A new fave

Justin loves to watch this video daily. According to my brother, it took over 2,000 man hours, over 700,000 lite brite pegs, and 83 people to make this. The best part is that Justin now knows the words to the song.





And I have lots to catch up on, just settling in to do so. The Lord is continuing to work on my obedience to Him. But more on that later...

Meeting our new teacher, HC shirt, 1st day of school

Justin started school the Wednesday after Labor Day.  A much awaited day as he was going to go to school 3 days this year.  The entire spring semester from the previous year he was always asking why he only went two days a week.  Now he gets to go one more day.

The Friday before Labor Day we went to meet our teacher.  Not only is our classroom twice as big as the year before but we only have one teacher versus two.  And I have been so impressed with Mrs. Walstead.  She is going to be a great educator for my son.  

We were told we needed 3 photos for different areas of the class.  So Justin decided he wanted a school t-shirt to wear for our brief photo session.  Maybe we can call these his 4 year old photos since momma has yet to do anything about that. 

We got some fun smiles and then needed a change.

He really wanted to bring Monster Truck Mater in the photos.  Why not.

We tried to make sure you could see Mater's expression as well.

And as usual around here, Justin wanted mommy to take a Mater photo to.  Too bad I look as old as my uterus in this photo.

Then came the beloved first day of school.  I decided I would not go purchase a cute outfit or a shirt with a collar since Justin would riot against it.  I recently received this shirt from my buddy Lauren as a thank you.  I strategically advertised it in front of Justin so that he chose it for his first day of school outfit.

I didn't do a good job getting a close up with the shirt, but Lauren stitched his name on it.  Love it!  He kept asking who Thomas was.  Ha!

No, we were not one of the many that bought a new backpack for school.  Used the old one from last year and now we barely even take one to school.

Justin has been into "crazy hair" like the Browns lately.  Debbie, my hair dresser, gave me some great product.  But the catch is that Justin likes to style it himself.  From most angles it looks fun.

From others it looks a bit pointy.

A quick attempt at a buddy shot with Jake.  Justin has lots of best buddies in school this year which makes our little school that much more special.

Cheers to a great year!

Post surgery boy

A quick update on the recent patient.  Justin was a champ both before and after his surgery where he had tubes put in and adenoids taken out.  After a brief groggy grumpiness post surgery, he wanted to go home.  When we got home, it was 10am.  Gotta love those quick surgeries.  He wanted to know if it was breakfast or lunch.  Poor thing was starving since his last meal was dinner the night before.  So he wanted lunch.  3 times over.  He ate PB&J, fruit, and some sort of starch three times before it was truly even lunch time.  He ate all day, slept great, and except for the occasional strong breath odor, no symptoms.

The only difference I can see is that he covers his ears when I dry my hair, the garage door is opening and closing, and other loud/normal occurrences.  I guess he just couldn't hear anything.  Poor fella. 

On to better hearing and hopefully fewer sick germs around here!

Where I am right now

Where I am right now.  It's something I want to remember.  Exactly a year ago Derek and Justin went to Waco and left me all to my lonesome here in Houston.  I thought I would get so much done, and instead the Lord met me in my alone time, in my despair, and knocked me off my feet.  So much in the last three years that I look back on and say, "Wow, look at where He has me now."

So I just want to remember all the emotions that I have been experiencing the last month.

In September we went to the annual Living Water Gala and sat at a table with friends and listened to how the gospel, along with clean drinking water, is being spread all over the world.  We went to our first gala the year before and I am forever changed.  Justin is always talking about the people that drink doodoo water, and he always says it very loudly.  Their message is so simple: All things are gifts from God, on loan to us to help those in need.  Live Simply. Give Generously.  Change Lives.  
 
If only I was so obedient.  

