Health Issues

Hope everybody had a wonderful Chridtmas/holiday season!!

I've never, ever felt "great" for as long as I can remember.

In the last decade, I've really hit some major roadblocks that ended up leading to amisdiagnosis and medication I literally dreamt, more times than one, would end up killing me.

After Tru, I had a seriousll bout of postpartum depression and anxiety that ended with a significant diet change and a antidepressant that was nursing compatable.

It's never easy to admit that you have to go on an antidepressant, but sometime it's good to stand up to the taboo and admit that making a baby is hard, hard, hard on your body!

Any how, things haven't gotten better. As a matter of fact, they seem to be getting worse. One thing being that I have extreme muscle tenderness and I haven't at all worked out and my children are still so little, there's no way they caused it.

Essentially, if you were to even poke me in the arm, the pain level is about a 4 or 5 off the bat.  Like jump and almost feel like it was an attack.

It's like that all throughout my shoulders, back, and upper thighs; my hair is super tender and hurts when I brush... Like it's being pulled.

Any how, we've decided to see a chiropractor and if they can't resolve this pain, I'll start seeing specialists in an effort to test for issues.

Say a prayer.

Swimming Lessons

Zack's brother bought his family's dream home a year and a half or so ago.  It's honestly the most stunningly beautiful house.  It defines modern in looks, appliances, flooring, and all complete with a personal pool.  It's to die for.  And when we go for a visit, I usually take pictures if certain decor for ideas and leave with a million or so goals to improve our home.

The only problem is that, since their kids all know how to swim, they opted against putting up a fence around their pool.  Which is fine.  Except, Janni doesn't know how to swim.  Needless to say, you can imagine my stress when we're there.  I need to know where Janni is at all times or I can't even think.  I'm okay with being called paranoid, uptight, etc.

We were going to give Janni swim lessons two summers ago, but I wasn't feeling so well in June and missed the deadline to get her into lessons and the waiting list was a mile long.  Then, when July lessons opened, I had almost died and so lessons that summer weren't realistically going to happen.

I figured we would get her into lessons the following summer, but Tru was such a hard baby, that the thought of taking him and the risk of him screaming bloody murder made me want to cry, so for a second year, we put off swim lessons.

Recently, I was thinking about how much Janni really needs to learn how to swim, I went ahead and just signed her up.

Today, she had her first lesson and she did fantastic.  The teacher told me that she had strong arms and legs and that she would likely pick up swimming really quickly.  My momma's heart was just so at peace as I watched her swim.  Like, she will, God willing, be safe around water and living in a state where pools are almost more common than kids, that just gives me such a peace of mind.

Oh, Janni!  I am so proud of you!

Big Orange Kitten

We adopted a kitten in September. He was a complete surprise to my cat-loving husband.

He ended up being a bit of a terror and often climbed legs and hung there or ambushed your ankles from behind or bit or scratch and sometimes all within a 10 second period... He'd basically terrorize the household... Just typical kitten behaviors but more like he was on steroids. It. Never. Stopped. Even Janni, who just loved him, clearly got fed-up and started being proactive at fending him off!!,

He actually came from a litter of 7 kittens, so I'm sure they just played non-stop until his siblings were adopted out (when I adopted him, he was they last of two orange males). Let's just say I was a bit shocked and. Unprepared at his behavior.

It took two weeks, but he eventually warmed up to our dog, Frodo, and the dog actually assisted us in training him not to play too roughly!

Anyhow, he's really calmed down and is becoming more and more into his own spunky self.

Baby's First Lemon

Yes, yes, I know... Some people think it's mean to give a baby a taste of lemon... I am not one of those people.

Last week, we'd gone out for pizza and Tru was just bring ridiculous, grabbing any and everything on the table that could possibly be grabbed. He reached for Zack's water, that just so happened to have a lemon on the rim, and well... Just watch and see what it turned into.

I can't handle the cuteness!!

Changing Routine

Our church has 3 weekend services. The first one is on Saturday evening and catered to the doctors and other professions where having Sundays off consistently just isn't feasible.

The other two services are Sunday mornings. There's the early bird service where usually you see families with young children and senior saints. Then there is the late morning service where people who need to practice the day of rest by sleeping in and then having slow, restful, noon-rushed Sabboth mornings. This is, by far, the most popular service.

We are the family that attends the later... Except for the non-rushed mornings because we typically make it to church by the skin of our teeth.

