Where is thumbkin?

See how precious this little guy is with his thumb! I mean how much cuter can a little boy get? I have not had the fortune of having a baby become attached in any way to a pacifier but have seen the purpose in them. I wanted Gracelyn to like them so bad but nope. So when Cannon didn't care for them either I was bummed but around 4 months he quickly found a pacifier attached to him. YEAH!! Problem solved. I encouraged it. Helped him out if he got frustrated finding his little treasure. Cameron fussed at me the entire time begging me to not encourage his thumb sucking habit. Well 3 1/2 years later where did we find ourselves? With a child who had his thumb in his mouth 24/7!!! I mean all the time especially at nap time or bedtime. It was something that we saw was affecting his teeth and I was wondering how in the world were we going to get rid of this "treasure."

So I had given up trying to come up with a plan but Mason stepped up to the plate. 2 or so weeks ago he threw a toy at Cannon and he tried to catch it but instead it cut his thumb. Cannon was devastated. I mean he was sooo upset that Mason had hurt his thumb. He tried very hard for the entire day to suck his thumb and had no luck. It hurt and was sore. So nap time was short because he couldn't fall to sleep. Bedtime was excruciating because he didn't have anything to keep him occupied so he kept getting up but oh well we pushed through. I thought surely in a few days he would be fine. Well 2 days turned into 5 and then before we knew it a week went by. THERE WERE MANY FITS IN THIS TIME. Remember the Easter Egg Hunt?? I think he could have calmed down if his thumb were available.

So here we are 2 1/2 weeks later and NO THUMB! I can't believe all it took was a boo boo to his thumb and viola it would be over. I mean seriously how blessed can one girl be? So we are thumb free and we didn't even try. I will say that I never doctored that thumb because after I saw that it was keeping him from sucking it I decided that although I didn't want it to get infected I didn't want it to heal super quick either. I did have thoughts of rubbing dirt in it a time or two when it looked a little too good but nah I would never do that.

He is healed nicely now and we don't have a child sucking his thumb. I miss it kinda. It was just a neat characteristic of Cannon. The blanket holding thumb-sucker. But now we get the really fun stuff of him talking more and more. He is doing FANTASTIC in his speech. If you are sure of the context of his conversation you can understand almost anything he says. He is typical in that he switches or makes up words but Gracelyn was the queen of that and we fed into it a little too much at times and called ordinary objects her quirky nicknames for YEARS. But for the most part he is right on track for his progress. YEAH CANNON!

But I am hoping that baby #4 takes to the paci and puts the others to shame. Boy that would be nice.

Side note~Lots of prayers need to go out to my friends and family who have hurts. Emotional and physical-so just sit at your screen and repeat after me:

Lord, Please hold in your hand all of Keri's peeps who are hurting. You know their hurts better than anyone and please provide peace, comfort, and healing for them all. Amen

Be Blessed!!!

Predictable

Isn't as the saying goes. Wash your car and get a guaranteed rain storm? Well I washed the car Thursday right before picking up the boys and around 5:00 I listened to the best rainstorm in MONTHS! I cashed in on the rain check Friday evening and we had showers at our house around 3 today. Cameron said it was just in our area (of course). Love it. So just to let you know that we are pretty tight with the rain maker (God) and how we let Him know we want rain, besides praying, is to go and get our cars washed.

The Day After

What did the day after resurrection day look like? What happened the very next day after all the glory and wonderfulness of Sunday?

Around here it looks like I am home. I have no excuse which is really sad. I feel fine. I didn't give one either. I just said I wasn't coming into work today. It is chilly, but not bad so weather isn't an issue. The house is spotless so it isn't like I have housework looming over my head. The kids are all healthy as horses so they aren't a reason to stay home either.

I don't have a reason why I am home except I just needed to be home today. The boys are still asleep so it is even quieter than usual. hmmmmm....

What does the day after look like for you?

Today has been one of those days where I have to repeat to myself over and over and over again~ I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids.

We have had a rough day. Well Cannon and Mason had a rough day I was just fine. I didn't throw a fit. I said my kind words. I did everything I was asked to do. So the problem wasn't with me. Nope, not at all. It was the boys. I tried to think of every excuse in the world to why they were so off today and I came up with nothing. I had an embarrassing mommy moment with BOTH of them breaking down into tears and screaming to compete for my attention DURING THEIR EGG HUNT AT SCHOOL! Yep in front of EVERYONE! Joy. If that doesn't make your pits sweat I don't know what will. I almost wanted to cry but decided that laughing was much better. I didn't look so pathetic that way. (I think) Anyways they survived and we are off to another day.

