Quietness

This morning my sweet husband awoke with the boys and allowed me to stay in bed! What a wonderful guy he is. :) They are out having breakfast together and then have a bunch of errands to run. It is so rare to be in the house all by myself! I fixed myself some breakfast and coffee and sat down and ate in peace while reading my Bible. This week has been sort of rough as I have not felt very good and let's just say the 2 year old is really pushing. I love my boys so dearly and even just having them gone for 1 hour so far makes me sit back and realize how great that I do have it. I get hard on myself every once in a while and think that I am not doing a good job with the boys. I know that it is just satan trying to get me and I also know that for me it is also a reminder that I need to be spending more time with my Lord so that HE can help me. Today I was reading in Proverbs, "Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3 Thanks for the reminder Lord, I need to commit my work (raising my children) to Him and that is all that I need to succeed! I am off now to do some organizing of the boys rooms while they are not here, a much easier task without them underfoot.

Pumpkin Patch & Hunting

Did you see that first picture of my big boy! I never thought the day would come so quickly that he would be wearing his Cabela's hat and holding a gun (that is just a BB gun) while hunting with daddy! Michael, Papa Brown, and Logan went hunting last Friday. Logan was so, so excited and talked about it for days to everyone he saw. They awoke early and Logan was ready to go. They did not get anything but had a great time exploring and spending time together. Michael had so much fun being able to take Logan and I know that they will become great hunting buddies over the years. We have been to the pumpkin patch twice this year. We went with Logan's school and had a great time petting and looking at the animals. We also got to go on a tractor ride out to the patch to pick pumpkins. It was fun for me to see Logan in action with all his buds from school. Last year he was really a shy guy but this year he is really opening up and has made himself a buddy who also goes to our church so it has been fun to see them interact. We also went to the pumpkin patch with our best buds and had a great time. There was lots to do and the hightlight for the kids was feeding the goats! Our family really enjoys fall time (especially Daddy) and it has been fun to start some new traditions now that the kids are a little older. I cannot believe that October is almost over and we will soon be celebrating Thanksgiving. I hope that you are all enjoying your fall and that your families are all well.

Doctor Day

It has been a while since I have posted so I thought I would sit down tonight and write a little. Today was a busy day and a little crazy! Last week I scheduled a doctor's appointment for Logan because he has been complaining for some time that his tummy hurts. I have kept my eye on it and tried to figure out the times that it is happening but there really has not been any certain times that it happens. Since we were going for Logan I also took Luke because he has had a cold and has been playing with his left ear and telling me that it hurts, so I thought I should also have him looked at. I always feel so funny bringing both boys in with issues but our doctor is amazing and always makes time for both of them. So, Luke has double ear infections which is always a bummer but has started on antibiotics and hopefully will bounce back soon. Doctor could not find anything when he felt Logan's tummy but sent us for an x-ray to check things out. I was a little nervous to be taking both boys to the imaging place as Logan usually gets very nervous at new things and well, Luke is 2 and somehow taking him to the imaging place with ear infections, no lunch yet, and oh having a poop in the waiting room was just not my idea of fun! The Lord heard my prayers on the way there because Logan was amazing and actually acted like he was having fun getting his pictures of his tummy. Luke was also very good and we all made it out of there in one piece. Off to Burger King for a special lunch since Logan did so well then to Costco for antibiotics. The doctor called and Logan is FULL of poop! Sorry to be so graphic but its the truth. Poor guy, I never would of expected this because he is so regular but I guess not enough. So, back to Costco for some MiraLax which we will give him everyday for a couple of weeks until he is cleared out. I love my little guys so much and hate it when they are sick but I am so thankful for our great doctor and thankful that there was not something horribly wrong with Logan's tummy. The boys are in bed now and mommy is tired! Michael has now caught the cold that the boys have had so he is not feeling so hot. I am praying selfishly that I do not get it because I head out Thursday afternoon until Sunday for Woman of Faith up in Portland. I am really looking forward to the weekend and am thankful to my wonderful husband for taking over this weekend. I have never been gone from them all this long but I know that they will all do great. Hope you are all enjoying your fall.

