly to get full!!

Dustie in his favorite window seat, just watching the birds.

Helping me quilt.

Dustie on a Christmas Morning.

After he finished playing in the shower.

Somehow he always knew where the clean clothes were.

This is my favorite pictures of Dustie and Mokie together.

~~~Dustie~~~ June 30,2001 - January 19,2009~~~

Below are some other posts of Dustie.

Missing Dustie already!!

2009-01-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

It hasn't even been 24 hours...and I already miss him. Our house was so quiet last nite. Dustie actually hummed instead of meowing. He would meow every once in a while, but he would hum ALL the time! It was the strangest thing for a cat to do....but I think that he was humming because he was happy. Just like I like to hum or sing when I'm happy. He would hum the loudest and longest at night when we would try to sleep. And let me tell you that cat hummed ALL the time.... :o) And I sure hope he's humming a new tune today! Oh, how I miss that sound.

I had a hard time this morning when I drove up in the driveway from running and errand in Tulsa. Dustie was ALWAYS in our front bay window. That was HIS spot to sit and watch birds and lie in the sun ALL day. Dustie....was not there in the window waiting for me to come home....It has been literally YEARS since that window has sat unoccupied....

Still not ready to type up his story, but come back....you won't want to miss the heartwarming story of this amazing cat. But for now, I want to thank those of you that have sent so many warm emails or have posted on here. Thank you. For now, I hope you enjoy a few more photos of our Dustie.

You may have to click on the below picture to enlarge it....if you look closely you will see Dustie in his spot in the bay window. This picture was taken when we first got him.....we didn't even have any landscaping done on our house yet!!

Dustie in his window.....look closely :o)
Dustie LOVED to play in the water!!!

Dustie LOVED it when I wouldn't make the bed!!Typical Dustie...in a box or basket.

Farewell Old Friend

2009-01-19T19:55:00.001-08:00

I have so much that I want to type in memory of our beloved Dustie, but today, I just can't.

As you know, we have now have had 2 miscarriages in the last 5 months. Grief, is becoming all too common in our hearts. Yes, it is hard....a friend, Karen, sent me these words today that are so fitting to how hard it is --- The longtime friendship with your pet coming to an end and the promise of a new life coming to a close.

We do KNOW that God IS in control....and somehow all of this grief will turn into not only joy for us, but will bring GLORY to God.

I will tell Dustie's story, as it is actually one of hope AND love! So check back....but for now, here are a few pictures of our Dustie who was only allowed 8 short years in our lives, but forever in our hearts...Farewell my furry friend....farewell......

~~~Dustie~~~ June 30,2001 - January 19,2009~~~

Below, is my favorite picture of Dustie, more about his story later. He had only been rescued and in our home for a few days in this picture....I think he KNEW this was home!

NO SNOW?!?!? No Problem!!

2009-01-12T19:03:00.001-08:00

So what do you do when Santa brings you a sled and there is no snow?!?!?! Enlist your older cousins and various other family members to pull you around the yard! If you could only hear the squeals of glee and laughter coming from this little guy! Everyone was laughing! Christmas 2008 was a GREAT Christmas.

More Christmas 08

2009-01-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

I just love this shot, he was so proud.

Mason, "Hey Ma, what do sprinkles taste like?"
Me, "I don't know Mason, why don't you try it and see."
Mason, "mmmmm Ma, I like 'em"
Then he proceeds to get an entire HANDFUL and see what THAT tastes like! :o) The end result....

Look out Gene Simmons!!!

The End! 2 hours past bedtime = a lifetime of memories!

2009

2009-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here are some 2008 photos....I'm a little slow in my blogging. It's been crazy busy here. Won't go into too much detail, but I've had another miscarriage, Mike is getting ready for surgery on his neck, Mason will probably be getting new tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out. I will possibly be having another sinus surgery as well, but holding off on that on as LONG as I can! So all three of us could be having surgery this month!! eeeekkk

Anyway here are some Christmas photos. Mason LOVES baking a Birthday Cake for Jesus. He loves decorating it! He had such a blast and was quite proud of himself!

What is it with men and power tools?!?! The cake was more like a whipped cake because the 2 of them had so much fun with the mixer

I let him ice the cake after I did.

So proud.
I tried to get Mason to "shake" the sprinkles.....nope, he wanted (and DID) to make a mountain.

50% off TAC SALE

2009-01-08T07:28:00.003-08:00

Shop here now!!!!!

50% off STAMP SALE

2009-01-08T07:28:00.001-08:00

www.theangelcompany.net

I love the 80's

2008-12-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

I love the 80's. Why shouldn't I....I did grow up in them!

Your 80s Hunk Is

Jason Bateman

Who's" Your 80s Hunk?

Award for me?!?!

2008-11-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Bridgett sent me a blog award. I feel so special today! She's such a doll. Be sure to check out her blog!

The rules for the Encouraged Blogger Award are:
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog. (I will.)
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award. (I did.)
3. Nominate 5 blogs. (See below.)
4. Put links to their blogs. (Just click on their name.)

5. Leave a message for your nominees. (done.)

Trudy
Stacy
Alison
Vicki
Carol

Don't judge a book by its cover...

2008-11-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

Don't judge a book by its cover....except this one!!!

It was time for another "easy reading" book for me. I saw this on the "recent release" shelf at my local library. I saw the cover and knew I had to read it. And I'm so glad I did. This is a story of a grossly abandoned dog, Issy. Issy, a pure bread Border Collie, "lived" on a 3 acre fenced in area with a small dog house. He was fed by a local farmer that would stop by on occasion after his "family" just up and moved. For YEARS Issy would run up and down the fence line until he literally had a 2-foot trench that he ran in. Jon Katz, a writer. photographer, and animal lover, "adopted" him. Katz has a menagerie of rescued animals on his farm...my favorite is a bull named Elvis, if you read this book, you'll love him too!! You can look at the farm here and be sure to take a look at his wonderful photo album!!

