You haven't lost me, Sara! I am dutifully lurking, so I'm keeping up w/ all my journal buddies. We're all doing ok here in Seussville. Love you all!

I want you to check out these smiles...







Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

What an awesome day!! My "Birdie" is married. She was a lovely bride and there weren't many dry eyes after her walk down the aisle. We were blessed with lots of family and friends there to share in the day. And helpers too, so setup and cleanup went fairly quickly.

Oh, and guess who caught the bouquet? And the garter? ...

Yep. I say it was a setup, but everyone is in denial. And T2 totally did it against his mother's wishes!

When I have more energy, I'll walk you through the wedding week. It was intense! :)

So, one down, four to go!

Have a great week! Much love!


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

I have so much to do!!!

I cannot focus on anything other than wedding preparations. I have let school go and my days are filled w/ thoughts of wedding stuff. I get to work in the afternoon, and I can't change gears. I am having a very difficult time at work...so not productive, which is sooooo not good.

Thing1 had her bridal shower this past weekend. It was wonderful. There were about 15 people there. T1 was having a hard time being the center of attention, but she "suffered" through it. :) I think everyone had a great time and T1 made a big haul! Stepman did a wonderful job planning and preparing. Her decorations were all things T1 could use in her new household. Stepman's mom had a big hand in it too. They did a wonderful job!

T1 has only received three RSVPs so far and the invitation asked that we receive them by 11/17! Ack...so now we have to get on the phone and call all these people; half of whom we don't have phone numbers for! This is not going to be fun.

Other than that, everything is going according to plan. I just cannot believe there are fewer than two weeks before my baby girl is wed. It won't be all that different in the practical sense, since they're staying w/ us, but all you moms know what I'm talking about. It's very hard...

Thing2 is doing well. Some of his grades dropped a smidgen this time around, but he's still getting As & Bs, so no complaints here. He got a clean bill of health from his surgeon so he's as good as new; well minus one appendix, but close enough.

The littles are all doing well. We are so blessed!

Cat is doing great, very little complaining throughout this little wedding planning endeavor, which is kind of a surprise. For example, I had been having a very difficult time finding a dress to wear that I felt comfortable in. Everything I liked was way out of our price range, and I was getting discouraged. So anyway, Cat watched the kids and sent me out shopping and said, "Don't come home without a dress for the wedding". Now any of you that know me well, knows how I hate to shop. It is really difficult for me, so really, that was the best thing he could have done. Otherwise, I would still be looking for a dress because I get discouraged and give up. So anyway, that day I left the house at 10am and made it home by 6:30pm with a dress, shoes, and dinner from Captain Ds. I was very stressed, but it's done. And the dress is tolerable. I'd never find one I really like (Why can't they just make dresses to make a size 16 look like a size 12?) but this one actually fits, and doesn't make me look like a barn...well, not a lot like a barn, anyway.

If you think about it over the next couple of weeks, pray for our bunch, especially for T1 & her man.

Well, I better get back to work. Have a great night!


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

OK, I guess the biggest news is....

Thing1 and Crispani are getting married in exactly thirty-two days. December 1st!

I'm about to lose my mind, well, what was left of it to lose anyway.

Details are set: Small evening wedding (6:30) at Bethany, officiated by Crispani's oldest brother, just family and a few (of their) close friends,  winter wonderland theme (navy & silver), pasta buffet & dessert bar for reception in BCC fellowship hall. Ying and CLW are the flower girls; Yang is the ring "bear" (roar); three attendants including Mayzie (T1's older sister), Dandy (Crispani's sister), and Stepman is the MoH; three groomsmen incl Thing2 and two of Crispani's buds.

The invitations are ready to send out (going out tomorrow, I believe). The photographer and the baker have been hired. We're still looking into flowers...Flowerman maybe? I am so not ready for this...

So, yeah, that's the big news.

What else has happened since I last posted?

