4 year old boy

So if I would ever get around to editing these photos much less posting them then I could proclaim that I now have a four year old. A big ole boy, who no longer wears any clothing with a 'T' in it. Who wears a size 12 shoe, who weighs the same as his height, a grand 43. Who likes to pretend his name is Nick (from the new Cat in the Hat PBS show) or Jonathan (still not sure of where he got that one). Who told me after playing on the playground today with lots of friends at school that it was like one mommy and daddy and all those kids were theirs. Everyone was brothers and sisters together. To which I replied, "Our house will look like that someday too."

On August 31st, we woke up on time at the glorious time of 6 and 3. We put on the annual hat and road on over to the kolache factory. Puppy and camel (we are a pretty creative name-giving bunch around here) joined us on the drive.


I never knew Justin was so into birthday cards until this year. He received one dollar from "Silly Steve" and Aunt Kerry and two dollars from my parents in their cards. My parents told him to spend it in the arcade. So we went to Memorial City Mall's arcade where he was instructed to NOT look around but only at the car games. (We've since discovered that Chuck E Cheese has 25 cent games and they are age appropriate). We spent $3 pretty fast, but had fun coming in 8th place on these games.


We ended on a horse jockey race, and mommy had to get on the game to help Justin "ride that horse".


We came in last, and I was completely worn out.


Then Daddy joined us at Berryhill. Justin got Chick-fil-a brought into the restaurant while mommy and daddy selfishly ate yummy fish tacos instead.


Recently I brought home my first bag of Halloween candy to the house. I try to pace myself or else I will have gained 7 pounds by the end of the month from grazing. Justin tried a Twix and said he didn't like it. My sweet boy and his aversion to many desserts. He doesn't even like donuts (I see a pattern here). He then bites into a 3 Musketeers, which happens to be my favorite chocolate candy bar. He puts his hand on his heart and says, "Oh, I love this Mommy!"


But he also likes a good Chickie shake.


JT has been desiring to read, so thanks to Ashley Brown for hooking me onto BOB books and Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons.

Every morning Justin comes to where I do my quiet time and wants to listen to the Prince Warrior CD song #9. It's about the Word of God being the weapon of choice, and then there's a rap song for all the books of the Bible. So we pull out the table of contents on my Bible and rap out the books of the Bible. Then we pull out the 100 lessons book and start with our letters.

I have been dragging my feet on this, and he even wants me to put my finger on every word when I read him books before nap. I take a deep breath, and that not-going-to-homeschool-my-kids mom in me does just that. It's great now that mommy has a happy heart about it.


Tomorrow Justin is getting tubes put in his ears, adenoids removed, and his sinuses flushed. After failing 3 hearing tests in 7 months, and his words starting to slur, as well as the constant, "What mommy? I can't hear you", I pushed a second opinion for this surgery. Apparently we won't have to worry about water on the ears in the bathtub or swimming pool, which has always been my set back to it.


So he should be the same ole kid, with his fresh boost of testosterone that I had heard rumors of at age 4. The first week of school the teacher told me we were having a hard time with our emotions and being a little rough with some friends on the playground. Yes, ma'am, I realize there's a new surge of aggression. On the drive home, we talked about if he told his buddy Luke that he was sorry. He said he did, and then I asked if he asked him to forgive him. He slapped the palm of his hand on his forehead saying, "Doh! I forgot that part". Guess we need to help remember the "rules" of asking for forgiveness. Though he explained that the reason he pushed his friend was because there was a snake in his heart. So let's just blame it on the snake. Smart cookie. Now let's just pray that snake out of our heart.


Did I mention that I bought this swimsuit for him to wear to his 2nd birthday party? And he is still sporting it from time to time. I basically keep it around in case we have a buddy over that needs a smaller size. One size fits all with this article of clothing.


My boy has been writing his letters all summer but gets VERY frustrated with them not being perfect. Trying to explain to him that being 4 means we don't write it perfect.


Nothing like a good ole bath with our monster truck family. One of the 3 gifts we gave him (all totaling a whopping $25) was Monster Truck Mater form Mater's Tall Tales. We stumbled on these 5 minute shows this summer, and we love ole Mater.