NOW Issy is a Hospice volunteer!!! If you know and love animals, you know they have a sense about them. Jon did an amazing job at bringing Issy's story to life and relating to the reader the special bond that they share. This book relates how both Issy and Jon helped each other journey through their mental illness struggles, both coming out on top. I enjoyed this book so much that I can't wait to read another Katz book. So, sometimes it IS ok to judge a book by its cover!!

I'm seriously excited about making another trip to the library to get another Katz book!!! If you love photography be sure to check out his website where you can check out his fascinating farm journal (blog).

Happy 3rd Birthday Mason!!!

2008-11-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Mason is already 3!!! I can't believe how far he's come in 3 years. I take that back, I can't believe how far WE have come in 3 years. The memories of him struggling in the NICU seem so much longer than 3 years ago...yet in some ways it still feels like yesterday. I can still remember the wonderful feeling of him moving around inside my tummy. The joy in Mike's eyes (tears) when Teresa (our sonographer) said, "it's a boy". Seems like it was just yesterday when we were so fearful of his future and if everything would be ok. Today, Mason is a vibrant, energetic, beautiful, smart, wonderful, "all boy" boy. Gone are the days of spreadsheets and charts keeping track of medications and exact doses...now are the days of brightly colored charts with stickers tracking "good boy days" of no back-talking. Gone are the days of constantly running to various specialists, hospitalizations, and hours spent in waiting rooms...giving way to hours spent running and jumping and catching bugs. Gone are the days where I would literally spend hours on the phone sorting out insurance mistakes....now are the days spending time scheduling play dates and exchanging kid-friendly recipes.

You know, many people discouraged me from leaving a great job to "just stay home", "waste my talents", "waste a masters degree", "put the financial burden all on Mike", etc., etc.. While I can honestly say, I truly miss working....I am so glad that I am a stay at home mom. I am content with my decision. I have learned many many things about myself in my 3 years at home. I have become FAR less materialistic. I have learned to rely more on God. I have learned the valuable lesson of being content with what you have. I can't imagine missing out on all the little things that happen daily around here....you can't put a dollar sign on a hug in the middle of the day for no reason. You can't put a dollar sign on so many things I would have missed out on, not even realizing that I was missing out on them. Granted, it has been VERY hard with one income....especially since we had so much in medical bills with Mason. But for right now, I'm content with my decision....a job can wait, those cool shoes can wait, that awesome purse I JUST saw can wait, but parenting the most precious thing to ever step foot on this earth can't.

But I digress.....back to Mason :o)

We were thrilled to have his party outside as the weather was PERFECT! We had a Bob The Builder party. Sadly, Bob is hard to come by as PBS has taken him off the air.

Here are a few tidbits on Mason

He LOVES his daddy and asks every (weekday) morning "where's my daddy".
He already has a heart for the Lord and tells Mike and I ALL the time, "it's time to pray", "can we pray now".
His favorite story is Jonah and the big fish.
He loves babies.
He LOVES animals (this can be scary as Mason thinks that all animals are good).
He loves fruit.
He loves Diego, Handy Manny, Bob the Builder, and Fireman Sam
He loves books and loves to "read" to others.
He loves to go to school and loves his teacher Mrs. Hendrickson.
He loves to go to church.
He loves his Nannie, Pop Pop and Paw Paw
He has talked about fireworks EVERY SINGLE day since the 4th of July. And he has prayed for them EVERY SINGLE night. SERIOUSLY!!!
He LOVES to help me with housework.
He is fascinated with tools and carries them around everywhere.
He loves to pray for his friends "Uncle Jim" and Marlene.
He loves cement mixers.
He loves John Deere Tractors.
He is always telling us "I love you", "I like you a lot".
He loves bugs.
He would much rather pee pee outside than in the potty (told you he was all boy!!)
He is 41lbs and 40 inches tall, wears a 5T and 10eee shoe.
He is the biggest blessing God has ever given us.

If you are having financial problems....or even if you aren't I highly recommend Dave Ramsey to get you through it. If it had not been for his plan, I would have NEVER been able to stay home.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Mason was Handy Manny this year. Mason loves tools and loves to help his daddy fix anything!! The hat that came with the costume was so cheesy and fake looking. I knew I'd have to get a new cap and sew on a pencil, just like Manny has. In fact, the first thing Mason said to me when he saw the costume was, "where's my pencil". Thankfully, Mike found a hat exactly like Manny's. I also got Mason a pair of work boots (which he LOVES), and a tool box to use instead of a pumpkin to hold all his treats!!!

We did see other Handy Manny kids running around. But, I think adding the boots, hat, pencil and (the biggest hit) the tool box, Mason was the best Manny ever!

What a day

2008-11-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Poor Mason. We went to his 3 year old check up yesterday and apparently his eardrum has ruptured again. He gave NO warning signs like he has in the past. And he still has tubes. We got in to see the ENT today....of course it was during nap time. But what can you do?? We were in the office for 2.5 hours....but that is another story. Anyway, he may have to have his adenoids taken out and more tubes put in. In the mean time, his doctors are going to do some allergy testing on him.

Off we went to another room to have some blood drawn. Now remember that he just turned 3. There were 3 of us holding him. The nurse got the vein on the first try, but then he jerked.....and that was that. It was awful and he will have a terrible bruise. Instead of them trying again, I asked for a req to the hospital to have blood drawn there. We had to do this last year when they couldn't get a vein in the office. (Sadly, Mason is a hard stick, like myself).

So at the hospital, Mason knew what was coming. Mike could hardly hold him and one nurse was assigned to just one arm. Poor fella was screaming so bad they were afraid that he was going to pass out. Thankfully, it was a "seasoned" phlebotomist and she got him on the first try.....then we had to wait for the 3 vials to fill.