Oh yeah, T2 had an emergency appendectomy. He woke up at 4am one morning and asked if he could stay home from school. He never takes advantage (you know, he doesn't fake being sick just to stay home from school like I did when I was his age) so I told him sure and went back to sleep. The next thing I know Cat is waking me up to say he's taking our son to the hospital! I'm like which son? Why? What's going on? So, I go in to check on T2 and I've never seen him in such pain, so Cat & I decided to call 911. By the time the ambulance arrived, the pain had dissipated somewhat and the paramedics asked us what we wanted to do! I'm like, "Hello! That's why we called you!" But they were discreetly letting us know that he would be ok for us to take him in and not have to pay for the cost of the ambulance ride. They just couldn't come right out and say that. Anyhoo, Cat took him to ER and the triage nurse knew right away that it was his appendix. They scheduled him in the first open OR slot. I took the littles to Grandma's and made it to the hopcycle (think Rugrats on Nickelodeon)  just in time to give him a hug and a kiss before they wheeled him in. He was so funny when they gave him the shot to "relax" him. Boy, was he relaxed! He got this humongous smile on his face, and said, "I would be such a great stoner!" The surgery came off w/o a hitch, and they showed us pictures of the nasty thing! As soon as we get our scanner fixed, T2's gonna put it up on his myspace. He can't wait! He stayed overnight in the hopcycle and went to the homecoming dance the next night. He said he couldn't let AmericanGirl down. He's almost back to normal now. On Nov 5th he can return to his PE class and should be as good as new by then.

Trunk or Treat was tonight at church. I wish I had taken some pictures, but I always forget I have the camera phone. Ying was a cheetah (I was very proud of the face paint I did for her) Yang was a buff ninja (you know, the costumes that have the muscles built in? Yeah, buff!) and CLW was Minnie Mouse. She wouldn't let me paint her face though. She threw a fit. But she let me put some pink circles on her cheeks.

Ying is going through an "everything has to be cool" stage. Here's how I found out:

Ying: Mom, is this outfit cute or cool?
Me (not knowing there was a wrong answer): It's really cute, honey, but I think it's cool too.
Ying: OK.
Me (a few minutes later after noticing she's wearing a different outfit): What happened to that other outfit?
Ying (nonchalantly): You told me it was cute, so I changed into this one.

So now I know to say it's cool if she asks. Otherwise, she'll never wear half her clothes! And, btw, since when do SEVEN YEAR OLDS behave like this? See, you can see the 7yo brain working in that she asked her mother what was cool (still trusts authority figure) but refusing to wear anything that doesn't meet the "coolness" standard? That is totally a 13 and up thing, isn't it? I am so not ready for this...

Yang is going through a whiney stage. I'm tired of whining. I hate whining. I tell him I can't hear him unless he's talking like a gentleman (not whining). It worked at first, but now, it's almost as if he can't tell he's whining. AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!

He is so funny when he first told us about his role in T1's wedding. He said, and I quote, "I'm gonna be the ring bear GGGGRRRRAAAAHHHHHRRRR!!!!!! This wedding is going to be a trip. Have I mentioned I'm not ready for this?

CLW is kind of "hit and miss" w/ the potty training thing. Literally. We haven't really pushed it, until today when we ran out of diapers and, being down to one car (again) I had to wait for Cat to get home to bring diapers. So I sat her on the big potty (little one's nowhere to be found) and she didn't go, but as soon as I picked her up, she peed on my leg. Nice. So I cleaned us both up and put her down for her nappy. She woke up dry (!) so I sat her on the potty and she peed, but not w/o voicing her distaste w/ the whole concept. She screamed the whole time (I think the big potty scares her even though I was holding her). I made a big deal out of it, and we called Cat so she could tell him all about it, and she's cool w/ it for the moment. Cat brought home diapers, but I think the time has come to push the potty thing a little harder. She takes off her diaper after she goes and is dry waking from naps, so I think she's ready. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cat's still smoking. He's having a very hard time w/ the idea of quitting. Prayers are coveted.

By the time you read this, I will be 43 years young. Interestingly enough, about that many people asked me today if we were having any more kids? What's up w/ that? Why would people assume we'd have any more kids!!?? We already have five! Sheesh, what do they want from us, anyway? j/k For the last six or so years, my answer has been, "We're leaving it up to God." But honestly? I hope God is done blessing us w/ children. Is that bad? I hope not. I'm just tired. My mom went through menopause early, so I think I might too. The hot flashes have already started. So maybe I'll be able to say "nope, we're done" here pretty soon...maybe?