Why have another when you have it so good with this one? :-)

This past weekend Justin was on a walk with my parents who were in town for the BU/Rice game. He noticed how lots of houses had pumpkins in their yard and we didn't have any. Mommy had not even thought about it, if you can believe it. So we bust out the fall decor and Mr. Decorator comes out of the closet and tells mommy exactly where to put each pumpkin. And don't think of moving it - he will fix it the minute he sees it. He even told me what to do with the front yard. If I get around to it then I will show photos of the pumpkins (and 3o of them are real) around the house. Halloween/Thanksgiving here we come!


4 is fun, especially when you only have to chase one!

And for those that keep asking, I go to the doc next Wednesday to see how this first round of shots went. I feel very different but keep telling myself I am heavily medicated with hormones. Praying for peace...and a baby...

Catching up

Man, it sure got stuffy around this blog. Who turned on the seriousness? :-)

In lieu of me being way behind on my posts, I threw together a bunch of photos to start getting me caught up. Unfortunately for JT, his birthday photos haven't been edited yet, so that post is still a ways off.

Derek & Justin play cards every morning. This particular morning we had an audience of all our "friends" cheering on the sidelines. The brown bear on the front row was my dad's from childhood. We pulled him out as well as the blue bear when we needed to take a bear to school...and didn't have one in the room. But at least we had a camel, a giraffe, a lamb, a puppy, etc.


Nothing like a good mow on an overcast weekend evening.


Always has to copycat Daddy, even if the play mower is a good foot to short for us now.


Justin decided to donate all the toys from his birthday party (more on that to come), but a few random gifts were given by neighbors, friends, etc. that we decided to keep. The Rasplickas, our wonderful neighbors, gave us some hand-me-down Lincoln Logs. For some reason everytime we took a photo with them we had horns on our head.


Not sure what the connection is, but whatever floats your boat, buddy.


We got this cool butterfly garden where we grow our own butterfly larvae into butterflies. Such a great idea, and we just got our larvae in the mail yesterday!


The ride of the day has been the plasma car. If you are thinking about getting one, then do. Costco.com has them on sale for $44 already put together - go get one now!

This looks like Ken & Barbie to me -


This toy has been every kid's favorite when they come over. I love how they can ride with two on at the same time. Always fun watching kids who weigh a bit less than Justin try to steer him around in it. Yes, my floors have taken a beating, but they did the moment we moved in the house.


The other day the Wilsons were back over and I helped them with the trundle mattress to make a fort.


After Justin and Luke dressed up in previous Halloween costumes, the three played cards by lantern under the confines of the fort. We read books every night by this lantern.


Before school started we went with the Lines & Bethancourts to the Children's Museum. Perfect considering the monsoon rainstorm we had getting there. John & Justin decided to play with the face paints after eating their lunch. There is something about painting the entire face that just whispers to Justin.


In August I got to celebrate my buddy Erica's (in the red) 30th birthday with a few ladies that her husband pulled together as a last minute surprise. It was an understatement to say that she had no idea. So much fun for the rest of us! Erica is such a treasure to me as a friend because of her passion for the Lord. Just another one of the many women in my Sunday School class the Lord has placed in my life as encouragement to strive for Him.


Uncle Ryan came to visit us Labor Day weekend.


Justin pulled out one of the toys we were going to give to the shelter from his birthday party for this photo. He really wanted to play with it, so we had to sit down and talk about the kids who had no toys and how excited they would be to get that one toy. He got over it quickly.


And these were taken the day before he turned 4. The final 3 year old photos. These were favors from Jake's party this summer. Justin decided to be a pirate. Earring and all. He was trying real hard to get the face down. We took this one with my flash, but I wasn't digging it.


So I turned the flash off, went down 5 steps to my front door's natural lighting, and got this one instead. I just love a photo without a flash!


Especially when you have a face saying, "Arrrr!"


Not a fan personally of the skull and crossbones stuff, but it's fun to play with. Justin wanted to trade costumes and hand off the camera as well. Here's the ladies of the house posing.


Man, what a great job I did in blending in the background on this one, huh?


