"I hate needles"

We took Elliott to the doctor today. And anytime you mention a doctor,he's less than thrilled. I can't blame him. I used to literally get sick to my stomach when I was a child from the anxiety of "going to the doctor". And as his Momma,I hate that he's had to be to so many doctors in the last month. His recovery is going well from his mouth surgery.The doctor suggested we have his eyes checked,so we are going to see a specialist for that. And,now we just wait to make sure the blood test comes back good and clear.As we were leaving the doctors office Elliott announced (quite loudly,as he can't whisper) "I HATE NEEDLES!!!". The nurses got a kick out of his statement,he was so adamant,and serious. And,I gotta say,I agree with him 100%..."I HATE NEEDLES TOO!"...especially when they poke my babies!

Another Elliott funny,while hanging out at my parents house on Sunday.The little boys wanted to play a game,so my mom got out a few games,and Elliott said:
"Grammy,I don't know how to play this game,can you read the vacations?".

Ah,I love him so much.SO.VERY.MUCH!

Happy New Year...A little late...

Happy New Year!

Okay,so I realize it's a little past new years. But,in my defense my birthday is new years eve,and I was far too busy livin' it up and partay-ing.

Okay,so that's NOT true.

I did have a lovely birthday.

My parents were out of town,at a wedding,in Kansas.That we were supposed to go to as well.But,couldn't. And That was just fine.

Okay,so that's not true either.

I REALLY wanted to be in Kansas,but God had other plans,and Elliott was scheduled to have his stitches removed from his mouth three days after we were planning to leave.So,my parents went to the wedding,and sent me pictures via text message through my mom's cell phone they left with me.

Elliott recovered well from his surgery,I celebrated my Birthday. Life with schedules attempted to start back again...and then the snow came.But enough about the pretty white fluffy stuff that continues to fall at record breaking speed. I wanna talk about my birthday.

I spent the day before my birthday attempting to get caught up on laundry that had accumulated over the Holidays. Amazingly enough,I got caught up,folding the rest of the laundry piled on our love seat the morning of my birthday.

Happy Birthday To ME!

Then (while folding) my husband informed me that the children were going to spend the evening away,and he proceeded to encourage them to pack clothes to stay over night at their grandparents house (my husbands parents).They were thrilled (understatement of the year!),and I was super excited to have a night with no one waking up crying for mommy,or snuggled up in our bed.Though really,I don't mind either. And really that, is the truth.

I also knew I was desperately needing a solid nine hours of sleep.Something I RARELY if EVER get. So my hubby packed up the kids,took them to his parents,and I took a loooongggg hot shower,with no little people sitting in the bathroom asking me a million questions! Then I actually painted my nails (it's been at least six months since I did that!)Then my wonderful husband made a yummy meal for me,complete with candles and warm brownies for dessert! Then we watched a chick flick! Then we attempted to watch the ball drop...and that was magical!

THAT IS A LIE.

Talk about horrible "music" talent.So,we turned that off,and went to bed.Early.
And Slept LATE,really late! I had a GREAT birthday.

Completed with a precious gift from my husband,27 love notes...with 27 different "coupons"....like "One Day of Laundry"...or "Daddy does bedtime and bathtime,while mommy does nothing!" or "Complete house cleaning,you make the list,I do the work".And on,and on it went!

And NO I am NOT lying!

Seriously?!?! THAT is the BEST gift HE could EVER give ME! HIS TIME! I've already redeemed two...;) "midnight run to the store"(I NEEDED chocolate)...and "Clean the bathroom"(when you have one bathroom,it gets gross,fast!). I've got twenty five more to go! And I thought turning 27 would be not so great...one more year closer to the big 3-0.

BUT if I was younger I would not have gotten so many "coupons"! :)

Hope you all had a very blessed and Happy New Year! I sure did!

It's nearly 2am...

“Time is a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again .”

one of my favorite pictures taken of a precious mom and daughter laughing together...enjoying each others company.

And I can't sleep.

Well I probably could IF I went to bed,and tried to sleep.

But,instead I decided to enjoy some cuddles with our Elliott,

on the couch next to the glow of the Christmas Tree.

The Christmas tree that I probably should put away tomorrow...

but don't really want to.

I can't help but be reflective of the year we have lived through...

while I see the lights on the tree reflect in the window of our livingroom.

I wonder what I would have thought,if this time last year,I had looked through the window of our lives,and seen what God would bring us through.

Would I have pulled the curtain..to block everything out?

or would I have basked in the Sunshine,watch the rain drops,and take cover when the winds came through knocking so many hopes and dreams to the ground.

It's been a whirlwind year. In every sense of the word.

But,God brings the storms.

They wash away the old,bring new life,and renew the spirit.

I want to really cherish the moments in the coming year.

Every Moment.

I can hardly believe I have a seven year old, six year old,four year old,and almost three year old.