I think that's all for now. Please keep Sara's Brian in your prayers. Pray for the unspoken for my dear girlfriend. Pray that I don't murder anyone in the next 32 days (I am so not ready for this.)

Much love & blessings!



Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Just a quick post to share the GOOD NEWS!

The retina specialist did a flourene angiogram of Cat's eyes. This is where they shoot dye into your veins and then view the retina under a black light. Any place there is bleeding, will light up like a Christmas tree. We found out that the new histo spots are not bleeders! That is really, really good news. God is so good! We're all very relieved (understatement).

The Doc told Cat that if he didn't quit smoking, he could pretty much count on our worst fears coming true sometime, and probably sooner than later. So I'm asking for prayers so that Cat will be able to quit w/o too much trouble. He's tried many times, but is very dependent on cigarettes. Please pray that God will be his strength and will give us grace to deal w/ him!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I am so blessed to have you as friends.  Remember to also pray for Josy/Sherry, Claire, my nephew, and Missy's cousin Michael (praise the Lord he's home).

Have a great holiday weekend! I'll be looking for Isaac in the parade Monday!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Second post in as many weeks! Don't fall out of your chair HBM!

We're having lots of fun at my house. We have ramped back up to a full school schedule. Ying has a totally different attitude about school so far this year. She is actually eager to start. If I'm running slow getting going in the morning, she'll encourage me by saying, "Don't put it off too long, Mom, or we won't be able to finish school today!" HUH? Remember what I said about her being a 25yo trapped in a 7yo's body? Yeah.

Yang is being a butt. He is the cutest little butt ever, but a butt just the same! I haven't been the greatest at discipline w/ the Littles, so part of it is my fault for letting things slide for so long. For example, he uses the couch like a trampoline. He does flips off the side and dives onto the floor into a roll. He carries whole conversations while jumping rhythmically on the cushions. So the other day, I asked him to get down off the couch, that it's not a trampoline, so he asks, "Why? My feet aren't dirty!" Ugh. See what I've done?!

Thing2 started school yesterday. He came home all exasperated; so much so, that he called me at work to tell me about it. It seems that his AP History class has a test on Friday and his AP Language Arts class has a boatload of homework, including an essay due Friday. On top of that, his German I teacher presented the entire first class (this is FIRST year German, mind you) in German. No English! The syllabus for the class is in German, and the list of supplies needed for the class is in German. I balked at that one! I told him that one's for the parents and I'm not taking German!! Silly lady... I'll bet he'll actually learn some German that way, though. It's a pretty neat idea, to be honest.

Everything's still good w/ Crispani and Thing1. Crispani didn't get to start school this quarter though because there was a hang-up w/ the financial aid. Hopefully, he'll have it cleared up by next quarter. He's working a lot of hours though, which is good. Thing1 didn't take the job I mentioned in the last post. She was hired and was to start last week, but she told me she got a really weird vibe from the manager at her last interview. She and Crispani talked about it and decided it wasn't worth the stress, so she didn't take the job. I didn't even know this 'til I asked her why she hadn't started yet. I'm not the one she goes to with her problems anymore, I guess. That's the way it should be. If they're getting married, they have to "leave and cleave," right? So, they're doing well.

CLW is a total character! She's talking all the time too (must be the age, huh Sara?) She's starting to present her own little personality and she really has a great sense of humor. Case in point: The other day, the Littles were all downstairs playing in the TV room and they got to fussing. Before I knew it, all three of them were screaming. I start hollerin' as I'm makin' my way down there. You know, the typical mom stuff-- "What the heck is going on down here?!" and "Why are you crying!?" and "Why did you hit your sister?!" etc. While the other two are explaining, CLW continues her screaming. I shush the other two and look closely at her. Satisfied that she wasn't seriously hurt, I told her she didn't have anything to cry about and shushed her too. Her response was, "I just a baby!" with a truly indignant look on her face. I just about fell out, right there. So much for discipline...hard to give spankin's when you're laughing.