Roxy got to stand facing the light for a solo shot. I think she was happy to be by herself and without a hat on.


But not for long - we needed a sibling picture.


Justin has such a gentle hand in helping Roxy look at the camera.


Well, that was all across the board, but I have to find a way to catch up somehow. And what better way to loosen up than a post with lots of photos...

Because we need your prayers

The winds of change are blowing over here at the Michaelis house. I have felt a little lost for about 6 months as the silence from the Lord kept seeming louder, oppressive, often frustrating. I wasn't trying to rush things, just wondering when I was going to get a word from Him. And then it came, in the form of a friend with similar struggles.

A few weeks later I found myself in the office of a fertility specialist. A specialist that over 10 friends have gone to or gotten pregnant with. A specialist who normally takes over a month to get into and my first appointment was bumped up by 3 weeks because they had an opening. A specialist I never thought I wanted to see. A specialist who is rumored to be a believer. And there I was listening to what could be the "problem". I laughed at one point and told him that I didn't expect him to play God with me - if the Lord didn't want to open my womb, then no amount of treatment would help me. No question about it at this office - they all know that Jesus is my Rock because not a conversation doesn't go on without Him being thrown in nonchalantly. Because you don't go through a journey like I have and not get closer to Him.

Some of you know these details already, some may be surprised I'm here, and others may not have a clue what I am talking about. If nothing else, I have instantly had a compassion for every friend that went through some sort of this process. I NEVER understood what they were talking about, why the multiple appointments in one week, why all the tears. But now I have entered this intimate club of figuring out why our bodies don't all work the same. Me, being the science major, has loved all the biology of it. The crazy diagnosis that my insides are like that of a 40 year old woman. I'm over the hill and never knew it.

I can't imagine what some women feel when they don't already have a child like we do. I keep assuring my doctor, my nurse, anyone who asks, that we already have our fantastic equation of Derek+Shannon in Justin. Anything extra is just a bonus. My doctor gave us two options in the "elderly state" that my uterus is in: fertility shots or IVF. We have both felt like at this stage in our life that IVF was not for us - just because both our hearts have been stirred towards adoption. No judgment to those that have done it - my Spirit just doesn't give me peace about it. So now we are at the Gonal-F stage:



You infertility gurus out there recognize this stuff. In a matter of 3 weeks I have entered the big leagues with fertility. I have my lovely nursemaid, Derek, shoot this concoction in my lower belly every day for at least 10 days a month. The goal is for my follicles, which house the eggs, to get a certain size as well as 2-3 of them to fully mature, vs. the one we all have each month. My doctor told us we have three months of a successful follicular count to try this out. Which means if I don't have any follicles or more than 4 (quintuplets, anyone?) then it's a wash of a month.

So I lay myself out there with too much information for some because no one can underestimate the power of prayer. When we are vulnerable and share our testimony then the Enemy has less power over us. The Lord gets more Glory with the more people that know the story. I have been apprehensive about fertility doctors for so many reasons. The past week of starting this process has been such a blessing - the Lord has been merciful, knowing my irritations with the process, in making every appointment on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday while Justin is in school. My appointments have been short, and I have a fantastic nurse that I totally love talking to. I already have a good follicle started, and we're praying for more. I have had a blanket of patience and of a supernatural peace this past week that only the Spirit could give. And funny how I don't have much to do on my Mother's Day Out days now that the Lord has pulled me out of so many unnecessary things in my life. He knew what was coming, and he had to get the craziness out.

I am praying for grace that this won't be stretched out over a long period of time. Derek over night has been ready to adopt if this doesn't work out for us. I was definitely ready before the first appointment was ever scheduled. But now my heart cannot share in both dreams at the same time. I can't invest myself emotionally thinking about my own baby and desires and at the same time think about running and getting a child that no one loves and probably isn't getting fed right now. Though as I read more and more things on the internet about the poverty and abandoned children all over the world, I think to myself, why would the Lord hold us back from being a part in this?