Sorry for keeping everyone out of the fertility loop.  The last month ended so quickly with my monthly visitor.  I admit, I just laid on my pillow, straight out of the shower, and just let the tears just puddle up.  Derek asked what he could do, and I just wanted to be sad.  You know when you just want to be sad and feel sorry for yourself?  As I grieved, I know the Lord was grieving with me.  Such assurance from One who has grieved more than I could ever imagine,

We went to the doc who wanted me to increase my injections to 300ml a day.  He wanted to push me harder, and said I could have a condition where the outer covering on the egg is too hard for anything to penetrate.  Thus why people do IVF, and, unfortunately for us, we'll never know since we aren't going that route.  Then I go to get an ultrasound where they find out I have a lot of residual follicles leftover.  The doc joked that my body was an overachiever (surprise, surprise) and I needed to take the month off.  They wouldn't be able to take a proper egg count in the middle of the month to see if the meds worked correctly or not.

So.

I will say that EVERY little detail was blessed by the Lord - from my doc appointments while Justin was in school, to no emotional change during the injections, to the quickest cycle ever.  And now we have two major back-to-back trips with my cousin's wedding in Phoenix and my 10 year wedding anniversary in a week.   


On the way to the follow-up fertility appointment Derek had casually said maybe we should take the month off since it was so crazy with our trips and such.  I of course said that was a silly thing to say.  30 minutes later it's official.  So I truly feel the Lord has blessed us in removing the stress of it all for this next month.  May I enjoy the freedom from needles!


I recently went to a women's retreat with my church.  I have never been to a Baptist retreat, and I am so glad I got over myself and went.  Such a refreshing weekend.  I needed to be there and hear Donna Gaines.

I want to know the Bible like she does.  She flew through the the chronological bible like none other.  The weekend was based on the story in the Bible about Jesus meeting the woman at the well.  The woman with 5 husbands.  That one.  And yet we are all like her, searching for something and wanting him to meet us there.  

Our very own Gina led a breakout session about how we are all coming from a "there".  And just why are we at that "there"?  So He can show me the glories of His person.  Am I finding satisfaction in Him?  Because nothing can satisfy me like Jesus - not even a baby.


Am I self-obsessed with my "hopes"?  Instead of being satisfied with His presence we ask Him for his presents.  We view the deep waters like it's part of the risk, but sometimes Jesus wants to meet us in the deep so He can do His deepest work and then we look more like Him.  Lord, may I look more like you.

I recently busted out some older Amy Grant CDS from Roland, my ever generous godfather, that I hadn't listed to in awhile.  Her Legacy Hymns and Faith CD has been on some serious repeat.  Justin literally didn't even take a breath the other day when I sung 'It Is Well' acapella.  With his wide eyes he wanted to know who had taught me that song.  Something stirred in that Lutheran blood that he has in his body from both sides of the family.  And now I am a woman on a mission that my son needs to learn some hymns.  This generation never hears them.  Ever.  Need to change that.   And it's no wonder that out of the two Psalty CDS I just ordered that Psalty's Hymnological Adventure is his absolute favorite.

I am currently doing my first BSF study ever.  My mom was in BSF for over 20 years, so I grew up not only going to the program but apparently writing on her lesson notes when we were mad at her.  I truly think it was my brothers because I would never have done such a thing.  :-)  Though at first I thought the whole program was a bit stuffy, I have truly grown to love this very structured organization and the book of Isaiah.  Justin learns so much in the children's program, though he says every Thursday morning that biblestudy is boring and he doesn't want to go.  Then he leaves talking about Jerusalem and Isaiah and all the things they did that day.  I can still remember not wanting to go to the children's program either because I didn't have a lot of best friends in the class.  And look where I am now.

Last story that I will bore you with.  My fingers need a break from all this typing.  Tuesdays have been termed our "Fun Day" as they are the only weekday that Justin either does not have school or we don't go to BSF.  We made a list of things we want to do, and so far we have gone to Chuck E. Cheese, the library, putt putt, Wonderwild, Dave & Busters, and bowling.  We wake up on a Tuesday and talk about where we are going to go.  After turning his first request which is always Chuck E. Cheese, we decide what we are going to do. 

