Toys Toys Toys

We definitely have some toys. They didn't all fit in this picture. Last night after the party I sorted and boxed up all the toys and I counted 247 individual toys. That is everything from rattles to baby tolls to block sets to a big farmhouse play set. The turnout and your generosity was amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

EDIT: Make that 264 toys. I had a drop off this morning. You guys could not have given Levi a better birthday. Thank you again and again.

The Interview

Steven recorded the interview that aired yesterday morning on The House. Just in case you missed it here you go.

http://members.cox.net/bergren/cindysinterview.mp3

Interview

OK two post in one day, but I wanted to tell you guys about the interview I did today. My friend Brent McCoy is the morning show DJ for The House FM. He called me today to do an interview for Levi's Toy Drive for Children's hospital. The interview will air tomorrow morning around 7:30am so everyone should tune in. If you are not able to listen on the radio you can listen on the web. The station has live steaming on their website. (go to www.thehousefm.com, click on the i-Live link on the right hand side, then click on Listen Now at the top of the page) Here is a list of the stations you can pick up The House on.

89.7 OKC to Tulsa to Wichita - KJTH
89.1 Shawnee - KXTH
99.7 Downtown OKC
105.7 Bartlesville

107.1 Stillwater
98.5 Norman
88.5 OKC Metro - KZTH

In case you are wondering, it is not to late to donate a toy for the toy drive. We will be taking the toys we have to Children's hospital on Monday. So you can still bring toys by our house or to Waterloo. Also, feel free to join us Sunday evening around 6:00pm for cake and ice cream to celebrate Levi's birthday at our house. You can bring toys if you would like. Email me (cindy.bergren@gmail.com) if you need directions or want more info.

I'm back!!!

Yes I am back from Florida. I had a blast spending time with Amber. I had a blast. My flight back was a little hectic. My plane was having mechanical issues so I had to stay an extra night. But I got home safe and sound on Monday afternoon and I was so glad to see Steven and Levi. I am sure if Levi could talk he would tell me he missed me as well.

Amber and I went to Magic Kingdom on Friday night when I got in. That was so much fun. It was like I was a little kid again. And isn't that castle gorgeous. That would make any girl feel like a princess.

Well I hope everyone is having a blast with their Christmas preparations. I will post later this evening about Levi's toy drive. So keep your eyes peeled for another post.

Doctor Appointment Update

Just wanted to let everyone know Levi's appointment with his neurosugeon went off without a hitch. Everything looked great and we don't have to back to see Dr. Gross unless something goes wrong. So hopefully that means never.

Well I am off to get ready to leave for Florida in the morning.

12-10-08

Do you ever have those days when you have so many things you are thinking of and so much to do you can't focus on any one thing for very long so you just walk around your house not remembering why you went "this room" and you start three or four different things but don't finish any of them. Well welcome to my day. I could not focus on anything for the life of me today. Between house work that I keep putting off, Christmas preparations, taking care of Levi (he is a total drool machine), and getting ready to go visit Amber in Florida I am having a terrible time concentrating. Which leads me to the three things I am super excited about today.

Thing 1: I am going to Florida this weekend to visit Amber. Yeah!!!! I haven't left the Edmond area since Levi was born. I am a little stir crazy and we are planning to go to Mickey's A Very Merry Christmas Party. I am so excited about getting to go to this and getting to see Amber I could just about pee my pants. (And after having Levi peeing my pants is a very real possibility.)

Thing 2: I did focus long enough today to make this card. I was super happy with how it turned out. I used a sketch (#94) from the CPS blog. Such good sketches that leave lots of room for creativity. I just love that.

Thing 3: I got some new makeup in the mail today that ordered from Etsy. It is the Mixology Mineral Makeup. I started playing with it as soon as I opened the mail and I am in love. I ordered the Mermaid and the mini liberty eye shadows. I also got one of the sample packs for the foundation. I will definitely be ordering a full size foundation as soon as I figure out which shade I like best. I definitely will be ordering this eyeshadow as well. There was a little sample with my order and I LOVED it.