Many of my friends with young children, however, attend first service and love it. They find that they're able to get fed spiritually and then be able to make it home for naps and then spend the rest of the Sabboth at home as they feel led. and we typically are able to say hi and visit in passing as they're leaving and we're arriving. And it's worked out fine for our family for several years now until now.

Janni has basically never needed naps. She does all get sleeping at night and if by chance she falls sleep during the day, she makes you pay for it by staying up past 10 that night. It actually had made me cry literal tears many a night. It's been one of the few incredibly difficult parts of parenting her.

But Tru oh, this boy knows how to nap. Two, three, sometimes even four hour naps and it's incredible! But if he doesn't get his nap on time, he falls apart and is off the rest of the day. The whole situation is entirely stressful.

The problem with our church service is that it starts right after Tru's first nap of he day and he's so excited to be at church that he won't nap while we're there... And then he falls apart and the rest of the day if so stressful. Many years shed. Ugh.

Last week, Zack was on the worship team and left before we needed to be there. As I waited for our service time to start, it dawned on me that I could start attending the first service

I rushed around like a maniac getting ready, got Janni ready, took Tru in his sleeper pajamas (the nerve!!), and made by the soon of our teeth (go figure)... But we made it. And then we got Tru home for nap and there rest of the day was peaceful.

This week we got up early, got ourselves ready, managed to get to church barely on time, sat through

.... But don't, Tru didn't get to go to church in his pajamas this week.

Killing Me With Cuteness

My husband will probably kill me for posting this, but Tru is killing me with cuteness.

He hasn't started crawling but he wants to stand up and walk!

Thanksgiving

For my husband's family, Thanksgiving has always been the big holiday where people travel and everybody gets together. Christmas is done by individual families.

My mother-in-law, Cheryl, always put it on and made everything and it was a giant feast. I'd seriously need to be rolled home every single year.

Then, just to top off the fun, the following day, everybody returned to her home for homemade Mexican food that was as authentic (and waaaay better) than any real Mexican Food Restaurant.

Cheryl really just loved to cook and have family together and perfected any of her families' favorites recipes. It was unreal. She was an gifted cook and even though relationships weren't always perfect, she really went above and beyond to express her love for her family this time of year. And her talents really shined on Thanksgiving.

Sadly, Cheryl passed away last year shortly, before Thanksgiving.  Her only daughter, Zack's sister, took on the torch and did a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner in honor of Cheryl's memory that year.

This year, Zack's sister is 8 months pregnant and just not feeling so grand and so everybody decided to go ahead and do their own Thanksgiving with their own families.

It's so odd to think that this family holiday is on hiatus while babies are born (one of Zack's brother's wife is due in January) but I'm so grateful for my family. I'm convinced that this tradition will certainly pick-up next year.

It's been so beautiful watching everybody come together and grow in unity since Cheryl's passing; I'm so grateful to be part of this family. Strained relationships are mending, we're making efforts to get together with extended family more often, and our family is growing closer than ever. Cheryl is surely looking down from Heaven beaming with joy that her family is growing so strongly. I married well.

And this year, I won't have to be rolled home... Just rolled to my bed.

Winning At Parenting... Or Not

Janni's first haircut was during a vacation to California when she was 16 months old, Zack's aunt had the pleasure of cutting it. And it was absolutely adorable. We saved the hair in a ziplock baggy. Milestone saved. I'm pretty sure I gave myself a pat on the back for winning at motherhood.

She's currently 3.5 and that's literally the only hair cut she's ever had. Ever. Not even an at-home trim.

That is until this past Saturday. Her hair was getting straggly and stringy and just ridiculous to work with, so I decided we'd both get hair cuts together on a day Zack was home and could stay with Tru.

And the results? Absolutely darling. Sadly, my phone wasn't charged enough to take pictures during the cut, so I had to take back that "winning at parenting" back pat.

This is also the first time she's ever had bangs and my heart my literally explode from all the cuteness!!

Now, if only she'd stand still enough for a perfect picture, I may have to give myself back that winning at parenting back pat.

Sweet and Savory Steak Fajitas: Original Recipe

When Zack and I first started dating, he had me over to his apartment and made me chicken fajitas. He had set the table nicely and tried really hard to impress me.  The mood was sweet and thoughtful.  They were a bit spicy (and by that I mean, I could hardly taste the flavors it was so spicy) for my taste, but they were overall pretty good.  Regardless, he did impress me! 

(Photo courtesy of cheat sheet.com)

We've since tried several different flavors for fajitas that were not so spicy that I spend the rest of the night sipping on milk or yogurt for the evening.  We've tried both steak and chicken.