The day we went to the library we needed to go buy some shoes for his ever growing foot.  On the way to the library with a visit to the park for lunch afterward, he said he wanted to go buy more gifts for kids that didn't have anything.  After I paused for a few seconds, I decided why not.  This is exactly the behavior I am trying to fester in his heart. 

So we get to Target and start going up and down the aisles.  I wondered how this would go as he would see so many things he would want for himself.  Instead he would say, "Mommy, I love this, and a kid who doesn't have anything would love this so much too."  And then we would throw it in the cart and go on our way.  The only thing my son asked for was in the dollar section.  There was a viking hat that he asked for that was $1.  He wanted it so he could look like Lyle, the kindly viking, on Veggie Tales.  Ironically, Lyle gives things to the poor.  I of course said we would take it!

Because we all desire a wall of protection around us.

Whether it's clear to the eye or not, the Lord is our shield.

May we all love on someone like Jesus tomorrow. 

Sticking around the house

 

Why the blurry close up of me and my main squeeze?  Well, my camera is too heavy for a four year old to take it with my obnoxious flash, so we go with a slow shutter speed and automatic white balance when Justin takes the camera.  What are we doing?

 Why we are playing red light, green light as a family on these bouncing balls of course.  Don't you do this daily?  I have never laughed harder than trying to compete with my husband and child while riding the smallest ball.  Since this photo has been taken, my $2 garage sale purchase larger ball has a large gash and is no longer operable.  Boo.  But I literally almost peed in my pants while bouncing on this ball, having my rule following son telling us that we kept moving mid bounce when he said red light, and trying to win all at the same time.

Lately staying put at home has brought so much joy.  Not to mention a new surge in the kitchen.

 I have tried some new recipes in the last week or so.  I have a folder in my yahoo where I store all the recipes I find online these last ones have been a big hit around here.  We ate on this chicken chow mein for a week.  We preferred it with the rice.  And lots of soy sauce.

 

 For the next dinner I tried my second recipe in the last month that called for fresh rosemary on pork.  Only this time it was on a pork chop.  

 

 It called for a side of alfredo pasta.  We don't do alfredo around here, so instead we just made some pasta and put olive oil and shredded parmesan on it instead.   Some broiled asparagus was the last addition to the dinner.


Then for dessert we made pizzookies.  I have made this too easy and way too accessible dessert three times.  Not good for the belly, but yummy in my mouth.

(Does anyone know how to put any type of writing below a photo in the new Blogger layout?  I have failed to figure it out)

Batman Birthday Party

This was the first year that I decided to have Justin party on his actual birthday.  This was also the first year that he counted down every day until his birthday.  We have a perpetual calendar in the kitchen that Justin changes every morning.  So for months we have been counting down to August 31st.  So glad that back in February when I booked Noah's Ark for the 3rd consecutive year that I choose his birthing day.

This is also the first year I decide to let him choose the theme.  And Batman was the choice from the start.  Such freedom when I decided to throw out the cutesy stuff out the window and make the entire party as simple as could be.  Especially since none of the family could make the Tuesday afternoon shindig.

Come and soar with us - Justin is now 4!

Justin was all geared up with Batman attire.  Even the sunglasses were Batman. 








































It was hard to find Batman decor without the nasty Joker.  Justin came over and told me to fold over the panel on the far left to cover up the joker that I did not realize was on the banner.  I thanked him and appreciated his equal dislike of the evil villain.



























I bought Batman wristbands for us Michaelis'.  All the kids wanted to know where I got them.  Unfortunately it was not part of their favor.

Justin got to pick the menu.  He wanted fruit (strawberries, blueberries, and grapes to be exact) and peanut butter and jelly.  After debating for a few minutes on making my own sandwiches and cutting them out with a bat cookie cutter, Derek wisely advised me to buy Uncrustables.

