Much Thanks

Dear Friends,
A heartfelt thanks for the prayers lifted on ours and Miles behalf yesterday and today. They have certainly been heard and are being answered. Miles slept soundly last night and even though he is still wheezing, I think he's feeling better and better. I don't count my blessings enough. Matt and I have been fortunate having fairly healthy children. My heart goes out to the families that spend as much time in the hospital with their children as they do at home. Blessings and peace to all. Give your babies a tight squeeze tonight!

Prayers

Matt and I made a trip to the ER in the wee hours of the morning with Miles. It's a rare occasion for Miles to cry out in the middle of the night and even more rare that one of us would arouse from our slumber and check on him. He began crying around 1:30 this a.m. and wouldn't settle down. I decided to get up since it had been a while and felt that motherly tug to check on him. I'm glad I did. He was gasping/panting for air. I'm not sure how many breaths he was taking a minute, but it sure did sound bad. I had my first asthma attack at 13 months and was fearful for him. I called for Matt, and we took him to the ER around 2:00 a.m. My gracious Mother came over and stayed with the kids while we were there. RANDOM THOUGHT: I felt like Will Smith in the movie "I am Legend" driving down Scottsville Road and how weird it would be if there were no people. Once I got to the hospital, Matt and Miles were in the back. I could hear him crying once I entered the ER doors, and he didn't stop--I think he totaled 2 FULL hours of crying and panting. After oxygen tests, chest x-rays, a breathing treatment and steroid, he finally settled down and fell asleep at the hospital. The doctor thinks that it could be asthma, but Miles is to young to be tested. The diagnosis is bronchiolitis and prescriptions to open his air passages. Poor baby. We were back home and back in bed by 5:30 a.m. Of course, the other kids were rarin' to go around 7:30. I had to get Karson ready for school and Isaac was ready for a game of Hungry Hippos. We need prayers for strength, energy and patience today. Thank goodness baby Miles is fine, and we're blessed with intelligent doctors and staff that can ease his pain in this scary situation.

Happy 3rd ISAAC

Tonight we celebrated Isaac's 3rd birthday at our home. We went with a Ninja Turtle theme which is surprising since he's into monster trucks, dinosaurs and Spiderman these days. It was what he wanted, so COWABUNGA DUDE! We ate pizza and partied hartied. I decided to get a small, round cake since most of my family is fasting from sweets with our 40 day church fast. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Andrew added to the growing monster truck collection.

Isaac and Trevor are buds!

Miles enjoying a drive-by pizza tasting.

Samuel discovering the farm.

Madison and Allie, two of the sweetest gals!

Grandad and Charlotte.

Karen and Seth.

Isaac stripped down to his skimmies to try on his Batman attire.

Tuesdays child is full of grace. This has been Isaac's take on life since birth. He's our "happiness" as my friend Melanie would say.
I also want to give a "Happy Birthday" shout out to my friend Sarah. Isaac is lucky sharing a birthday with such a wonderful person! Love you friend.

What to do, what to do?

What does one do on these blustery winter days...hmmmm....we bake cakes with our new Betty Crocker Cake Decorating kit. Karson has been talking about purchasing this coveted set for a while. Pap Colvin ordered it for her because that's what grandparents do. And, since he's 18 or older, Karson said that he could get it. She's a walking, talking commercial these days. She really wants me to get the Buxton Bag so "I'll never miss a call again". The kids had fun this afternoon decorating cakes with their Pap. Matt and I went out on a date and missed all the action. Fortunately, I got some before and after shots of the cakes. Any takers????

If you would like to order one of the FABULOUS products mentioned in the above blog, visit http://www.asontv.com/

Can anyone tell that I was an Advertising major???

Blast from the Past

Karson has been talking about wanting some new Cabbage Patch Kids called Lil' Sprouts. For some reason when I think of Cabbage Patch Kids, I also think of Garbage Pail Kids. Do any of you bloggers remember these fun sticker collection cards? I had a TON of them. These were some of my favorites.

Oh My

Hell hath no fury like a Miles scorned. I've forgotten how fun, yet tempermental a 15 month old can be. Isaac never entered the "terrible 2's", but Karson hit it hard around 18 months. Mighty Miles is bringing it back to our world. He's become a ball of fury clearing out cabinets, getting into trash, ripping things up all with attitude. Last night the kids were working on cards for friends in the dining room. Karson was decorating one for her friend Kennedy who has been sick, and Isaac was making one for his friend Jackson who had a birthday this week. Miles wanted in on the action and made that known. He was trying to pull down markers and grab at their cards and stickers. Strike 1, "no, no Miles" wouldn't work. He was ANGRY. I thought to myself...he wants to color, I'll go and get him some crayons. Strike 2, he looked at me like I was crazy and screamed at the top of his lungs while heading back to the table. A diversion, that's what I needed. Matt took him in the den and tried to play with him. Strike 3, he arched his back and let out a wail that was probably heard throughout Plano (Melissa M., Tonya, Melissa D., Larie--did you all hear it???). Matt put him down, and he sprinted back into the dining room, found an empty chair, climbed up on the table and grabbed markers. It was like a clip from Toddlerzilla. He was roaring and beating his chest. All the kids were going mad at this point, and we were about to pull our hair out. We grabbed Miles up and trapped him in his Discovery Farm which is the only thing that will contain him these days. And, put on Baby Einstein...that Julie Clarke is my best friend. Once the calm had settled and the kids finished their cards and went about their ways, we released the beast. He made a bee-line back to the dining room, climbed in the chair and played with the markers and had the best time. Oh my, it's hard to believe that he's already taking on the terrible 2's. I'm afraid he's going to have the most attitude of all three of our children, and rightly so =).

