If only I had made spaghetti!

So last night was a Monday like any other.  Jordan was at school and I was contemplating what to make for dinner.  I did not feel like exerting too much energy so I opted for fish sticks and mac n' cheese.  I set the oven to preheat and carried on about my business.  The back of the fish stick box said to set the oven at 475 which is a little high, but I've done it before without a problem.  I heard the oven beep once it had pre-heated and a few minutes later I finally made it over there to pop in the fish sticks.  I notice a small spark through the window on the oven door.  It sort of looked like a sparkler had been placed inside.  I just stood there for a second, calmly mind you, wondering what to do.  I quickly turned the oven off and stood back to see what would happen next.  Nothing.  I opened the door to see where exactly the sparks were coming from.  BAD IDEA!!!!!!  It went from sparking to a full on fire!  I shut the door quickly and watched as the inside of the oven was nothing but bright orange.  I knew that water is not what you use on electrical fires and that flour is used for a grease fire.  My only option was to use the fire extinguisher.  Two sprays and the fire finally died out, but I could have never imagined the disaster zone that would have resulted from this choice.  The stuff that came out of the extinguisher was like a powder.  Two squirts COVERED my kitchen, living room, and trickled into the bedrooms even though I ran and shut the doors.  I could not breath and Sammy was rubbing his eyes.  I ran and put him in the back yard then went back in and opened all the doors and windows.  It was unreal!  I am standing there on the back patio counting all the times that day I had been happy because my house was so clean.  I just stood there for a minute as I watched the powder billow out of my house into the clean outdoors.  What to do, what to do.  I called my mom and told her what happened and she told me to bring Sammy over.  Actually her first response was laughter!  It was good though because I needed to laugh.  It really was quite Lucille Ballish.  Anyway, I dropped Sammy off and went back home to clean up.  Jordan got home from school and walked in to our powdered filled house and got right to work.  He was so sweet about the whole thing. We were wiping down everything.  Walls, floors, blinds, cabinets, furniture, dishes, bed linens, baseboards.  Strangely, through the whole thing I never cried or anything.  Only once did I loose it and might have let a curse word slip when my vacuum cleaner stopped working half way through the cleaning up process.  Other than that my spirits stayed relatively high.  I think I was just retreating into my happy place.  I don't know.  Our house is about 2/3 of the way back to normal.  I still have some wiping down to do in the studio, bathrooms, and my bedroom.  I look back now and laugh at the fact that I thought fish sticks would easier!!!!!  If only I had made spaghetti.......

Experiment #1 Update

Yesterday went really well!  Sarah and Luke came over around 10:00 and we started out with everyone playing in Sammy's room.  They all sort of did their own thing at first, which was fine.  The fact that Sammy was letting them play with his toys at all was impressive.  After about 15 minutes of that Sammy decided to join Luke who was playing with the car garage.  Much to my surprise Sammy sat down nicely beside him and they played TOGETHER for at least 10 minutes.  I whipped out the camera so I could have this moment documented.  Then we moved on to movie time.  I sat them down with their own bowl of goldfish and instructed them to eat only from the bowl in front of them.  I then inserted the movie "If Only I Had A Green Nose" (Max Lucado video which is actually really cute)and walked into the other room.  I waited for screaming and yelling to ensue brought on know doubt by my son dipping his paw into Sarah and Luke's snack bowl, but it never happened.  Sammy did not bother their snacks once!!!  Thank you God!  So we were nearing the end of the the play-date when Luke and Sarah decided the wanted to play with Sammy's little kitchen.  Well......Sammy was none to sure about that. So he walked up to them, turned his body to the side and used his hip to wedge himself between the two of them.  He then planted his back against the kitchen and spread his arms the length of it preventing them from playing.  There was no violence involved, just a very clear point being made that this was his kitchen and he had not given them permission to play with it.  I had to pull him away several times and he finally gave in.  Other than that, it was a success and we will be doing it more often.  In fact I already have another friend scheduled to come over Monday morning.  Oh, and Sammy cried when Luke and Sarah left.  So sweet!

Coolest Logo Ever!

So Kristin and I thought that it was important that we give this orphan outreach program a name, but we have just been stumped.  We were meeting with our pastor Monday and he suggested "O2", which represents the double "O" in orphan outreach.  I thought that was brilliant!  So I started doing some internet searching for a graphic to go along with that.  I found one on this great website called www.istockphoto.com.  You pay a certain amount for an illustration and then download it onto your computer.  My brother-in-law is a whiz with graphics stuff, so I told him which one I wanted and then also told him how I would like to manipulate it to fit the look I was going for.  He took my suggestions and whipped out the most awesome result.  It's a little abstract, but we want people to have to ask questions.  Especially if we have t-shirts made.  Anything that can start a conversation is great.  The only problem is that "O2" is the symbol for oxygen and I don't know how that really ties in.  I choose not to worry about that right now.  Let me know what you think!

