Cat Scratch Fever

Well, hopefully she won't contract cat scratch fever, but Cassie did have a run-in with a baby kitty yesterday.  My dad got some kittens (that are grandkitties of his cat, Maggie) and they might just be the most beautiful, adorable kitties in the whole, wide world.  I was seriously about to steal one until my eyes started itching and watering, my arms started itching, my nose was itchy and runny, and my face started looking blotchy.  That was all with the first pet of these little sweeties! 

This isn't the actual kitten, but it is close.  The actual kittens are even cuter than this.  Their little faces are round and full and they are just darling.  Did I mention that I'm NOT an animal person?  Something about kittens gets me every time!

Anyway, Cassie was holding one of the kittens and the kitten decided that she was done with the whole affair.  As she struggled to get down, she made quite a mess of Cassie's left hand and arm.  I guess I should have taken a picture of her arm sans bandage, but I don't have one.  What I do have is our doctoring of it last night after bathtime (which hurt a lot) and before bedtime, which she was horribly worried about.  We put medicine (Neosporin) on every single little scratch and bandaged her up good.  Here was the result.

A hundred bandages later and she was confident that she would survive the night.  And she just got out of bed at 9:00 after going to bed at 9:00, so I guess she made it.  :)

Whoa...

Well, the details that I can give are vague, as of yet.  Not because I'm trying to be secretive, but because our information is still limited at this point.

Mark has been offered a job.  A what?  A JOB!  Thursday will be 14 months since he was laid off and he now has a job offer.  God is ALWAYS faithful.  God ALWAYS provides.  God ALWAYS has a plan in mind.  We have grown.  We have changed.  We have submitted.  We have been patient (at times).  God is starting to lift the veil on His plans for us a little bit at a time.

Apparently, those plans include a stop over in a little town called Alliance, Nebraska.  Nine hours from home for either of us.  What an opportunity to grow and blossom as a couple as we learn to cleave only to each other.  What an opportunity for us to be an encouragement to a teeny, tiny church.  What an opportunity for us to live conservatively and get out of debt.  What an opportunity this will be!

This year has tried our marriage (I wouldn't suggest moving away from your hubby's family, having your husband get laid off, having a surprise pregnancy, and being in the 7th year of marriage all at the same time!).  It has tried our patience as we asked over and over and over what we were supposed to be learning.  It has brought us closer than we've ever been and it has brought us to our knees over and over again as God richly blessed us and surprised us with His unfailing providence.

Yet, as I look ahead to this next phase of our lives, I am terrified.  For starters, Mark will be starting in Alliance very soon.  Me?  Well, I have this thing called a baby growing in me and due to my insurance, I'm stuck here...in Kansas.  Did I mention that Mark will be 9 hours away?  What if I have to have this baby on my own?  What if he doesn't make it home in time?  This was NOT in my plans!!!  However, I have laid it at HIS feet and know that He will once again take care of me, whatever that might mean.  I trust His wisdom that is higher and deeper and wider and greater than mine.  He has orchestrated this job for Mark and He will orchestrate the rest of the story to be a perfect symphony.

It would seem as though we need to sell our house ASAP, but what do we do then?  I'll tell you, in case you haven't caught the jist of things around here...we trust...we hope...we do what we've learned to do pretty well...we wait.  There are a few interesting possibilities that we're looking into.  We'll have to have somewhere for Mark to live there and somewhere for us to live here...all within our current budget.  Yes, God will provide the answer.

Do I want to leave my comfort zone?  Absolutely not!  Do I want to leave my dear friends that have held me up this past year?  NO! 

Is it worth every tear to see my husband proud, fulfilled, and holding his head high?  A MILLION TIMES YES!!!!!

We had a really great day yesterday with the sell of the vehicle that has been hanging over our head for a year...we've been trying to sell it since December.  I went to pick him up from Hutch (a small town near where we live) and as I drove across this huge bridge stretching across a huge train yard, a feeling of pride for my husband that I've never felt flowed through me.  Did I mention that most people have to go to 5,6 10, 15 hiring sessions before getting a job offer?  Did I mention that this was Mark's FIRST HIRING SESSION?!?  The pride I felt was of a husband that works hard with his hands.  A husband that works hard to make a living to support his growing family.  A husband that makes the tough choices (living away from us...even with Keaton on the way among them) to make a future.  A husband who is part of a great industry that is growing and changing.

I'm proud.  I'm thankful.  I'm excited.  I'm nervous.  I'm terrified.  I'm anxious.  I'm hesitant.  I'm hopeful.  I'm peaceful.  Weird mixture, yes, but I'm only human.  I've given it all over to God, but I still feel the emotions.  I just have to put them  in perspective and remember who created me...who created those feelings...who is in charge.  At that point, I can truly say that I am at peace with this situation.  God is ever faithful.