First Day of School & Syrup!

Ok, so I am a little late but Logan had his first day of preschool Tuesday the 9th. He went to the same preschool last year so I think that he was pretty comfortable and so was Mom! He enjoys his time there but it is very weird for me to have him gone. I know that it is good for him but I just really miss having him around. Luke is more aware this year that he is gone, so he walks around for the couple hours that Logan is gone saying "Gogan?" I do get to have some fun one on one time with Luke and that has been good. I thought this picture of Luke was so cute. Gotta love every last bite of syrup!

More Camping

Two weeks ago we headed out on Thursday afternoon for camping. We went about 40 minutes away to a campground called Wiskey Springs. We planned on picking huckleberries and just having a fun weekend. The boys were so excited for our adventure and our dear friends would join us on Friday so we were looking forward to that. The first night was a little rough. I did not pack enough warm clothes because I did not figure that it would be freezing cold the end of August! Luke woke up at 3:30 in the morning and let's just say I was up for the day, or night, or morning whatever it was! He did not fall back to sleep until 5:30 and then Logan was up at 5:40 so that woke Luke up and oh my was it cold!!! We snuggled in our beds as long as the boys could handle and then begged daddy to build a fire. We warmed up and then headed out to pick some huckleberries. That was fun until Logan got a bee up his sweatshirt and got stung two different times. That ended that trip for the day because he was pretty upset. We had a fun afernoon exploring and riding bikes and then after dinner we waited for the Riders. They arrived around 7:30 and our kiddos were so excited. We got there tent set up and all the kids were in bed by 9 or so. Time for daddy's and mommy's to relax around the campfire. Sleep was much better in the Brown tent and I was so thankful for that. It was not so cold the next night so that was a good thing. Breakfast in the morning and then off huckleberry picking again. The kids had tons of fun picking and there were no bees this time. Lunch and rest, well nobody really rested but then we headed to Willow Lake for swimming which was also a blast! Everyone was pretty tired by Saturday night so off to bed after smores and again some down time by the fire. Even though you never get much sleep camping, everyone is always very dirty, and the facilities are not that great, it is still so much fun. I love that we have built such great memories for our kids and that we will remember the fun that we had. Since we have been back we have been peach picking, blackberry picking, oh and did I mention that Michael is also a fire fighter in his spare time. While picking blackberries last week at some friends, the neighbor had a burn barrel get out of hand and they did not even know it. Michael raced over and began using the garden hose to try and get it under control before the fire department got there. The neighbor did not even know that his fence and a bunch of decking was on fire. Michael saved the day! Now summer is coming to an end and the mornings and evenings are a little cooler. Logan starts preschool on Tuesday and we will be getting back into a routine. Fall is one of our families favorite time of the year. We already went to a football game this evening. Hope the end of summer finds you all well and that as we enter into a new school year and such that you all enjoy this time with your families.

Busy, Busy

Summer sure is flying by. I posted for Luke's B-day but have not had the time to sit and post since then. The week before Luke's B-day we had my two nephews, Drew and Ethan here from Portland for the week. They came last year for a week in the summer and we had such a great time so we decided to do it again. I cannot tell you what a great week we had with them. They are such wonderful boys and Logan and Luke loved having them here. Drew and Ethan are so good with my boys and even though my boys are much younger they are so patient playing with them and also helping me with them without me even asking. We did lots of swimming at friends, we went to the Lake one day and on the last day "Uncle Brownie"(that's what Drew and Ethan call him), took the big boys fishing and they had a great time. The week wrapped up quickly and I was sad to see the boys go. I think I could do 4 boys, what do ya think? I had to show of the cakes that I made for Luke's Birthday because it was so fun to make them and I was really happy with the way they turned out. We head out this afternoon to go camping for 3 days. We are looking forward to a fun weekend and our dear friends will join us tomorrow night so we are looking forward to that. Hope you all enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Happy Birthday Luke

Happy Birthday Luke

Two years ago today our sweet little Luke was born. What a sweet boy he is to us! He was a loud little newborn and was very fussy for the first couple of months but he was just showing us his personality. I cannot believe how the time has gone and that he is already 2 years old! We thank the Lord for him and what a fun little guy he is. Logan and him are so great together and I love having two boys. I love you Lukie and am so thankful to the Lord for giving you to your Daddy and I! My prayer is that you grow to be a strong man of God and that you love him with all of your heart. Happy Birthday little man.

