2009 Day of Service!

Our day of service was doing a 5k family fun run to gather food for the NC Food Bank and clothes for several different charities in our area! To register for the fun run you had to donate 10 cans of food per person. We also were donating clothing at each of our church buildings! We got started at 8:30 am on Saturday at the Wake Forest Building! If any on you know anything about Wake Forest, NC then you know that it is extremely hilly! We started and ended our 5k run at the church after going up and thru the neighborhood behind the church! It was full of hills! There were over 1000 people registered for the event and we all lined up according to speed! It was super hot so everyone carried water bottles and we all took off! What a great time we had! I was among the slowest walkers but I finished with a sprint and then fell over in the grass..hahahaha! Emily did great and breezed past me from the beginning! Momma and Nathan came in very last but you would have thought they had won if you had listened to the cheering crowd! Everyone was so excited for them to cross the finish line and everyone was cheering with music playing...it was great fun and a great way to do service! We were all hot, tired and sore by the end of the day but it felt great to join with the other 98 stakes participating in the day of service and give to our community! We had a ball and are looking forward already to next year! It gives me a goal to shoot for...I will be jogging in next years race! What a load of fun!!!!

Momma and Nathan before the race

Emily and Bishop Tiek before the race

Emily running across the finish line
Jean running across the finish line!
Jean smiling because she had FINISHED!!

And then there were two....crossing to the sound of the cheering crowd!

Good to be home!

We finally made it home yesterday and it felt so good to walk in the door and know that we didn't have to go back to the hospital this time! Michael was so excited to be home again and play with his new Wii game that he got for Easter. He wasn't able to play with it until we got home so that was the first thing that he did! He has been outside a lot today making up for lost time and good weather last week and is thoroughly enjoying being back to normal! It is so good to see him playing, laughing, and back to his happy go lucky self! His mom is extremely tired so I am taking the day off to rest and get my mojo back! Anyway...here is Mikey back in his normal element...

Tagged!!! (I have nothing else to do!)

THE RULES:
Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag—other people.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up:
the TV, the bathroom door, the clock on the wall, the tray that goes on Mikey's bed, and the table beside where I am sitting.

Favorite football team:
I have two...Clemson and NC State

What are you wearing now?
A pair of denim capris and a butterfly shirt

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading?
Scriptures

Do you nap a lot?
I would if I had a choice..hahahaha

Who was the last person you hugged?
Michael

What’s your current obsession/addiction?
Food

What was the last thing you said aloud?
Go ahead (Michael asked if he could read me something and I told him to go ahead)

What Web sites do you always visit when you go online?
My yahoo home page, Facebook, and family blogs

What was the last thing you bought?
groceries

What are you listening to right now?
Nothing...it is Sunday afternoon and we are sitting up here quietly reading or on the computer

What is something you wish you could do more?
See my family

What gives you hope?
The gospel and living righteously so I will be with Noah again one day

What is your favorite weather, and why?
Most of the time I like it warm and sunny but some days I do enjoy the rain

What time do you usually get up?
7 to 8 am

What is your most challenging goal right now?
Losing weight (which is not going well at all...maybe that is why it is a challenge)!

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?
Zebulon, North Carolina (I would stay where I am at...)

Favorite Movie?It's A Wonderful Life~

What is your favorite children’s book?
The Velveteen Rabbit

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you:
Chocolate

Have you ever met anyone famous?
Not really

If you could have any job in the world , what would it be?
I loved being a secretary...

Who is the last person you went on a date with?
My sweetheart...which I am looking forward to going on another one soon!!!!

What was the last thing you ate?
A bag of M&M's (hmmm..maybe that is why the weight loss thing isn't going well!!!)

If you had $500 in your hand right now.... what would you do with it?
I would pay off some debt!

If you didn't have a job or go to school what would you do with your time?
If you don't count motherhood as a job then I would do what I am doing now...clean, take care of kids, cook, all the same stuff!

And my new question....If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why???

I tag.....Libbi, Kim, and Jewel!

A Wonderful Surprise!!!

