#1 "Of COURSE That Would Happen To Us" Moment Of The Weekend

Josh and I headed to VA on Friday evening so we could go to his Great Uncle Mayo's funeral on Saturday afternoon.

Knowing how Zeke is we prepared him very thoroughly for the events that would take place and explained that this was going to be a "Quiet Celebration" of Uncle Mayo's life and that even though Daddy was going to get up and sing a song with his guitar, Zeke was going to stay with me in the seat...and NOT sing.

We also talked about how we "will not freak out" and we "will not throw a fit" and we "will not scream out" and we "will obey all the way, right away with a happy heart."

So, when Josh walked out the side entrance to take Areyna potty (because Cai was sleeping in my arms) Zeke began to freak out (quietly at first) saying that he wanted to go with him because he had to go potty too. Knowing that if I refuse his request a freak-0ut was soon to occur, I gave in and let him go find his daddy.

Not 30 seconds later Zeke comes running down the center aisle screaming for his daddy (because he couldn't find him) in the middle of the funeral, in a VERY acoustic auditorium.

Nice...

I Love...

These are a few of my favorite things...

The rush I get at the checkout counter when I save more than I spend!

Everything weather - especially storms.

Sipping on hot beverages on a cold day.

Being outside.

Window days.

Watching my kid's sleep...nothing sweeter.

French fries dipped in a frosty...mmmm

Blogging - you never would have guessed this one;)

Our small group! I've NEVER been a small group girl.

Me+random group of people+sharing intimate details in my life=Nervousness, a red face and uncontrollable sweating.

Something is different about our new small group. I actually look forward to Tuesday nights...and it's more than just an evening without the kids=)

Creative at-home dates with my man.

Listening to my kid's laughing while they play together.

Checking the mail every day!

Music - it can be so comforting and exhilarating all at the same time.

The feeling after I've completed our taxes and the ministry taxes every year *sigh*

Exercising.

Pop-tarts and Orange Juice.

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How about you...what are some things YOU love?

Fun Facts For Friday - "What Makes My Daddy My Hero"

1 - "Because he's my prince and I'm his princess and I love him" - Areyna

2 - "Because he has a cool pedal board" - Zeke

3 - "Because he does funny things like spank my mommy's booty" - Areyna

4 - "Because he's gonna get me real drumsticks at Guitar Center" - Zeke

5 - "Because he plays guitar like Happy Day" - Areyna

6 - "He can get his own clothes on." - Zeke

Why I love this hero of mine:

1 - He's pretty stinkin' sexy (I'm just sayin')

2 - He writes beautiful music (click to get a free download!)

3 - He can search out an awesome deal like the best of 'em.

4 - He's a fun and creative daddy.

5 - He love the Lord and seeks to be a godly example for our children!

6 - He is a GREAT writer.

7 - He chooses to play along with me in my money-saving endeavor=)

8 - He takes time to find out what shouts his love to me!

9 - He always saves me the last bite=)

10 - He really has a way with words, ha!

I can't think of anyone I'd rather grow old with! I love you Baby...

Have A Happy Valentine's Day Weekend ya'll=)

Did You Know...

...that CVS will accept any pharmacy gift card coupons?

That's right! I never shop at RiteAid but I always look through their add every week to see if they have their $25 gift card coupon for transferred prescriptions. They usually have 2 about once a month. You don't actually have to transfer anything. Every time I have to refill a prescription I give them the RiteAid coupon and get a $25 gift card, no matter how much the medicine actually was!

Target also has $10 gift card coupons about once a month too that are good for any new prescription. CVS will take these too!

Believe me, this has been a lifesaver when we have to keep up with multiple medications, especially when we are in the middle of a sick phase in our family.

This Little Prayer Of Mine

I had the opportunity to get an advance copy of "This Little Prayer of Mine" by Anthony DeStefano.

It is a sweet book about a child's prayer to God. It steps into their world as they pray about things they are going through and emotions they are feeling, like being scared, feeling sad, acting in a way they know they shouldn't and not knowing what they are going to be when they grow up. Areyna likes the words and Zeke loves the pictures (probably because there is a little boy playing an electric guitar on one page=).

Thank you Anthony for the great book!

Via At-Home Gym

I have a very fond memory from my childhood that I often think about. I remember my mom getting her jogging shorts on with her workout shirt and tennis shoes. Then she'd gather us up and head out to...wait we stayed home! We worked out in our own home. We'd take laps inside our house around every room and then we'd take time to stretch. I vividly remember my mom teaching me the butterfly stretch. Don't ask me why I remember this but I do. And it makes me smile=)

So today, when the 35 mph winds blew outside making it feel like 17 degrees outside, I KNEW we needed to improvise. We've been cooped up, sick, in this house for a week and a half and these kids needed to get some energy out!

Here's what you need to make your own at-home gym:

1 - The perfect workout outfits

2 - Clean the house. We were in desperate need of a straightening and the kids had fun since we made it part of our work-out game.

3 - Every good workout girl/guy needs a cool water bottle.

4 - Pick some great music. We chose some electronica/techno music from the iTunes radio which guaranteed a higher heart rate=)

5 - Kitchen condiments as weights. Use what works best for you of course. I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and gave the kids 2 cans each of tomato paste. If you are feeling really adventurous you could probably pull out the 2Liter of juice or something like that, HA!