CAMPING

We went camping last weekend and had a wonderful time. We went to Union Creek and it was our first time camping with the boys. Michael and I have done some camping before we had the boys so we were really looking forward to taking them. It was an amazing time and they had a blast! We arrived Thursday afternoon and setting up camp went well. Michael and I even got along as we put our tent together for the first time! We have always just had a small tent for the two of us but we got a new one and it fit us all just great. We had an easy dinner that night and after some playing decided to start the boys to bed. The first night sleeping did not go so well. Logan was so excited he could not sleep and I think Luke was a little scared. Logan did say "Mom, did you remember to bring my night light?" I think that Luke was wishing we brought his night light. Logan finally fell asleep around 9:30 and I finally got Luke to fall asleep with us about 10 but then he was up at 1:00 and pretty much up all night off and on. We were up early but the kids were excited to start the day and it was a little chilly so we built a fire and made pancakes and bacon. We hung around camp enjoying a few bike rides and exploring. After lunch Luke and Mommy had a 2 hour nap while Logan and Daddy went fishing. Logan was so excited because he caught 4 fish all on his own! After nap we went to Diamond Lake for some swimming and then headed back to camp for hot dogs and burgers. We had fun roasting marshmallows for smores and then it was off to bed. Everyone slept great the second night, I think they were so tired! It was so cold again on Saturday so we all bundled up and headed to a restaurant for breakfast. We went for another long bike ride and then it was time to pack up. Logan was sad to leave and asked when we could go camping again. We had such a great time as a family just hanging out together. Camping is a lot of work but it is a different kind of work then when you are at home. I so enjoyed just watching my boys and spending time with them. I miss things I think at home because I am so busy with life that I don't take the time to just watch them or do things with them. Even though we are home I am going to try and be better about spending the time with them, "camping" with them! Hope you are all enjoying your summer.

Fence Project

We have been pretty busy for the past 11 days! My dear Dad came down on Friday the 2oth. We had been planning this day for a long time and were very excited to have him come and replace our fence. Michael took the week off and the project began, oh as soon as my Dad got out of his car Friday afternoon. To make a long story short this was a HUGE project. My Dad does beautiful work and everything is done very well. We really had no idea that it would literally take 11 days with really no down time except for the night that it thundered and rained but we all decided it was God's way of saying we needed to rest that night. We are so very happy with the finished product. We finished all the tidbits last night by about 9 p.m and then my Dad went home today after spending some time with the boys because let's just say it was very hard for them to have Papa here and have him be so busy. They wanted to crawl all over him in the evenings but he was so tired and sore that it was hard. He was a trooper though and would read to them and such. We are so thankful to Dad for what he has done for us we could never have done it without him. I pray for you rest and relaxation Dad because you deserve it. We will spend the rest of the week just catching up with the many tasks that have taken a backseat because of our project and then enjoy a relaxing weekend. Hope you are all enjoying your summer.

Summer!!

