Ever Have One of Those Days....or Months...or Years???

Isaiah 40:31 says, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I feel so weary, so exhausted. I really need God to renew my strength. It gets so overwhelming constantly taking care of sick kids. I love them, and it is my delight to be their mommy; I'm just so tired.

Jule is definitely sick, but not with chicken pox as far as I can tell. His nose is terribly stuffy and a little runny, and he is feeling miserable. You can see it in his eyes. He cried off and on all through the night. Not to the point that I had to go in and console him, but just enough to wake me up so I knew he was uncomfortable. I checked Noly over last night, and she had a few more bumps. The older ones are looking good and are not itching, so that's good. She is still acting very hyper and naughty, so I'm guessing she is not feeling that great either. I'm so spent from not only 3 weeks non-stop of taking care of sick children but also having either a migraine or a headache for 23 days straight now. It's really, really frustrating. And Kevin is out of town, so I am doing this alone right now.

After a really rough night, I left the house this morning and forgot my cell. So, I turned around and got it and left again. As I pulled out onto the main road to get out of our subdivision, I got pulled over while still in our subdivision. The officer was really nice and knocked the ticket down for me, but this is just all too much on top of each other. Please renew my strength, God.

I have been thinking a lot about II Corinthians 12:9a, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..." I'm feeling very weak, and I have been looking for God's grace in these difficult circumstances. This morning, I felt God's grace when the officer only ticketed me for going 5 over instead of the actual 15. He told me he never gives people a break in neighborhoods, but he did for me...and I didn't even ask. I had no excuse, just wasn't paying attention. I also see God's grace in the Pediatrician He has given us. He has gone above and beyond his job to help us out, and he has been there for us through all of these sicknesses. I am very thankful for His grace, and I know that, somehow, His grace and strength will get me through.

Psalm 121:7-8

Noly has been feeling pretty crummy from the chicken pox. I was making dinner last night and noticed that she was being very quiet in her room. This is what I found when I went to check on her. I don't know if she meant to fall asleep or not? She was quite grumpy and whiny last night, but I did notice that she did not get any new spots yesterday! Even though she hasn't felt good, she still feels the need to get all dressed up.

Last night, we were telling Noly how it was not ok to argue with Mommy & Daddy. In the middle of our conversation, Jule went running toward our bed and fell flat on his mouth against the corner of our bed frame. We heard a loud crack and could see that there was a lot of bleeding in his mouth. We looked at each other like, "Oh no, not the ER on top of all of this." Once I got him to calm down, we could see that his mouth is pretty sore, but it will heal on its own. He cried a lot in the night and did not eat as much for breakfast this morning. He also woke up with a stuffy/runny nose : ( Guess we don't get a break in between sickness at all this time.

Psalm 121:7-8 "The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Even though we are going through a ton of sickness and injury, I know that God is watching over my babies and keeping them safe.

Chicken Pox

No, I am not kidding. Yes, my child has chicken pox. Noly had some strange spots on Thursday, and by Saturday, they were looking very similar to the pictures of chicken pox on the internet. We kept her home from church Sunday just in case, and the Pediatrician confirmed it this morning. My little princess has chicken pox : ( She had a vaccination at 1 year and then again at 4 years, so it is a very light case. She is a little itchy and has a very low fever but is generally fine. We really hope Jule does not get it since he had his 1-year vaccine. He is just getting over hand, foot and mouth and doesn't need anything else!

Since Jule was born, we just can't seem to catch a break from sickness/migraines/Jule's reflux. I looked at Kevin last weekend and said, "Do you feel like it never stops or is it just me?" He agreed he felt like there's never a break. It can feel so overwhelming because you just want your babies to feel good and you want to feel good.

I was reading in Psalm 91 today. Verse 4 stuck out at me. "...his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." My mind immediately went back to December 15, 2008. My 5-month-old Jule was rushed to the ER by ambulance with complicated croup. He was struggling to breathe even after two breathing treatments in the ambulance. Once they determined that his breathing was not good enough to go home, they admitted him. He fell sound asleep in the little hospital crib, and as I sat beside him, I spoke Psalm 91 over him.

It made me think about how God is no different today than at that very moment. His faithfulness has kept me through some very scary, very difficult situations. I am having to learn to rely on His faithfulness as my defense, as my place of safety...to shield me from this life's harshness. He was so faithful to bring me these two gifts, and He will be faithful to guard and keep them. I still pray that health comes our way, but I am so thankful that He is a Faithful God!