So there are my three exciting things for today. Hope you all had exciting things happen today as well.

Tomorrow Debbie and I are taking Levi for checkup with his neurosurgeon. So pray that it isn't very windy and the appointment goes quickly so we can keep our little guy warm. I will let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Thanksgiving

I don't know how your Thanksgiving went, but ours was great. My parents came here to Edmond and we had Thanksgiving with Steven's family. It was fun to have both our families together. I got to make pies and I loved it. I had never made a pie before. Here is the recipe for the apple cherry pie I made. It is a Pampered Chef recipe and super yummy.

Apple Cherry Pie

Ingredients:
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 medium Granny Smith apples (about 5 cups slices)
1 can (14.5 ounces) pitted red tart pie cherries, drained and patted dry
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Let pie crusts stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Gently unfold crust onto lightly floured surface. Roll one crust into a 12-inch circle using lightly floured Baker's Roller(TM). Place crust in Deep Dish Pie Plate, pressing dough into bottom and up sides.
2. In large Colander Bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Peel, core and slice apples using Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer; cut slices in half. (I just peeled my apples with a paring knife and cut them into small slices.) Toss apple slices with sugar mixture until evenly coated; gently stir in cherries. Spoon apple mixture into crust.
3. Roll remaining pie crust into a 12-inch circle; place over filling. Seal and flute edges. Whisk egg and water in small bowl. Using Pastry Brush, brush egg mixture evenly over crust. Cut four slits in top crust. Cover edge of pie with 2-to 3-inch-wide strips of aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes; remove foil. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Remove from oven; cool at least 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 440, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Carbohydrate 76 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 210 mg, Fiber 2 g
(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2008

Then my mom and I hit the Black Friday sales. I love Black Friday. Not because of the deals, but because I feel like the holiday season has officially begun. I did get most of my Christmas shopping done so I was super excited about that.

Then Saturday my sister and her husband came up to visit and brought my new niece so we could meet her. Here is a pic of Lakin and Levi hanging out together. I was so glad they came up.

Then the holiday decorating began. One of my other favorite things to do to make me feel like Christmas time has begun. So Sunday evening, Monday evening, and a good part of the day Tuesday I got my tree decorated and all the decorations put up the way I wanted them. (I have to rearrange a few times before I am satisfied which is why it takes so long.) Here is a wreath and a flower arrangement I put together to give the house a little sparkle. I have been enjoying the flower department at Hobby Lobby lately.



Well I think I must say goodnight now. Merry Christmas!!!

Learning to Trust the Master

I get an email with excerpts from Max Lucado books. I love his stuff and it always makes me want to read more. Here is one I read today from his book Next Door Savior. It really spoke to me and I loved it.

A man and his dog are in the same car. The dog howls bright-moon-in-the-middle-of-the-night caterwauling howls. The man pleads, promising a daily delivery of dog biscuit bouquets if only the hound will hush. After all, it’s only a car wash.

Never occurred to him—ahem, to me—that the car wash would scare my dog. But it did. Placing myself in her paws, I can see why. A huge, noisy machine presses toward us, pounding our window with water, banging against the door with brushes. Duck! We’re under attack.

“Don’t panic. The car wash was my idea.” “I’ve done this before.” “It’s for our own good.” Ever tried to explain a car wash to a canine? Dog dictionaries are minus the words brush and detail job. My words fell on fallen flaps. Nothing helped. She just did what dogs do; she wailed.

Actually, she did what we do. Don’t we howl? Not at car washes perhaps but at hospital stays and job transfers. Let the economy go south or the kids move north, and we have a wail of a time. And when our Master explains what’s happening, we react as if he’s speaking Yalunka. We don’t understand a word he says.

Is your world wet and wild?

God’s greatest blessings often come costumed as disasters. Any doubters need to do nothing more than ascend the hill of Calvary.