After an incredibly looooooong day, we took him to Burger King (my LEAST favorite place), so he could play in the play area (I'm a germophobe, but felt he earned it). We let him play for an hour or so, it was sooooo nice to see him laugh and run and jump after a day like today. When we got in the car he said "we had a good day today didn't we". When we got home he said "we had a fun day today didn't we". I am so thankful that we took him there and ended the day on a positive note.

After showering and brushing his teeth I ALWAYS read him stories. He is in the phase now where he likes to "read" to me. Well....tonight, was a special night as a special friend decided to join us for book time. I love this dog.

In spite of it all....what a GREAT day and what a PERFECT ending to any day....spending it with mans, or in this case...boys best friend.

Pictures can say a thousand words...

Can you tell that I'm not the only one that loves this dog?

Reading to a friend.

So sweet.

Is this not the sweetest?

Stanlie, wishing that this was a book about bones or chasing cats.

FYI -- we adopted Stanlie from the Animal Resuce Foundation in Tulsa.

Pat Tillman

2008-11-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

WOW! This is probably one of the best books I've read in a while.

If you are a football fan, you know who Pat Tillman is. Trying to get your husband to read more, this may just be the book to get him started.

This book stirred up every emotion possible. I can't imagine what this family has gone through and I admire them for putting this down in a book. One question remians...vast government conspiracy and cover up that points all the way to the top...... or horrible accident......read it and decide for yourself.

VOTE!!!!

2008-11-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is an historic election no matter which side of the isle you are on. I truly hope that you will exercise your right to vote today! I'm glad I live in a country where I can vote. I will not tell anyone who to vote for, just remember we will all be held accountable for it one day. Hopefully you have done your research (and your praying), but if not, you still have SEVERAL hours to do so!! Whatever your choice, get out there and vote. And if you do not vote today....you cannot complain tomorrow!! :o)

Dare to Discipline

2008-10-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Whooee, I'm on a reading role! I have just finished Dr. James Dobson's The New Dare to Discipline. This is such a great parenting resource. This book has tips for any age child and he does a great job discussing different methods of discipline. This book is for parents AND teachers!! I love Dr. Dobson , if you couldn't tell already, and have a great admiration for him and for his constant love of children and our Lord. You can check here for his recent broadcasts, there may be one in your area.

A boy and his dog.

2008-10-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Mason was eating an ice cream cone while Stanlie was underfoot "begging" for a lick.....well not only did Stanlie get a lick, but ice cream drippings all over his head and ears. Poor Stanlie was running in circles trying to get to it.

Like Father, Like Son....

2008-10-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful that Mike is a "handyman" type guy. And by the looks of things, Mason will be following in his footsteps. ((It is, by the way, my daily prayer that Mason will be JUST like his dad when he grows up....not just because he can fix things....but because of the man, husband, and father that Mike is.))

Anyway, enough of the sappy stuff and on to the photos of Mason "helping" Mike with his OWN tools. Mason loves to fix things.

On a side note, Mason will be "Handy Manny" for our Fall Festival at church. Imagine that!! LOL

More Thomas pics

2008-10-09T08:48:00.003-07:00

Ok, so I had more pics than I thought.....here are a few more....

Here are some pics we took in 2007 with Thomas.

Thomas 2008

2008-10-09T08:37:00.001-07:00

Have a little boy, then you are sure to know who Thomas is. Thankfully Thomas came to OKC this year. Normally he only comes every other year, but last year he came for the Oklahoma Centennial Celebration. Here are some of my favorite pics of the day.

He's getting so big.......

Love the finger in his ear.....

We were laughing so hard.....

Mason and daddy....

I love my boys...

Dewey

2008-10-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I like a book that is just a nice, feel-good, kind of story. Well "Dewey" is just that book. If you are an animal lover and a book lover then this book is for you!!! It's a short story of a library cat that changed an entire town. Dewey lived for 19 years at the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, IA. And yes, I did have to get a box of Kleenex for the last few chapters.

Click his picture and it will take you to Amazon.com

Alphabet Soup

2008-09-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

I LOVE toddlerhood....although we are almost to the end of that stage. For lunch yesterday I gave Mason "Alphabet Soup"....BIG HIT. He LOVED finding all the different letters. He didn't even realize he was eating veggies along with the letters. He had so much fun, it took him over 30 minutes to eat, but it was well worth it. He was so proud of himself. We had a GREAT day together. Here are some shots of lunch..... (click on this first pic to see it bigger, what a great smile!)

Finding all the different letters in his soup

Eating his letters and his veggies without knowing it!!!

Bringing Up Boys

2008-09-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

I love to read. However it has taken me MONTHS to read Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. For example, in the past month, I have had a miscarriage and have been battling Vertigo and a horrid sinus infection for 2 weeks. So reading, has not been on the top of my list. Thankfully, I finished the book today.

If you have children, you undoubtedly know that boys are different. Not better or worse than girls, just different. They just seem to have their own set of challenges and lets not forget joys. "Boys will be boys"..."Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails"...."Don't worry he's just a boy". Are all constant reminders of differences.

Our son, Mason, has been the biggest joy of my life! I love how he loves to learn, he gets so excited by seeing the moon in the daytime. Trying to catch bubbles can provide hours of fun and laughter. Watching a worm slither on top of the grass is awe inspiring. How sad is it that we all grow up and seem to lose that great curiosity and wonder of life in the world and nature around us. I'm so thankful that I have Mason to "remind" me almost daily of all the wonderful things life has to offer us.

Parenting a boy...especially those "active" ones can be a challenge and a great blessing at the same time. If you are having behavior problems this book is for you. If you are not having behavior problems this book is for you as well!! James Dobson does a great job with this book and I will now recommend this book to anyone I know that will be having a boy. Anyway, if you have a son....will have a son...or have a boy in your life -- whether you are an aunt, uncle, grandparent, friend, etc. This book is for you. It's an easy read and provides us a glimpse into a little boys (of all ages) world and how to protect them and parent them while protecting their God-given strengths.