They have all grown so much. And I don't want to miss out on our moments together.

I would hope that this time last year,if I had seen what was to come in the next year...

I would embrace it.

Praise God for it.

Worship Him through it.

Pray His Grace and Mercy upon it.

Rejoice in it.

Those are my goals for this coming year,because I know this year taught me,through so many hurts,struggles, disappointments, and tears.

It's ALL worth it.

Because to know suffering and heartache...

Is to know just a little of what Jesus went through for me.

I'm claiming these verse's for this year...

Philippians 3:7-14

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

To Cherish and Press On.

That is what I'm claiming this year. Cherish the time with my children and family,and press on through the storms that are part of being made more into the likeness of Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas! This is our Christmas Card...that I have yet to get mailed to everyone. I've been a little pre-occupied with taking care of Elliott. So,this maybe as good as it gets this year! Though,I REALLY will try to get them mailed this week! Better late than never!

Thank you for your prayers for Elliott!!! It's not been easy for him. We are praying no infection sets in,and the stitches stay in place until wends when he is supposed to have them removed. I am continually reminded of the verse ,"Cast All Your Cares upon Him,for He cares for You". We know Elliott is in God's hands. There is no better place for Him to be!

Merry Christmas dear Friends and Family,and Happy New Year!!!!

Exhausted.Elliott's Surgery.More Exhaustion.

One of my all time favorite pictures of Elliott taken at Halloween...he was Jon from Peter-pan!

Yesterday at 11:40,our third born Elliott had surgery in his mouth to remove a mass,that had grown to almost the size of a penny.

He walked himself back to the room,climbed up onto the chair/table like thing. And let the doctor go to work. They did not have to put him under,and that actually worked in everyones favor!

Elliott could tell him if something hurt/didn't,and he could hold his mouth open on his own,and Elliott was able to leave right away,instead of staying until everything wore off before being able to go home.

I WAS AMAZED! He was SOOOO brave!!!! WAY more brave than I EVER would have been!!!

The surgery was fast,about fifteen to twenty minutes. I went back with him,to hold his hand. The doctor kept saying over and over what a good patient Elliott was. Seriously,the kid never whimpered,cried,nothing. He just laid there and let everyone go to work!

Me on the other hand. I began to feel queezy. Like the I could pass out any minute queezy. And I HATE that! Here my son is being SO brave,and I was having a hard time?!? So,I just tried to keep my composer and not look at everything they were doing to his mouth. I did well through the whole surgery...until the doctor looked at me and began to tell me details of what he just did. The room began to get brighter.My hearing became strained. I knew I was about to pass out,so I reached for something in my purse,on the floor. Hoping that would make my blood rush to my head,it worked but not for very long.Needless to say they sewed Elliott up,I made it to the bathroom.Then we sat in the waiting room for a while because curious George was on and he wanted to watch it....well thats what I told the lady at the desk. And that was true,but I also was not totally myself yet,and knew I should not drive in an -about to pass out- state!!!

What I do know and remember from what the doctor told me. Is this.

The mass shredded as they began to take it out,it was not a hard solid mass. Typically,if it's a tumor or cancerous,it does not shred.He really believes this was scar tissue.Perhaps something he was even born with,a large mass of tissue is what we had been praying for. Of course,he cautioned that it still has to be biopsied. And he could be totally wrong,and by the way it heals, will also tell us if it was scar tissue or something much more serious. IE:if it grows back,it was most likely not scar tissue.

We are believing God's hands are all over this,and that Elliott will heal just great.

Though yesterday and last night were rather long.He won't stop biting his cheek/lip.Or sucking his thumb. I have to constantly tell him not too do either. So pray with me that this heals up,cause so far,its been a long road. His lip is swollen pretty bad. so bad I can hardly see the stitches. Thats another thing I'm concerned about. So,pray with me that the swelling goes down. That the stitches stay in place for a week until they need to be removed. That NO infection sets in! And that we can figure out something for the pain,as the Tylenol with codeine did NOT calm him down,but in fact made him anxious and jittery. I've got him on motrin but he's more irritable,and that tells me he's in pain.

Last night he slept in our bed. Well,he fell asleep at one am.Once the Tylenol was out of his system. But at 4:30 am he woke up screaming. I've never in my life seen him cry,scream,and throw a fit like last night. I thought I was having a bad nightmare.After almost an hour we got him to settle down to take some motrin. By six he was back to sleep again. Needless to say.We are exhausted. And as his Mommy,I feel terrible he's had to go through this. And that makes me emotional, and in turn makes me more exhausted.

Your prayers mean so much to us.More than I can say! We covet them! Elliott is sitting on my lap right now,asking to go shopping. I think laying down and watching a movie is what we will be doing! :)

Will keep you all posted! Love and Blessings!~Bethany

Christmas Gatherings...

It's that time of year! Family Christmas Gatherings are upon us,and our first one was the Hartman Family Christmas. This year my inlaws found a missionary family who's had to come back to the states,and we bought Christmas gifts for their family.