The Days of Our Lives (in summer)

These days, our lives are kind of topsy turvy, it seems.  We have no schedule.  We have no consistency.  We have no real cohesion.  I blame summer.  I need to find some organized activity to join that is cheap/free and does not kill me in the heat.  It is tough due to the kids 2-year age gap.  There are activities for under 3 and there are activities for 3 and up.  I am having trouble finding activities that we all three can participate in.  We try to spend as much time as possible in the pool during the summer, but I just need something that we have to look forward to 1-2 day(s) per week that are planned and consistent.  I also need to get some kind of learning plan in place.  Cassie is starting preschool in the fall and there are a few more things that I think we need to brush up on to be ready for that. 

So, those are my goals.  If you have activity ideas that are cheap and won't kill me in the heat, let me know...especially if you're involved in them with your kids!  That would be even more fun!

Who Knew?

Who knew that there was a SINGLE brave bone in her entire body?!? I sure didn't. Sorry to be a copycat poster, Kel, but I was just so impressed at my daughter Slip'N'Sliding that I HAD to post it. Thanks for the pics! Thanks to Carla and Missy for a great party and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the 2 birthday boys!!!

OH MY...

Al...most...there...

Let's try it backwards!

TA-DA!  She was so proud of herself for being brave!

I just have one question...were slip'n'slides ALWAYS this short and it was just child perspective???

The New Pictures!

I honestly could not be happier with our family picture!  I was SO excited that it turned out so well!  If you want to see the whole photo shoot, head over to my facebook.

TILT (Cake Mix Cookies)

It's the simple things in life...really.  Like waking up at 8 a.m. and realizing that your early riser is still sleeping (not that I know anything about that this morning--Conrey woke me up at 6:20).  Like Happy Hour at Sonic.  Like one of the things I love...Cake Mix Cookies.  Simple, delicious, addictive.  I mentioned them this week on Facebook and I wanted to mention them here with the recipe.  They are SO quick and easy to make and they make you feel like you've done some baking with minimal effort!  What could be better?

The best part?  You can make them with any flavor of cake mix.  You can add to them.  You can be as creative as you want or you can make them quick and easy.  Either way, they're delish! 

Get yourself a cake mix.  Any flavor.  Let your eyes do the walking and your stomach do the talking at the store.  Got it?  Good.  Now, pay for it before you leave.  I don't endorse shoplifting. 

When you get home, preheat the oven to 350.  Dump the cake mix in a bowl, add 2 eggs and 1/3 c. oil.  Mix it up good.  If you're going to add chocolate chips, PB chips, coconut, nuts, sprinkles, etc...now's the time to do it!  Roll the dough into little balls and place on your cookie sheet.  If you're doing chocolate, lemon, strawberry, or I suppose any other, they are pretty to roll in powdered sugar.  I use parchment because I'm lazy.  You do as you wish.  Place them 3 to a row and 3-4 rows depending on your cookie sheet.  They're gonna spread a bit, so don't overcrowd.

Bake these babies for 8-12 min depending on your oven.  My old oven took 8.  The current takes closer to 12.  You want them to not be liquidy.  They will set up a bit after you take them out.  Let them cool a bit before diving in.  Trust me on this one.  Impatience will only burn your tastebuds off.

You can frost these if you want.  Frosting always makes things tastier.  :)

I will say that there are many different recipes for cake mix cookies out there.  Some have cool whip or butter in the dough.  Some have 1 egg or different amounts of oil.  This is the recipe that I use.

If you want to hear about what others out there in bloggy land are lovin today, head on over to visit Jill at The Diaper Diaries.  Also, she has a great giveaway going on and you all KNOW that I would love me some free baby stuff!  Thanks for stoppin' by!

Worth 1000 words

Remember Cassie's Bullfrogs and Butterflies birthday party a month ago tomorrow?  Well, we finally got pictures uploaded.  This is the one that I believe best depicts my birthday girl.  Those of you in attendance are thinking to yourselves: "I never saw her looking like that!"  She wouldn't wear the mask for the party, but we captured this picture before everyone showed up!  TOO FUNNY!

We are FINALLY getting 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and family pictures taken tomorrow, so be looking for them to be posted soon, as well as the pictures in my sidebar updated.  Yes, they are a full year old.  I'm a bad picture mommy!!!