Here are some websites for you to check out on this book as well.
http://www.bringingupboys.com/

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/

Lost and Found

2008-09-16T07:44:00.001-07:00

If you know me very well, you know I LOVE pictures. I love to scrapbook, I love looking at pictures, I love taking pictures, I love everything about memories. Well, unfortunately we don't have very many photos of Mason's first 6 months (if you know us, you know why). Anyway, I am usually the one behind the camera, so pictures of Mason and I together are few and far between.
Anyway, Mike had take some pictures of us in January of 2006. I printed them out and gave them to the grandparents, but didn't save any for myself as every penny was put towards his medical bills. I have been looking for two and a half years for these pictures and I thought that I did not have them saved. I was heartbroken. For the last 2 weeks I have been suffering from Vertigo and haven't been able to do much of anything. Since movement makes me sick, I've been trying to sit and sort through my computer/scrapbook/stamp/quilting/storage room. And guess what....I found an unmarked CD and I put into my computer. Guess what!?!?! It had the jpegs I thought were no longer in existences. Can I tell you how happy I am? I can't wait to scrapbook these.
Again, these were taken on 1/15/06.

Football Season!!!

2008-09-09T11:15:00.001-07:00

I think one of the reasons Mike fell in love with me is because I LOVE EVERYTHING about football!! I love to play football, watch football, LOVE football weather and who can resist the delectable football munchies that must accompany each game!?!? Anyway, I used to sit and watch football with Mike (Girls, this scores BIG bonus points with guys, you should try it a few times). However, this season I seem to have been "benched" and have been replaced by a "rookie". Can you believe it?? Here are some great TV -watching pics I shot.

The problem...

2008-09-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is.....

This was, BTW, the first time in over a week that I have cooked (LONG story)....... I kind of take this as a "sign" that I shouldn't have to cook anymore! :o)

Uh oh, Silence

2008-09-02T07:48:00.001-07:00

So what happens at our house with less than 3 minutes of silence?

Mason gets the uber THICK and greasy lotion that Mike (yes MIKE) left behind (Mistake #1). Here's how it went down.....

Mike gives Mason a shower while I'm in the kitchen making dinner. Mason comes out of the shower, so I get him dressed in his pj's. He's still pretty hot from playing outside all day, so I just put his pj top on (mistake #2).

Now, Mike is giving the dog a bath while I'm setting the table. Mason is 10 feet away playing with his train set. You can see in the pics HOW CLOSE Mason is to the dinner table.

All of a sudden....silence......"every moms warning sign". So I peek around the corner.....and there is Mason. Instead of gasping, or saying "Maaaaaasssoooooonnn", I run (without bursting into laughter) and get my camera.

This is how the conversation went down....
Me - Mason.....
Mason - Whacha doin moma?
Me - Mason what are YOU doing?
Mason - Puttin lo-chin on
Me - Mason are you supposed to be doing that?
Mason - lo-chins nice moma
Me - Mason are you supposed to be doing that?
Mason - Moma I puttin lo-chin on
Me - Mason, lets go see daddy...and take another shower.
Mason - I don't wanna nother shower.
Me - Mason you NEED another shower.

By this time Stanlie is out of the shower....
So I walk Mason BACK into the bathroom and tell Mike (before I round the corner "don't laugh")..... now Mason is BACK into the shower. Now remember this is Eucerin LOTION, this stuff is thicker than spackle!! I thought I was going to have to get mike a putty knife!!!
By this time I'm back in the kitchen making sure dinner isn't burning WHILE trying to clean this "lotion" out of the carpet, the toys, the train set, etc.
A few minutes goes by and Mason is back out of the shower again.....I get him dressed into some NEW pj's. His legs were so waxy they felt like candles!! Pretty funny stuff.
Then 45 minutes (after FIRST stepping into the shower) Mike is finally out of the shower. Remarkably, he did not run out of hot water!! Finally, we all sit down for dinner.....and no, the lotion did not come out of the carpet.

What's really funny....when I walked into the bathroom with Mason, Mike thought it was "just powder".

Summer Fun!!

2008-07-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

I think Stanlie loves the pool as much as we do!! I think he just likes to be where we are. I got him from the Animal Rescue Foundation in Tulsa. So we really don't know how old he is. But it will be a sad sad sad day in the Bendabout house when he passes. He has been THE best dog I have EVER had and I have had a dog in my life for the past 35 years!!! Click on the below pic to enlarge it, I swear Stanlie is smiling!!!!
I sometimes wonder if Mason likes the ladder more than the pool!!

A broken heart....

2008-06-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

Mike's face says it all!!! We had to ride the train at the zoo, as per Mason's instructions, of course. :o) Well....only one problem....the train was too full by the time we got in line. So it just means we have to wait for it to come and get us on the next trip. Ok? Nope, Mason thought it was the end of the world! He couldn't understand why "Trainey left me". He was absolutely heartbroken. I thought it was hilarious, but as you can see, Mike doesn't have quite the same sense of humor as I do. :o) BTW- this meltdown lasted the entire 15 minutes it took for the train to come back.....thank heavens there were a MILLION pre-schoolers running around so Mason didn't really stand out.....that much. LOL

SEE!!! I told you it was coming back. What relief for the poor little fella!!
Ahhhhhh, this is the face of a happy boy!!
Concentrating on the ride.

Mason at the zoo

2008-06-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

I love this shot of Mason looking at the penguins.
Mason LOVES animals. He just loved getting up close and personal with the birds. What a great exhibit.

Here are some pics I took at the zoo. Mason has a little girlfriend, Issy, who just so happens to be my BFF's daughter. They get along splendidly!! It's sooo cute to watch them hug when they see each other. Well....Mason tries to hug her, she's normally dashing off as fast as she can. Both of them LOVE to be on the go!

How is this possible?

2008-06-18T11:24:00.001-07:00

Mason is a VERY light sleeper....so how on earth can he do this!?!?!!?!?