We first went to the mall to pick out the gifts. I did not know how that would go down,as I've only braved the mall a handful of times with all four of our children during the holiday season. I imagined melt downs,lots of people,children needing to use the potty,crying because they saw something they wanted....in other words....a nightmare before Christmas experience.

But,I'm always willing to try something,once. So,off we went,with goldfish snacks,strollers,sippy cups,and an all else fails plan of DVD's in the van... in case Daddy and children would need to retreat from the shopping.

Sure,there was a little of all mentioned above,but really overall I think the kids did really great. And,thankfully there was not a TON of people as I had anticipated. We purchased the gifts for the family,and headed back to my in laws house to wrap them,eat dinner,play games and watch a movie. Oh,and I can't forget,opening stockings!

My hubby with his new drill bits!

This picture came out blurry because we were walking through the mall. But,I still love it! Ry on my father in laws shoulders!

Our sweet Clara girl!

Mom opening her stocking gifts from Dad.

Jackson helping Elliott...

Clara with her stocking...

Ry looking through his slinky

Daddy and Clara working on a puzzle...

The amazing peppermint mocha white chocolate cake my sister in law made!

(If mom is reading this,thank you for the slinky's I've only spent about two hours of my day today attempting to untangle them...HAHA!)

We had a great time together. We played phase ten,a family favorite while the "kids" (Grandpa,Uncle Adam,Uncle Jake and my children) watched despicable me. My sister in law Drea is a phase ten champion,and was beating all of us. We gave up and decided not to attempt to finish the game.lol!

We have three more Christmas Gatherings to go this week. I'm really looking forward to watching the kids open their gifts this year! I think it's the first year they all totally understand what Christmas is about. That's so exciting!

God Provides...

"Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Don't be Afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows" Luke 12:7

We are walking through a season of major faith challenges.

Then again,when are we not?!

Or at least that's how our lives have "rolled" for a long while now.

Though it's not easy,God sure has stretched me and molded me when our finances have been the thinnest.

Tonight,was one of those moments that I want to record. Quickly jot down the events to remind myself on days when I'm struggling to trust God will provide.

It's been tight,but then again,it's been tight for everyone this year. I was reminded of how unsure our lives are,when a friend told me her husband was informed he would no longer have a job,yesterday. I know all too well how she feels.But,my heart aches for her,at Christmas time,talk about poor timing. But,then again,God's timing is perfect. And He reminded me of that today in a big way!

Don't mis understand me,my husband is one of the hardest working men I know. And, he's innovative,and try's to supplement our income in various ways. And we have all we need,and have never gone without what we need,food and shelter.

So,back to God showing me how pathetic my self centered thinking really was.

It's Christmas,no news flash there. And I was really wanting to get into the Christmas spirit. But,it's been hard for me this year. With everything that is going on with Elliott,and simply just feeling drained. People asking "are you finished with your Christmas Shopping". And me thinking to myself..."Shop with what?"....

Again.Pathetic.I know.

Side note: Our kids have a.lot. They really do not need anything. But,like any mom,I really wanted to be able to get each of them something. I'm not writing this to get your sympathy,or get my kids more stuff. Please,do not feel the need to do that. Like I said,they have plenty!

I've not had a spare dime to shop for anything,or anyone. Our van needs breaks,like,really bad. And I could not justify buying the kids a bunch of presents,and then risk their safety driving around in a van that screeches to a halt. My plan,was to keep it simple. Buy candy for their stockings, a few trinkets from the dollar store, and make them each some pj's from some extra material I have laying around. But,I was feeling bummed. Mostly for them.

Truly,I realize now how dumb that is. How self centered,and pathetic.

But,I'm being honest. That is how I felt.

Don't think my kids would not be getting anything this Christmas, my parents have been stock piling for months now. My mom has to hide the gifts from my Dad,cause he would have already given them everything! :) Their motto as Grandparents "we like to put the GRAND in Grandparents".

So,it's not that. I just wanted to give them each a little something special. From mommy and daddy. And I did not have a clue as to how we were going to make it possible,but I DID keep on praying (and then I'd fret a little,and begin to panic that we would be scaring them for life,then pray some more).

Then,I went by the gym tonight to pick up a few things. When,to my surprise was a gift from the boosters,aka:the awesome parents of the girls I coached.

A gift card to target.

With enough money on it,to get each of the kids a special present for Christmas. What a humbling moment.

God knows our heart desires. Here I was worrying,and disappointed, and He already had provided. The gift card had been sitting in my box for days,and I did not realize it!

I had so much fun walking the isles of target deciding what to get each of them. Have no fear,they each are getting a very special present. Something I know each of them will love. And I will love seeing the joy and excitement on their faces!

And,I'll frame those pictures,and write a note at the bottom to myself...

that simply states "God Provides".