Another CLW funny is that we can't get her to say she's CLW. We say, "What's your name?" and she responds, "I da baby." If we correct her and tell her her name, she adamantly disagrees and says, "NO! I da BABY!" LOL.

Cat in the Hat is hangin' in there. He was kind of flustered w/ me because the Littles went to my parents' house today. They're going swimming and will spend at least one night. Cat informed me that they are what's keeping him sane right now. You know, giving him something else to think about besides his uncertain future. I felt bad. I hadn't considered that. So, hopefully, they'll bring them back tomorrow. I don't know though, because they're watching them for us during the appointment w/ the eye surgeon and it's first thing Friday morning, so I assumed they'd probably keep them tomorrow night too (to avoid the early morning pickup). I don't know...

Thanks for all your prayers and kind words. I don't know what God's thinkin' and I have no idea where He's leading us on this path. I just pray for Cat's spirit to be pliable, that he can keep his faith in God and that he doesn't get bitter. I also pray that I can remain faithful and strong for Cat & the kids.

Oh, HBM, in my last post, when I said:

That's One Peter 5:7 for you, MacNCheese.

Did ya miss me? Awww, come on! I know you did!

So, yeah, working full time leaves me w/ no time for blogging. I kind of miss it. I do keep up w/ all the Journal Goddesses, though I have rarely left comments. Time is so precious now! HBM, I' working on your questions. It's just taking forever.

Thing1 has completed her first quarter at Sinclair. She wasn't happy w/ her grades, but she did ok. We just signed her up for Fall quarter.  We're taking Crispani to get signed up tomorrow.  He wants to be a firefighter. I think that is so cool! I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up.

They have been so good for each other! As most of you know, he moved in w/ us a couple of months ago. It has been going well. He's respectful of Cat and I, and of the rules we set for them (of course he would be! he wants to marry our daughter!) He's been helping around the house too.

The two of them bought a car together, so that's one item checked off of their "To Be Finished Before The Wedding" list. There is still no date set, as they expect the list to take some time to complete. They are both working now, so they are slowly accumulating that big lump sum they want to have in the bank (item one on the aforementioned list). I'm impressed by their ability to save money. Cat and I still struggle with that. Anyway, Cat and I are praying for a long engagement. They're still so young...

Thing2 just returned from his first foreign mission trip. The youth group went to Mexico. T2 had a blast! I'm glad he had fun, because he worked hard too. They were blessed w/ much more tolerable weather than they expected. It was in the 90s rather than the 100s all week, and on top of that, the church they were sleeping in was air-conditioned! Yes, they were very blessed. AmericanGirl went too. They took issue w/ all the PDA rules the ministry they were working with had. I guess they were very strict--no hand holding or anything. I told T2 it's good for them to practice self-control. He wasn't amused.

He's psyching up for school to start next week. He's taking honors courses, which he's wishing he hadn't signed up for. I guess the reality of the workload is beginning to set in. He'll be fine once he gets started. He just tends to stress about things until he can jump in, then he's fine. I worry more about him getting himself up in the morning than anything else.

Ying is a 25 yo trapped in a 7yo's body. This child has all of the sudden become too "mature" for everything under the sun...at least everything appropriate for a seven year old. She wants to paint her nails and put on make up before going out! She expects to be treated like an adult. She argues every stinkin' time we get in the car because she wants to sit up front and not wear a seatbelt. She's too grown up to sit in the back seat, and seat belts? They're for babies! Clothes must be unstained, match, and on top of that, they must be stylish. Thank goodness ScrapbookQueen and KimmySue handed down all those cool clothes from their girls! We'd be in trouble, otherwise. And attitude? Boy, has she got a mega-attitude. Please pray for our character studies, which will begin when we pick back up w/ a full load of school next week, to be fruitful in both our lives.

She is still lovin' Kuk sul do. She got her red-striped belt last week. They're beginning to work on forms now. Mostly just to get the kids used to the idea, because that is where they'll spend most of their time in the older class.