Let's go fly a kite! (I dare you not to think of Mary Poppins right now!) Here is Mason flying his first kite, Elmo of course, and having a blast. And he wants NO help from Mom and Dad. Little booger wants to do everything on his own now. Which kind of makes me out of a job!! Maybe it's time to shine up the ol' Resume'~~

can you help?

2008-04-26T07:22:00.001-07:00

See if you live by one of the testing cities and go get your cheek swabbed!!
http://grantonbayless.blogspot.com/

Detour

2008-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Nothing, and I do mean nothing will STOP Mason in his tracks.....unless it is a tractor!! Egg hunting came to an abrupt halt when the sound of a "tractor" could be heard in the distance. Much to Mason's excitement the "tractor" was working right across the street....so Mike and Mason took a break and watched the tractor work.

I love this picture. Chocolate face and all!!

Easter 2008

2008-04-13T08:17:00.001-07:00

This was Mason's first Easter where he actually had a clue what was going on. He was so intense on getting all the eggs he could. We went to my best friends parents house...they live on the lake and have 9 BEAUTIFUL acres. Mason loves to be outside,so he took full advantage of every square inch!!

After a long day of egg hunting and running and running, he finally decides to rest....but only for a moment!!!! LOL

Sweet Flowers

2008-04-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sooo behind on my blogging. Oh well. These were taken on my birthday (2-22)...I think Mason had more fun with my flowers than I did!

I'm still here

2008-02-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

I'm still here! Sorry for not posting in a while.....this week my DS 2yo has been bitten by a spider, had an allergic reation to his antibiotics, horrible chest cold, his ear drum ruptured (again, even tho he has tubes)....

I'll post again soon....I hope.

Oh yea, I turned 35 yesterday....and I sure feel every bit of it!!!

WAIT until you see the new pictures from my parents place. It looks like a war zone.

2007 Ice Storm

2007-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

This was an amazing ice storm!!! My parents live 15 minutes north of us, the damage in their area was sooooo much worse than what we received. A week after the storm and they are one of the thousands that are still without power. Another 15 minutes north of their house, my friends trees STILL had ice on them 5 days AFTER. The ice on our trees was gone in a few days. It's amazing to think that this damage is pretty much state wide.

This is the road right in front of my parents home. The pictures just don't do the damage justice.

Here is the road into my parents neighborhood, this road is to the right of their home

Here is a picture of my parents driveway....yes, it's there.

I don't think anyone will be sitting here in the shade this summer.

This is my "favorite" picture. This looks like a small tree. But I assure you that this is (was) a HUGE tree. It looks as if it was just skinned right down to the bottom of the trunk.
What's left of dads shed.

The Big TWO

2007-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 2 on Nov 1st. I can't believe how fast it is going. It just amazes me how far we've (he's) come. I praise God for him and we are so happy that he is a healthy, happy and VERY active little guy!

Eating with Paw Paw and Pop Pop
He's really getting into unwrapping gifts now.
Here is Mason peeking through the little window in the Thomas tent. He loves to sit in here and watch TV.

This was the ONLY time he smiled. He was sooo serious when he was opening his gifts. But he sure smiled when he turned on the dump truck.

Day out with Thomas

2007-10-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

We took Mason to OKC to ride the Thomas Train. Normally, he only comes every other year, but since this year is the 100th Birthday for the state of Oklahoma, Thomas came again! Other than being insanely HOT Mason had a great time. We rode in a caboose which is funny because it was in the middle of the train not the end

9/17/07 Mason's Wagon

2007-09-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Mason loves to ride around on the lawn mower (aka Big Tractor). Mike decided to hook up his wagon to it and pull him around in that! Mason loved it! Normally he has his headphones on, but kept throwing them off. Got some great pics of his eyes!

8/20/07 First Day of Preschool

2007-09-22T11:49:00.001-07:00

Mason isn't one for sitting or standing in one place long enough for me to snap a good picture. I actually took his "First day of school" pictures on 2 different days in the hopes of getting a good shot! Mason even has a school book to work in now. What a big boy!! He loves to go to school and will even run down the hall to get to his class!

Mason on the Bike 3/07

2007-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Look what I found....Pics of Mason on the bike SIX months ago! My little guy is growing up! And, NO, Mason does NOT go for rides on the bike. He does like to sit on it while Mike starts it up though! Mike's had the bike for over a year now, I wish I would have go pics of Mason on it last year!!

Daddy's Bike 9/11/07

2007-09-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Mason loves to sit on Mike's bike. I love the picture where he's got his legs up on the seat. Already looks too comfortable on that thing! Notice Mason has a bike on his shirt too! These pictures were taken on 9/11/07

Fur Babies

2007-09-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

When Mason was in the NICU, they encouraged us to put pictures up for him.

Stanlie

Dustie

Mokie

What great boys I have!!!

2007-09-05T17:51:00.001-07:00

I have been blessed with a wonderful husband that actually helps around the house without me even asking! I got a picture of Mike TEACHING Mason how to do the dishes!! I hope and pray that Mason will be a wonderful husband and father. He sure has a good role model that is for sure!!

It's a Big Big World

2007-09-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Mason LOVES to watch "Snook". I TiVo it because it is on during his nap time. I should probably confess that BOTH Mike and I like this show too!!! At the end Snook puts his paw on the screen and Mason always runs up to the screen and puts his hand on his paw! He wakes up wanting to see Snook on TV. I'm glad we've found a show we can all watch! LOL

Da Da

2007-08-07T12:49:00.001-07:00

One year ago today Mason uttered the words Da Da....and now he is saying things like triangle, dump truck and flamingo!!! So here are some pics of Mike and Mason in the sandbox.

Pop Pop and Mason

2007-08-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Pop Pop and Mason playing in the sandbox....

Sand box pics

2007-08-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

My dad built Mason a covered sand box to keep him out of the sun since we don't have any shade in the back yard...