By far, one of our favorite recipes was created out of a, "I wonder if ... " attitude.  Zack was coming home from work and he typically is the one who likes to cook fajitas (so much so that he kicks me out of the kitchen while he cooks them).  I was desperate to have them cooking by the time he got home so I could say in the most pleasant of tones, "oh look, fajitas for dinner. I've got them covered this time ... back off, Buster."  So I added a little of this, a little of that, hoped for the best, and when Zack walked in, smiled sweetly and told him, "Fajitas for dinner, I've got them covered, Love."
I served them to Zack and he nodded his head, asking, "what did you put in them?"  When I told him, he was surprised. 

After we (we meaning Zack, he still kicks me out of the kitchen when it's fajita night) had made them a couple of times, Zack actually said, "this is a recipe that would be worthy to put online."

I agree! It's the perfect taste of sweet and savory with a bit of a spicy kick ... just spicy enough that I'm able to enjoy them.

Ingredients:
3 bell peppers (any color, but we prefer yellow, orange, and red)
1/2 onion
2-3 medium sized steaks
Corn Tortillas
Gucamole (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Sauce:
1/3 cup terriyake sauce (I used this recipe to make my own, but any kind works)
4 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion powder
Pepper

Slice the steak into strips and add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Slice bell peppers and onion into steps. Add oil to skillet and heat it on medium heat; stir until thinly coated and allow to cook until soft. Remove bell peppers in onion and place aside. Add a teeny bit more oil to skillet and allow to hear up. Add steak strips and allow to cook through. Add cooked bell peppers and add shriracha and teriyaki sauce.

Warm tortillas if you'd like and spoon fajitas mix onto tortillas. Top with sour cream and guacamole and try not to die of delight!!

Fit Healthy Mom's Post-Baby Fitness.

With my first pregnancy, I gained a typocsl amount with about 8 or so pounds retained after having my baby.

With my second pregnancy... Let's just say that I gained quite a bit more.

I basically had what felt like low blood sugar the entirety of the pregnancy and I have to wonder if it was partly due to needing 2 blood transfusions shortly before conceiving. I had to eat constantly to keep from feeling like I'd either pass out or throw up. I spent my days in panic mode because it was constant. It was less then thrilling.

That said, I wasn't surprised when I'd had my baby and even through nursing and pumping temporarily for a friend, the weight just wasn't falling off.

Finally, 6.5 months after having my baby, I'm taking action to lose weight.

Fit Healthy Moms is the program I've decided on because it's basically calorie counting and 30 minute workouts 3-4 times a day.  You calculate extra calories if you're nursing, which I am, and then there's a formula to make sure you're just eating enough to maintain a healthy diet but no more. You're encouraged not to drink either drinks but to drink water.

I'm not sure if I'll post progress picture but I may.

So excited!

Lazy Evenings

Looking at this picture, you can see a lot of things. I have a baby and a messy toddler and I appear to be lazy watching television. But that's not the whole story. 

I've had a terrible headache the entire day. So, after having my sister-in-law over, who is 9 months pregnant, this is the only part of the mess that her 3 boys and my girl managed to make out in the living room (my children's bedrooms took the bigger hit), I decided to lay down on my brand new (dream) couch and relax (watching my favorite SVU (still miss Stabler)) before running around like a mad woman to clean. It's then, as I appear to be lazy, that I realized that this is the very first time I've actually been able to relax since getting it last Thursday.

So, here's to lazy evenings and new couches!! 

A Bit Discouraged

We drove the hour and fifteen minute drive to the gastrointestinal specialist today. Tru, the little booger, was squealing and laughing, and being absolutely delightful. I overheard a mother of a sick little girl say, "well, it can't be that bad!" Like, I literally felt like a fool for being at a gastrointestinal doctor's specialty office with poor, precious young children whose faces screamed they were miserable and needed to be there for help and my baby is laughing and being adorable!!  A FOOL! My only hope is that he made the day of s few kids not feeling so grand.

Luckily, the specialist told me that this happens ALL the time (parents with sick kids come and their kids are having a happy day) and that she believed me that Tru was indeed a screamer.

Another head-to-toe as Tru grabbed and chewed on her stethoscope cord and I was given a few things to watch for and to immediately run to the ER for an ultrasound to check for intussuception (basically, the intestines fold like a telescope and gets stuck and there is blockage) if begins screaming like her has.

She gave me as prescription for liquid intestinal relaxants/painkillers and sent Tru on his way.