Pucker-Up

Isaac asked me today in his most precious little voice, "Hey Mom, wanna go in my room and kiss?" Who could say no to that... I think he gets his Casanova-ness from his romantic father!

Double Protection

I purchased two Buzz Lightyear PJ's from Disney Direct last year when they were on clearance for Isaac and his cousin Evan. Evan has outgrown his, and Shannon brought it back in a stash of clothes for me to sort through. I grabbed it out and thought Miles might be able to wear this at some point (it's a size 2). This morning Isaac wanted to dress up like Buzz, and I decided to try the other one out on Miles. It FIT! He's such a buster or butterball =). I've decided that his Gladiator name would be "Chublet".

Show-n-Tell

Wednesday is show-n-tell at Karson's preschool. I thought I, too, would have a show and tell from my morning. After my morning walk, I was totally prepared to make a run through the house and makes beds, get kids dressed, clean up spills, etc. To my surprise, when I walked in Karson's room, she was grinning ear to ear and said she had made her bed. She does this on occasion which makes me VERY proud. I feel like shes to young to have a chore chart, but I LOVE IT when she helps us out by getting herself dressed, making her bed, tidying her room without being told. I don't brag on her enough, but she's truly a wonderful child. Her teacher Ms. Laura just adores her and is always telling me what a pleasure she is to have in class. I can't believe how much she has grown up the past few months. What a big girl!

In Touch

Karson has the choice at night before bedtime to play a game or read a story. We love the Diary series by Doreen Cronin. I need to bite the bullet and just buy those books. They are the best! Games have become the popular choice lately. For a while, Karson and I played the game Guess Who, then it was Goldfish, and NOW, it's the game Pretty, Pretty Princess. Isaac, as usual, loves it more than anyone in the house. He comes in her room and gets right to work putting his jewels on--blue jewels of course. It's cute watching him clip on his earrings which sometimes hang off the sides of his ears.

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Karson also got two make-up sets for Christmas. I decided to take one of them back. I can only handle one huge make-up set at a time considering Isaac is the primary user. I love that my boys have a sister. I certainly think they will be in touch with their feminine side =).

Highlights

I'm excited about 2008. Our church is fasting for 40 days together in prayer and study. The fast isn't a food fast, but a fast from something that you're fond of like sweets, soft drinks, etc. I want to do some serious soul searching this year and get to know God better. Matt was talking on Sunday about how we spend time with the people we love and tell them often how much we love them. I think I do a pretty good job of this with my family, but I KNOW that I don't do that enough with my Creator. I want to be more God-focused this year. I guess that would be my resolution. God brings peace to your life and takes away pain. God is faithful, sovereign, TRUE.

These are some of the blessings in 2007:
Karson took dance and realized it wasn't her thing. She played softball for the Cheetah Girls and loved it. Her boyfriend even came to some of her games. Her brothers, although pesky, are some of her best pals. Dentists will be squashing her college fund. She loves her cousins who will be moving back home this year--hooray! Since we believe in arranged marriages amongst our friends, Karson has decided that she is going to marry Chase.

Isaac turned 2 in January celebrating at his favorite spot McDonald's. We eat there every Wednesday. I know what you're thinking--yum! He's always been in touch with his feminine side with an older sister. I think he loves make-up more than she does. He's also a fashion statement in the making. He had to wear three shirts to church on Sunday because he couldn't make up his mind. At least it wasn't his Spiderman costume which he lives in most days. Monster trucks and dinosaurs are pretty much his life. We're going to Monster Truck Jam in March.

Ever since his birth, Miles has been along for the ride. From trips to Fairfield, Destin, Myrtle Beach, the zoo, Cumberland Falls, the boy was born to be flexible. Sure, he has his inflexible moments too, but we couldn't ask for a better baby (who's no longer a baby but a toddler).

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I could write a novel about a my sweet husband. He's my very best friend, the type of guy who does and helps out without being asked. He feeds our kids each morning and bathes them each night. He always makes sure that I have time for myself and understands my need for space and sanity. He's allowing for all of us which makes my life pretty sweet! I'm lucky to have such an awesome husband, example, spiritual leader, and friend.