Jerusalem’s collective opinion that Friday was this: Jesus is finished.

Such is the view of the disciples, the opinion of the friends, and the outlook of the enemies. Label it the dog-in-the-passenger-seat view.

The Master who sits behind the wheel thinks differently. God is not surprised. His plan is right on schedule. Even in—especially in—death, Christ is still the king, the king over his own crucifixion.

Can’t he do the same for you? Can’t he turn your Friday into a Sunday?

Some of you doubt it. How can God use cancer or death or divorce? Simple.

He’s smarter than we are. He is to you what I was to four-year-old Amy. I met her at a bookstore. She asked me if I would sign her children’s book. When I asked her name, she watched as I began to write, “To Amy …”

She stopped me right there. With wide eyes and open mouth, she asked, “How did you know how to spell my name?”

She was awed. You aren’t. You know the difference between the knowledge of a child and an adult. Can you imagine the difference between the wisdom of a human and the wisdom of God? What is impossible to us is like spelling “Amy” to him. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).

I keep taking Molly to the car wash. She’s howling less. I don’t think she understands the machinery. She’s just learning to trust her master. Maybe we’ll learn the same.

Hope you all have a blessed day.

Toy Drive for Children's

Time for an update. Today was a great date. We finally got a pastor at our church. I am so stinkin excited. His name is Griff Henderson and he seems to be a great guy. He even met Levi today and said a sweet prayer over him. He's definitely OK in my book after that.

I have been trying to get life ready for the holidays. I have been organizing gift lists, I started baking, and I am getting ready to sit down in a little bit and think about decorations and stuff. See if there are things I want to purchase during the black Friday sales. I have also been getting geared up for black Friday shopping as well. I always feel like the holiday season has begun when I get up and go shopping ridiculously early that Friday morning.

The other thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is Levi's birthday. He is going to be two next month. Can you believe it. I think back to being in the hospital that Christmas two years ago and I tear up every time. As most of you remember we did a blanket drive for Levi's birthday last year. So this year in honor of Levi's second birthday we will be collecting toys for ages two and under to donate to Children's Hospital. These toys will be given to the children on Christmas by Santa Clause. If there are any left they have a cart they push around and give the children toys when they are hospitalized. They will use the extra toys for this. If you are interested in donating some toys just call me or email me (cindy.bergren@gmail.com). We will take the toys up to the hospital on Monday December 22nd. We so appreciate how awesome you guys were last year with the blankets and how much you love and pray for Levi.

Speaking of our little angel. Steven and I woke up Thursday night to a sound coming from the baby monitor. It wasn't a hurt sound or an upset sound. It mostly sounded like singing. It took 45 to get him to stop "singing". (He is definitely a Bergren). This would have been so sweet except it was 1:30am. Bless my little angel's heart.

Well I am off to finish working on my holiday lists.

I know I haven't posted in a while to let you know what has been going on. Sorry about that. I will start with Levi since that is really why everyone checks in here. He is doing great now. We switched him from formula to Pediasure. The poor baby got all stopped up and didn't poop for a few days. Luckily when he finally did poop I wasn't home so Steven got to clean that one up. Steven said it was so bad he had to give him a bath afterwards.

Steven lead worship at church this past Sunday. I was very excited for him and I wish I could have been there. (We don't take Levi out this time of year.) He said it went well.

As for me I have been super busy. Getting ready for the holidays, Pampered Chef shows, Bible Study, and just regular life stuff has kept me hopping. I did attend the Women of Faith conference this weekend with some of the ladies from church. Here is a pic of us at breakfast on Saturday morning. We had a lot of fun. It was a great time of worship, fellowship, and learning. My favorite part was when Sheila Walsh spoke about having faith even when things weren't going well and it didn't feel like God was answering our prayers. We have definitely learned a lot about that the past couple of years. (Can you believe it has been two years.)