For Vicki

2007-08-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Vicki told me that I haven't updated my blog in a while. I wasn't going to post this picture....
Mason squirted me with the water hose when I was taking his sprinkler pictures. I wiped the lens off on Mike's shirt and somehow took this beautiful picture in the process. When I took this picture the thing I was focusing on was Mike's shirt and the water on the lens.....but my lens was focused to the heavens. Just an earthly reminder to focus on what we can see and the Lord will lead us to what we can't see.
It's ok if you don't understand this....Vicki will and that is all that matters.

More sprinkler

2007-08-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sprinkler Fun

2007-08-07T12:12:00.001-07:00

Water Baby

2007-08-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Fun in the sprinkler....

August....already?!?!?!?

2007-08-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's August and I haven't posted in OVER a month, so that means more pictures!!! About the only thing new with us is Mason is taking an interest in going pee pee in the potty!! He did it 3 times this weekend! We're not rushing him or pushing him, just letting him do it in his own timing!
He is developing into quite the character! He loves to laugh and make you laugh at him. He has a great sense of humor and LOVES to give others big hugs. He comes up to me several times a day to give me big hugs. Makes my heart melt.
Mason is getting quite smart too...yesterday he kept saying "Ah-angle" over and over again. I couldn't figure it out until he brought me a triangle! I have not taught him his shapes yet. Maybe his friend Elmo did? Mason has several books that he adores. We read to him all the time. The other day he was quite upset because Mike and I had no idea what he was telling us...Mingo Mingo Mingo he would shout. We had NO idea what he was talking about. Wouldn't you know it, that little booger went to his bookshelf and brought us a picture of a flamingo! Mind you, I hadn't read out of this book in weeks!! Ahhhhh, what information that little brains soak up! He is also learning more and more sign language words every day!! Enough talking here are some pics.

Mason's "Boat"

2007-06-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here is what Mason's Fire Truck looked like before Mike put it together. He was so excited that he got a "boat". We let him play with it like this for the first nite!!

Time Flys When You're Having Fun!!!

2007-06-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been a month since I've posted!!! We've been playing and playing and playing. Here are some pics of Mason's new fire truck. He woke me up at 1:30 in the morning the other day wanting to play with it! Before Mike had it all put together he called it his boat!! Boy was he surprised when he walked into the living room the next morning and it morphed into a Fire Truck!!! He immediately grabbed my car keys and tried to "Start" his Fire Truck. I didn't even have time to put pants on him, clean diaper yes, pants no!!!! Hey, who needs pants to dive a fire truck anyway!?!!?

Trip to the zoo!

2007-05-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mason is in Mother's Day Out at our church and we all went to the zoo yesterday. It was PERFECT weather, with an overcast sky and a nice breeze. Mason wasn't too interested in the animals....he mostly just wanted to take off running! He wasn't too happy when we'd move to a new exhibit because that meant he had to hold my hand! Mike's dad went with us. It was a fun trip. I think next time we go on an excursion, we'll just go to an open field and let Mason take off!

May 19, 2007

2007-05-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

Ok I know that I haven't posted in a while, but golly, life sometimes doesn't allow me to do the fun stuff each day. Well, I take that back, I get to chase the most beautiful 18 month old boy in the world...and it just doesn't get any better or "funner" than that!

Mason loves to sing! He sings every morning. He finally says "Amen" but not when he is "supposed" to say Amen! I just love spending time with him, he fascinates me!! He is so excited by dandelions and the "little" things like a bug on the window that I don't even think twice about. He has definitely made me "stop and smell the roses". I am so thankful for him!!

For some reason he likes PLAIN sour cream. I made baked potatoes one nite for dinner and he kept hollering and pointing to the sour cream container and spoon. So.....I gave it to him thinking I'd see a funny reaction....he LOVED it! He did the same thing when we first gave him pickles too!

Here are some sour cream pics...

Tagged Again

2007-04-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

This time my "deer" friend Angela got me! She is my new cyber buddy. We are both demos for The Angel Company! You can find out all about her here... http://angelstamper931.blogspot.com/

Ok 7 more things about me...

1. I was born in New Jersey.

2. I have 3 older brothers.

3. I like animals (sometimes more than I do people).

4. I like to watch American Idol, Lost and 24.

5. I love cold weather.

6. I love to take naps Sunday afternoons after church.

7. My husband is my best friend.

8. I love plain hershey kisses.

9. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving (it seems like it is the least "commercialized" of the holidays now).

10. I sing the "Thomas" song to my son every day.

I've been tagged

2007-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

4/26/07 I've been tagged by some of my friends from A shade of Blue. I'm supposed to list 7 things about myself....

1. I have been happily married to Mike for almost 11 years.

2. I have one beautiful son, Mason.

3. I have 2 cats (Mokie and Dustie) and one dog (Stanlie).

4. I am now a SAHM and love it.

5. I sell AVON.

6. My favorite color is purple.

7. I am very active in and love my church.

8. I am a neat freak "wanna be".

9. I am a home body.

10. I HATE living in Oklahoma....it is WAY too hot here!

you can view my friend Chris' blog here http://inkydoodle-inkyencounters.blogspot.com/

ATC's , Ear Infections, and Brads

2007-04-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally got my ATC's done for a swap I signed up for. I'll have to post them later (you'll find out why in a bit). It took me 2 weeks to get 1o completed. Gosh, I can't get things finished like I would like.

Mason has his 3rd ear infection since the tubes were put in in January. He is acting ok, just not eating well. It bothers me because I think he should be eating more. Mom says he'll eat when he wants to. I guess he will, but he hasn't had a "normal" meal in 5 days. He is drinking and sleeping and playing well. I guess that is a good thing.

Got some great new brads yesterday when a friend and I went to 2 new scrapbook/stamp stores in Tulsa. It was fun and we hit a good sale.

