DAY ONE!!!!! THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Okay, so here we are at day 1. Of what, you may ask. Well, it is day one of our countdown to the glorious day when JJ returns home to us. We dont know exactly when he will return, should hopefully be sometime before Thanksgiving, but everyday that passes is just another day closer to him coming back home. We have all been a little sad today, but are doing well. Josh really doesnt understand that he is gone for so long, but I imagine in a few days he will start asking when Daddy is coming back. The girls are sleeping with a picture of Daddy, and they held on to it as we said bedtime prayers. Jaydon hasnt said much at all about it but is testing me to the limit today. All in all, we are doing fine, and glad the first day is almost over. I must say the blessing to every deployment is the time we each are able to draw closer to God, and to witness first hand how HE provides for all our needs.

"YES" DAY! (or stress day????)

"Daddy, can I ride in your new duffle bag?" ..............."Why, YES, you can!"
"Mom, can I have a popsicle AND a poptart for breakfast?"......................"YES, let me get that for you."

Okay, so here's the story of "YES" day. I read on a blog of a friend of a friend about how she decided one day to try not to say "no" to her children for the whole day, unless it was something she had to say "no" to. Now, I dont know this particular lady, but I have been reading her blog quite regularly, and I must say, she has become like a mentor for me. She seems to be so wise in the things she says. I imagine her to be like a Saint, so patient and loving in all her words to her children. A wonderful, homeschool mom of 5 children, she is. We seem to have so much in common... okay, not the patience...or the always kind and loving responses...but, I am working on that. So I sat back and thought about how often I say "no" to our children just because I dont want to have another mess to clean up, or because I can do it myself faster, or just because it is easier to say "no". Sometimes, I think I say "no" just out of habit. So I showed her blog to JJ, and we decided last night that today would be "YES" day! What fun! So when we woke up this morning I reminded him about this very special day. And here is how it went...

(Let me point out first that we never told the children it was "YES" day, that would have ruined the day.)

Josh was the first to wake up, and I think he was in on the secret, cause after he had his customary glass of chocolate milk, he asked..."Mommy, can I have a popsicle for breakfast?" JJ and I look at each other, and he has that "HA! What are you going to say to this one" look on his face. So I looked back at Josh and said,with my teeth clinched "Sure, honey, go sit at the table and I will get it for you". Then 5 minutes later..."Mom, can I have a poptart with my popsicle?" And again, I said "yes" and handed over the goods. Guess what, having popsicles and poptarts for breakfast didn't kill him, and he still has all his teeth.

Next, as we prepared to travel to Denver tohave Abby's blood drawn, Hannah wanted to know "can I fix up some snacks to take with me in case I get hungry". Now believe it or not, many times the answer to that innocent question would be "no", because I know that food and crackers, and such are going to be spilled and crushed all over the floor. This time, however, I said "yes" with a big smile on my face. And guess what, she didnt spill a thing.

Then Bailey, "can I take my poptarts with me in a bag?"..."Yes"

Jaydon, "mom, can you stop at the bookstore on the way out of town so I have a book to read on the way?"..."yes"

As the day went by, I must say I found myself smiling more than ever. In fact, at REI a couple of ladies said to me with a smile "Are they all yours?" I said "yes" and then they said "you look so calm, how do you do it?" I said "the key is...YES!"

Of course their are things each day that we need to say "no" to, for their safety and protection, but when I took a step back, I realized that I could probably say "yes" to about 85% of their requests without spoiling them, going broke, or putting them in any danger, and if I were to say "yes" more often, I would be less stressed out, and they would all be a little happier.

Abby's Gaining Weight

Joshy has discovered a new favorite place to sleep, in "Sissy Baby's" bed. He is very close to Bailey.

Just wanted to give a quick update. We went to the pediatricians office yesterday and Abby has put on 0.3kg in the 3 days since she was admitted to the hospital. Not too bad! She is eating like a champ now. Thanks for all your prayers.

Today we finally put her crib together and she is sound asleep in it as I write this. Joshua, our littlest big helper, had a great time helping JJ put it together. Bailey, of course, also got in on the activity. What fun!

Climbing The Wall !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last week after their expedition to the Aquarium with Daddy, they all went to REI for a little window shopping (so to speak). This is the climbing wall inside REI (Yes, inside the building, it is huge!) Anyway, Hannah made it about half way up the wall, and Jaydon was able to make it all the way to the top. Not bad for a couple beginners. Although you cant tell by the photos, it is a huge wall.

A Busy Few Days

As we prepare for JJ's upcoming deployment (he leaves next week), lots has been going on. Abby has been having lots of trouble, and has lost more than a pound in the past 10 days. She is down to 8.2 pounds, which is just barely above her birth weight. She was admitted to Children's Hospital in Denver Monday, where they did losts of tests, and we begged them to send us home of Tuesday so we could spend a little time with JJ before he goes. Right now she is getting a high calorie formula, but if she hasnt gained enough weight by next week, she will have a feeding tube put in. Please say a prayer for little Abby if you find the time.

On the fun side of things, JJ took all 5 kids to the Denver Aquarium on Saturday, and I hear they all had a blast! Jaydon wants to go back and swim with the sharks, and Hannah wants to go swim with the fish. We may buy a family membership so that we can make the Aquarium a regular part of our summer vacation.

Abby's Update

Well, it was another very long day at the doctor's office. JJ was out of town, so the kids and I took Abby for a follow up appointment today (yes, all 5 kids) and we ended up being there for 41/2 hours! She had repeat x-rays done, and they weren't very encouraging, apparently. She is scheduled tomorrow at noon to be evaluated by a pediatric surgeon at Children's. We dont know what to make of it, the pediatrician today didn't really say what he thought he saw, I dont think he really knows. We will just continue to pray for her healing. A "Little" praise...the kids were wonderful and very patient while waiting for so long today. Only with God's help can you contain 5 children in a tiny little exam room for that long without any melt downs!

A ROUGH DAY FOR SWEET ABBY

It was a very rough night last night for our precious little Abbygail. I took her to the ER last night with what seemed to be a tummy ache (yes, after 5 kids, you do know when your 3 month old has a tummy ache- despite what the argumentative x-ray tech thinks!) Anyway, the xray showed a bowel obstruction, and she was transferred to Children's Medical Center in Denver for evaluation and admission. After many hours in the ER, more x-rays, and 3 enemas, she still hasn't been successful at relieving herself, but they sent us home to be followed up tomorrow. She still is very uncomfortable. Poor little angel! We will be praying that she will be healed soon and not require any surgery for this.