I have taken up a new hobby. (My friend Kara says I collect them.) I tried my had at making jewelry yesterday. Here are a couple pair of earrings I made. I have a couple other things I started, but couldn't finish because I needed more stuff. I think I like beading and will be making a few Christmas presents. I think next I would like to learn to quilt, but it may be a while before I take that on.



Well I think that is all for this evening. I am going to go watch Stargate and clean up the house a little before I hit the sack.

Sleep tight!!!

Tag

Well I guess I got tagged by my friend Jess. (At least I think I am the Cindy she tagged. If not I just started my own game. Ha!) Here is what I have to do.

1) Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer
2) Choose the 4th picture
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 other people

So here it is:

This is a completely unedited picture of my dad playing putt putt. It was taken with Steven's cell phone which is why it isn't a very good picture. The pic was taken back in April when we took my niece to play putt putt when she came up to visit with my parents. Well that was kind of fun.

Now on to tagging someone myself. I only know of four people who read my blog who have blogs of their own and since Jess tagged me and Jonnelle was the one who tagged her then I will tag Amber and Melody. Lets see those pics!

11-1-08

I know you have all be anxiously awaiting to see the Halloween costumes I have been diligently working on. Well here it is. We did Super Mario Brothers. It was fun and Steven and I even won best contest at the costume party we went to tonight.

I also spent yesterday morning working on some cupcakes for the cake walk at the Fall Festival at church. They were totally inspired by some I saw on Fancy Flours. I must tell you I don't know how my friend Rachael decorates cakes and cookies all the time. So you can scroll down to see the picture. I put the picture way at the end of the blog so Melody doesn't have to see. (She has a fear of the item adorning my cupcake.) So I am warning you Melody don't scroll down.

Well it is Wednesday and the week is halfway gone. Where does the time go.

Levi is doing well. He is his same sweet little self. We started him on Pedia-sure this week instead of formula. The doctor said it might upset his stomach, but thankfully it did not. It has a few more calories than his formula does, so maybe he will get a little growth spurt.

I am almost done with Levi's Halloween costume. My only problem is that every time I unsnap the snaps they come off (the fleece is too thick). So I am just not going to snap them again until we put the outfit on him on Halloween. Then I won't care if the snaps pop off at the end of the evening when we take it off him. My first sewing project in 15 years. I am not super good at sewing, but I am enjoying it. I have a few more projects planned. I will post picks of the costume this weekend, so make sure to check back.

I have been up to more than just sewing. I made this memo board last weekend for my friend Emily for a baby gift. It was one of the projects for the Got Sketch 101 class I took this summer. It was a lot of fun.

I found a new website that I am in love with. It is a baking site called Fancy Flours. Talk about fun baking goodies. Their blog has some super fun ideas as well. Makes me want to go bake. I want to go take a cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby now.

I have also to add another hobby to my list: jewelry making and beading. I got a bunch of stuff at Hobby Lobby the other day to make some Christmas presents with. I haven't actually made anything yet, but you will see pics as soon as I do.

We are getting ready to start a new Ladies Bible Study at church. It is called Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed. It is going to be a great study on the life of David. It is taught by Priscilla Shrirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. It came out a conference they did called Deeper Still. I have only done a couple of the lessons so far, but WOW! Here is one verse that really stuck out to me from the first lesson.

You did not choose me, but I chose you. John 15:16 HCSB

Priscilla Shrirer goes on to say that our confidence doesn't rest in our faithfulness but in God's. Well thank goodness, cause you know God is more faithful than I am. Seriously though think about how that thought process could change our confidence level. It isn't about us and how inadequate we are, but how faithful God is. I don't know about you, but I have to constantly be reminded that life is not about me. :) Later in the second lesson she talks about being aware of God around us and how that might change our daily activities and decisions. Well, that made me stop and think. I have to admit, I am not constantly thinking about God's presence. If I was there are definitely things I do or say that I would think twice about. So that is my prayer for today. That I am constantly aware of God's presence and let that guide my decisions and activities.

Well, I will leave you with that thought. I really need to hit the sack. I need to get up in the morning and make some yummy goodies to eat at Bible Study.