Sibling Love

I have just been so overcome with joy lately with how much my children love each other.  They enjoy playing together.  They make each other giggle.  They just have such a great time when they're together.  I will often see them hugging, reading together, or helping the other clean up toys.  I am just trying to cherish each of those moments before either or 2 things happen.  Number one, I know that baby brother Keaton is going to upset the applecart soon.  I hope that that doesn't cause increased sibling rivalry.  Number two, I know that there will probably come a day *sigh* when they annoy each other more than they amuse each other.  The sweet innocence that they share right now is just absolutely PRICELESS and I wish that I could capture each and every moment. 

Last night, they were taking pretend pictures of each other with a toy camera in Cassie's room.  I heard, "NO, Conrey, I'M supposed to say cheese!  You're taking the picture!"  He was behind the camera, looking through the hole, saying 'cheese.'  She was giggling like crazy at this. 

In the bathtub today, one would shriek and they would both burst out giggling.  Then, the other would try to do a more funny shriek and face and they'd bust up again.

How do you bottle this sweet, sibling love to pour over them when they're adolescents and cannot stand the other?  I want to keep the kindness, love, patience, joy, etc. that is between them and never let it fade. 

I know that it is possible.  I've seen it in action.  I just want to figure out the secret and instill it deep within their beings.  Right now, all I can do is encourage their playing together, their laughing together, their sharing.  Oh, and smile a deep grin of mommy contentment.  That, I can certainly do.

22 Weeks

Well, we've hit 22 weeks, people.  So far, so good.  I went back through my blog and realized that it was much later (like 34 or 35 weeks) than I thought when I started passing out last time.  I thought that I was approaching that time, so it was good to know that I've got awhile before I need to be cautious of that.  Let's see, what's new?  Not a whole lot.  I am tired, tired, tired right now, but feeling really good overall (with the exception of the allergy/sinus issues, but those aren't preg-related).  Keaton is a moving machine at about 9-10 p.m. and wiggles around until I get comfy in bed for the night.  He doesn't keep me up at night, but I'm not sure if I just sleep through it or if he continues to be awake.  I'm hoping that he's not a night owl when he makes his appearance!  He is supposedly just under a foot in length and just under a pound in weight.  I'm not sure what that means, exactly.  One website said that he is the length of an Oreo package, but the weight of a large bag of tortilla chips.  Hmmm...Are those DOUBLE STUFFED Oreos?!? 

We had a great weekend at Family Camp this past weekend.  That is where my church goes to camp every Memorial Day weekend at Rock Springs 4-H Camp.  I, and several others that I've heard from or talked to, thought that this was one of the best years ever class/lesson/format-wise.  I was sad that we left early, but was sooooo ready to leave due to allergy/sinus crud.  I felt horrible all day Sunday.  We were planning to come back for Mark to work Monday and I was really bummed about it until I started feeling so horrid.  That helped me not feel resentful of having to leave, I guess.  I hear that we missed some great stuff including my son winning the award for "Best New Talent."  The kids sang for the talent show and Conrey just HAMMED IT UP!  Cassie did a great job, though I'm not sure if she looked at the audience once.  Her head was bent way down low.  I am still shocked that it wasn't a mommy solo, though.  If I can get ahold of the video, I will try to upload it.  It was pretty precious, I must say.

I am H-U-N-G-R-Y ALL the time with this boy!  I am sure that this is going to be a record-setting pregnancy for me.  Seriously...all I think about is food.  Mark and I have switched places.  He has been losing like crazy!  He has lost 12 pounds by cutting down what he eats, when he eats, and how much he eats.  I'm really proud of him.  Of course, this is the WORST time for him to be wanting to split meals with me.  Hello???  I'm PREGNANT!  I do NOT want half of a hamburger...I want TWO hamburgers!  I have a lot of lost time to make up from when I couldn't eat, so get out of the way!  In all seriousness, though, I am trying to be really careful.  I am only about 10-12 pounds away from my final weight with Cassie.  Scary thought.  I have 18 more weeks in which to gain and do NOT want to gain a bunch of weight that won't ever go away.

Well, that's all the excitement we have time for.  Join us next time for more riveting, self-indulgent posts about...well...ME!

Wait...one quick Cassie story before I go.  She asked me the other night what Strawberry Shortcake's last name was.  I said "Shortcake."  She said, "No, I mean what is her LAST name?"  I said, "Her first name is Strawberry, like your's is Cassie.  Her last name is Shortcake, like your's is V."  She was quiet for awhile while she pondered this.  I was thinking about how odd it was that we were discussing the last name of a cartoon character.  She finally said, "Mom...I mean like Dopps or something...what's her LAST name?"  I guess if she wants her to be Strawberry Shortcake Dopps, I'm okay with that...