We were so thrilled when our friends, the Reynolds, called and said they were coming thru Raleigh on their way to spend Easter with their family and wanted to stop by and visit with Michael and us in the hospital! They moved to Virginia a little over 4 years ago and we haven't seen them since! Damon used to be our hometeacher and Morgen would always come with him and our kids LOVED them so we were all sad when they moved! Their family has grown since they left us as they have added two little girls to their clan! I got to hold cute baby Emma today and Isaac and Lucy are adorable!!! The time went so fast when we were visiting with them and we were so glad they stopped to say hello! It brought back lots of fond memories with their family and lots of smiles! Once again our kids commented on how much they LOVE the Reynolds and wished they lived here! Thanks Morgen and Damon...you made our day! We love you! It made being in the hospital much brighter and we are thankful for good friends who are always in our hearts!!! It has been a good day!! Michael is doing wonderful and we are counting our blessings because we have so many to count!!!

Michael!

We found out last night the the 2nd blood culture they drew on Michael was positive as well. That was a little disconcerting to me but not suprising. After speaking with Dr. Muenzer and his doctor over here this morning, they have drawn another culture and will continue Mikey on the vancomycin as he is feeling better so that appears to be working. They said that they will want to see 3 more cultures come back negative before they will feel really good that they have gotten rid of the infection because sometimes bacteria is hard to get rid of around the port site. We are praying that we can clear it and that we will not have to replace the port. Needless to say, Michael will be up here for a couple of weeks. I would like to ask everyone to send him a card though as I think he will like that...the address up here is:

Michael Coombs
c/o Wake Med Room 4C16
3000 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27610

Since he will have to be here over Easter, I think he would really like to get cards from everyone. We can put them up around his room! Thanks everyone for your prayers and please continue as we really want to clear this infection up completely and be able to save his port a cath! Below I have posted his picture because he looks so sweet sleeping!

Mikey Update!

Thought I would give another update and send along a pictures of Michael with it! He is continuing to improve! The doctors came in this morning and told us that it looks like the bacteria is some kind of a staph and sometimes that can be a contaminate because it is on the skin but since the source of his infection came from the skin then they consider it the real thing. They had first put him on clendamycin when he came in and on Sunday he continued to get worse...they told me today that this particular bacteria was resistant to clendamycin which is why he was getting worse. They have him now on Vancomycin and he is improving everyday! We discussed with the doctors here of doing part of the IV therapy at home but when Dr. Muenzer and Dr. Covington got wind of that, they shot it down. They want Michael in the hospital for the entire length of treatment. I was hoping to be able to go home in a few days but it seems like we may be here for the whole time. I won't complain though because I prayed and told Heavenly Father that no matter how long we had to stay here it would be ok with me as longs as Michael got better. So, no matter what, whether we stay here the whole time or get to go home for part of the treatment, I am happy that he is getting better. As you can see from the picture..they have brought a video game console in here and he is happily playing his video games. He still doesn't feel like eating very much and he sleeps a lot but when he is up, he is looking much better and he feels like playing or reading..so that is a huge blessing! Things are getting so much better and I am thankful for the Lord's hand on Michael. It is truly miraculous!

Update on Michael!