10-21-08

Just wanted to give everyone an update. Levi had a checkup with his pediatrician today. Everything looked the same. He had lost a pound, but that could just be the difference between a really full diaper and a nice clean one. Luckily no new news to report. Sorry we are so boring.

Levi did turn 22-months-old today. Can you believe it. So glad to still have him around.

I have decided to take up sewing. Because I need more stuff to do :). So I have some fabric bought and a couple of projects under way. My first two are a baby blanket and Levi's Halloween costume. I will post pics when I finish, if I finish. :)

10-14-08

I hate being sick. Hate it. I have had a terrible head cold all weekend. I don't like feeling bad. I don't get anything done when I am sick. And I have to stay away from Levi. I miss the little guy, even though he is just in his room. Steven has been doing most of the caring for him so I don't breathe on him any more than I have to. I feel tons better today so hopefully tomorrow it will be all gone. I am ready to pick my little guy up and snuggle him.

I did get to go scrapbook this past weekend, before I got sick. Friday night my friend Jessie and I went to Just 4 Keeps. I love going there to crop. I get out of the house and if there is anything I need I can just get it while I am there. There is also always someone new to meet. So if you ever want to go and need a friend to accompany you, just call me. Here are a couple of the pages I worked on.

Yes, that is Autumn totally cheating at Putt Putt. The journaling reads: "Autumn I don't think you hit the ball with your putter once. You just dropped the ball in the hole and giggled. You are such a little cheater." You can't see it in the picture, but there is glitter all over those tags. I am totally loving glitter these days.

This is Steven's dad with Levi at Christmas. How cute were they with their matching sweaters. The sticker on this one reads: "Perfect love does not come until the first grandchild."

Well I am going to go try to pick the house up a little before I hit the sack. Goodnight all!!!

10-8-08

Well the stress has passed, until next time I am overwhelmed anyway. I spent the weekend organizing. I got the guest/scrap room organized, the desk in our room, and Levi's closet. Still lots to do, but I feel much better.

Levi's UTI seems to be all better. He finished the antibiotic today and all seems well. Thanks for all your prayers.

I got a sweet little surprise this week. I have a secret friend who knows someone I know (I don't know who this is), and they sent me this cute little card pack.

I can't wait to make some cards with my new fun stuff. Thank you secret friend.

That is all for tonight. Good night all.

10-2-08

Thought I would give you all a little chuckle this evening. So I have developed the habit of ALWAYS putting a clean diaper under Levi before I take the dirty one off. Last night for some reason I did not do this. (Probably because it was second diaper he had pooped in and I thought surely he was finished.) So what do you think my little angel did. You guessed it. He pooped all over his little outfit. Luckily none of it got on the bed so I didn't have to change sheets, just his clothes.

Here is an updated picture of our little pumpkin. Thanks to my friend April for the awesome pic. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers about his little UTI. We haven't seen any more signs of the UTI so hopefully it is gone. And no signs of a yeast infection either, which was a concern because his antibiotic was really powerful.

So in my last post I said we had a pretty easy week. I am never going to say that again. After adding a few things to my to do list (since it is an easy week and all) I am now officially overwhelmed. You all know the feeling, too much to do and not enough time to do it in, to do lists that never get finished. How do I solve this problem you ask. I do nothing on the to do list and watch TV for two hours today until I stop feeling so stressed out. Not sure that was the most productive thing to do. I keep thinking I am going to eliminate some of the things on my to do list, but I want to do all the things on the list (either that or it is housework and it just has to be done). Oh well, I think I just need to get better organized and not spend so much time on the computer.

That being said I wish you all a good night. I am off to try to get to bed a little earlier. Hopefully I will get up earlier and get a few more things done tomorrow.

9-30-08

Well I wish I could tell you there was something exciting around our house. There isn't really. This past weekend was busy. I had a Pampered Chef show at Just4Keeps and then I went back after the show to scrapbook. Steven had choir practice on Saturday morning, so Marie sat with Levi. We are so thankful she could do that for us.