Wow, I cannot believe that we are over halfway done with June. We have been busy, busy but it has all been very good. Michael and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary at the beginning of the month and had a fun four days in Las Vegas. Neither one of us had ever been there and with the cheap flights we thought that it would be a fun place to visit. We had a great time together and had never been away from the boys for this long. We both really missed them but enjoyed the time to relax, eat good food, talk, and just hang out. The boys had a fun filled week with our sweet Kelly who takes such good care of them when we are gone. The next week was just spent getting things back together from being gone and to get ready to go again! We left Father's Day Sunday and headed to Michael's Dad's to spend the week. Our church kid's camp was only five minutes from Papa Brown's so we camped at his house and went back and forth to camp throughout the week to help out. We had such a great time. I was in charge of crafts and Michael was the beach cop while the kids went boating at Lake of the Woods. Logan and Luke had such a great time doing so many fun things. Exploring the woods, playing in the creek, worshiping at chapel time with all the kiddos, ATV rides with Daddy and Papa, and of course all the love that all the little mother's at camp give! I loved that we as a family got to hang out at camp and that the boys got to experience some adventures. Logan's highlight was getting to ride the school bus with all the girls and Daddy as they went to the lake on Wednesday. It was a wonderful week to experience the Lord's creation and for Logan and Luke to see all the kids having fun and praising our Lord! It brought tears to my eyes all week as I saw all the boys and girls having so much fun and the wonderful counselers that took time out of there busy summers to invest in these kiddos. The Lord is good and he blessed my heart this week. Tomorrow my Dad arrives and he will stay at least a week because he is going to replace our fence for us. It is a big job and we are so thankful that he is coming to do it. The boys and I will try and stay out of the way as I know they will want to "help" but that will not be much help. I hope you all are having a great summer so far.

Happy Father's Day

Michael is such a great Daddy! We love you Daddy and are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with you. Thank you for all that you do to make our family so special. What would we do without your hugs, funny songs, tackling games, and just your all around love for your boys! Today we will head to Michael's Dad's in Rocky Point to enjoy a yummy spaghetti dinner and some basketball watching I am sure. We will be up there all week as our church Kid's Camp is about 5 min. from Michael's Dad's so we will spend the week helping out at that. Lastly to my Dad. What an amazing Dad that you have been to me! I love you so much Dad and I am so proud to call you Dad! You are such a caring and compassionate person and I have so many fond memories of my childhood and have loved making new memories now as an adult. Thank you for who you are and the love that you show.

Pictures: My Dad with our family in his FAVORITE place, Disneyland! Michael and his boys.

CELEBRATING 10 GREAT YEARS OF MARRIAGE

IN REMEMBRANCE OF MY MOM WHO PASSED 5 YEARS AGO TODAY

Fun in the Sun

We got a preview of summer last week as it was in the 100's! We got the swim shorts out and the boys had so much fun running in the sprinkler. Mommy even got her suit on and ran through. Of course I had to have the talk with Logan about appropriate swim attire for girls and boys. When I put his suit on and then got mine on he asked "mommy why do you where a top with your swim suit and Luke and I do not?" Well, good question sweetie. So I just explained to him that boys do not have to wear tops but girls do. It was pretty cute! It is so nice to finally have some good weather to enjoy and makes the days so nice to be able to get outside. Hope you are all enjoying the outside time.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mom's out there! What a joy and amazing gift to be a Mother to my great boys. When I was thinking about what to write and looking through pictures I could not help but get a little teary. Mother's Day is both special and hard for me at the same time. I am so blessed that I am a Mom and love that the Lord has called me to this job and I would not trade it for the world. As we all know this job of motherhood can be challenging at times but so rewarding also. The love that our little one's have for us is amazing. Just yesterday Logan and I went out just the two of us to do a little shopping. We walked hand in hand into the store. In his sweet little voice he said "I love you Mommy! Happy Mother's Day." Oh my goodness he just melted my heart and I tried not to break down right in front of Fred Meyer. Then there's Luke. He barely stops long enough for any sort of mooshy stuff but loves to give me big, big hugs so tight right around my neck, with his little "momma!" Gotta love those hugs. So, thank you Lord for allowing me to be a Mother able to celebrate with others. The hard part for me is that I do not have my Mom to celebrate with. I was reading an article today titled "Mother's Day without a Mom." It was a good article just talking about that it is OK that you are a little sad on Mother's Day and to acknowledge you are sad and that you miss her. My first Mother's Day with Logan was also the first Mother's Day without my Mom and I struggle every year because I don't want to come across that I don't love that I am a mother but reading this article made me feel better in the fact that it is ok that I have a little sadness on Mother's Day. I so wish that she was here for me to love on and for her to see that so much of what I do today with my boys comes from her great example of what a mother is. My mom loved the Lord and shared her love for Him with others and was blessed to speak at many Women's Retereats for many different churches. My Dad recently gave me the box of all her notes from things that she has spoken on over the years. It has been so fun to look through because even though I do not have her here to talk to about Motherhood I found a file with notes about just that. Let me leave you with a few thoughts of her's and I pray that you all are blessed on your special day!