Yang is growing up so quickly. Oh, funny story. Yang has had this beautiful curly mop of hair that I just hadn't been able to bring myself to cut. I just love little boys w/ longish curly hair! Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, we were coming in from church, and he asked if he could get his hair cut just like "Boy1's" (Diamond's oldest boy)? I said sure, and I pulled out the scissors and gave him an All-American Boy haircut. Short all the way around, w/ white walls and everything!  I left a little length on the top, but for the most part, it was short. So I give him the mirror, and with a little shake of his head, he says, "Yup. Just like Boy1". Too cute. So we go a whole week, and he says nothing more about the haircut. Then the following Sunday morning as we're walking into church, he asks, "Do you think Teacher will see me and think she has two Boy1s in her class"? I about cracked up. He was so funny that day.

CindyLouWho is precious, as always. Next month she'll be two. I just cannot believe how the time has flown by. She's so full of love and is always hugging you. When we come in (any of us) she will shout our name and come runnin' w/ a hug. She just makes me smile. She really likes Crispani and AmericanGirl. She has given her approval to both of them. Crispani has a soft spot for CLW too. It's been fun to watch them getting to know each other over the last couple months. At first CLW would hide from him behind my leg (or T1's). You know, peeking out from behind us? But now, she'll run to Crispani as soon as she'll run to any of the rest of us.

She's getting high marks from the WOW teachers (although they give all the babies back there high marks). She loves it back there. She and Gracie have really taken to each other. CLW kind of migrates toward Gracie every week. They're very cute.

My favorite aunt passed away last week. She's been fighting inoperable pancreatic cancer for quite some time. The end was very hard. The funeral was Friday. I went with my parents. Cried a lot. She was so young and so...good. I will miss her. My uncle is not only struggling w/ the loss of his beloved wife, but they had very little and the worry about paying for the final arrangements is always just under the surface. So, all the way home, I had to fight the urge to ask my parents if they'd made plans for their deaths. I'm a planner, and I just like to make sure everything is taken care of, but I knew the timing was bad. So while I'm biting my tongue, I'm also crying at the thought of losing them. It was a hard day.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but Cat is legally blind in his left eye. He has no central vision due to a disease called hystoplasmosis, which is attacking his retinas. A few years ago, they tried to save his sight (in the left eye) w/ surgery, but it didn't work. His right eye has up to now been unaffected by the hysto, but last week, Cat told me that he's seeing "anomalies" in the vision in his right eye. He made an emergency appointment w/ the eye doctor, who saw him today and referred him to the surgeon again. He says they've caught it early. Cat is trying to maintain his stoic demeanor, but it's very hard. I know he's scared. He even asked me if I would stay with him if he went blind. I just teased him and said he needs to quit assuming I'd do what he'd do in my place! He'd be out the door in a heartbeat, but I'm hanging around for the duration. I told him God gives special awards in heaven for things like this, so I'm gonna stick it out. LOL, kinda.

I dare not share my fears with him, he's so fragile right now. I cannot even begin to fathom how we would function. Could we still homeschool the Littles? Would Cat be eligible for disability through his work? Would I have to quit to be at home until he becomes "accustomed" to it? Would he ever become accustomed to it? If so, how long will that take? Could we afford the luxury of me taking off work? All the things he'd miss seeing....

Everything we do is so dependent on our eyes... He made the mistake of going out to a website where others facing blindness go to ask questions, share, cry and whatever else they do, and every post he saw were from people who just weren't handling things well. I guess most of the spouses leave. Many are suicidal. It's just horrid hearing what those poor people are dealing with.

We know God is sovereign. We trust that He is all-powerful. The way we handle the seeming incongruity of those two character traits is where Cat and I differ in our relationships w/ our Maker. God can choose to heal or not. If He chooses to heal, praise be to God! If He chooses to allow this to run it's course, then what? I will make my mouth say praise be to God, but will my heart be in it? I'm not sure. That's where I both respect and fear for Cat. He will cry out to God about it. Cuss Him. Argue with Him. And, eventually, submit to His will; maybe even find peace there. He is so real. That's why I love him so much. But that realness, that vulnerability can be so heart-wrenching; to watch and to live. And it will be spread over such an extended period, that the cursing and arguing part might just do him in. That's my biggest fear in all this. I fear for his faith.