Levi did get a UTI. Bless his little heart. We had to start him on a new antibiotic. I think that is working pretty well.

We have a nice slow week this week. Levi is sleeping well and we don't have anything extra on the schedule. I am really looking forward to not having a lot going on.

So sorry I didn't have anything cool to post. Hope you are having a great week.

9-22-08

So things have been going pretty well around here. Levi has been sleeping so much better. Which means I have been sleeping so much better. We are all a lot happier when Levi and I sleep.

We took Levi last weekend to my favorite scrapbook store, Just4Keeps, and had pictures made. Hopefully I will use these pics on our Christmas card and can get those done early. I will post the pictures here as soon as I get them back. Levi was looking very dapper I must say.

This past weekend Mom and Dad came up with Logan (my nephew) and we went to the fair. I love to go to the fair to eat. I gotta have my yearly Indian Taco and Chocolate Covered Cheesecake. So yummy. Logan's favorite part was playing games.

But did he win anything you ask. Well of course he did. He actually won a few different things. One of them was this little dog he won for his beautiful Aunt Cindy (that's me).

Logan says I should name him Arf. I am not sure yet.

In other news around our house, Steven's brother-in-law, Michael, left his Rockband game at our house. So what did we do tonight. Well Steven and I (mostly just me) practiced our Rockband skills. Can I tell you I am truly horrible at most video games (except Viva Pinata) but I am starting to kind of dig Rockband. And Steven and I had fun playing together. I think we may have a new date night activity.

With that being said, I must be off to bed. Sleep tight.

9-9-08

Levi and I dropped Steven off at the airport today. He had a business trip in Ohio. So it is just the two of us for a couple of days. Hopefully the time flies quickly. I like having my husband at home.

In case you didn't know Sunday was Grandparent's Day. So happy day to all you Grandparents. Here are a couple of cards I made for Levi's grandparents. I have been hanging out on Melissa Phillips blog and it has some awesome inspiration. She is amazing and both of these cards were inspired by stuff I saw on her blog.

There is one more I made, but it is for my parents and they haven't received it yet. I didn't want them to see it on here before I gave it to them.

So I think I may go play a video game for a while before I hit the sack. Good night all!!!!

Ladies Bible Study

Well, this morning we started Ladies Bible Study at church. We are doing a study called Conversation Peace. I have the awesome opportunity of co-leading the study with my friend Peta. I have really been enjoying the lessons I have done so far. If you are in the area and are free on Thursday mornings (9:30am) you should join us. We will have lots of fun.

I am offically a big dork!!!!

Well this morning, when playing around in my email contact list, I deleted all my contacts. All 112 of them. I cannot believe I did this. I already went to the help section on gmail to see if there was a way to restore them, and there is not. So great. I went through my inbox and added addresses of people who had emailed in the last few days, but that was only 20 people or so. So now when I need an address I am going to have to go search my archived emails to find the address I need. Not the end of the world but definately made me feel like a huge dork. Well life goes on.

Good night all!!!

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend. Our friend Mary Beth got married so Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner (Steven was running sound) and then Saturday we went to the wedding. Mom and Dad came up to sit with Levi so I wasn't tied to the baby stroller at the wedding and could enjoy myself. They did bring my niece Autumn with them though. That little girl is a hoot. I wish I had taken a picture of her while she was here. She was cracking us up, she has a very defined personality. Then Saturday evening Mom, Autumn, and I went shopping. Autumn in a shoe store is a lot of fun. I think she likes to shop for shoes almost as much as I do. She got these super cute pink camo Barbie tennis shoes. Boy was she excited.

That was about the most exciting thing we found. Sunday evening Steven and I watched I Am Legend. I am a big Will Smith fan, but that movie was not good. It verged on horror flick and I am not a fan of horror flicks. I do not recommend that one.