I hate to admit it....

but my son is a shover and a grabber!  I don't quite know what to do.  Do you remember those days when you didn't have kids and you silently judged a parent by how their child behaved in public?  I remember all too well.  Let me say one word "karma"!  Those of you who have met Sammy know that he is a sweet little boy and can just light up a room with his smile.  But let me introduce you to the child he becomes when other little children are in his range of motion.  So it's like this.  We walk into church Sunday and Sammy bolts for the fish tank at the children's desk.  Not a problem.  Looking at the fish, good.  Shoving three older kids twice his size out of the way so he can get a front row view of the aquatic life, not good!  Suddenly you go in to panic mode.  It's almost as if you haven't parented this child a day in your life.  Your brain starts spazzing out and you forget the brilliant intervention plan you had formulated for moments just as these.  So you switch to the default setting and calmly tell your child that they do not touch their friends.  I somehow quickly convince myself that Sammy will realize that about a billion eyes are on us(not really, but you assume that the world stops and turns when your child acts up) and will decide to make a good impression on the people.  Instead it's almost as if Sammy looks at me and contemplates whose idea is better.  His- be right up at the glass and charge the other children a fee to catch a glimpse, OR mine- wait your stinking turn!  Yep, you guessed it.  He chose his idea.  So, default setting number two.  Remove him from the situation and take him straight to Sunday school class.  Drop him off in class which turns in to him wailing for Mommy and Daddy(major separation anxiety these days).  We were somehow able to focus during church and the service was amazing.  We leave the service pumped!  Walk back to Sammy's class and see him sweetly playing in a corner of the room.  He sees us and runs (cue music) to our open arms.   Without really thinking, the following words fly from my mouth.."so, were there massive amounts of pushing today?".  Why did i have to ask.  I tried so very hard to real the words back in before the bait hit the water, but it was too late!  Why Heather, WHY????????  The teacher said that Sammy and one other little girl pretty much shoved and grabbed from each other the whole time!  She also said that Sammy kept trying to take everyone else's snacks.  You sort of want to crawl under a rock when you hear that kind of stuff.  It's embarrassing!  You want to scream "I swear I discipline him!".  Sammy was a doll the rest of the day, but I kept racking my brain trying to figure out why he behaves like this.  I know that he is an only child and is very territorial.  He has also been pushed  and shoved by other children quite a bit in his little life and has probably figured that if he wants to survive he better learn how to defend himself.  Or I guess it's more like he thinks he should just walk into the room and shove you so you know up front not to mess with him.  The reason I share this story is so that perhaps you mothers of boys out there could give me some insight on what to do.  It would be easier if this was a problem we had to deal with daily.  If he was receiving constant instruction on not pushing or grabbing from his friends, then the rule might stick.  But once or twice a week at church is not getting through.  I thought that maybe if I had some of his little buddies over to our house every once in a while, it might help him learn to share.  So, tomorrow morning my friend Kristin is bringing over her 2 and 3 year old.  Don't be afraid for me!  Her kids are really sweet and it's only for an hour and a half.  I guess we can call this experiment number 1.  I will let you know how it goes.

Exciting News

My friend Kristin and I are going to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida May 1-3 for the Summit IV Christian Alliance For Orphans Conference.  It is basically a training seminar for churches who want to start an orphan/foster program. (http://www.christianalliancefororphans.org/)  Kristin's sister has a condo out there so we will have someone to stay with AND someone to drive us around town.  We are totally pumped about all the wonderful breakout sessions as well as the free time we will have WITHOUT kids!  I love my baby more than words can say, but I feel like some time away will be good for me.  Kristin has four kids so I'm sure some time away will be nice for her too!  

Also, we sent our orphan ministry presentation to our pastor and he has given us the "thumbs up", but has a few questions.  We are going to sit down with him in person Monday so please pray that we can clearly answer the questions he has and that we will all feel united in our purpose by the end of the meeting.  I am excited to see how God is going to use this ministry in our church body and excited to see how my relationship with Christ will grown through this process as well.  Already He has given confirmation that we are on the right track.  You know the adoption fund we are wanting to start?  Well, Kristin's in-laws have already committed to give a generous donation once the fund is up and running!  It gave me chills when Kristin called to tell me this.  It was almost like God was nodding His head yes to what we are doing.   