On a brighter note, Cat's anxiety issues haven't resurfaced. The combination of the original diagnosis and his oldest daughter's lifestyle choices are what kicked off the first anxiety attacks. He's been off the meds (for anxiety) for a couple of years now. Please pray that we can trust God through this. Cat's appointment is for 8/31.

Well, I'd best get back to work. Have a great week, Please pray for my little friend Lucy! (Leukemia/chemo/chicken pox) I haven't heard how she's doing. Hopefully, she's going to be ok. And pray too for my nephew Justin. He's a new daddy and he's leaving for Boot Camp tomorrow. My friend C could use your prayers too, as she is separating from her husband. So much pain and fear in this world...

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Much love and blessings!
SebbieDue


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Did ya miss me?!? Poor Pepto 'bout fell out of her chair when she saw me editing my journal! I'm sure you're double checking the title to make sure you're on the correct page. Let me assure you, you are indeed reading the first update to SebbieDue's journal in well over three months. You heard me right, three months! Sheesh. I'm sorry if I worried you, but like Mr Twain at the time of his quote, I'm still alive and kickin'.

I promised some news to dear HBM, as she was in need of a fix, but before I get into catching y'all up on the Seuss family, may I ask for prayer?

My mother-in-law is going in for surgery to remove a large mass from her pelvic region. Six months ago, she got a clean bill of health at her physical, but 3 weeks ago, on the flight over to Germany, no less, she was unable to urinate and in quite a lot of pain. There were actually several doctors on the flight, which were able to make her comfortable until they landed. They went straight to the US military hospital, which couldn't find a thing (!). She toughed it out for 2 weeks, unable to urinate w/o assistance (cath) and cut their visit short and returned to the U.S. To make a long story short, they found a cyst, 6 inches in diameter (!) which must be removed (it was pressing on her urethra which caused the above mentioned symptoms). Surgery is scheduled for Monday, at which time they will remove it and send it to the lab, the results of the tests will determine whether or not they remove anything but the cyst. So far, her white count is down, which is a good sign. This is a very scary time for the family. Please keep her in your prayers. :)

On to the news...

We are in the midst of passing an "uggy bug" (as Ying used to refer to a stomach virus) around the family. So far, Ying, Yang, CLW, Thing2, and I have each had it. Cat is sooooo looking forward to getting it, since it's quite likely as he just got over a different uggy bug a couple of weeks ago, so his immunity's probably compromised.

I've been somewhat overwhelmed with life lately. So much to do...all good things, but I just can't do them all. I just can't fit breakfast, homeschooling, lunch, and the gym, all in before I go to work, not w/o getting up at 8am, but when I don't get to sleep until 2am, it's tough to do. So, needless to say, the gym has fallen off my plate. All that money... well, my work schedule is getting ready to change, so hopefully that will give me a couple more hours in the mornings so I can pick it back up again.

Speaking of work, that's part of my big news. I'm taking a new position at work. It will take advantage of more of my programming experience and pay considerably better. The pay increase will allow Cat to quit his weekend job altogether. It will still be a second shift position, which will allow us to continue to homeschool (a prerequisite for any job), but the days and hours will change. I'll work M-F when it starts, instead of working four ten-hour days.

There are good and bad things w/ this change. Obviously, the good things are more money, same days off as Cat, uh....more money. And the bad thing is, well, it's not really a bad thing, but it will require a big change for me. I'll actually be very busy at work. I will have a full eight-hour day of work each day, which will make the days/nights go quickly. It is a very big change from the job I have right now which has a good bit of free time, so I will have to make some hard decisions. Currently, I do a lot of my ministry stuff while I'm here at work, during the down times. I also do quite a bit of homeschool research/planning. All this will have to be reevaluated. I will only be able to continue doing the stuff that I can fit into the weekends, because weekdays will continue to be full. However, I have to remember that my weekends are now only two days long, rather than the three I was used to. They will also be Cat's days off, so, like I said, I need to do some praying and soul searching.

I still don't have a start date for the new job. It keeps getting delayed. So I probably have a few more weeks to work this all out.

