Changes Bring Dependence

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:4

It has been a season of change for me. Its been a whole year of change in all reality. This past year has brought broken bones, the birth of our daughter, a new home, saying goodbye to our first home, lots of illness and health challenges, adjusting to a new diet out of necessity, changing home churches,and saying goodbye to some good friends. A year ago life looked completely different than it does today.

At times these changes were a joyful journey. I anticipated the birth of a daughter and got to experience feeling her move inside me. It also brought a bit of sadness knowing she would be the last kick I felt inside my womb; the bookend to my sweet family. We knew when we found out we were expecting that a bigger home was in our near future. It was both exciting and stressful to purchase a place our children would grow up in with a yard and space for the kids to run. It brought sadness saying goodbye to neighbors we loved and leaving the the little home that always had us close making memories. Last April I broke my foot. It was painful and debilitating to be on crutches for six weeks but I learned humility and great closer to family and friends who loved on me and helped me care for my kids during that season. Change can bring both the good and the bad.

However, the greatest lesson I learned over the past year was to seek God. I found that my organized, structured, and methodical personality had the rug pulled out from under my feet. I did not plan on breaking my foot, on getting pregnant so quickly with my daughter, on moving.

Sometimes when life does not quite go as we planned it's a season of intense spiritual growth.

Over the past year I was on my knees in prayer a lot and had my Bible in hand. Where did he want us to live? How were we supposed to be raising our children? What community would become our new church family? This season was a time of intense spiritual growth because the answers were not always clear and they were not always what I wanted. God and I had a lot of conversations about trust, seeking His will, and after a year long journey I have learned a new dependency on Christ. I cling to His promises, His word, His way because I trust it is best.

When we don't understand why life is heading in the direction it is we can always trust that God knows best.

Lord, give me a heart that seeks your will for my life. When I don't understand why change is happeneing, help me to come to you in prayer and study your word. Your promises are always faithful and your love will never fail. When life brings changes, good or bad, please remind me to seek refuge in you for it is there I will find shelter.

Amen

Paper Necklaces

I am always looking for ways to craft with a one and three year old. Bless them, their little skills and  developmental abilities are so different at this age its rare to find an activity that stimulates Shane (3) and does not frustrate Keith (1). This last week I was looking at all the toilet paper rolls I had been saving and found this fun little necklace idea to make with The Brothers. We had a lot of fun and both of them enjoyed our craft.

Supplies

toilet paper or paper towel rolls

scissors

markers or highlighters

string, ribbon, or twine

Directions

1. Cur the paper rolls length wise to make rings. I made them about 1 inch wide so they were sturdy enough to string. 

2. Using the markers, color the rings.

3. Tie a marker to the end of a piece of twine that is cut about 2 feet long. 

3. String the rings onto the twine. 

4. Tie the string together and your necklace is done! 

Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

Brian LOVES cream cycle ice cream but when I read about what is in it I just can't bring myself to purchase it for our home and feed my kids. I was hunting for a recipe and came across one which we morphed and adapted into a better fit for our family. This has four ingredients, is dairy free, and you don't need an ice cream maker for it! I hope it makes your spring a little sweeter as you anticipate summer! Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 oranges, peeled then separated into wedges.

1 15 oz can of whole fat coconut milk

2 tsps of vanilla

2 T pure maple syrup or honey

Directions

1. Lay oranges onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone pad or parchment paper. Place into the freezer until frozen solid, about 1 hour.

2. Pour the coconut milk into a high powered blender and add half the frozen oranges. I have a handy button on my blender that says ice cream which I use or you can blend until smooth. Add remaining oranges, vanilla, and sweetener then blend until smooth.

3. At this point, if you have an ice cream maker you can add the mixture and follow the machine directions. If you don't have a mixer or just want to go a little more simple then pour the mixture into a glass pan (I used a glass bread pan but an 8x8 would work well too) and place into the freezer for 2-4 hours depending on the dish thickness. Once the mixture is frozen you can serve! Store in an airtight container for up to one month but in my home this lasted about 2 days. Enjoy!

Thank You

Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

My family has been going through one of the more challenging seasons of our lives. You care read about Life Lately and how the past two weeks have been a time for rest and healing while we were all sick and while I am injured. Now that we are all healthy and just having to adjust to me having a broken foot life has smoothed out a bit. There is no way we could have done the past two weeks without the love, help, and mercy of others. Friends and family have reached out to us in so many ways, both in meeting our needs and exceeding them. 

One way that we were blessed was by meals. One afternoon I received a text message from a family member who had driven a half hour to drop off homemade chicken noodle soup, bread, and some fragrant lilac flowers. A homemade meal was so helpful because I can't drive, I can't stand to cook easily, and we all were sick. I was so touched with the kind surprise. Another dear friend whom we were supposed to have a play date with which we had to cancel drove 20 minutes down and dropped off homemade macaroni and cheese with broccoli, a half dozen of yummy muffins, and a new toy for Shane. We enjoyed a short visit and were able to enjoy dinner that night with no effort. I was so blessed to have meals provided by friends.