Any of you have some tips on Ft. Lauderdale?  I've never been there before and I am not sure what to expect.

Tornado

Did any of you feel the winds of April 10th?  We were sleeping when we woke to the sound of sirens going off.  It was about 3 a.m.  I knew that some possibly severe storms were supposed to hit about that time, but really wasn't all that concerned.  Just to be safe though I had put blankets, shoes, flashlight and 2 candles in the bathroom before we went to bed that night.  Waking up to the sirens was a bit eerie, especially since it was perfectly calm outside.  I told my husband to go ahead and get dressed just in case we needed to head for the bathroom.  I was just about to get Sammy out of bed when the sirens stopped.  I hesitated for a few seconds, but then decided I would get Sammy anyway.  As soon as we walked into the bathroom the wind started up.  We climbed into the bathtub and sat down right as the electricity went out.  The wind started shaking our house and we  could hear the lights in the bathroom ceiling rattling around.  The sound we heard was like a freight train tearing through our house.  I was just clinging to Sammy crying and silently saying "surly Lord this is not the way you are going to take us"!  I didn't know how to protect my baby.  I felt so helpless!  Jordan just started praying, and within 3-4 minutes it was over.  Once the sun was up, we went outside to survey the damage.  Thankfully it was minimal (at our house anyway).  Part of our fence was blown over, and the tree in our front yard was destroyed.  The stop sign across the street was bent to the ground and several neighbors had their trees literally uproot and fall over in the their yards.  I am not one who usually fears the weather.  I actually get a thrill out of storms.  But, this was like no storm I had ever seen before and there was nothing thrilling about it.  We are so thankful that none of our family or friends were hurt.  From now on I will take a threat of a storm very seriously....like the one they are predicting for tonight!  YIKES!!!!!!!!!!  

Cutest Smile!

So Sammy has this one Baby Einstein dvd that cracks him up every stinkin' time he watches it.  I put it in and then got the camera out and took a couple of pictures because he was so excited about the video that he would actually look at me and smile when I called his name(rare for a 2 year old).  Later on in the afternoon we were in the car heading towards home when he fell asleep.  He had been out for 5 minutes or so when I heard him laughing.  I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that he was laughing in his sleep!  It was the funniest thing.  It is normal for him to start belly laughing unexpectedly throughout the day when he has watched this video.  I guess he remembers the silly parts and just can't help himself.  Anyway, I put him in bed when I got home and then about an hour later I hear him cracking up again.  STILL ASLEEP!!!  Thirty minuets after that more laughing, only this time he woke himself up.  Short nap, but at least he was in a good mood!  What a little doll baby he is!

An adoption/foster thought

My friend Becca sent me an article this morning and I wanted to share it with all of you.   http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/072207dnmetfoster.210016b.html If you have read my posts then you are aware of the orphan ministry that I am helping start at our church.  God has really been working on my heart concerning this and I was even more convicted after reading the article that this is definitely the direction our church needs to take.  If we as Christians support the sanctity of life, then we MUST support the needs of the foster children and orphan children in the world.  I believe with all my heart that if the church isn't actively involved in doing this we are seriously neglecting the Word of God.  My heart is racing in almost a panic mode as I calculate the millions of children across the world who are in need.  The children in our own community.  What are we doing about it?  I realize that not everyone can afford to adopt, but think outside of the box.  There are a million other things we can do.  Although, with the tax credit refund of up to $11,000 and all the grants you can apply for, adoption can be somewhat affordable.  BUT, even if you don't feel like adoption is for you,  you can still support that cause in other ways.  You may think that I am being preachy, but there are few things that I can say I have known beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was specifically leading me towards; and this is one of them.  I am speaking to myself as well as any who will listen.  Just because we have adopted does not mean we are now exempt from any orphan responsibilities.  God did not say help only one child and then you are done.  Our participation needs to be life long and needs to reach outside the boundaries of our home.   All I ask, is that all of us would seriously pray and ask God if there is something He is wanting us to do.  That could be, financially contributing to an orphanage or a specific family who is adopting.  It could be finding a family who is caring for foster kids and committing to praying for them as they strive to live out the love of Christ for these children.  It could be, volunteering to go hold the infants and toddlers at some local shelters for abused, neglected and abandoned children.  It could even be adopting or fostering in your own home.  Just ask God what He would have you do. Thank you friends for letting me share my heart!  Take some time and watch this video I found on You Tube if you can, and after you do, I'd like to ask you to pray for some good friends of ours, Jill and Kenny, as they embark on the journey of adopting from Africa.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRZQray_Ng0

Grandmother's 80th

Every Tuesday my mom, sister, and me (along with the kids) have lunch with my Grandmother. We go to her house and she always makes us something super yummy.  It's one of those things where the week just feels off if we don't get together.   Well this week is my Grandmother's 80th birthday so we decided that we would cook for HER this time.  We decided that lunch would be at Angela's so Grandmother did not have to clean up her house or think about washing dishes and whatnot.  We wanted to make something special but not too difficult because Angela and I don't have much luck with fancy recipes.