One thing I know for certain - some way, somehow, our family will expand. The time is now to start moving forward. I am totally (and somewhat uncharacteristically) hopeful that this fertility process will work. Will I be devastated if I don't get pregnant? Absolutely. But, as a wise friend told me, even holding back and being cautious will not stop the disappointment and grieving that will occur if this doesn't work out. But then we will go find ourselves someone else's baby to love.

My God is good, He is Sovereign, and He is going to blow my mind when this is all over and done with. Until then, will you join me in pleading with Him to open my womb? And I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that Derek and I would love twins. A double portion of blessing - a tall order for an aging uterus, but my God can do anything. And even if He chooses not to, He could do it. And with that, I leave you to go get my daily dose of injection....

Galveston with PInes & Bethancourts

The weekend before Justin's birthday, the final weekend of summer before Labor Day, we packed out bags and went the short road down the beach house in Galveston. We invited the Bethancourts and the Pines to accompany us for the weekend. A fitting invitation since Kyle, Leslie, & I all met two and a half years ago being the first three in line for our kids to get into Holy Cross MDO. Since then, the families have become much better friends through all sorts of get togethers, not the mention the boys have been going to school together all this time. So we decided to make a weekend of this friendship.

The three 3 year olds are running around for joy to be in open spaces.


Derek took Kyle and the little fellas out for a slow drive on the boat. Chris Pine last minute had a business trip detour to Puerto Rico, so he didn't show until Saturday.


Waving on the return home.


The girls just hung out while the boys went boating. Anna giving me a big ole smile.


Sweet grins from Ainsley


These girls may not realize how fast friends they will become. They just started in the toddler class together at Holy Cross, so they will be seeing lots of each other!


Friday evening started off Justin trying to determine where all the families would sleep. He kept wanting to know if John & Luke would be sleeping in our room with us. So we all got ready for bed, put on PJs, and read some books. Then right before lights out and a stern instruction list from Aunt Shani on no talking, John decided that a sleepover in our room was for the birds. But Luke slept with us, and after a few promptings, the boys went to sleep without a hitch.


The next morning started off with a bang. The boys loved riding around in the golf cart. So Derek took them on an early stroll through the neighborhoods.


Me thinks no one likes this hug as much as Justin does.


Bon Voyage, crazy kiddos


Then it was fishing with live shrimp. I think at one point John had his hand on Derek's leg as they were fishing. So sweet.


Firstborns trying to take turns in the hammock.


Then we loaded up and took everyone to the beach. Justin had to get some baseball in.


Swing, lefty, swing!


John gave it a shot as well.


Snacks or lunch in some cases were early as usual. The water always brings out the munchies in everyone.


Anna chillin' in the chair


Then we headed home and it was clean up time. Derek had lots of volunteers.


After some of the kids took naps, though everyone had a quiet time, I came outside to see the boys sitting ever so nicely on the edge of the canal.


After as closer look, I see Chris, returned form his trip, in the canal. Guess he was getting bonus points for making up for lost time. Apparently a certain someone pushed Luke's Spiderman monster truck into the water. On accident, of course. After many attempts in the murky water, we came up no luck. But what entertainment.


Kyle figured Chris had everything under control.


That night Justin & Luke realized they had on identical PJs. Derek treated them to a game of go fish before the kids all headed off to bed.


On Sunday the boys tried out the rope swing.


Apparently this was done over and over and over...


Derek lifeguarding the waters. The one set back was the ladder that has been missing since Ike. Has anyone seen it? The trick was getting the boys up on boat dock without much effort from the dads.


Chris showing off the moves.


John liked his view from the boat instead.


The ladies, including Roxy, decided to go to the beach instead. So nice to just go with one bag and ourselves instead of hauling all the stuff along with us.


It was nice to just sit in the sand with the girls and chat. Roxy and I opted out of the mother/daughter photo.


We returned to the boys in the blow up swimming pool and everyone starting to rinse off and pack up.


Ainsley took her nap while we cleaned and shut the house up. When she woke up, Justin was eager beaver to give her some loving. So sweet!


Even though some of the kids slept better than others, we all deemed it a great weekend and plan to do it again! So nice to have friends that have kids that all get along, have the same values as we do, and love to be laidback at the beach. Plus we got one more beach trip in for the summer. Until Galveston 2011...