Thank you for loving us!

Wes and Hunter getting ready for surgery.

Wesley having some pudding after waking up.

Wes at home after surgery enjoying dinner.  He was STARVING!!

He ate 2 bowls of mac-n-cheese, yogurt, pudding, a banana and applesauce!

First I need to say a huge thank you to every single one of you that prayed for our family and Wesley today. It was clearly evident that we were faithfully covered in prayer, our family appreciates YOU! 

Wes did incredible today.  He was so calm while we were waiting and going through all the paperwork and talking with the different nurses and Doctors.  He was amazing as they wheeled him away for surgery, there was absolutely NO fear.  The only time he cried was when they brought him back from recovery and that was because of the obvious...pain and stitches in his mouth but also due to the effects of  the anesthesia.

Please continue to think of us in the next several days as he recovers.  He has 4 pretty big holes in his little mouth and they had to do some extensive 'cleaning out' of the infection.  He really is doing great though and should bounce back pretty quickly.  In fact one of the harder things we had to deal with tonight was keeping him calm so he wouldn't bleed. 

This has been a very long road with a lot of bumps along the way.  I did not think that today would be any different, because not one thing has gone in our favor with this whole mess.  In fact, I was almost afraid to pray or even ask for people to pray because in my eyes all the other times I prayed nothing went according to 'the plan'. So, when exactly is it that I started assuming my plan was better than God's?  During the day today a line from a song by Steven Curtis Chapman kept running through my mind. "God is God and I am man, so I will never understand it all for only God is God."  That applies to so many areas of life, this journey is no exception!

God is God, His ways will always be higher than mine.  His ways will ALWAYS be better than mine.  Why do I doubt?  Why do I get so desperate to try to be in control of something and then when it doesn't go according to my plan just give up trusting?   How many different situations in life will it take to let go of doubting that God is in control of it all? 

Thank you Lord for being in control and not leaving the steering up to me.  Life is a journey of ups and downs and I know that when I try to take control it just ends up being a bigger mess than what it started out as. Thank you for showing me love and patience, especially when I do so often think I have to be in control.  You don't turn away and leave me driving out of control, you gently take the steering wheel and direct me where I need to go.  Sometimes it's the quickest route to the end, other times it is more of a scenic view!  Please help me learn to let go and enjoy the ride!  The blessing is far greater when you're in control.

Prayer Requests for a very dear friend and for our sweet little boy...

Our very dear friend lost his battle with ALS yesterday and is now dancing in Heaven!!  We rejoice with you Eric that your burden and suffering on this Earth has ended and you get to see Jesus face to face.

Please remember his family in your prayers, his wife Lori, and his two children Zach and Maddie as well as the rest of his family members and friends that will deeply miss him.  To read more about Eric and his family click here to read their blog. 

The second prayer request seems trivial today in comparison to what I just wrote but nonetheless our family would covet your prayers.  Wesley (6) goes in tomorrow to have 3 crowned teeth removed, another one pulled that became infected because they were done incorrectly and 1 new crown put on. He will be under anesthesia.  You can read more about how we got to this point here.  There are other posts as well that explain some of this ordeal I just don't have time to link them to this post right now. 

Specific requests:
*Dr Port and the rest of the hospital team that will be performing the surgery
*Wesley will be able to sleep good tonight and be calm tomorrow morning while waiting to go to the hospital.  That recovery will go well and for Wes to be able to deal with the pain after surgery.
*For Daddy and Mommy that our nerves will be calmed as we anticipate the surgery and then wait while it is performed.

Surgery details:
9:45 need to be to hospital
11:00 surgery to last 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Monitored recovery for an hour and then additional recovery for an hour after that.

I know this is not a 'big' deal to most, but to me this is one of my babies.  He has to endure this because the dentist who put the crowns in did it WRONG and now he has to suffer all of the ill effects this will cause.  We will have many, many more procedures to endure over time and Wes has developed a HUGE fear for the dentist.  Please pray that things tomorrow go smoothly so he can have a little bit of faith restored and we will not have to struggle every single time he will need to go to the dentist. 