I have recently started a little project which involves wood cutting. I am hoping to start a small side business for fun and extra income. Friends from church who have a wood shop took time out of their day (let me point out this sweet couple has three year old twins and a one year old so the family is hustling!) to go to Lowes and pick up wood, cut it, and drop it off the next. I have been able to have projects to keep my hands busy so I don't run mad from being so idle. I was touched that in middle of their busy life they were able to help me out.

We have had lots of extra care for The Brothers. My sister has come over several times to take the boys on a walk or outing. My mother comes several times a week so Brian can work part time. My brother came and helped Brian move a freezer and even got my kids dressed that morning. Our babysitter has been working with us to come and help out even with her busy schedule. Friends from church have come and take The Brothers on walks or visited with us. I have never wanted for company or support with my children.

The very day I found out I had a broken foot, cheery, sunny, yellow daises and a card ended up on my front steps. My friend wanted to brighten my day during a hard time. I can't pick my babies up, I can't lift them in and out of a crib easily, getting up and down the stairs is hard, taking a shower has been a HUGE challenge but a needed task. A friend looking to cheer me up was so sweet because I have cried about missing out on parts of this season with my babies.

The other sweet blessing was a big box surprise. Friends from Brian's hometown mailed us a box filled with goodies. We had bubbles, chap stick, cookies, crackers, fruit pounces, tea, chocolate, stickers, tissues, hand wipes, and more to get us feeling better and brighten our day. The box alone was amazing but the surprise was so fun! My sister's boyfriend stopped by and dropped off coffee and cookies one day. I was so delighted! We felt spoiled with these little goodies and very loved. 

I write all this down to say thank you to our friends and family. I also wanted to point out that sometimes caring for the sick and needy is so simply but makes a HUGE impact. A simple meal, a card, flowers, or other little gestures of caring have made a difference for me. It helped cheer me up and lighten my load as I try and care for my family while injured.  There are so many ways to show mercy and compassion to others and I know God smiles with joy at those that exercise these traits. So thank you Chris, Nicole, Charlie, Theodore, Jer, Mags, Max, Gus, Buffy, Randy, Rachel, Greg, Nate, Syrian, Kristi, Rick, Maure, Clayton, Melina, Tobin, and Sabrina. You all are so appreciated. 

Life Lately

I have only been blogging a short time but this was the longest break I have taken. Life lately has been a little bit challenging and I am just getting back on my feet...sort of!  Let me share a bit about what has been going on and how we have seen God at work in our lives.

Two weeks ago, on Monday night, I put the Brothers to bed and I walked down to get the mail while Brian kept an eye on things at home. I grabbed my key and looked for my shoes but could only find one. The Brothers often run off with my things. I decided to walk barefoot down to the mailbox which is just three houses down on a sidewalk. On my way back I was reading the mail and walked up the front steps to my door. I felt my foot slip and stumbled in an odd way then saw some spots, felt my ears ring, and blacked out for a moment. When I gathered myself I looked at my foot and saw my second toe was starting to swell and it HURT! I went inside and Brian came down to check on my because and was making some painful sounds and rubbing my foot.

An hour later I was convinced I had broken my toe. I took my nail polish off and I saw that the toenail was bruised and decided to take an easy that night. The next day I called my doctor who told me to come in and like a good patient I buddy taped my toe, wore a good running shoe, and tried to care for it on my own because I did not have time to go to the doctor. 

Keith came down with a cold on Wednesday and spiked a fever on Thursday night.

On Friday I decided it was time to go in because the swelling had increased a LOT. I had x rays taken and was told I had no broken bones but no one could figure out why I was swelling, bruised, and having trouble moving my foot. I was told I may have drop foot due to a stroke, a torn tendon, or possibly just stubbed my toe badly and was given a walking boot and sent to a podiatrist. On my way out, after three doctor consults in urgent care, the nurse told me I probably broke my foot so keep that appointment. 

Keith spiked a second fever on Sunday night and Brian and I were worried about him so decided to take him into the doctor the next day. Brian drove him in the next day and Keith had a 102 fever, acute double ear infection, and was still struggling with his cold. That morning my washing machine broke as it was full of water and dirty laundry. 

Monday afternoon my sister came to watch the boys. Brian drove me to the podiatrist and without even an exam the doctor walked in and asked me how I broke my foot. I had fractured my third and possibly fourth metatarsal at the joint on the underside of the bone. After a quick exam I was sent home with my walking boot, told to keep it up, iced, given pain killers, told not to hold my kids, and to come back in 5 weeks.  Brian drive Keith to the Chiropractor for a quick adjustment to help his ear infection. You can read all about why we take our kids to the Chiropractor here.That night I was in PAIN. The exam made my foot swell and bruise more than ever so I was up most of the night which worked out well because Keith hardly slept. 

In addition to sweet Keith being up, Shane startled us with a case of croup that night. We called the on call doctor at midnight to see if we should take him in because our boy was not breathing well. Brian got Shane outside and the cool air helped him breath. Shane ended up in bed with Brian monitoring his breathing and temperature which was 102.5. I was downstairs with Keith in a chair because he would not sleep and I could not lift him back in his crib. Needless to say no adult slept that night.