Today (Labor Day) was just another day for us. Steven, of course, was home from work so we just got some house work done and watched some TV.

Tonight Prison Break started back up. We really like that show and it seems like there might be some interesting stuff go on this season. Last season wasn't all that great and I was really glad they brought back Sara. We are big TV watchers so we glad a lot of our favorite shows are starting back up.

Oh, I almost forgot, I have a layout in the Basic Grey idea gallery. I was so excited they picked it. The pic is one of our engagement pictures.

Well there is all the excitement in our lives the past few days. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Another update

Well last night was OK. Levi only kept me up until 3am. That sounds kind of bad, but he had been keeping me up all night. So it is definitely an improvement. He has been great today though so I am hoping tonight goes even better.

Well today I got a new little niece. My sister had a little girl at 2am. Her name is Lakin and she weighed 8lb 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. So she was a big girl. I will post a pic of her as soon as I get one that isn't on my phone.

Well that is all for now. Sleep tight my friends.

Just a little update

Well it appears that Levi's new medicine is kicking in. He only woke me up twice last night and I was able to settle him down without having to pick him up and hold him. Right now he is resting well and I am getting ready to head for bed. Thank you for all your prayers, and please keep praying that he keeps sleeping.

Well we have a crazy last few days. Levi started another one of his fussy times, for lack of a better term. He got to where he wouldn't let us put him down. So Steven and I spent the last two days with one or the other of us holding him. I am trying to cherish my time cuddling him, but when my arms fall asleep and it is 2am I really want him to lay down. This is also the reason I haven't posted anything in a while. It is kind of hard to type while holding Levi. We started him on a new medicine today and it seems to be working so far this evening. Keep your fingers crossed that I will get to sleep tonight.

This weekend I took a break from the house and scrapbooked at Just4Keeps all weekend. I was there Friday night and all day Saturday and Saturday night. I talked more than I scrapbooked, but I had a blast. It was just the break I needed from my precious little man. Here is one of the pages I worked on. It is Levi when we put him in the pool last month. And no he didn't like it.

Here is also a page I did of my first day of kindergarten, because I like to scrapbook pictures other than just Levi.That page is on the Just4Keeps website as the homepage right now. I must say I was pretty darn cute.

Well since I have just been sitting around holding Levi a lot lately I have been keeping caught up on my TV show. I have to tell you I love Bravo. Shear Genius, Project Runway, and Date My Ex are all on my DVR list. For those of you who are Shear Genius can you believe Daniel went home. He was totally my fav. :(

Well that is about the extent of the excitement in our lives. I will try to keep you updated on how Levi's new medicine works for him.

8-13-08

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while.


Levi had a fussy spell the first part of last week. It was no fun for any of us. He didn't let me sleep much for about four days. Luckily we got a new medicine that has really helped. It is actually a sedative. It really calms him down, but it doesn't seem to knock him out. I was so glad because I really needed the sleep. Now I can't seem to get enough sleep.


Mom and Dad came up to visit this past weekend. We had fun. Mom and I went shopping and got pedicures. I decided to let them do something different to my toes. I can paint them red anytime I want, so I had them do something I can't do myself.
Steven dosen't really love my new pedicure. He doesn't understand why I only painted the ends and why I would choose black. I like it. I think it is unique.


As for Steven, I am sure you are wondering what he has been up to. He has been taking violin lessons. I will let you know if he ever plays in public. He is really enjoying himself though.


Well I guess that is all for now. Hope you have a fabulous week.

Words of Encouragement

Here are a few verses I came across the other day that I found encouraging. They weren't new verses to me, but they made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. It was like getting a hug from God.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. Psalm 45:11

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139: 13-14

So consider yourself hugged by God today! :)

Great Quote

Here is a little excerpt I pulled from an e-mail I recieved here a while back. The quote is from Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Live). I pulled it out of an interview he did after he had become wealthy from the sales of his book at the same time that his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

"I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems."