"There are few things I care about as much as I care about being a Mother to my girls....not just caring about them.....but carefully mothering them."

"The reality is---the role of the Mother is still one of great impact and influence. The need for her to fulfill her role is greater than ever before. You can make an incredible difference in the life of you children and in so doing impact your world."

p.s.

Some special pictures: 1st- Luke and Mommy

2nd-Logan and Mommy

3rd- Last picture taken with my Mom

Working with Daddy

Saturday was work with Daddy morning. I left early Saturday morning to go to garage sales with by best bud! We had so much fun driving here and there just looking for nothing in particular but found a few things that we could use. We will definitely be doing it again because it is so much fun to drive around, chat, and look at every one's stuff. I arrived home and did not see or hear my boys. There was some strange looking boxes on the kitchen counter so I knew they were doing some sort of project. I had mentioned to Michael the other day that both of our bathrooms needed new toilet seats. Now I know this may sound silly but you know how it is, you don't always want to spend any extra money on a new toilet seat! My dear husband listened when I just causally mentioned it and I opened my bathroom door to find my three boys busy replacing the seat. He had taken Logan and Luke to Home Depot and they got work aprons which Daddy wrote there names on and they were busy in the oh so small space of my bathroom with tools in hand and everything! It was so cute to see and as you can tell the littlest of things excite me like a new toilet seat. Oh and by the way he cleaned the toilets so nicely too! I am fighting a bad sinus infection so I have been a little under the weather this weekend but I am now on antibiotics and feeling a little better so we plan to get out and enjoy the sunshine this afternoon after nap.

Bye, Bye Tubes

Our Logan is such a trooper! He got tubes put in his ears when he was one because he had so much trouble with ear infections. Now that he is four they have been in a while and usually they fall out on there own but his were not so we had to go in today and have them taken out. It is not that big of a deal to get them out but he did have to be put out to have it done so that is not always that fun. Luke was gone overnight last night at our dear friends so that meant Michael and I could spend some special time with Logan. We went to the park and ran around and then we told him he could pick where we went to dinner. His favorite is Chinese food so that is what he picked. We wanted him to eat a lot since he was not going to be able to eat breakfast this morning. He did just that and then we finished the night off with ice cream at Dairy Queen. We explained to him what was going to happen today and Daddy bought him his first very own fishing pole that he was going to get today after his procedure. He did great this morning and I did not say anything about not being able to eat just let the morning happen and about 7:30 he said "hey Mom, we forgot to eat breakfast!" I told him that we would not be able to eat until after the doctor and he was just fine with that. I was a little worried that the no eating thing this morning was going to be an issue but the Lord heard my worries about that. So, besides him being pretty upset after waking up from the anesthetic, things went just great and he just got up from a 2 hour nap. Hopefully we will get some nice weather this weekend so we can get outside and play. Have a blessed weekend!

HOME & THANKFUL

It is so good to be home from our Portland trip but we did have a good time. After Luke's doctor appointment on Wednesday we all felt such relief and were ready to relax and spend some time with my family. We have not been up since Thanksgiving and so it was good to see my sister's, cousin's, dad, and grandparents. I have twin sisters and one has 2 boys and the other has 2 girls and one boy. We went to one nephew's soccer game on Tuesday evening and then dinner at my sister's which was a good time. Wednesday after the doctor was spent at my other sister's. Her little boy is 6 weeks older than Luke and they were so fun to watch play together. The girls took great care of there cousin Logan because they are the little mother's you know. It is always fun to shop in Portland and after visiting with my grandparents on Thursday the boys were given a little money so we headed to Washington Square and they spent there money at the LEGO store. Michael and I got the kids to bed on Thursday evening and my Dad was so sweet to let us go out. We had a good time together but we were both so tired we did not have much to say to each other just ate some dessert and headed for bed! We were supposed to head home on Friday but decided to just stay one more day and spend a little more time with family. We headed home on Saturday morning and drove in rain, hail, sun, snow, you name it we went through it! We made it home tired and ready to sleep in our own beds. This week I am so thankful that all Luke's stuff is behind us and thanking the Lord that he brought us through every step. When you sit in the waiting room at OHSU you realize how truly blessed you are when sitting right next to you is a sweet little 10 month old girl having a seizure because she has little tumors in her head and she has as many as 60 seizure's a day! So, I say thank you Lord for our healthy child. We are back in the swing of things at home just getting things back to normal. Logan had tubes put in his ears when he was 1 but they have not fallen out on there own so on Friday morning we will be heading to the surgery center and he will be having them taken out. So far he has been a trooper at the doctor's with hearing tests and such. We are praying that all goes well on Friday also. God bless you all and hope that you have a blessed week.