Not a total waste of time but basically a waste of time.

Oh, Tru! We're so blessed to live in a country with advanced health care for fragile little babies like yourself! So blessed!

We love you, Baby Boy!

There's Nothing Worse... There's Nothing Better

There's nothing worse than having a headcold and having to take care of your daughter who has a stomach bug...

There's nothing better than the moment your husband gets home and you can run away to rest for an hour.

Thank you, Honey!!

And the irony? Tru doesn't have the stomach bug but we're taking him to the Gastrointestinal doctor tomorrow for something he may not even have... So all the while, Janni is puking her guts out (over share, I'm sorry). 

This is Motherhood.

Finally, I Have A Date For Specialist

Tru has been very difficult these past few months. He screams, and he screams, and he screams... and I can't quite figure out why.

Took him to the pediatrician and she thought she'd send him to a specialist because she couldn't figure out if anything was really wrong.

She told me she'd need to get me a referral to a specialist and they'd call me when they had one.

I finally got the call this week and now the appointment is made for this Friday.

Please pray that they are able to tell me what's wrong.

Slowly Decorating Our Home: Janni's Room

Last December we bought a fixer upper...

It was seriously SO bad that we were able to buy it $17,000 below market value... and let's just say, it's needed more than most houses need to make it look presentable.

Janni's room was, by far, thee absolute worst room in the entire house.  Think Barney purple and a pink. It was just, ew, gross.  Janni, on the other hand, thought the colors were about the greatest thing in the world.  I put off telling her that no, we would not be keeping her room purple, until we were ready to paint it.  And, not surprsingly, when we did paint it, she actually asked me to paint it back purple to which she was promptly told, "No honey, too much work. I'm sorry, I should have asked you."  But I really wasn't sorry because there was no way on earth that my daughter was going to grow up in a room the color of nightmares! Ha!

I let Janni choose her bedspread, which was actually a very nice one and I really do love it.  We used it as a basis for the wall color, a light teal/blue.

So, here it is.  It's got a very girl, princess theme and I can't decide if we're finished decorating or not!

Sources:

Bed Spread: TJ Maxx (similar)

Curtains: Target (similar)

Headboard: Thrifted

Nightstand: Thifted

Lamp Stand: Thrifted

Lamp Shade: Target

White Chair: Thrifted

White Mirror Decor: At Home

Gold Mirror Decor: Thrifted

Blue Cube Storage Bins: Walmart

Hanging Book Shelves: IKEA

Elsa Picture: Kohls (similar)

Dragonfly Coat Hanger: Gifted By Family 

Paint: Home Depot: Azure Afternoon

A Nice Day

Today was nice. Which means a lot considering hour incredibly difficult it was the rest of the week.

Tru took over a 2 hour nap and it was glorious. Then, friends from church who live literally a 10 minute walk up the street, took both Janni and Tru for 2 hours (not something I would ever dream of doing with dream baby Janni at 6 months but Try is different). I came home and did some cleaning and then walked down the street and got my kids.

The family has the sweetest teenager girl, who walked us home and we stopped at a few yard sales on the way home. I bought a jogging stroller for $7 dollars (I want to start jogging/running and really need a double stroller but having this stroller will really help for evening walks until we get one) and a cute little nautical themed mirror for Tru's whale themed nursery!  The jogging stroller needs a new front tire but we have fix-a-leak and I'm hoping that'll fix the flat and that we won't have to buy a new tube. Zack is going to take a look at it tomorrow.

The teenage girl and I chatted the whole way home and she offered to come over once a week to help me with the kids. She's 15 and homeschooled. And frankly, if she wants to hold a fussy baby while I rush around the house and clean, God bless her sweet heart!!

She also has some health problems and says that she's used the natural doctor my girlfriend was talking about yesterday and that he's really, really helped her feel do much better and she's physically much, much healthier since she's been seeing him these past 2 years.

I think these encounters help me feel more and more hopeful that we'll be able to help Tru feel better. I feel encouraged by reaching out for help in ways I've never felt since giving birth to Tru.

Having a baby is never easy but having a consistently fussy/screaming baby has really been testing my limits. This is why I'm seeking help with the medical community and I'm looking into mom support groups because my husband works upwards of 10-12 hour days several days a week and I need somebody to come along side me on the hardest days.

This is partly why I'm blogging do often, because I need a place to vent, to write out my thoughts, and to know that I have this little corner of the internet to really share how I'm feeling.

I have hope knowing there are people willing and wanting to help. And these nice days, full of sunshine and a glimmer of hope are really what I need these days.

