Jordan

So I haven't really had the time to blog since returning from Jordan because healthwise I am still working on recovering, but I am getting there. I did want to take the time to just update about our trip for anyone who is interested. First off I have to say that I was excited to go, but I had no idea just how much I'd fall in love with Jordan and all the people there. My only disappointment was that we couldn't stay longer. Yousef's family was amazing and it was so wonderful to get to know them! The wedding was amazing and I honestly don't ever think I will attend anything like that again and it was so nice to see many of our old college friends and truly and honor to be able to be there for Amin's big day. I am so happy for him and Claire seems to be such a wonderfully perfect match for him!
I was able to see so many amazing places, Amman is an amazing city and we loved the Dead Sea so much that we went back a second time with the kids. Mt. Nebo had some spectacular views and the Baptism site was truly moving. Just to know that you are standing where Jesus was baptised is mind blowing! The only thing I couldn't handle was the driving...seriously, it scared the crap out of me! The people there are so amazing and I don't even know how to explain it, but when we got home I honestly feel like I left a peice of my heart there! I know I kid around about wanting to move there, but I truely believe that we will someday end up there. For now I will just have to hold on to the fond memories of a beautiful country and pray I get to return soon! After all, I still have to visit Petra, Jerusalem and Lebanon! :D

Good Gravy!

Ok, so I have apparently been entirely too busy to deal with this blog...how sad, I know...but I had to sit for a minute and breathe, so I thought - why not blog! I literally have 5 minutes to do this because I am due at step class in 5 min and given that we leave for Jordan in 8 DAYS, I have no room for missing a workout. Last night I was at the store getting some essensials for our trip and Yousef decided to call our friend who is getting married. Much to my horror, he found out there are going to be 1200 ( yes thats twelve HUNDRED) people at this wedding. For any of you who really know me, you know how much I am completely freaking out...not to mention that some princes and princesses are gonna b there and possible other royalty I will not mention. (A little backgroung is that our very close friend that Yousef went to grade school with and whom we practically lived at his house in college, is the first Director in Jordan's history to produce a major motion picture...there is an earlier blog about his movie, so check it out)
The thought of that size of a crowd completely screws with my head because I am so anal about being early and getting good seats and etc...thankfully though, we will b going with the groom to the wedding and have reserved seats. That does pose another problem...I am going to be sitting where 1200 other people want to be sitting and they are all going to be looking at me and wondering "who is this girl and why does she get to sit there?" That scares the stinking poo out of me. So, for now I will look at this as God lesson to me that I cannot control everything and that I can only be me and need to stop worrying about how fat I am or how terrible my hair or make up is, or how my dress only cost 60 bucks at dress barn when the girl next to me is wearing a $3000 dress she bought in Paris, because in the end the most important thing is that we are able to fly all the way there and enjoy one of the most important day in the life of one of our dearest friends.
I am learning to let go, and let God! We love you Amin and are so happy for you!!

Yo Gabba Gabba

So I am soooo excited about the new Yo Gabba Gabba episode airing April 3rd! Not only is my son's favorite show airing a brand new episode on his birthday, but a double bonus because Jack Black will be staring in it! What more could we ask for!!! Make sure you watch on NickJr. at 1:30 on Friday the 3rd!!!!!

Out of the woods

So I guess I should put a health update on here since it seems that has been the all-conuming thing in our lives the last month or so! I will start from the beginning for those of you who don't know what we have been experiencing.

It actually started off simply enough, the day before the kids were scheduled to go back to school from Christmas break Noah came down with a small cold, so I kept him home because he was running a fever....from there everything else is kind of a blur! Abby and Ethan both seemed to pick up the cold too, but I thought that was just it...a cold. However, Yousef had to go out of town for a few days on business and so I took them to stay at my mother-in-laws for the night. Right after I put the kids in bed, I noticed Ethan sleeping on the couch and he was breathing really fast and having some distress signs with it as well. (I only knew what those were b/c Abby had pnemonia when she was little) Anyways, I immediately rushed out in the snow to Children's Urgent Care to have him seen. We had 5 min. according to my watch, but they sent the security guard out to tell me that they were closed! I was so upset I couldn't even speak, so I called Yousef in Tennessee, but was crying so hard he couldn't understand me. We decided that I should just drive carefully (HA!) and go straight to Children's ER b/c Mt. Carmel East doesn't have a pediatric ward.

So I rushed to Children's and as soon as they saw him, they got him in a room right away. He was breathing over 60 breaths per minute! He also wasn't eating and they put him on an IV because they were afraid that if he were to eat while his breathing was so bad, he might choke. They admitted us and I am so thankful that we were at my mother-in-laws, b/c I don't know what I would have done with Yousef out of town. My mother came in first thing the next day to take Noah to school for me, but on the way there he threw up in my mom's car...He had the flu! In the meantime they had established that Ethan had RSV. We did get released later that evening and I ventured home with a sick child and was met with another who had it coming out both ends.