Tuesday morning Brian was back at the doctor with Shane for croup and Keith for his 15 month checkup. Shane was given an oral steroid and had an ear infection. That made for 5 appointments for Brian in the last 4 days. Bless my husband he was a trooper. He also fixed our washing machine somehow. I LOVE my husband!

On Wednesday my foot was swollen still so I called my doctor who told me to not put any weight on my foot for five weeks because it needed rest. At that moment all I could think about was how to care for my one and three year old on crutches while my husband worked a double shift that day due to some riots. 

My mom was able to take the week off of work and help out. It was a HUGE help to have her spend the night on Wednesday because if Keith was up, which he was for 30 min, I could not get up to help get medicine or comfort him.

Later that week, to top it all off, we had an accident with my car getting backed over a can of wood stain and exploding on my car, Brian's new truck, and my sister's car.

This last week was a crazy week but let me share that God had me in His hand. When I was in urgent care, my sister called and had the day off of work to come and watch the boys. She happen to have Monday afternoon off which was the same time as the only Podiatry appointment that week. Additionally, my sweet mother was given the week off of work to help which was a huge help because Brian and I both got the same plague of a cold that our kids had and we were wiped.Perhaps the biggest blessing of all was that my bone stayed in place. I walked on a fractured foot for three days and with the location of my fracture I should have snapped through the bone which would have required surgery and an even longer recovery. I was so lucky my doctor said but I know that was a blessing from God!

That is life lately!

Chiropractic Work and Kids

I am starting a new series focusing on health for the family and am so excited about today's post.  I work on keeping my whole family healthy and use a lot of various method which I will be sharing about from time to time.  Today I am sharing out our AMAZING chiropractor, Dr. Tucci, and why we take The Brothers to a chiropractor. 

We started taking Shane to see Dr. Tucci around the time Shane was 14 months old. I had never considered taking my baby boy to see a chiropractor but I was referred by my pediatrician because of Shane's chronic ear infections. Shane had 7 ear infections back to back from October to March and it seemed we were constantly at the doctors getting antibiotics. By the 7th infection we were given the option of seeing an ENT or trying some alternative medicine. Brian, my husband, suffered from chronic ear infections as a child and had several sets of ear tubes so we were prepared for the same with Shane because he was following the same pattern. However, cold and flu season was ending and I was told that an ENT would not quickly give Shane ear tubes because of the time of year, his age, and the number of infections he had. Additionally, I was not as comfortable with surgery for my baby if there was another way to help him. Thus, we started to explore the idea of alternative medicine and one choice was seeing a chiropractor. 

Brian and I were already established patients with a practice that we liked so we were comfortably taking Shane there. A husband and wife team run the practice and offer massage therapy and physical therapy services along with chiropractic work. I instantly connected with Dr. Tucci and had also seen her husband Dr. Holt whom I highly recommend. We talked with Dr. Tucci ahead of Shane's appointment and learned about how adjusting a child differs from an adult appointment and what the benefits were in terms of preventing and treating ear infections.  

As a mom, I was not prepared to have Shane lay on a table and get his neck adjusted with a quick movement because I was worried it would scare him. That is the image I had in my head but I was so wrong. An adjustment on a child is drastically different. Keith had an appointment as a newborn and only slight pressure with fingers was used. As a toddler, Shane had a tool used (seen in the picture above) but it was set to a very low pressure along with slight pressure with fingers and Dr. Tucci explained EVERYTHING to Shane. She took the time to get to know him, talk to him, and let him practice using the tool on her so he was comfortable with what was going on. The adjustment for my boys was stress free, pain free, educational, and beneficial.

The game plan with Shane was to get adjustments several times a year, specifically every time he got sick because he always got an ear infection after. Adjusting his neck allowed Shane's narrow eustachian tubes to properly drain and not make a wet and warm breeding ground for bacteria to grow. We followed the plan and the next time Shane had a cold he went in for an adjustment and he had no ear infection. Over the next year Shane had only two ear infections which we treated with antibiotics and adjustments that allowed his body to work like it should and gave him an immunity boost which is a great benefit. Past ear infections for Shane often took more than one round of antibiotics or came back but when coupled with adjustments I saw his infections were less severe or avoided all together! As a mom who had spent months rocking her baby at night, taking his temperature, going through rounds of antibiotics, and taking him to the doctor time after time I was so happy find a new plan that allowed my son to be healthier!

    In short, I don't think chiropractic work is a replacement for medicine but I do believe in the health benefits of it both for preventative care and treatment for the whole family. Brian and I have physically benefited from chiropractic work. I utilized treatment during my pregnancy for sciatic pain and had immediate results allowing me to comfortably walk and go about my daily activities again. Brian has seen improvement with his lower back pain that comes and goes from his job. My entire family stays healthier by making chiropractic adjustments part of our health care and I am blessed to have such a wonderful doctor!

Thankful Thursday: Walking

My little love is officially walking! With Shane I was feeling like it happened a little soon around 12 months but at the same time I was excited for him to make that leap. Keith did not start walking until about 15 months and at 26 lbs I was over the moon he started to walk because I admit my back was hurting. I am so thankful that Keith has reached this milestone!