Updates

I know...I have become a horrible blogger! I just don't have time for updates as often as I'd like. Jule is doing very well at the Church Daycare! He loves one teacher in particular and doesn't even cry when I drop him off anymore! Yay Jule!

Noly developed an odd rash last week, and when I took her in, I found out it was the result of strep. So, she started antibiotics Thursday night. Jule spent the weekend screaming and not eating much except for popsicles, so I took him in early Monday morning, and he is now being treated for strep. Neither had fevers, thankfully!

I'm on 2 Neurontin a day and have gone from apx. 20 migraines a month to 14. That's still not good, but it's a little better. I tried to go up to 3 a day and got really sick again, so I dropped back to 2. I think I may try to go up to 3 pills again this weekend to see what happens. If I just can't tolerate 3, I'll call the Neurologist...again.

Jule is FINALLY starting to talk more. He is trying to repeat a lot of words, which he was not doing at all before. Noly is learning new songs weekly at school and is anxious to come home and sing them to us! She is so social and cries most of the time when we pick her up from school. She just loves to be with the other kids! I'm so thankful that she is happy where she is at and that Jule is now adjusting to his new classroom. It is SO nice to have a 30 minute drive to work instead of an hour!

We are hoping to visit my parents in August and leave Noly there for a week or two to visit when we drive back. Then, my mom or dad can fly her back home after she spends some time with them. She also gets to see my grandparents when she is there, which they LOVE!

Jule

Today, Jule started daycare at the church where Noly goes to preschool. He had a very hard time when I left, and when I called to check on him, they said he had several meltdowns. I know he must miss our sitter since she had him from the time he was 3 months old. I also know that he will adjust, in time. I believe he will grow to love it there like Noly has. I just hope he doesn't drive those poor ladies crazy while he adjusts! Hang in there, Jule, Mommy's coming!

Child of the King

We went to Disney World over Mother's Day weekend. We left after work on Friday and arrived late Friday night. Saturday morning, we headed straight for the Magic Kingdom! I don't know if you can tell or not, but Noly is leaning towards Minnie. She has this new thing against boys, and Mickey is, in fact, a boy (and thus not as desirable)! She is so hilarious!

We knew that we had to go to the Boutique to find a dress for Noly. That was the highlight of last year's Disney trip for her, and she picked out a beautiful pink nightgown and wore it for days! This time, we found an actual dress. We went into the special Princess dressing room, and Noly walked out a Princess. Noly walked out of the Boutique and showed her Daddy how beautiful she looked! Unlike Noly, Jule hated Disney, so we quickly headed back to the hotel room for some food and naps.

After some naps and some wonderful Cracker Barrel meals, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. This time, I was able to put Noly's hair up so she looked as much like Belle as possible. Her little face glowed, and she said that she couldn't wait to meet Belle to tell her that there were two Belles now! Noly and Kevin waited for over a half hour, and she finally met Cinderella and Belle. Sleeping Beauty was MIA, so we decided that she must be asleep ; )

Watching Noly made me think about who we are. She had such confidence in herself and such joy in who she was. The thought never crossed her mind that she wasn't beautiful enough or good enough or talented enough. She was a Princess. And truly, that is how we should think of ourselves. We belong to THE King! Unfortunately, life has a way of beating us down and affecting our child-like view of ourselves. If we could have the inner confidence and joy that comes from knowing who we are IN CHRIST, nothing could stop us from becoming who we are meant to be and doing what we are meant to do. How I love the picture that Noly has permanently etched in my mind...that of a Princess with immeasurable value and flawless beauty in the eyes of her Father!

Joyful and Thankful

I went to Biblegateway today, and this was their verse:

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Noly had her Family Fun Day at preschool today. They had ponies, jump castles, a merry-go-round, a train, snow cones, tattoos, sidewalk chalk, tricycles...you name it! She had so much fun and was really brave! Kevin and I were both able to be there, and it was wonderful to watch her face light up. I discovered that one of the little boys in her class has a crush on her. It was hilarious, and I think she is oblivious...who wouldn't be at 4 1/2? He kept running up to her and hugging her, then he would look at her and smile and say, "Hi, Noly." It was adorable, and I am so glad that it will be MANY years before she starts dating. I'm so not ready for that!