The second bit of news is actually the big news. Thing1 & Crispani are engaged! I don't even know what to say about it, though I've had a month or so to get used to the idea. Everything inside me wants to drag her by the ear into the basement and not let her out for another five years, at least. She is so young, they both are. I just wasn't ready for this. On the flip side, I know that if they put Jesus at the center of their relationship, it will succeed. On the other hand, He's not central to either of them right now. On the flip side of that hand, they are not rushing things. They have a pretty lengthy list of items they'd like to accomplish before they marry, so they have some time to mature and for the Spirit to work on them both. Keep them in your prayers. Also GuitarMan, BeautifulArt, Cat, and me...we could use them too.

So yeah.

In other news, Thing2 is doing well. He scheduled his classes for next year, which will include three honors classes (English, History & Science)!  Wow.

Ying and Yang are such a pain in the petootie (petuty?) right now! They fight all the time! When they are separated, they're both angels, together they are truly NOT angels. I love 'em more than life, though!

CLW is sooooo cute. She's talking a lot now. She said her first more-than-two-word sentence the other day. She told T2, "Daddy get me wedto go bye-bye."

Cat told me last night, they were sitting on the porch and she  started pointing and yelling, "Babies, babies!" He couldn't figure out what she was talking about until he looked down and saw a bunch of ants crawling around on the ground. Too funny. She's such a gem!

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to make my updates more timely in the future. Enjoy your weekend!

Last week, the day before CLW went to the hospital, I signed up for a membership at the gym MacNCheese goes to! I was so excited, though I spent entirely too much on it. My mother gave me the down payment and I have a couple more to go to get it paid off. I chose the wrong time of year to try to barter for a good deal! Everybody and their mama is signing up at the gym to keep their New Year's Resolutions, so they weren't hurtin' for memberships or for money. I ended up having to pay 2X as much as MacNCheese said she did. Ouch! But I got four years and if I break it down to monthly cost, it's a little easier to swallow. I certainly hope I can keep it up.

I actually attended for the first time Wednesday. I was a little perturbed because I had an appt w/ a "trainer" (really the sales gal) to get me started and she wasn't available because she was working on a sale. So I went to the front desk to ask what I should do, and the lady acted all exasperated and sent me "away" to the treadmill. Then I finished w/ 20 minutes of that and went looking for someone to get me started. I met this nice older lady (well older than most of the girls that work there, but only a tad bit older than me) who set me up. So needless to say, I was having a little buyer's remorse, thinking, "if they're just gonna drop me like a hot potato now that they've got my money, I'm gonna be so sad!" But the next day was better. I just sought out my new friend and she worked w/ me again.

So today was my third day. I have been going in before work. It has made mornings a little rough for the kids, because I have to get them up earlier than they're used to so we can finish school before we have to leave. Then I have to drive them all out to my Grandma's house, because they're all contagious still, so that's adding about 30 minutes right there. I'm gonna have to talk to Cat and see if he can get them into bed earlier. That would help.

I also think I could stand to drink a little more water. I think I'm getting dehydrated. I've only been bringing one bottle w/ me and then I've not had much throughout the day either. I'm feeling pretty raggedy, and I'm sure that's why. Otherwise, things are good. I'll go again tomorrow before work.

On the diet front, I'm not. I mean, I don't officially diet, even though I did have a lot of luck on a modified (for nursing moms) Atkins diet a couple years ago. I am focusing more on portion control and eating healthier. I'm hoping my appetite will begin to diminish now that I'm working out. It hasn't yet, but I've just started. I'm sure that will help too. I have to do something. I have gained so much weight since having CLW, it's really awful! So I might just have to resort to a diet if the current plan doesn't work out.

We started something new w/ Ying's reading. She's been fussing way to much when she's asked to practice her reading. It's called a reading chain. Each time she reads a story, she gets to make a link for a paper chain. She'll write the date and the title of the book or story and tape it together, then we'll hang it to the ceiling. She'll add links to the chain until it reaches the floor. Then she'll get to choose something fun to do, just her and me.Today was our first day. She was excited about it this morning, but I don't know how long it'll last.

Yang is struggling. He needs more mommy time, so we're making a link for every story we read together, and he gets to pick something to for just the two of us. He was excited too. I hope I can keep it up!