Pictures: Papa was a hit when he made Mickey Mouse pancakes with strawberries and whip cream. You have to get a Krispy Kreme donut when you go to Portland.

Great Report!!!

Hello from Portland! So, Luke had his doctor's appointment at OHSU yesterday and praise the Lord everything was just fine! We arrived at the clinic Wednesday morning and he had an MRI at 10:00. That was not much fun as they tied his arms down and then I had to lay on top of him and hold his head and go into the machine with him. We were in there for 5 minutes and he did not like any bit of that but we made it through with only having to stay in for an extra 30 seconds because at one point he wiggled a little too much. We then saw Dr. Seldon and he was only in the room for just a minute and assured us that the MRI looked just fine and that Luke just has a big head. What a praise and relief for us! The Lord has been right beside us in all this and I have felt at such peace for the past couple of days as I know that many of you have been praying for us which we are so thankful for. So, we are now officially done with this head thing and are so glad. Thank you to our Lord for walking with us and taking care of our sweet Luke. Our plan is to stay in Portland until Friday to spend some more time with my family and tonight my dad has agreed to stay with the boys so that Michael and I can spend an evening together in the big city! Thank you again to all of you for your love and prayers. I will post pictures from our trip when we get back.

Anniversary Tribute

As many of you know, my mom passed away 5 years ago but today would of been my parents 35 year wedding anniversary. Oh, how I wish she was still here to celebrate that special day with my dad. My parents were such a wonderful example to me of what a godly marriage looks like. They created a wonderful home for my sisters and I and loved each other through all the ups and downs. My mom became a christian before my dad and went through many rough years before he turned to Christ, but she was so faithful to never stop praying for him and finally her prayers were answered and my dad accepted the Lord. There love for each other was amazing and although as a teenager I thought the smooching and dancing together in the kitchen was gross, I now look back and am so glad they showed us their love for each other. My dad's unconditional love for my mom when she was sick was amazing to see. He truly showed us all what it means to love in "sickness and in health!" Never did he complain about any of it, from the cleaning to the cooking to pretty much living at hospitals and doctor's offices, he stuck to her like glue! Michael and I were at a marriage conference this weekend and had a wonderful time. We learned a lot from the conference but I also couldn't help thinking about my parents since it was there anniversary. They have also taught me so much through there example that I have brought into my marriage. My mom loved and respected my dad so much and I want to be that for Michael. I love you dad and pray that the Lord blesses you today as you think about your bride that you wed 35 years ago!

SICK AGAIN!!!

When will the sickness end? I am so ready for Spring to come and maybe we will all stop getting the yucks! I have had a horrible cold all weekend and have felt so drug out! We did a garage sale on Friday and Saturday and I started to feel yucky on Friday but made it through the day. Saturday was not so good but I am sure that it did not help to be out in the SNOW at our garage sale! Yes, that was so weird to have snow for Spring break. I am feeling a little better today and trying to lay low this week because Michael and I are headed out of town on Friday to go to a marriage conference in Redmond and I want to be lots better by then. The boys have little sniffles but not anything major so I am thankful for that and hoping that it stays that way. God bless you all and hope that you have a wonderful week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!!