Today has been and up and down day for me! I have been thrown some curve balls that resulted in many shed tears and then have been uplifted by my great family, good friends, a wonderful husband and an extremely supportive bishop. I so enjoyed watching conference today and was edified completely. This afternoon the doctors up here came in and told me that Michael's blood culture had come back positive and they wanted to do another one as they felt like it might be a contaminate. I didn't think too much about it but Michael slept most of the day and when he finally woke up late this afternoon, he was very pasty looking with absolutely NO color. He went to the bathroom and sat up but his lips were very chapped and he kept drinking water. I then called Dr. Muenzer and told him what the doctors had told me about Mikey's blood culture. He told me how serious infections can be of the skin and once they get into the blood stream, they can be extremely difficult to get rid of as they are very resistant. He also did not believe that the positive blood culture was a contaminate. He told me that since it had grown out so fast that it was probably a real infection. He told me that the doctors here had him on several different antibiotics and they would cover it all. When I informed him that they only had him on clendamycin (sp?), he told me to go find the attending doctor here and have him call him. I began to cry on the phone with him and he assured me that he would make sure everything was being done for Michael. I shared with him all of my concerns. Within about 30 minutes the doctors from here came in our room and told me that they had spoken at length with Dr. Muenzer and they were going to switch him to vancomycin (a very powerful antibiotic) and ceftriaxoine (sp.?) so that he was covered for most everything. They also drew another blood culture from his arm and said they would watch him very closely. I got Michael settled and then went out to get some water. I called Jeff on my cell phone and started to cry uncontrollably. Jeff left immediately to come up here as he could see the fear and anxiety I was under. I also called our Bishop who came immediately as well! When Jeff got here, Michael had some color in his face but he also had fever once again! I left Mikey with Jeff and walked down the hall to get some air. About that time, Bishop Tiek came down the hall and I began to cry as soon as I saw him. I told him about my fears and he gave me great comfort! We went back to Mikey's room and Jeff and Bishop Tiek administered to Michael. The blessing that Bishop Tiek gave Michael was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. I could feel the spirit so strong in the room. After they had administered to Michael, they gave me a blessing as well. It brought me great peace and shortly afterwards, Michael began to perk up. He has felt better this evening and we feel much calmer. I am so grateful for the power of prayer and how it has uplifted us today. We are still waiting for results but we feel confident in the doctors and nurses and know they are looking out for him. We will be here for however long it takes to completely clear this infection from his body. It has been a frightening day as results have come back but we know that Michael is strong and the the Lord is watching over him. Please continue to pray for our precious little boy as he fights this infection. We are surely grateful for our blessings and are counting them tonight as I see improvement in Michael already! I will keep you posted!

A Surprise Visit!

Well...I know everyone is wondering what is going on so I will try to give a quick explanation...a couple of days ago Michael started not feeling well and he was congested so we figured he had a cold. Yesterday he went and took a nap (which is very unusual for Mikey) but we figured it was because he was congested. Then he started complaining about his neck hurting so we thought it was his throat. This afternoon I noticed that he had this rash on his arms, face and stomach. He slept thru both sessions of conference and after the second session I went over and sat down next to him. I put my hand on his head and he was very hot. I took his temp. and it was 101.5. Jeff was getting ready to go to priesthood session and I told him that I was calling our pediatrician. I called and they didn't seem overly concerned (go figure that one) so I called Dr. Muenzer. I told him what was going on and he told me to take him to the ER and have them check him for strept throat and do some blood work. I hemmed and hawwed because I didn't want to come in! We thought we were just going to come in, have them do a throat swab, draw some blood, give us some antibiotic and out the door we would go. Well...it didn't work out that way. His strep test came back negative but because of the rash on him, the doctor was concerned and began to look over his body...they found a huge infection in his groin area (which we were not aware of) and it looked like it had gotten worse....Michael has impaired neutrophil function which causes any type of small infection to get out of control quickly so after the ER doctor called and talked with Dr. Muenzer at length, they decided that Michael had to be admitted! I was so not prepared for them to do that and Michael began to cry immediately saying he was afraid he was going to die. Jeff quickly walked over to him, reminded him that he had had a blessing and that it was all going to be okay while I spoke quietly with the doctor to get details about what was going on. They decided to put him on IV antibiotics because the rash had spread to all over his body and he was running fever, has a comprimised immune system anyway and they wanted to give him some fluids. Jeff was calming Michael down and I ran home to get a few things from home. I had to take a breath once I got home and get my bearings back about me. This hit me out of nowhere! I am thankful for the blessing that Michael got, for all the conference talks that strengthened me and grateful for the doctors and nurses who are caring for him. I know all will be well. Jeff had him completely calm by the time I got back to the hospital and we are now trying to settle in at 2 in the morning. Hopefully both of us will be able to get some sleep and we can get conference up here on the computer tomorrow! We are very grateful for the Lord's guiding hand in our lives. It never ceases to amaze me!

Amazing!

I just had to post this video for all of you to watch! It is outstanding and it speaks volumes about how I feel...I think you will all like it!

Home Sweet Home!!!!

Hey everyone! We have finally made it home! We came home this afternoon and I have never been so happy to see a comfortable place to plop down! Lauren is doing really good! I wish I could say the same thing about myself...I have come home aching all over with a fever. I am curled up in my chair with a blanket and complaining about what I caught while we were at the hospital...hahaha! Since it is going to be a cold, rainy week-end, my plans are to stay in my pjs and get lots of rest! Thank you all for your prayers...we are so grateful we didn't have to stay long (how pathetic is it that I am happy when we only have to stay a week????) The Lord blessed us though so I won't complain! Now if only I can get to feeling better....