CLW is still sick. This morning I considered taking her back to ER. She's starting to go downhill again. Please pray that she's breathing easier when I get home, or we'll probably have to take her in tonight.

Thing1 and Crispani (her beau makes Crispani at Panera) came home today w/ a Crested Chinese Waterdragon. She's such a trip. She's keeping it for him until he has his own place (Grandma P. won't let him keep it at her place). At least it wasn't the monitor lizard they were talking about getting. They were too expensive, thankfully.

I am so happy she's happy now. I think I mentioned before that I hadn't realized how depressed she was while she was dating Pierced. It's really like night and day, the difference in her attitude. She has actually returned to her old self. She plays w/ the kids, jokes with her dad and me and actually begins conversations and shares her thoughts and concerns with us. I'm grateful to God for bringing her back to us.

We need to make an appointment at Sinclair to get her started in school. She's decided to just get her gen. ed. stuff out of the way, and probably go into business or marketing.

Thing2 is as steady as ever. His finals start next week. He and AmericanGirl (his girlfriend...isn't that a great name for her?) are still having fun together. He's such a big help to both Cat and me. He has been such a blessing. Interesting that the meaning of his name is "Stand Firm". That's definitely a God thing. How cool, huh?

Well today was a special day for Cat and me. We have been married 18 years! Amazing, if you think about it.

We didn't celebrate. We didn't even see each other today. Actually, that's not true. He came in before leaving for work and gave me a kiss and told me happy anniversary. I was very groggy. I don't even know if I responded or not. That's the only bad thing about this job. I don't see my husband for four solid days...at all. I'm asleep when he leaves for work, and he's asleep when I get home. At least I only have a four day work week, instead of five days. I kinda miss him though, especially on days like today.

Well I should get some work done. Have a great weekend!

I learned some interesting things about RSV during CLW's stay at Children's. 

RSV and the viruses like it don't just affect infants, anyone can get them. As a matter of fact, this virus is probably what our whole family has been sharing back and forth since before Christmas. The reason it is so hard on little ones, is that these viruses cause a very thick mucus. The smaller the child, the more dangerous it is because their airways are narrower and they can't work that yucky stuff up. It is especially dangerous for newborns, hence it being known as more of a newborn or infant virus. Most older children just have a cold.

It is very common to have these viruses w/ no fever. CLW only had a low-grade fever two nights before we took her in, and it was due to secondary bi-lateral ear infections (poor thing!) and not the virus.

These crazy things can last up to three months! I specifically asked how long she will be contagious, and the response was until she's symptom-free. Ugh. I told the doctor that I can't keep a toddler in the house for 3 months, yet I can't in good conscience expose all her little friends to it either. You'll never guess how she responded. I was flabbergasted! She said, as long as you're using good hygiene practices; washing hands regularly, cleaning surfaces regularly, etc. that there should be no problem taking her around other kids! I about died. I should have said, "So, it's ok to take her in the church nursery w/ newborns and other infants because we wash our hands regularly?" I wonder if she's ever had kids? Evidently not, or she'd know they slobber on everything they touch! Sheesh.

Any of you in charge of a nursery, make sure to enforce your sick child policy, because doctors are telling people it's ok to bring their sick kid!!! Be firm!

So anyway, Cat and I have decided that since I'm teaching, he'll just stay home with her. It's not like he's chomping at the bit to get to church every Sunday. :(

Yang's birthday party was a big success. We hung a HB banner, blew up red (of course) balloons, wore party hats, and sung happy birthday to him, well, everyone but Thing1 wore party hats. He had a snowman ice cream cake w/ a big #4 candle in it and he even got to open a present (I went and got a little something...guilt, I know.) He had fun. We all did, even Thing1. Then we (me, CLW & Yang) took a nap. I could have slept all the way through, but I really needed the fellowship at women's group. It was a nice evening, so I'm glad I went, even though a good half of it was taken up planning worship w/ Detergent and Minnie. Yuck, but it had to be done.

So, Bucks fans, what happened last night?! I went to bed early last night and didn't watch the game, and then I hear it was their worst game in a long time! What a bummer.

Have a great week, and keep my new little friend Jolena in your prayers!