Four years ago today our sweet Logan Paul was born. I cannot believe that it has been 4 years! It is so much fun this year because he is older so he is so excited to have his Birthday. Daddy took the day off today so we woke up and first things first we opened presents. Logan is totally into Mickey Mouse and all he wanted was a Mickey Mouse House, so that is what mommy and daddy got him along with a few other things. I made strawberry pancakes for breakfast and we have had a fun morning of hanging out and playing with new toys! Papa King is coming today from Portland and we will have a Birthday party tonight with our family and friends. What a blessing our Logan is to us. He has such a sweet spirit and he is truly a gift from God. My prayer for him is that he grows into a wonderful man who loves the Lord and follows closely after Him. I love you my little buddy and am so blessed to call you my son! Happy 4th Birthday.

My Sweet Luke

I am finally able to sit down and blog! The whole family has had the stomach flu and let's just say I am so done with washing sheets, towels, and Jammie's that have been barfed on. Luke started last Sunday night, then Logan early Monday morning, then Michael Monday afternoon and I thought that I escaped it but just this last Saturday I was in bed all day with it! So, I believe that we are all better and I will stay clear of the gym and such this week because I do not want any crud before Easter and Logan's Birthday which is Wednesday. We also finally have some answers about Luke. Dr Selden up in Portland wants to have an MRI done and then see him. It looks like we will have the MRI and appointment on April 16. Not necessarily the news that we wanted to hear but we are glad that they are taking every precaution just in case. So, I do feel better that we have an appointment and I got my questions answered today about the MRI. It is what's called a quick MRI so Luke will not have to be put under and will only be in the machine for 5 minutes. So, that was a lot better than I thought. I still am having to redirect my thoughts though towards my Lord so that I will not worry. Before bed last night I was really struggling and I pulled out an e-mail that a dear friend sent. It was talking about fear and referred to the verse in 2nd Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of sound mind." The devotion part was specifically talking about the fear that we have about our children. I know that this is a time that I need to totally depend on the Lord with my fears and worries. He is in control and he will not give me more than I can handle. Thank you my friends for your prayers and words of encouragement! Please continue to pray that all will be fine with Luke and that I will not spend the next 3 weeks with a stomach ache! God bless you all and have a great week!

Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

I was reading a friends blog today and this verse really hit me. You know the times when you are just toodling along and BAM the tears begin to flow because the Lord is speaking to you through his word. I need to claim this verse this week as I am worrying about my little Luke! As many of you know when Luke was 9 months old we made a switch to a different pediatrician who we love! When measuring his head he noticed that from his 6 to 9 month check his head size grew considerably. To make a long story short Luke had a CT scan and we went to Portland to see a doctor at OHSU. The doctor there said he just had a big head. Well, we are dealing with the head thing again. At his 18 month check his head has grown again quite a bit from his 15 month check so the doctor is going to send the information to Portland again. Deep down inside I am sure that there is nothing wrong with Luke but as you mom's know it does not take much for us to worry about our babies! I need to take every thought captive and I know that the Lord is teaching me to trust him through all this. I will post again when we find out anything but in the meantime I will keep praying that the Lord will take care of Luke. Hope you all have a great weekend!

New Recipe

It's been a while since I have posted so I thought today would be a good day to do that as I am not feeling so hot and the boys and I are just hanging out at home today. Logan has had a cold for over a week now and I feel as though I may be getting it. I think I will head to the store today and get some airborne to maybe stop the cold thing. So as many of you know I struggle with Logan because he is such a picky eater! My mother-in-law gave me the cookbook Deceptively Delicious in hopes that maybe I could hide things and then Logan would eat it. It actually has some pretty good recipe's and I tried a new one yesterday that was a hit! Logan actually ate cauliflower and he did not even know it(he, he)! I made this Banana Bread and he kept asking for more and more pieces. It actually did taste real good and it was so easy to make. I will include the recipe and maybe you all might want to try it.

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional) I added this

1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 cup banana puree

1/2 cup cauliflower puree

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9x5 in loaf pan, or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.

2. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In another bowl mix sugar and oil until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana, and cauliflower, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

4. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. 55-60 min for large loaf, 25-30 min for mini loaves. Let stand and rack for 5 min, then turn the bread out of pan and cool before serving.