6 - Start with some warm-up stretches. It was hilarious to watch Zeke trying to count AND stretch AND move all at the same time=)

7 - We then worked up to some basic jumping and shuffle moves. ie. jumping like a frog to touch the sky, lunging like a leopard, shuffling like an undercover superhero...

8 - The jog around the rooms. We all took several turns being the leader and following each others motions while jogging.

9 - The cool down. Don't forget to get some water in between segments!

I must admit that I worked up a sweat by the end of it and had fun with the kids while doing it!

NOTE: If you'd rather just become a member of our Via At-Home Gym then you can simply make your $30 donation to the right under "Our Ministry Links And Partners" and click on "Feed The Kids"=)

Thumbs Up!

You may remember our fatal attempts to try to get our kids to stop sucking their thumbs last year. If not, you can get a good laugh if you click HERE, HERE and HERE=) As parents you live and you learn, right?

Well, a couple of weeks ago Areyna came to me and said, "I don't want to suck my thumb anymore! But I can't stop sucking it." I couldn't believe my own ears. She, on her own initiative, was willing to admit that she needed some help.

So, we spent some time making a "No Thumb-Sucking Chart". At the end of 21 days she gets to get a surprise. It is said that it takes 21 days to make (or break) a habit. She was SO excited...

...until she woke up the next morning with the saddest look on her face. She looked at me and said, "Do you know why I am making this face?" I quickly replied, "No baby, what's the matter?" Then she said, "I sucked my thumb. I think I suck my thumb because I sleep with bear, but I don't sleep so good without him."

I reassured her that I was still SOOOOO proud of her for trying so hard.

The next day she decided she would try to sleep without bear and keep him on the chair beside her bed. That didn't even last 5 minutes because she said she missed him=) So, after almost a whole week, with no success stickers on her chart (but continuing to tell her how proud of her we are), came a blessing in disguise. She crushed her thumb with one of Zeke's tools. She got a HUGE hematoma (You like that word don't you! Yeah, my dad is a doctor;) on her sucking thumb. She was really hurt but she found the positive side in her circumstance. She was so excited that she couldn't suck her thumb because of her "boo-boo"!

So now, 3 stickers into her chart she is more pumped-up than ever. The mornings that she doesn't suck her thumb she wakes up ecstatic and runs in to tell us she didn't suck her thumb. There is permanent "prunage" (yes, I just made that a real word!) on her thumb so in order to REALLY be able to tell if she has sucked her thumb or not we've been sticking a band aid on it just in case.

I need to give Zeke a big "E" for "E"ffort on his part. He sees Areyna trying to quit and he is...well, talking about trying to quit too;)

Here's a big "Woo-Hoo" for her FINALLY being ready to kick this habit on her own! We don't have complete success every day but she is really trying!

Update On Micaiah

As a lot of you know, we've been pretty sick around this Via house. Micaiah started coming down with something last Saturday in Richmond at the Winter Retreat. After several days of cold-like symptoms he was beginning to wheeze and was having trouble breathing as well. We started his albuterol treatments (from when he had bronchiolitis the beginning of Dec.). He wasn't getting any better, in fact he started getting a little fever and was struggling even more for his oxygen.

We took him into the doctor last Friday. They gave him 2 breathing treatments and then a steroid to help his enflamed lungs, followed by 1 more breathing treatment in hopes of bringing his heart rate down. Our pediatrician was very concerned so she sent us directly to the ER where they diagnosed him with bronchiolitis (again) and RSV. Since his oxygen levels were alright they went ahead and sent us home telling us that he should get better in a couple of days.

Well, Sunday rolled around and he was acting even worse. His temperature spiked up to 102.9 and he was very lethargic, struggling for breathe even more and wheezing worse. The pediatrician sent us back to the ER where they monitored him closely for several hours.

They checked for a urinary tract infection, knowing that he had to have some other kind of virus along with the bronchiolitis and RSV that was triggering the higher temperature. His urine came back regular, his oxygen levels were good and they were beginning to control his temp. and breathing. They gave him an epinephrine treatment and something else to help his lungs. After several more hours of monitoring they told me that it was up to me whether we wanted them to admit Cai or send him home.

We ended up getting home after 9pm Sunday night. My sister-in-law brought us over this thing called an Angelcare monitor to help monitor his breathing at night. It put our minds at ease so we could sleep better. Monday was a little better with more alertness and less wheezing.

I've been sick this whole time too so Josh was sweet enough to take Cai in for his follow-up appointment today. They gave him another treatment and checked him over really well. She said he looked and sounded much better but because he is so prone to getting this had has to take this new treatment (on top of his normal breathing treatments) until this cold/flu season is over (the end of March). She said that this should at least keep him out of the ER.

Today he is beginning to act like normal again. I see life in him again which is just wonderful.

So, we are counting our blessings and praising God that Cai is getting better and that we have medicine that can make him well.

Wrong On So Many Levels - The Male Thong

Zeke insists on wearing his undies backwards.

Herein lies the problem-the boy thong!

The funny thing is...

he'll walk around for an hour without it seeming to bother him.

I know, I know...he'll HATE me for posting these pictures...but how could I resist?=)