To be perfectly honest, we don't have much luck with easy recipes either.  We are the only two people in the world that can screw up a cookie recipe called "No Fail Sugar Cookies".  Yes, it's true.  Jordan took one bite of our no fail cookie and ran straight to the trash and spit it out.  I swear there is no elaboration to the story.  It is fully accurate...right Angela? Anyway, This is the menu that we came up with.  

Parmesan Chicken with mixed greens coated in a lemon vinaigrette dressing (recipe can be found at www.foodnetwork.com and it's the one done by The Barefoot Contessa).  This looks fancy, but it is really easy and tastes amazing!

Then we served Potatoes au Gratin from Omaha Steaks as the side dish.

As a fun drink, Angela got a Blueberry Pomegranate Sparkling Lemonade from Whole Foods.  It was amazing!

Then for dessert we had Lemon Cake with fresh raspberries (Whole Foods as well) and coffee.

My Grandmother had a wonderful time and we really enjoyed treating her.

Angela, Grandmother, Me, Mom

(Emma, who is only 4 years old, is the one who actually took this picture.  I did a little cropping, but we asked her to make sure all of our heads were on the view screen and she was on top of it.  I was really impressed.)

Emma and Sammy chillin' in front of the t.v. while we cooked for Grandmother

Sammy trying to escape Emma's death grip....I mean...hug?

Sammy dreaming of the day when he's not the only boy at the weekly lunch date.

Farm Day

Yesterday was farm day!  We loaded up in Auntie Angela's van along with Cousin Emma, Grandma and Great-Grandmother.  Our destination, the Peter's farm in the Whitesboro/Sherman area .  The Peter's (Paul and Carol) are long time friends of my Grandmother and had invited the kids out to see the baby cows and chicks.  By 9:00 we were on the road.  We knew the weather was going to be a bit colder than it had been the day before, but we never expected it to be as cold as it was!  Once we got to the farm and unloaded ourselves from the van, the cold air was like a slap in the face.  Also the wind was intense due to all the open space. Thankfully we had packed warmish clothes for the kids.  

So we started out with the Guinea Hens.  As soon as Emma and Sammy's feet hit the ground they were chasing those little things all over the place.  Sammy was beaming!  Next came the chickens. Let me tell you people, my son loves himself some chickens!  He was fascinated.  The chickens (and Turkeys)  were all stirred up because he was standing there, but he thought it was funny.  He would stick his fingers through the chicken wire causing all the chickens to freak out.  Then he would turn and look at me with this huge grin on his face.  No matter what we tried to entice him with, nothing was as wonderful as chickens.  

Things we tried to entice him with:

Cat- We went into the barn where one of the cats was hiding and tried coaxing the poor thing out from under a tractor.  Sammy loves cats (at least pictures of them) so I thought this would be fun for him.  Anyway we knelt down on the hay strewn floor saying "here kitty, kitty" when I realized my sweet clean son was kneeling on a dead mouse!!!!!!!!!  Looking for a cat in the barn.....not such a good idea.  We fled the scene.

 

 

Dog ("Easy")- Sammy did like Easy, but he also like climbing in Easy's bed.  While it was not my preference that he be rolling around in a dog bed, I allowed it anyway.  Boys need to be boys.

Baby Cows- Mostly he was scared of the little things because Emma kept chasing them with a bottle and they were getting all riled up resulting in a baby cow sized stampede.  Sammy was out of there!

Baby Chicks-

These guys were adorable, but they were in sort of a crate thing with chicken wire over the top and heating lamps shining down on them so I couldn't get a good picture.  Sammy was more intrigued with the lamps than the chickens themselves and even the interest in the lamp wasn't all that great.  I think maybe he was just trying to get warm!

Tractor- Now I thought for sure that he would want to sit on the tractor and move the steering wheel around.  No sir!  He wanted DOWN.

No my friends, this boy was a true chicken lover.

Each time he broke free from my grasp he ran straight for the coop.  It really was precious.  I loved watching the fascination in his eyes.

We were only outside for maybe 45 minutes and then had to retreat indoors to warm up.  All in all it was a n

eat experience, but we all agreed that we should come back when it's warmer so the kids can just run and play for a couple of hours.  We can't wait!