Coming Home Soon!!

OK...the Lord is looking out for us! Today the doctors told us that Lauren's blood culture grew out strep viridan which could possibly have even been caused by a contaminate...at any rate...she is doing a lot better, no more fever and so once we get her to eat good then we will be able to come home because they can give her oral antibiotics to finish out the treatment for the next 3 weeks! We were so happy to hear that!!!! We are thinking that it will probably be Thursday before we will be able to get her completely back to her normal eating so we are looking at Thursday afternoon sometime being able to come home! I will be looking forward to sleeping in my own bed...woohoo! We are so glad that this turned out not to be very serious and that the Lord answered our prayers! We are very grateful for His blessings! Finally...good news at the hospital...hahaha!

Doing Much Better!

Today things are looking up! Lauren didn't feel well last night but they are giving her medicine to bring down her fever and for pain so once she gets it then she feels much better! She got up this morning and took a shower, we changed the sheets on her bed, she frenchbraided her hair and has been feeling a lot better! She has been doing some artwork with the paper and markers Emily brought up to her and then they brought her some pens and sketchpad from here so she is staying busy. She actually feels like eating today...yea!!!! We are still waiting for the sensitivities to come back on the bacteria they found but if it is a really normal bacteria then it is possible that in a couple of days they can switch her to oral antibiotics which means we will be able to go home!!! That made us happy to hear! So, we are both feeling good today and it looks like this might not be a long stay afterall! I love it when we get good news...I am counting my blessings today!!! (And Kim, her blanket is actually PINK, her favorite color but for some reason in the picture it looks lavender...:) )

Update!

Well, it looks like from the initial test results that we have an answer for why Lauren has been running fever and feeling bad all over. Her blood culture came back positive for bacteria. That means that Lauren's port a cath is infected. They have her on IV antibiotics for broad coverage and they have drawn another blood culture this morning to re-check it. If it comes back for sure, then she will have to be on IV antibiotics for 14 days after they figure out which antibiotic the bacteria is sensitive to. We are praying that they will be able to clear the infection out of the line so that we won't have to pull it out and replace it. We will have to see how it goes though. As of now, we are preparing for being up here for a few weeks. I think, if she doesn't have to go on vancomycin (she is HIGHLY allergic to it) that we should be able to stay here at Wake Med the whole time. We are in constant contact with her doctors over at Chapel Hill so we know she is being well taken care of. As of right now though she is feeling VERY lousy and hurts all over which her doctor at Chapel Hill said is from the infection! Along with that, her asthma is acting up because she doesn't feel well and she has already had a migraine which has been triggered by her blood sugar bouncing around! She is a trooper though and we will get thru this! We are thankful for the prayers that are being lifted up in her behalf! She is one courageous little girl who faces things in her life with determination and a strong will! We will keep you posted!

New year....time to visit Wake Med again!!!!

Well...we set a goal to not have to go the hospital this year, which Dr. Muenzer informed me today that that was unrealistic and unfortunately, he is right! We are here at Wakemed with Lauren! She has been having stomach pain again and a general overall bad feeling. Yesterday she threw up and her blood sugars began to be unstable! We were able to stabilize them and we have been talking back and forth with our doctors at Chapel Hill. Dr. Muenzer wanted us to bring her in yesterday but we have tried to wait it out. This morning Lauren began to run fever and Dr. Muenzer became VERY insistent that we admit her to the hospital. After some praying, pondering, and Jeff giving Lauren a blessing, we felt impressed this afternoon that we indeed needed to bring her in. We are so thankful we did. Her fever has spiked this evening and they are putting her on some IV antibiotics and are running all sorts of tests to rule out what things could be. She is feeling pretty bad tonight but we all are more relaxed knowing we are in a safe setting and that she now has IV fluids running to maintain her blood sugar. Her doctors are relieved that we brought her in and are directing what is going on with her. We love the nurses here at Wakemed and because we are well known over here (I guess that is a silver lining) we didn't have to be down in the ER long at all! We will keep you posted as we learn more results...hopefully this won't be a long stay...at least that is what we are praying for! For the time being I will TRY not complain about this hard chair bed that I will be sleeping on for the new few nights...I did say I would try not to complain...hahahahaha!