7-14-08

Yes it has been a while since I updated. Sorry! Levi has been off and on fussy. I don't know why. I just try stuff until something works. He has been pretty good the last few days though so that is a blessing. Who knows what I will get tomorrow when I wake up though. He still is off the heating pad and his temperature seems to be doing great. We are loving that. We have actually been out to dinner a couple of times and gotten to sit down and eat. We usually only get to do that when Debbie comes over to babysit. We are definately enjoying that family time.

I also wanted to share this sermon with you guys. Amber e-mailed me the link here a while back and I though it was great. Just wanted to share.

Hope you all are having a great week.

Update

I know a lot of you have been wondering how Levi is doing. The last couple of days have been a ton better. His good spells have been getting longer and longer. He has let me sleep all night the last two nights. I have been so happy about that.(Yes that is a happy dance.) We started him last week on an anti-anxiety medicine and a cramping medicine. Those appear to be helping. No more pain medicine for now.

Well, I do have to tell you about the wonderful blessing I recieved this weekend. Steven's mom comes over and babysits Levi so I can run errands on Friday afternoons. It is my time to get out and go to the bank and grocery store and whatever else I need to do. Debbie babysitting every Friday is a blessing in itself. This Friday I came home to an extremely clean house. While I was out running my errands my Mother-in-law let some of my wonderful friends into my home and they cleaned it from top to bottom. This was a huge blessing since I had not gotten any cleaning done for a couple of weeks since I was spending all my time holding Levi. One of the things that hit me the most as I was thinking about what these girls had done for me, was what a picture of community. As we have been having so much transition at our church lately, I was reminded that a church family is really about ministering to each other, serving one another, and sharing each other's joys. Galatians 6:2 says to "bear one another's burdens." That is absolutely what these wonderful friends did for me. These girls rock my face off. Thank you again Lisa, Kim, Peta, Jessie, Jerilyn, Carmen, and Amy.

4am

Well it is almost 4:30 in the morning and I am sitting up with Levi. He is not a fan of being laid down tonight. So no sleep for me. Oh well it happens sometimes. I am taking the opportunity to get some computer time. However typing with one hand can be a little difficult.

In honor of Father's Day here is a scrapbook page I did a couple months ago. I thought it was a really cute pic of Steven and Levi.

"Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Daddy"

Update

Well I know a lot of you have been worrying about and praying for sweet Levi since I posted that he was having some problems. It looks like the pain medicine has work and whatever was wrong is better. He hasn't had any of the pain medicine in a couple of days and he has been a little angel. I haven't heard a peep out of him. Sometimes I have to go check on him because he has been so quiet. So thank you for all your prayers.

Since little man has been so good I did get some crafty time yesterday. I got my Father's Day cards made and I made this cutie pie notebook for myself. I like to have something to write in when I am having a quiet time.

My friend Leslie Pendleton came and visited me today. That was a lot of fun to sit around and chit chat. Girl time is fun. And I had a blast playing with her little guy as well. Two is a fun age.

Well I am off to read some my favorite blogs (my favorite thing to do) and then maybe some laundry. Until next time.

Levi

OK I know that most of you that will visit this blog really are interested in Levi more than anything else. You think my scrapbook pages are cute, but you really want to know about the little man. Well he is doing good this week. Last week was another story. He became very upset toward the end of last week. He was unconsolable and obviously in pain. This was very hard to watch. I have a really hard time when I can't make him feel better. That is what mommies are supposed to do, make you feel better. We had to put him on some pain medicine (Tylenol w/codeine). At first he was kind of groggy acting, but I think we have that fixed and he is back to being his normal self. Fussy only some of the time. Well here is a pic of him a few weeks ago in his Sunday best. Thanks to Miss Marie for the super cute outfit.

What have I been up to?

Besides taking care of Levi and trying to keep my housework under control, I have been taking a really fun online scrapbooking class. It is called Got Sketch 101. I am having a blast. Here is a layout and a card I have already created for the class.

Thanks for checking out the new blog. Hope you enjoy.