Thank you for all of your prayers~we appreciate them!  I will update hopefully tomorrow night with how it all went.

Brotherly love...

I should be doing housework right now but instead I'm sitting here thinking about how much my sons love each other. Yesterday while Caleb was sitting on my lap in Church JJ was gently holding his hand, softly rubbing it while Caleb drifted off to sleep. It was such a precious moment. I didn't ask him to do it, he just did it out of pure love and tenderness towards his baby brother. Sure, they have their moments when they're fighting like cats and dogs but they also display a love between them that is fiercer than any storm. I can only continue to pray that they will always maintain that love and that it will last throughout their lifetimes. 

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

 but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 Proverbs 18:24

Today I am thankful that they are not only brothers, but best friends.  It is such a joy to watch the love that is shared between all 5 of my sons.

A hard thing for me to admit...

Ever feel like you're drowning and just when you get your head above the water you start to sink again?

I'm not alright....that's why I need you.

Friendship in the Pit

I used to get Today God Is First devotionals emailed to me every day, until one day they stopped coming for whatever reason. I did not receive one for months, until last week when this devotional appeared in my inbox.  I thought it was really good and worth sharing.

Friendship in the Pit
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1, by Os Hillman
04-08-2010

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." - Proverbs 17:17

"I am in there again," I told my friend. "The pit." A time when no one can cheer you up and you wonder if there ever was or is a God. Have you ever had such times? Discouragement can be devastating even to the best of saints. It can bring us so low. The writer of Proverbs phrased it well when he said, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). When we get so low that we despair of our belief, we can identify with the prophet Elijah who wanted to die after being so discouraged with life.

"I'm coming over," my friend said."Aw, you don't have to do that," I said. "I'm coming over. We're going to pray."

About 30 minutes later my friend walked in the door. We sat in living room and my friend began to pray. I didn't feel like praying. I was too deep in the pit. All I could do was listen. After awhile my friend was quiet. We both sat quietly for ten to fifteen minutes, praying quietly to ourselves. Suddenly my friend said, "First Thessalonians 5:24!"

"What verse is that?" I asked. "I don't know," she said. "That is the verse He spoke to me." I grabbed my Bible and looked up the verse. "The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it."
We laughed. Can He be so personal? Can He care that much? That night I grew more in my love of my two friends, not to mention being brought out of the pit.

Do you have a friend who is there when you need somebody at any hour of the day? Are you there for your friend? Ask the Lord how you can be a better friend to someone today.


Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders

Having a wonderful week...

We are enjoying Spring Vacation close to home. Playing outside, taking walks, playing with sidewalk chalk, planting seeds for our garden, playing in the rain. Just being together and enjoying every minute of it!

A few things that need to be addressed...

The other night someone posted something that was extremely offensive to me on my facebook page.  I got so upset that I started deleting tons of posts I had made off of my wall.  My initial thought being...well this particular statement probably is offending someone.  Or, this really doesn't matter to anyone so I should just remove it.  Let me make this perfectly clear:  if you don't want to be my 'friend' I am okay with it.  If you don't like what I say either here...or on my 'social networking pages' then don't read it.

Secondly, I LOVE music and many times will post a song/video~either here or on FB. Many times I am saying what my fingers can't put into words. It's there because the words/message have meant something to me and I am sharing what is on my heart.  I am NOT making you click the 'play' button and you are free to turn it off anytime.

If you are my 'friend' then you need to love me for who I am, not for who you want me to be...or who you think I need to be.  I am a very imperfect person, trying to do my best each and every day...failing miserably and then leaning on the promises I have in Christ. Please do not judge me until you have walked in my shoes.  I have struggles, fears, insecurities, pain, heartache.  I also have hope, joy, love, faith and blessings more numerous than I can count.  I try to be a blessing to others as much as possible, but I need to be able to share my struggles honestly and trust my 'friends' will be there to hold me up when I need them to and not condemn me.


So, be my friend because you want me in your life.  Be my friend because I want you in mine.

Arise My Love

Lead Me To The Cross