I'd post some pics, but my camera is down. I thought it was batteries, so I changed those....then I got some strange error message. I'll have to sit down tonite after Mason goes to bed to try to figure it out. Mason had on the cutest outfit for church today and I was more than bothered when I got an error message on my camera!!! His eyes perfectly matched his sweater. UGH. I'll try again later!!

Easter 2007

2007-04-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

He IS Risen!!! He IS Alive!!! Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins and rising three days later! What a mighty God we serve!!!!

I had to improvise on Mason's Easter outfit. He had a cute little sweater vest that he was supposed to wear with shorts....however, the weather has been CRAZY here and was 20 degrees this morning. So I had to squeeze Mason into some blue pants....and I do mean squeeze him into them!! You see these pants (the only blue ones Mason has and the only thing that would look good in this outfit) are size 18 month. Mason is already wearing 24 month and some 2T clothes. But he HAD to wear this outfit. Of course, he could have cared less!

We just had Mike's dad over for a small dinner because my parents both have bad colds. So we will plan on having our big Easter family dinner with my brothers and nephews when it's warmer and Mason can play outside. The good thing, is is that Mason has no idea what fun he missed out on today! Plus I'll get to hit the after Easter sales and get some Easter eggs and things for his basket really cheap!!!

I took these pics today of Mason and his grandpa. I can't believe the difference in the skin tone! Grandpa is full Cherokee and Mike is over 5/8ths, so Mason has a lot more Cherokee blood than he shows. He looks all Polish to me! Anyway, Mason was eating in his high chair as normal and after a few bites he would just fling his food, his fork, sippy cup, you name it. So I figured that he wasn't very hungry. I let him out of his highchair and he ran to his Grandpa (he always RUNS to Grandpa!!) and ate HIS food. It was really cute because the food on Grandpa's plate was obviously better than the same food that was on his plate!! LOL ((I'll have to take some pics of him wearing his Easter outfit later, this is not his Easter outfit, these are just his play clothes)).

Women's Retreat

2007-04-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know that I am over 2 months behind in my blog, but with a sick baby, a women's retreat, stamp camp and great weather (not counting this week) I've been away from my computer a lot. Mason had a fever of over 105, it was sooooo scary. They still don't know what it was. Some sort of virus and rash. Glad that is over.

Anyway, we had a women's retreat at my church last weekend and I was asked to teach a scrapbooking class. ((we had "fun" classes after the retreat and after the "real" Biblical lessons were presented)). I was able to present some Biblical truths to scrapbooking! Like scrapbooking our Faith....I mean if it is a part of your daily life, why wouldn't you include it in your scrapbook!?!?!? I also included verses such as

1 Cor 16:14

PS. 114:4

Phil. 1:3

Ps. 78:4

I spoke mostly about how we need to remember the bad times in our lives. Those "valleys" seem to be when we grow the most spiritually. So we must not forget those lessons we've learned.

Here is the scrapbook layout I taught. I had everything pre-cut for all the ladies, they just had to glue their pages down. Boy, that was a lot of work, but the ladies really appreciated it and seemed to enjoy the class. I had several ladies that had never scrapbooked before!!

Want to help!!!????

2007-02-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

I had a dear friend just return from a mission trip to India! He ministered to the Banjara people of India. If you are broke, like me, you can still help!!! YEAH!!! And all you need to do is use a great search engine!!!! We all use search engines pretty much daily, so won't you give this one a try? I promise it is not a hoax! When you go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ make sure you type in "Banjara for Christ" as the organization you want to support! Now how easy is that??? Now, won't you please do that today? While you are there take a look at some of the photos. Once, my friend, Dale creates his blog I'll put a link to his site so you can read about his journey and see his photos! ~~~Melissa~~~

http://www.goodsearch.com/

What a difference a year makes!!!!

2007-02-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

One year ago we could have never dreamed that we would have such a healthy AND HAPPY little boy. Praise the Lord! His mercies are never ceasing!

These are some pics of Mason just being Mason. I promise that I am not driving while taking these pictures!!!! These were taken last Friday after the aquarium, Mike went to QT to get a pop.

I love how the animal cookies all in his teeth and nose add dimension to the photo....you scrappers out there will know what I'm talking about!!!

Mason's 1st Hair Cut

2007-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Mason had his first hair cut on Saturday (sniff sniff). He was being good so she took out the electric clippers. She said she's never had such a good baby at their first hair cut (big grin). I don't think Mason had a clue what was going on. He was too busy being a ham in front of all the ladies in the shop watching him. He is either going to be a class clown or a ladies man, because he already knows how to flirt!!!! Oh dear!

Mason's car

2007-02-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, before Mason had tubes put in his ears, our pastor anointed him with oil and prayed over him. While we were still in his office he pulled out a matchbox car for Mason. Well, that little car has become Mason's most favorite toy and he can't understand why we won't let him take it to nite nite with him. We really like using the car when we change Mason because it will keep him still for a few minutes. The other day after I changed him , I took the car away from him and boy did Mason have a meltdown (what I call tantrums). Anyway, I turned on the TV and as soon as Mason saw Thomas on TV he immediately stopped crying and started dancing to the music....I had to take a picture!!!

15 Months Today!

2007-02-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Mason is 15 months old TODAY!!!!!!

I'm a week behind in my posts, oh well.

Last Friday Mike surprised us by coming home from work early and taking us to the Jenks aquarium. It was really fun to get out as a family. It was even better because we were virtually the only ones there! So we were able to let Mason out of his stroller and run around. It's been so cold and windy here so he hasn't been outside much to run off some steam. I think Mason had a great time.

Here is Mason at the Stingray touch tank. I'm the only one that actually touched the Stingrays and sharks. I think Mike was a little chicken.

I used to cringe when I saw babies crawling on the floor in a public area.....well, not only had Mason been crawling on the floor in front of this tank, but in this picture he is kissing the glass trying to get to the "baby" on the other side.

Does this one even need an explanation.

