Taps

Today, I went to the funeral of my best friend, Myra's, grandfather. It was a graveside service and despite the cold and the rain, it was a nice service. The most emotional part, for me, was the playing of Taps, and the folding/ presenting of the flag to Myra's grandmother. Being a Navy veteran, Taps just chokes me up. It was an emotional day and I'm ready for a nap! I will close with the words to Taps:

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hills,

From the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

Fades the light; And afar

Goeth day, And the stars

Shineth bright,

Fare thee well; Day has gone,

Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,

'Neath the sun, 'Neath the stars,

'Neath the sky.

As we go, This we know,

God is nigh.

Prayer Request

We need some prayers for our little Lauren. She has had rectal bleeding for a month now and we can't get it to stop. So far we've been giving her apple juice to keep her stools soft, but she is still bleeding. I took her to the doctor today and our next plan of action is to take her off of whole milk and try soy milk to see if she is allergic to whole milk. We also have to give her mineral oil every day. If that doesn't work, she is going to need to have a barium enema done to check her intestines. We are hoping that we won't have to do the enema as it will be very uncomfortable for her, but we need to find out what is causing the bleeding. So please pray that the Lord would heal her...Thank you.

16 Weeks

I can't believe that I am now in my 16th week of pregnancy. It sure has gone by fast. I had my doctor's appointment today and the baby's heartbeat sounds really good. I'm still losing weight, so the nurse scolded me. I can't help it, I just don't feel like eating. I'm still getting nauseous and gaging, but I haven't thrown up a whole lot. I was sick with Curtis for six months, so I'm not expecting it to end any time soon. We have our ultrasound scheduled for January 5th and we will not be finding out the sex of the baby. Here is a little teaser, the initials for the names we have chosen are L.A. and C.E. Have fun trying to figure those out! Until next time...

A Star Is Born?

So the Christmas program was last night and what an adventure it was for us. Curtis's Sunday school class had their first rehearsal on the stage Saturday morning. The kids were so cute, but Curtis was so fascinated by the backdrop and the props that he was just running all over the stage. When he did stand still, he was playing his air guitar (no surprise there). At one point he was holding the hand of the little boy next to him, so that the little boy wouldn't leave the stage. It was very funny. So last night, when I was trying to get Curtis ready for the program, he was screaming and crying because he didn't want me to change his clothes. Then he was crying because he didn't want to go. We finally talked him into going, but while the kids were in the class waiting to come out on stage, Curtis was refusing to sing. I had to go in there and talk to him. I convinced him to go out onto the stage, but told him he didn't have to sing. Well, when it was time for the kids to go onto the stage, Curtis was the first one out there. He ended up standing behind all of the other kids, dancing and playing his air guitar. In the middle of the song, he decided to go to the front (while still playing his air guitar). Kevin said it was to play his solo. Once he was done, he went back behind the kids. It was really cute and we are very proud of him. Here are some pictures from the rehearsal:

Lookalike?

So, I have a little task for you all. I found a picture of Curtis from Halloween two years ago, wearing the same costume that Lauren wore this year. Compare the pictures and tell me if you think the kids look alike. Curtis

Lauren

I'm Back!!!

It's been awhile since I've last written, so I have a lot to update on. The reason for the silence is that everyone has been very ill. Last weekend was the worst of it because we were all sick at the same time, and thankfully, we are all better now. Lauren had her 15 month check up and she is doing well, she is just petite. She is 19 1/2 lbs. and 29 3/4 in. tall, which is way under what she needs to be. She is a really good eater, but she is just small. She is also walking all over the place now. She can also say mommy, daddy, night-night, amen, please, upstairs, papa, more, and all done. Her personality is really starting to come out now. She loves to have fun and dance, but she also likes to snuggle and just sit.

Curtis is starting to mature and his sweet side is really starting to show. The other day, he came up to me, out of the blue, hugged my leg, and said, "Mommy, I love you." Boy, did my heart melt! He is also starting to sing a lot more. Last week he was putting his Pooh bear to bed and he sang Jesus Loves Me to him (I sing that song to Curtis when I put him to bed). Last night when we were coming home from my grandparents house, the worship song Your Grace Is Enough came on the radio, and Curtis was singing along with it. Listening to him sing worship songs really makes me feel great to be his mom. I look forward to seeing him grow and mature in the Lord.

My morning sickness is starting to go away. I'm having more good days than sick days now. I've outgrown all but two pairs of regular jeans, but my belly isn't big enough for my maternity clothes yet. I might have to go buy some smaller size maternity pants so that I can be more comfortable. I have my next appointment on December 9th and we will be setting up the ultrasound. Kevin and I are still trying to figure out if we are going to find out what we are having. We don't really need to know since we have boy and girl baby clothes already, and I think it would be awesome for Kevin to call out what the sex is when the baby is born. Well, I think I've caught you all up on what is going on in our family. Here are some pictures of Lauren:

Lauren is pretending to be Santa

Lauren eating her Thanksgiving dinner. Yummy!!

California Girl!

P.S. I have a wonderful praise report for all of you. Jon and Ali have just announced that they are pregnant and having twins!! Our God is so awesome! Congratulations and I know that Emmalee is smiling down upon you from Heaven.

Baby Update

Well, I had my doctor's appointment this morning and everything is good. The doctor did an ultrasound and the baby looks great!! It was moving around alot, which is another reason for me to believe that this baby is a boy. Curtis moved constantly and Lauren would move once in a while. The heartbeat was good and I got to see it's brain, spine, umbilical cord, arms, and legs. He looked between the baby's legs, but it's still too early to see anything. We will just have to wait until the beginning of January, when the next ultrasound is done, to find out anything. On a different note...when I was telling Curtis that I had a doctor's appointment and he would have a babysitter, he asked me if the doctor was going to be taking the baby out. When I told him no, that the baby was going to be inside me for a while so that it could get bigger, he got this concerned look on his face and said, "But Mommy, the baby is going to poke a hole in your tummy." I reassured him that the baby wasn't going to poke a hole in my tummy and he was okay with that. It's funny the things that kids think of. Blessings upon you all!!