All about Jeff!!!

OK, Lynn, I know you love posts like this but you'll have to endure this one..hahaha! I have been thinking lately about how blessed I am to be married to Jeff. These last 17 years have been the best in my life. We are opposite in so many ways but it's those differences that make us so close! We have seen a lot challenges thru the years and Jeff is so stalwart. I have watched him walk thru the refiners fire and there I have learned that he is made of pure gold! Over the years he has walked the floor to calm a sick and frightened child, slept sitting straight up in hospitals and emergency rooms, given blessings to me and our children during times of sickness and stress, driven back and forth to numerous doctor visits, been a dedicated and strong advocae for our children, stayed up all night praying for direction, and spent hours on bended knees in supplication for our family's welfare. During the last two years I have been amazed at his strength of character and his depth of faith! He has held me up when I could no longer stand and has given me strength that I didn't think I possessed. He puts all his trust in the Lord and is unwavering in his faith. He looks forward never doubting in the Lord's plan and consistently tries to lift the burdens of others. His prayers are always filled with thanksgiving for our blessings and pleas to the Lord on others behalf. His love of the Lord is evident in everything he does. I am so thankful to be married to a man of unwavering faith, pure Christlike love for others, and complete devotion to our family. He strengthens and uplifts me everyday and gives me the courage to walk forward in faith. Our children are blessed to have been born to such a goodly father. He is an unmovable rock of faith and stands as a beacon of light to me in the storms of life. I love him so much and just wanted to share what he would never say. I really am blessed!

Pinewood Derby!!

Today was Michael's last pinewood derby! He had a good time even though his car wasn't the fastest car of the day...if they had had an award for the slowest car of the day then he would have been the grand winner!!!! They also asked the dads to make a car to race with their kids...Jeff didn't spend a whole lot of time on his..we have been really busy lately so he decided to have fun with his (he called it Prototype Phil...yeah, I'm not sure why!) He drilled two holes in the front and made a smiley face on it. It looked so happy rolling down the track and it actually won a couple of rounds....we aren't sure how! Anyway, at the end of the day, everyone got an award for their car. It was a fun day for fathers and sons and we all went to cheer them on! We think Michael and Jeff are both winners in this house and they had a good time working on their cars! That is what is really important! Good job to both my main men!

Michael getting his awards!

Jeff getting ready to race his car!

Michael getting ready to race his car!


Michael and Jeff!


Michael showing off his car and ribbon. He got "sleekest design" for his car!

And here we have both cars...Jeff got, Are you ready???...."The Utmost Ugliest Car"Award!

My New Background!

Okay...I had to make a post about this because Emily doesn't like it! So the "i'm buggin" on the sides just means that I'm bugging my kids with this background! Also...the cars remind me of how much Noah loved his little cars and that makes me smile! I also LOVE all the bright colors because I think that if it is the brighter, the better! So everyone...now you know why I chose this particular background...Emily, you are just going to have to get over it..hahahaha!

Jeff's latest project!

Ever since we moved into this house, I have wanted to have a built in section in my corner where the kids can sit and work on the computer. We have had this ugly computer desk over in the corner and I have never liked it. Finally, Jeff told me this past week that he is going to fix up that area for me! He and I went on Saturday and got the things he needed then he built it all for me in one afternoon and evening! By the time we went to bed last night it was all complete and I am so happy with how it turned out! Having a husband who is handy is truly a blessing! He is my hero jack of all trades!!! Now there are other projects I have in mind.....

Our Anniversary!

On Valentines Day we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary! Wow..it doesn't seem like it has been that long. So much has happened in these last 17 years. We have grown and changed a lot (in all kinds of ways...hahaha). Jeff made reservations at my very favorite restaurant in Raleigh called the Angus Barn...it has the best food and service of anywhere! It was so wonderful and we ate way too much...I came home afterwards and put on my pjs...I know, where did the romance go...hehehe! It was so much fun to just spend the day with Jeff. The girls had a youth dance to go to and Jackie came to watch Mikey for us so it was fun. I am married to my perfect match (opposites do attract) and it has been a wonderful 17 years...I am very blessed! So Happy Anniversary to me and Jeff! :)

Got Food?