Thankfully Noah's was just a quick 1 day through for him, but unfortunately he had passed it on to Abby, who threw up from Thursday through Saturday and had it coming out both ends I had to put her in a pull-up! Finally by Saturday we ended up going back to the ER because she just couldn't keep anything down even with the surpositories they gave us. Thank God that the emergency room staff was able to give her something else that immediatly stopped her vomiting but they informed us that she also had a double ear infection which was her 4th in 3 months which meant a trip back to the Ear, Nose and Throat Dr.! YEAH! Back home we went a few days with being good, and then I was babysitting and noticed Ethan was breathing bad again and after a call to the Dr. we were off to the ER again. This time we were only there for a few hours and they gave him a steriod, but on our follow up appt, his doctor noticed he was still weezing so she put him on steriods for a week. 4 days later, he was breathing bad again! UGH!!

After a call to his Dr. and 3 breathing treatments in row, I rushed the kids off to a friends house (Thanks Joe and Julie!) and back to Children's I went. This time his breathing had slowed some by the time we got there, but he was still showing signs of distress. They checked him out and he had a double ear infection on top of everything else! So they put him on antibiotics and also gave him an inhaler, which seems to be working so much better then the nebulizer! We still have to go to the ENT for Abby and will most likely have to get her tubes put back in, but I don't mind that b/c she does so much better when she has them. Noah has had an ear infection in the middle of all this, but other then that he has been such a trooper and such a big helper to Mommy. As for Ethan he is doing much better, they did tell us to try to keep him away from any kids that might be sick so we are trying but with 2 siblings that is easier said then done!

Oh did I forget to mention that Yousef had his wisdom teeth taken out right in the middle of this mess?! LOL, I guess we just got it all out of the way at once. Anyways, everyone is doing much better and it has just made us be all the more thankful to God for simple things like just being healthy! Thank you everyone for all your prayer and support, I honestly don't know how we would have made it through this month with out it!!

Disappointment and Accountability

Recently I have had my eyes opened to someone and it has been one of the most disappointing experiences of my life. I have completely lost almost all the respect that I once had for someone who I considered a father figure in my life. In praying about it I keep getting the story of Eli brought to me. Those of you who know me know that I am not one of those "super-spiritual" "thus sayeth the Lord" types, but I just wanted to share the verses that keep being brought to me so that we all can realize we are accountable to God, not just for ourselves but for those whose lives we influence as well. Know that no man is above God or above reproach!

I Samuel 2
v.3
Talk no more exceeding proudly; let not arrogancey come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

I Samuel 3
v.11
Ane the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
v.12
In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
v.13
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not
v.14
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

16 Things to Pray For Your Children

So I was frantically going thru my kids school stuff - trying to find something that is due next week and I totally forgot about - and I came across something Abby’s preschool teacher gave me and I can’t believe I forgot about it! I am sooo thankful for the solid Christian foundation my kids are getting a cry every time I think of the fact that we will not be able to continue them at GCA next year. But anyways that is off the subject - wow I tend to do that sometimes! Ms. Beth, as Abby calls her, gave me a list of 16 things to pray over your children with verses and I just thought it was such a great thing that I wanted to share, so here it is:

1. For their salvation (Heb. 2:3 & Phil 2:12)
2. For their future mate (Prov. 31:10-31)
3 That they will fall in love with God’s Word (Ps. 119:97-165)
4. That God would keep them from the evil one (Jn 17:15)
5. that they will have a conscience void of offense before God and Man
(Acts 24:16 & I Tim. 1:5,19)
6. That their character would be more valuable to them the their credentials
(2 Peter 1:3)
7. That they will stand up for what is right even when it means standing alone
(Daniel 3:16
8. That they will be kept from the love of money (I Tim. 6:9-12)
9. That they will be morally pure (I THess. 4:3-8)
10. That they will have the heart of a servant (John 13:2-15)
11. That eternity would burn in their hearts. (I Tim 6:12 & 2 Cor. 4:16-17)
12. That sin will always be distasteful to them and that they will be broken easily
over sin (Heb. 11:25 & Ps. 51:17)
13. That they will love each other (I Jn 3:11 & I Jn 4:11)
14. That they will trust god with their parents and not allow rebellion to set in.
(Prov 3:5-6)
15. Regardless the hardship, that they will never become bitter against God
(Job 2:10)
16 That our boys will be glad to be boys and our girls glad to be girls
(Ps. 139:13-18)

A little late, but hopefully the point isn't lost

I had a hard time this Christmas because I just didn’t feel very “Christmas-y”, but I got an email from a friend a little late and it made me wonder if my mood had anything to do with the fact that I am so sick of no one saying Merry Christmas and maybe that is what aided in my lack of enthusiasm. Anyways, I know it is after Christmas, but I wanted to put this poem on here anyways because I like the point it makes..............

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday ‘.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe’s the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears*

*You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

Not Happy Holiday !*