God is do good!

A Lot of Hope

On Thursday nights, Zack and I take a class at our church.

Child care is provided and Janni has pretty much always loved going into the baby/toddler/preschool/etc. her entire life. Try usually lasts until the last 45 minutes or so and then screams until they have to put my number up on the screen to come get him.

Tonight, I made a soup to bring for everybody who would want some and didn't have enough time to make Janni anything for dinner before we had to leave for church and since the soup was on the spicy side and she won't eat anything remotely spicy, I was a little unsure what she would eat.  I dropped both Tru and Janni off at their rooms and felt bothered that Janni didn't have dinner.  Tru had some baby food I'd left with him to eat but Janni had nothing and her last snack was hours before. Typically, they provide cheese itz for a snack, but that wouldn't be until near the end of the night.

I spoke to one of the leaders watching the children in her age group and said I would look around the food table meant for our class and see what I could bring her. I looked and there was nothing she'd eat.

I sat down at our table and couldn't even listen to the pastor leading the class because my heart was hurting for Janni.  After about 3 minutes, it dawned on me that I had a blueberry-apple sauce pouch in my bag from earlier today and a bag of grainless granola from Trader Joe's. I quietly left the sanctuary where our class was being held and went to the other side of the church to give Janni her makeshift dinner.

On my way back, I ran into an old friend who happened to be carrying her very, very fussy 18 month old. In the past, she's shared with me how hard he has been on her.

I ended up asking her about what she's done for her fussy son and shared with her about Tru.

She told me that she has had a lot of success with a local natural path doctor and that when her older son was 3 and literally on the brinks of death, she found this doctor and took him there and he was able to diagnose him with celiac disease and start him on a dietary protocol and restrictions to save his life.  She also has had so much luck with her youngest son and since both her youngest son and my son are showing signs of eczema and extreme fussy/screaming/never wanting to be put down behaviors, she encouraged me to call him first thing in the morning and make an appointment!

She says that although her youngest son is still, by far, the most difficult child she has, that this doctor has given him supplements and nutritional dietary restrictions and that he is a much, much easier child and that any amount of money she has spent on him (insurance won't cover a natural path doctor), she wouldn't trade it for what he has done for her son!

I feel super encouraged and hopeful that this doctor can solve and resolve and lead us to some solutions to help Tru to be a more consistently happy baby!

Update On Tru's Doctor Visit

We took Tru into the pediatrician today.  In his usual fashion, he came in smiley. The pediatrician came in and he just smiled and grinned at her, and she told me there wasn't anything wrong.

She said that he appears to be a perfectly healthy baby.  He was happy, healthy looking, gaining weight well, and she could find nothing physically wrong with him... And then the nurse took him to weigh him and he began screaming a bloody murder.

And he screamed the entire rest of the time we were there. Relentlessly.

She said she'd refer him to a gastro-intestinal specialist just to make sure we're not missing anything that's causing him distress but it could take a month and we'll have to travel to Phoenix to see them.

And now we wait.

Please pray for us!

We sure do love you, Tru!

(Janni trying to pose for a picture)

5 Things I Love About My Baby

I gave my pediatrician's office a call this morning to see if we can have Tru allergy tested. I've pulled out the typical trigger foods like gluten, dairy, sugar, and soy to help his acid reflux and eczema but they haven't helped at all.

We have an appointment to see his pediatrician Wednesday afternoon to troubleshoot one last time and then we'll make some decisions whether or not to pursue a specialist because his screams really have us wondering if he's in some kind of pain.

Yesterday, when I was at my wits end with him because he just screamed and screamed and nothing I did was fixing his screaming, and nobody was available to come just sit with him so I could take a breather and get my sanity back... I decided that I needed to begin thinking of all his delightful, endearing qualities... Because we really do love this boy and are so, so happy he was given to us and that he is ours... But it's super quick and easy to lose sight of the fact that we prayed and fasted for this baby when he won't stop screaming.

Here are Tru's (current) top 5 delightful traits:

1. His smile. This boy just seems to be extreme in everything he does... Including his smile! Unlike his sister, you can get this boy to smile so easily!!

1. 
2. 
   
3. His laughter. A lady at church told me that Tru is one of the few babies she's ever met that can go into a state where he wants to cry but he is can be easily swayed to laugh and you're doing everything possible to make him laugh in an effort to keep him from crying (and also because his laugh is probably the best laugh ever!).