OK...now normally I don't do posts like this but I am so proud of my new $150.00 freezer that we got from Craigs list. Thanks to my friend, Teri, for keeping an eye out for me for a stand up freezer, I was able to get one yesterday. Jeff drove and picked it up then he singlehandedly unloaded it off his truck and put it in my garage! We have been working really hard on getting our 3 months supply and we have finally acheived what we feel is a good 3 months supply of food in our house so I just had to take a minute and show it off! I am so proud of the little bit that we have been picking up each week over the last year. It has grown over time and we are pleased with our progress! I have posted some pictures below....here is a glimpse of our obeying the counsel of doing a little at a time...

My freezer stocked almost full!I'm showing off our new freezer...what a deal!
PART of our cornstarch supply!

Our Pantry!

One Word Answers!

Okay Libbi...here is my one word answer survey....

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? sleeping
3. Your hair? permed
4. Your mother? loving
5. Your father? confident
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? celestial
10. What room you are in? den
11. Your hobby? talking
12. Your fear? unknown
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? better
14. Where were you last night? home
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. Wish list item? bed
18. Where you grew up? South
19. Last thing you did? prayer
20. What are you wearing? pjs
21. Your TV? On
22. Your pets? Cute
23. Friends? Lots
24. Your life? wonderful
25. Your mood? serene
26. Missing some one? Noah
27. Car? Freestyle
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Your favorite store? Wal-Mart
30. Your favorite color? RED
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? today
35. Who will resend this? hmmm...
36. One place that I go to over and over? beach
37. One person who emails me regularly? Facebook
38. My favorite place to eat? Chilis
39. Why you participated in this survey?asked
40. What are you doing tonight? nothing

A Beloved Leader and Precious Friend

Today my heart is heavy as we have to say good-bye to a faithful servant of our Heavenly Father. Our beloved former stake president, President Wilford, passed away early this morning. He was our bishop when Jeff and I got married and has seen us thru every challenge we have faced thru the years. He has given me love and encouragement when I needed it and pushed me to greater heights with his counsel. His courage and faith thru the years has lifted not only me but my entire family. I know today that he is hearing the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Welcome home." It is with tears of love and tenderness that I bid him farewell. He will be greatly missed by many and my family will forever be grateful for his acts of love and compassion. If I could talk to him once more I would say, "Thank you President Wilford for your years of faithful service to our ward, our stake and to our family. You are a giant among men and you will be greatly missed. We love you with all of our hearts." With grateful hearts we bid you a fond farewell until we meet again!

My thoughts

I listened to a talk today by Elder Holland entitled, "Remember Lot's Wife"! It was such an inspiring talk for me and one that I needed to hear. He gave it on January 13th at a BYU Devotional. He spoke of the importance of looking to the future with faith. He said that faith is always pointed towards the future and that sometimes we doubt the Lord's ability to give us better than what we have had in the past. We have to put our total trust and faith in the Lord and He will guide us. With all that has happened in my family the last 2 years I have had to take giant steps into the darkness and trust in my Heavenly Father and His plan. It has not been easy for me to let go of my hurt and walk steadily into the unknown future giving up the plans that I had made for my family. It has been hard for me to accept and find peace in the knowledge that I will never as a mother have all of my children together on this earth again. I know one day I will have a great reunion with my baby and my family will finally be together again but until that day the pain is seering at times. I look at my children and see them growing up so fast. Sometimes I feel like the days when they were very small slipped by too quickly because I was so involved in making sure their medical needs were cared for that I missed the fun part of them being little. I see Emily so grown and look back at the years that have flown by and the moments that I can never have back. I guess me not feeling well physically is bringing out my emotions as well. I pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to forgive me for letting precious moments in their lives slip by because I was preoccupied and worried about much. I sometimes wish I could have some moments back and redo them but I can't. Elder Holland's talk reminded me that Heavenly Father looks at where we are now and not where we have been...for that I am grateful. I guess I am just pondering things tonight. Jeff and the girls went to the temple and so I have had some reflective time with just Mikey. I am grateful for my blessings because I have many. I know one day that all the hurt and pain that I feel on this earth will be made right. I know that the day will come if Iam worthy that I will be able to take Noah and gather with the rest of my family and it will be sweet. Until then I just have to look forward with faith and trust in the Lord's timing for it is always right. I do know that.

Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired!

Michael and I have now caught the bronchitis bug that seems to be going around up here. Emily spent 2 weeks trying to get over it! We started getting it last week and now it has hit us full time. Michael gets some energy in the mornings and then by the afternoon he runs out. I don't have any energy anytime...I get up and try to do some things and then end up sitting down in my comfy chair with my blanket for the rest of the day. Emily and Lauren have really pitched in and helped as well as Jeff. We are just trying to rest as much as possible to get over this horrible bug. I took a picture of Mikey sleeping under a quilt on the couch...Pugslie snuggled up with him because sleeping is her favorite thing to do. We are all hoping to me better soon!

Our Snow Day!!!!!!

Here are some pictures of our wonderful snow day! We are forecast to get between 4 and 8 inches of snow by the time this is all said and done but we wanted to share with you our beautiful snow ...... what a fun day!!!

Emily's Picture says it all!

The Snow is coming down!

Lauren getting used to the cold air!

Pugslie's bathroom break!

Michael got as far as the hat and decided to stay in the bed!

Lauren enjoying the snow!

Emily loves the snow!

Emily and Mom having a good time!

Are you ever too old to enjoy snow???

I love Sundays!

Just a short post to say how much I love Sundays. We had the best Sunday today! The talks were so wonderful and uplifting, Sunday school was inspiring and RS was very spiritual! Then we had a "linger longer" after church today and we all ate together. It was fun and I visited with everyone...I love to visit and talk then I had my recommend interview with the bishop and I left there thinking about how wonderful our bishop is and how blessed I am to be in Zebulon! It has been a great day....I even got to take a nap this afternoon and now I feel good! I love Sundays!

Jeff's idea of being "green" friendly!

This is Jeff's idea of being green friendly! He says that after you have used it for a hat then you can take it off your head and put trash in it! I know, I know...he is somewhat of a smart-alec! This is the kind of humor we put up with around here and it makes the kids laugh so we all enjoy Jeff's ideas! Hope you enjoy your look into what goes on around here....hahaha! Jeff makes us all laugh and we enjoy that...so here it is, the eco-friendly hat...it's recyclable and a real eye catcher!

Our Christmas Vacation Retreat

Our beach trip after Christmas was a nice break! We left the day after Christmas and brought our camper to the beach. We always stay at our favorite spot..Lakewood! There was hardly anyone there so we felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We also got to spend time with family while we were down there so it was a fun place to be. The kids loved going on the beach and we just relaxed and enjoyed our time together. I was not ready to come back....but life has to get back to normal so we left on New Years Eve to come home so the girls could go to the New Years Eve Dance! We had a great time and are now looking forward to our summer vacation where we will once again descend upon Lakewood!

Emily's picture of the beach Aunt Laurel and Pugslie
Daddy Tom relaxing outside the camper
Emily sitting outside the camper
Lauren walking on the beach
Emily, Lauren, and Michael at Logans Roadhouse
Kim's family and us at Sticky Fingers
Jean and Kim's new hair clips from "Southern Pearls"
David playing tailgate golf
Kim and Jerry relaxing on Sunday afternoon

My Most Treasured Gift!

How do I put into words to describe my feelings on getting my wonderful gift from Kim? She gave me the most perfect gift that I could have asked for this year. She gave me an album filled with pictures of Noah from the day he came to us until the day he left us. When I looked at each page I was filled with emotion....not only of love for my beautiful little boy but for my sister who spent many hours making this album perfect in everyway! I am so thankful for all of her hard work and for the contributions of my other family members as well...thank you David for scanning all of my pictures to give me a cd...thank you Libbi for the words which make everyone understand Noah so much more....thank you Jerry for allowing Kim all this time without complaint to put it together...and most of all thank you Kim....you will never know how very much it means to me...I have looked at it over and over again and I will show it off to everyone who comes over to my house! Thank you again...it truly is my most treasured possession!!!!

Noah's Album

Kim and Jean holding Noah's Album