He also went to the store with me and picked out the chips and yogurt tubes.  I wanted him to be completely involved in choosing what everyone ate.  It is his party, after all.

I said I wasn't going to feed the mommies, but last minute threw some of Georgia's tuna and chicken salads on some Hawaiian rolls. 

Batman plates

And batman cookies from delicious Memorial Bakery.  I don't ever think I will do cake again when cookies are this cheap, mess free, and yummy.

Justin was really into (and still is) bandaids.  We stumbled unto a box of Batman bandaids only to find that Spiderman had taken over on the Mattel logo.  So after refusing to buy $4 boxes of bandaids for favors, Justin and I thought Batman toothbrushes was a good second choice.  Every dental hygienist should host a party and hand out toothbrushes - it only makes sense.

Justin had a blast once again.

The big kids were entertained the entire time as well.

Justin getting some Brown and Wilson love.  This crew, along with some others, wrestled in the water for a good half hour.  Everyone had to show off how much testosterone they had.

These mommies were able to make the party for the first time this year.

It was fun to have new friends from school come this year.  I guess every year will be like this from here on out.

And the 18 month-old-ish group was the funniest of the day.  Most of these youngest of the family had not been to Noah's Ark all summer, if not since Justin's last party.  You can see why this is the perfect place to bring this age group - these kiddos were animals.  They played hard and were big risk takers. 

The annual who-was-at-the-party photo.  Some of the kids didn't want in, and this year I didn't make them.  I only took 4 shots.

And by the 4th shot birthday boy was already done.

Everyone heard the dinner yell to come on in for a little happy birthday song.

Justin with his proud parents

I love this shy smile from my brand new four-year old.  Thanks to Mariana for not only taking these photos but for capturing my chompers in the top right of the photo.

The big blow

And then the cookies started disappearing.  The problem was the food of sustenance was at the far end of the table, so most kids just ate 3 cookies and no PB&J's, thus why my freezer has a lot of back-up lunches ready to be made.

The cookies were a hit

Justin kept asking if that could be his dinner.  I told him that on his birthday he can do whatever he wants.

Funny side story.  Alex was able to come with Karen to the party.  And everyone thought he was Derek's brother ONLY because of his height.  Some of the girls wanted me to take their photo together.  I think Alex is one of the few people that make Derek look short.

Everyone was rallied at the end for their toothbrushes.  Aunt Shani made sure every single kid got their own toothbrush.  Because we don't share germs with toothbrushes around here.

Then we headed home for Justin to open his 3 gifts from mommy and daddy.

His favorite was monster truck Mater

We love the junior scrabble game

And Derek insisted that every boy have a basketball hoop on the back of their door.

The display of cards he received - note to self that he enjoyed the cards as much as the gifts.  Especially if they make noise!

And truly my favorite part of the whole party was the gifts.  I have said in previous posts that Justin truly has a heart for kids that don't have anything.  We had talked it up for awhile that he give all his gifts from his friends to Star of Hope, a Christian homeless shelter.  So thankfully everyone from the party brought a gift to donate.  The gifts stayed at our house for about a week, and then I finally figured out which location to donate to.  Justin brought his entire penny bank and some bandaids in a ziploc baggy to donate as well.  On our way there we passed a homeless church having a service.  It was a great learning lesson as to why these people didn't have a home, much less a building, to worship in a church setting.  Nothing made my heart swell then my son telling the SOH worker why he wanted these kids to have these toys.  Because this is what it's all about - being Jesus to others and giving it all away. 

To my boy, who wants to give every person walking on the street some food because he thinks they don't have a home, who asks if every person we meet loves Jesus, who says that the devil wants him to be scared of monsters but he knows the Lord is stronger, who loves it when his mommy sings him a good hymn, happy happy birthday.  May the Lord help me to foster those characteristics more than any other in my tender hearted son.