3. That his bald head and lack of visible eyebrows makes it super easy to dress him up like a little old man!

4. His love for people. I was standing in a checkout line and the cashier was making him laugh and smile and laugh and coo. The cashier just beamed that he was smiling just for her and I didn't have the heart to tell her he smiles huge at just about anyone!

5. That he's a great napper. I usually can get a two hour nap out of him midday and if we're being perfectly honest, I'm not sure I'd survive the day if he didn't take that nap!

Yes, he's hard and things get stressful around here, but we really are in love with this little baby! And it's the best kind of difficult I could ask for!! Remembering this and keeping in mind that there is a sweet boy in him that really wants to come out and that he may be in pain that's preventing him from being a consistently happy baby really gives my mommy's heart compassion and determination to figure out what's wrong with him!

Tru, we love you Baby Boy!!

A Child That (Sometimes) Won't Pose For Pictures

When Janni was a young baby, it was the absolute hardest thing to get her to pose for pictures.

When I took her to get her one year photos done, the photographer told me that she was one of the hardest babies she'd worked with because she refused to smile for the camera.

Although the photographer managed to get some absolutely delightfully adorable pictures of Janni at 1 year, it was not without some experienced tricks of the trade!

Janni is not at all ADD/ADHD, she simply did not care. She's definitely one of those children who simply doesn't like to be told what to do. "Janni, smile?" Nope. Not happening, Ring Master!

And I've had to learn not to force her to do (most) things, but to let her choose to participate (if she's running in the street, I most definitely force her to get out of it, via grabbing her hand or picking her up if I must and the like). Unfortunately, this probably took us around two years to figure this out, because we're pure geniuses over here, haha! But we no longer force her to to do things. There may be consequences for not doing things, like not sharing may result in nobody gets to play with her toy and we discuss what selfishness is, use a Bible verse work on her heart, and then have her sit in her room and think about her behavior.

The result? It's working wonderfully!! When Janni decides she wants to do something, like share that toy with her friend, it's from the heart and it's real, meaningful thoughtfulness... Not just lip service to prevent getting into trouble or to appease her parents.  Or, if she wants to pose for the camera, they are sweet, happy, not forced smiles and they just make my heart beam with joy that she is my girl!

 

I think it's been so helpful because as adults, we don't appreciate, nor do we stand to be forced to act outside our own free will. So, why would be think children would appreciate it either?

This parenting thing is hard, and I don't believe that I have it all figured out by any means but I'm grateful to be learning things that are helpful in building my relationship up with my children, like hiding to eat my treat when I don't want to share (haha!) and not forcing my child to begrudgingly pose for a picture... Even if that means my plan for a post about our visit to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday just isn't going to work out!

We had fun on the hayride and in the corn maze any way!  And even though I didn't get any great pictures, she sure is cute, regardless!

Difficult Days...

Sometimes, when your days are stressful and you're trying to keep your fussy baby calm, you take a trip to Target... And one of your children does something so darling, you forget about how stressed you are and laugh yourself silly. Then, you realize just how much you needed to focus your energy away from the difficult and onto the happy... And just laugh!!

Janni, you're such a trooper! I'm so proud of you and your joy through all the changes in your life with your brother!

I'm so happy that you're mine!

Update On My Mother-In-Law

My mother-in-law, Cheryl, got diagnosed with stage 4 oral cancer in October 2014.  She endured 1.5 rounds of induction  chemotherapy before her organs started going into failure mode and she needed to stop.

She ended up passing away in October 2015, just one short year after being diagnosed.  She fought a difficult, hard fight and we were so inspired by her the entire time.


It's been hardest on Zack's sister. But we've all felt the weight of Cheryl's passing.

It's so odd to think that I literally only had a mother-in-law for 3.5 years. I always thought that my kids would be going over to her house for cookies and grandma fun time well into their teens. It's funny how God orchastrates and directs our lives.

It's so evident and tangible how precious families are and how crucial it is to maintain good, healthy relationships with our family. Before Cheryl got diagnosed with cancer, I'll admit we had minor problems here and there. But her diagnosis changed everything. We repented and moved forward with support for each other during these hard times.

I've learned through this not to harbor anger and frustration. To humble yourself and seek forgiveness when wrong. To overlook minor offenses and immediately go to them for major offenses and to offer mercy... Oh, how we all need mercy in our relationships!

So, if I can leave you anything to take away from this semi-depressing post, make the relationships with family and closer friends a priority. Do what's in your own ability to be at peace with them and cherish the days that you have with them!

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."- [Romans 12:18]

We miss you, Cheryl.