Hope you are all having a good week and staying away from all the sickness that is going around.

Our Weekend

Well, our weekend did not turn out as it was supposed to. I mentioned on Friday that we were headed up to Rocky Point to spend a couple of days. Michael's dad and step-mom have a house there and they were going to be out of town so we thought it would be fun to go up as a family and have some relax time. Of course I raced around on Thursday and Friday packing everything we would need clothes, food, snow stuff, etc. We headed out about 11 on Friday morning. It was such a beautiful sunny day and the drive up 140 was just great. There was a ton of snow on the sides of the road but the actual road was clear of any ice or snow. As we approached the road where the house is Michael's dad had told us to get a running start so that we could make it up the road. It was very hard to do that because of the snow banks on either side of the car but Michael did his best, and there we sat! Yes, we got stuck! The road was so icy and the snow was so high on the sides of us that we could not get any traction and if we did move we just would slide into a snow bank and get stuck. We did this for over and hour and let's just say Luke was not so happy with the noise coming from the tires spinning. He screamed in the car pretty much the whole time. Logan on the other hand did just great and had a little running commentary of what he thought we should do. "Maybe we should call a tow truck" he said. Thanks to a neighbor who hooked us up to his ATV we were free, but we did not dare try and head up the road again so we just had to turn around and head back home. We were so bummed because we were so looking forward to hanging out at the cabin in the snow. We did end up having a great weekend of just getting little projects done around the house, playing outside with the boys and on Sunday we took the boys to the fish hatchery and they had a great time. Hope you all have a great week!

LUKE'S FIRST HAIRCUT

We took Luke for his first haircut this morning!

We have this great gal that has done Logan's hair since he was one so we decided that since Logan was due for a cut it was also time to take Luke. I remember with Logan being so excited to get his hair cut because you know he is my first and all those things are so fun with the first. Not that it was not fun with Luke but as he is the second time goes so fast and so I cannot believe that it is already time to get his hair cut! He did not do too bad although the look on his face in this picture is not all that pleasant. Logan was so cute because as Luke was kind of crying he would say "it's ok Luke" in this real cute voice. He really looks cute and a whole lot bigger. We are headed to Rocky Point for the weekend in a little while for some rest and relaxation. Hope you all have a great long weekend.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I had lots of fun plans today with the boys and such but Logan woke up in the night and he had thrown up! I do not do so well with throw up. I am really a real wimp, in fact I woke Michael up and there was really no reason that I needed to I guess I just needed backup in case Logan started to throw up again. Anyway, Logan had a party at school today that we will not be able to go to. I will say that he really seems just fine this morning so I am praying that maybe it was just a one time thing and we can still make heart pizza tonight and a strawberry heart cake. So, I guess my busy day will have to be put on hold but maybe its the Lord's way of slowing me down today and just spending it with my precious Valentine's! We had a great day! Logan did just fine today and we were able to go to the park this afternoon and then have a fun dinner together. The boys are in bed now and Michael and I are going to relax and watch a movie. Hope you all had a great Valentine's day!

Morning in Ashland Park

Today we had a fun morning with the boys and Michael's mom. Michael's day off from church is on Friday's so we usually try and do things as a family. It seems like with the holiday's and the kids being sick that we have not been able to take the opportunity to get back in the routine. We decided that we would pick Gaga (that is what Logan has called Michael's mom since he began to talk) up and go to Ashland and feed the ducks. Logan was very excited this morning to go and do that. We pulled up to the duck pond, opened the van doors, and so many ducks began to walk and talk towards our car. Luke was not quite sure and began to cry. Once I got him out he started to walk towards them and wave his arms up and down getting all excited! We did not stay long because it was pretty cold but it was so fun and the boys had a great time. Even though Luke is into everything and is soooo busy, he is at such a fun stage and we just get a kick out of watching him talk, dance, run, and wrestle with his brother. There of course is also those times when Logan is not always the nicest to his brother but then I look at the picture of the two of them today and it brings a tear to my eye because he really does love his little brother and has a very sensitive heart towards him. Hope you all have a great weekend!