I will throw this in there that Cannon has not sucked his thumb in 6 days. I want to blame his crankiness on it but I just can't. I mean I really want to but I think he is just in a funk. He told me didn't want to be my friend today. I was so happy that he is at the point to communicate his feelings but shocked that I was defriended by my own son. Hmmm...

I will post later about his thumb episode. You will be on the edge of your seats I'm sure! :)

Approachability

Something I have been struggling with for a while is how approachable I am. I would love to think I am the person that comes to mind when times are tough and you need that person that always says the right thing or says nothing at all. Unfortunately I am not so sure. I think I am that person but then I really wonder. I struggle with this because it is something I seek in people. Can I strike up a conversation with you and feel like we have known each other for a while? Do people think that I am approachable for things more serious that toddler talk?

How approachable am I in the church setting? Would someone new on the scene see me as a person that can be trusted with their first conversation in a new place?

I know there are things that God works on personally with each of us and right now I am in a place that I do seek to do things better. After being in a position of being REALLY comfortable in church/work/among friends and now in a place where I am challenged I am seeing that I have some work to do.

Where are you at in the cycle of being approachable? How do you know you are? What gets your head in the game and on the right track?

baby pictures

First pictures of baby #4!! :) It was moving all over the place and super wiggly!! We couldn't get a profile picture so I opted to not have the alien picture printed. HA!! It wasn't a bean since I am 12 weeks. I measured within a couple of days of my due date so that is GREAT! I go back in a month for a dr. visit but I won't get a level II ultrasound until 23 weeks. UGH! I have to wait til June 23rd.

I asked about the risk of early delivery for this little one and he said the highest risk factor for preterm labor is previous preterm deliveries. Well there we have it folks. He thinks we will have this one as early as the others but we are both hopeful that it doesn't warrant any concerns and I am confident that everything will be just fine like the previous 3! :) He did laugh when I said watch this one come at 40 weeks. He didn't think I had to worry about it going that long but he has seen it happen. So we are settling in for a good 5+ more months of pregnancy and pray this little one is safe, healthy and worry free!

I WON~AND TONS OF PRAISES!!!

I won a blog design for $15!! I didn't get the grand prize but I got a nifty consolation prize. I'll take it. I have a fun new idea. My friend Teresa won a FREE BLOG MAKEOVER!!! She was one of the Grand Prize Winners.

This is also my 300th post. Hmmm.... Should have posted something more exciting but really what is more exciting than winning something?

Actually I know! My friend Kate is just amazing and continues to impress me with her strength and courage that is solely from the Lord. She is a wonderful child of God and I am sooooooo excited for her. God is amazing and is really reigning in her life.

My sister is moving into her very first house!!! The Giles' found a wonderful house that is perfect for them and their precious family. They close in 7 days. I am thrilled that the Lord has provided a way for this to happen. Plus my sweet nieces are 3 today!! :)

My Dad's surgery went wonderful. It was a minor skin cancer thing that God worked His healing power on. Boppy's recovery has been great!

Mom's heart cath a few weeks ago turned out to show her heart was PERFECT. Can't get much better than that. She will just have to follow up with some minor tests to figure out what is causing shortness of breath and fatigue but most importantly she has a heart that is beating wonderfully. God is so good.

hmm... what else? I have lots of praises~

Oh yeah, work is going GREAT. I am exhausted beyond belief but that is just getting into a new routine. I really like it. The kids are great. The work is minimal compared to a classroom teacher so it is really a cool gig. God really worked on me with this decision. I wasn't happy about it when I decided to go back to work but once again He put joy in my heart and it has all worked out wonderfully.

Church work is going amazingly well. God continues to lay out wonderful things for this new ministry. There is just no way around it. God is in control. As hard as it was to go through the transition it has been worth it. I do desire restoration in relationships and I know that the same God that has blessed this ministry and the people who are working to bring Him glory is the same God who will work on my heart and in the hearts of the people I love to do just that. Restoration. Time is a healer but I also think that not giving up on people is a huge thing. I'm not one to give up! :)

Okay I think that might be all I can come up with.

WAIT~OH WAIT!!! I get to have a ultrasound Tuesday along with my first REAL dr.'s visit. I am excited to see this little bean and hear it's heartbeat!! YEAH!!! I am feeling better and think that the yucky time is coming to an end... What a praise. I am getting huge which I am claiming is due to the fact that it is my 4th pregnancy and that is what happens when you are 32, out of shape, and been down this road before. At least that is what I keep telling myself!

Many blessings to you all. Hope your praises are many and bring smiles to your face! I have loved writing down all this wonderful stuff the Lord is doing.

And I'll throw this out here because I just love this guy!