This is now my favorite picture of my 2 boys.

More stingrays.

2007-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Brain Freeze

2007-01-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, I promise that Mason has other clothes besides cammo! His PopPop is an avid hunter so Mason has like 3 cammo outfits so it looks like that's all he wears. I think I'm going to have to put them in the back of his closet! Anyway, Mason LOVES to munch on Sonic ice....I think he had a little too much this day!

Watching Barney

2007-01-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Mason has just started getting into Barney. Here is a pic of him and my dad (PopPop) watching Barney.

Morning Quiet Time....

2007-01-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

So last nite I was all prepared to wake up this morning and have a MORNING quiet time. Our pastor spoke yesterday how important it is to have a MORNING quiet time. And then a few weeks ago I got an email from a friend that had a message from Herb Hodges about MORNING quiet times. So I figured that the Lord must be wanting me to have a MORNING quiet time. Giving Him my first fruits of the day instead of the leftovers.

Those of you that know me, know that I am NOT a morning person. And to top that off I have a 14 month old that "normally" gets up during the night 1-3 times STILL!! Anyway, being incredibly convicted yesterday during service our pastor talked about how we need to have the following for our MORNING quiet times --

Determination
Preparation
Separation
Expectation

Guess what happened last night?!?!?! MASON slept the ENTIRE night!!! And to top that off HE SLEPT IN!!!! OK, can I just tell you that that has NEVER happened. So at 6AM (my "determined" time that I appointed for my MORNING quiet time) I still hear no stirring over the baby monitor. And what do I do? I roll over and go back to sleep. My excuse....maybe the Lord wants me to get some sleep for once.

Of course, now that I have been up for a few hours and basking in the wonderful feeling of my son sleeping in I am able to realize that maybe the Lord sent angels to sing to Mason to keep him sleeping. I figure the Lord did this so that we (the Lord and I) could spend some quality MORNING time together......ok, so I feel incredibly guilty now. I can just imagine the Lord sending the angels to sing a beautiful praise song to Mason with the hopes of me spending some time with Him. .......and what do I do? I roll over. Oh, Lord will I ever get this right?

Looks like I need to work on determination. I wonder if I'll be getting up a million times tonight with Mason or will I get another chance?

January 20, 2007

2007-01-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Since I was snowed (iced) in last week I was able to start on Mason's scrapbook.....I'm JUST 14 months behind! :o) I loved these pics with my dad and Mason! Looks like we have bad weather for this weekend too....so maybe I'll get a few more pages finished!

I went out with my girlfriends last night.....we had an awesome time! No husbands and no kids. We got kicked out of the salad place where we had dinner AND the coffee place. Not because we were rambunctious or anything....just because we stayed past closing time at BOTH places. I don't think any of us wanted to go home. Girlfriends are the best "therapy" in the world!!!!! And they're free too!

Christmas 2006

2007-01-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Mason's 1st Christmas 2005 was spent in the ER because he had to have an emergency barium enema....just picture a baby on a rotisserie...it was TERRIBLE. And THIS Christmas we should have taken him to the ER, but we waited until the next day. Mason had had double ear infections since September and one ear drum had even ruptured! That was awful! Last week On Jan. 9th Mason had tubes put in both ears. There was an immediate difference in him! He even looks better. He is so happy now that he feels good. And for the first time in FIVE months Mason does not have a runny nose! The doctor said this morning that his hearing is now perfect and there is NO infection in either ear! Praise the Lord! AND when Mason went under anesthesia his heart did not have any problems! The power of prayer is alive and well! We are so glad that 2006 is over and we are looking forward to a better 2007!!! Mason is only getting up once or twice a night since getting tubes so it is already looking up!!

2006-11-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Once Mike gets home from work, I'm pretty much non-existant in Mason's eyes. Even during the weekend, he just wants Daddy. Mike just went in to take a shower and here is Mason looking under the bathroom door for his daddy. I thought this was too cute!

2006-11-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Mason was 24 hours old by the time I got to hold him. This is our first picture together. After he was born they took him immediately to the NICU, I was on a different floor in recovery...I couldn't even hold my head up. When the nurses told me that Mason was having problems breathing and was in respiratory distress all I wanted to do was be with him....and I couldn't. It is a horrible feeling being separated and only getting bits and pieces of information like...he can't regulate his body temperature now, he is having to be fed through a tube, we need to put him on oxygen now...I could do nothing for him, I couldn't hold him or even soothe him with my voice. At 2AM I was able to "watch" mason on my closed circuit TV. Imagine my surprise when all I could see were dozens of medical tubes and wires all over my baby and I couldn't go to him. I strained my eyes from my bed to watch his tummy heave back and forth struggling to breathe. The nurses said that that was a "good sign".

I finally got to see Mason, the next day. Mike wheeled me to the NICU. And after they verified that we were indeed Mason's parents, Mike had to scrub my hands and arms like you would for surgery (I was too weak to do so on my own). We were in a big open room with glass layettes all around, the hustle and bustle was amazing...computers and medical equipment surrounded each baby. I didn't even know which baby was Mason. Then I spotted his sign "b.b. Bendabout".

I was so scared to hold him, not because he was a tiny baby like most new moms, but I was afraid I was going to knock out one of his tubes. I remember how "loud" it was in the NICU where he was...each baby had his own nurse to tend to him, Mason was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and computers. His nurse that day was Olivia. What a blessing she was. She took such good care of Mason and even reassured me that it was ok for me to kiss Mason. She said if I knocked off one of his leads she would re-attach it.

2006-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

What Beautiful Blue Eyes you have!

What a year we have had! I wanted to create this Blog so that we will always be able to see that the Lord was with us through our trials, even when we didn't realize it. I will "slowly" place some of those trials here. Many I have forgotten already. I want to list them all before I forget, because I know that the Lord put those hurdles in our life to make us stronger and we should remember them and learn from them so that we may grow in the Lord and our faith will become stronger.