How is your marriage?
I feel like I have a wonderful marriage. Perfect? Goodness NO! Yet, it’s still wonderful.
Just this morning I read a great post at The Better Mom about feeling like the grass is greener on the other side of other marriages. and I wonder how often people compare their own marriages to others?
I’m ashamed to admit that I have. But not because I think that THEIR grass is greener, but I felt like OUR grass was greener...
Okay, I know that it’s not right to compare our marriage to others, and it’s especially not right to think that my marriage is better then everyone’s around me but in the last 3 years I have seen too many marriages around me end, or if they are together still they are hanging by a sliver and I don’t know how to help. We have lived in our house for 3 years now, and have seen 3 marriages end. That seems crazy to me! And the few just barely holding on scare me, I don’t want to see any more marriages end. Especially those close to us.
But here’s the thing. My husband and I aren’t in a great marriage by accident. It didn’t just happen over night, and it isn’t always easy. We work very hard at having what we have. We water our “grass”. Actually we water, fertilize, mow, and pull weeds. Even when stubborn me would rather not. Do we still have fights? Yes. The work on our marriage is far from over. Actually, it will NEVER end. Just like you have to do your laundry or wash your dishes everyday or the tasks become out of control, you have to work on your marriage everyday so it doesn’t become out of control.
Marriage is no easy task. And even when we care for our marriage it won’t always be great. Life happens, and when the tough stuff comes up you might have to re-evaluate your approach on HOW you care for your marriage. We are always growing. So are our marriages, so we need to assume that the way we care for our marriage needs to grow and adapt too. What works today might not work tomorrow. Continue to evaluate the needs of your spouse and marriage. And talk to your spouse about how they feel about how your marriage is. Make sure you’re both on the same page. Communication is huge!
Courtney from Women Living well has a “10 days to a Godly Marriage” series starting, along with other posts and vlogs on marriage. And Darlene over at Time Warp Wife has a “31 days of love” challenge, posts from both her and contributing bloggers. I have found wonderful, encouraging advice from both!
Take the time to nurture and care for your marriage. Take the time to soak in the importance of keeping that relationship strong. Think of the vows you have taken. Husband & Wife. It’s a beautiful relationship, don’t ever forget that.
I don’t want to be the only house with “green grass”. :)
Have any advice on keeping your marriage strong, share in the comments!
Smiles, Blessing, and HAPPY MARRIAGES :)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Precious or a Pain?
Life has been very busy lately. I mean life is always busy, but more so in the last few weeks.
I am still learning how to be a home schooling mama, how to lesson plan and teach the kids. How to keep them focused and happy throughout our school day. And then of course there is the daily chores to keep up with. Oh, and not to mention my Autumn indoor/outdoor clean-up list that we've barely begun! And now of course it's hockey season. And with 2 of the 3 boys playing this year we are at the rink Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, every other Friday, Saturday & Sunday. WHOA! And this doesn't even scratch the surface. There's still appointments, commitments of mine or my husbands, errands to run, ect. There's a lot going on, and I am starting to feel the drain and stress from it all. Me, and so many other parents who have so much on their plate feel the drain and stress from it all. So where does this leave us? For myself it's left me tired, disorganized, and quite frankly - grumpy. This is not how I like to feel, and certainly not how I want my family to see me.
So how do I deal with this type of stress? Not well apparently.
On Friday evening, after a very long day Jaxon had hockey. Mike was still at work which meant it was up to me to get everyone ready and out the door. The kids were tired, I was tired. Tyson didn't even want to leave the house, BUT we have the commitment of hockey and we follow through. Once we're at the arena I feel frustrated. Jaxon only being 5 still needs me to put his equipment on, but Tyson wanted to be held. And Ryan was complaining of being hungry, even though we just ate supper. I can't hold Tyson while I do Jaxon's equipment, so Tyson sat on the bench crying. And Ryan sat there complaining. It's then that I really noticed my tone of voice. It was that "mommy's not in the mood, and you're driving me mental" voice. And it didn't sound nice. It's also then that I noticed my 8 year old using that same tone of voice when addressing his brothers. Eeck, definitely not the way I want to treat my kids. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that a 2 year old has every right to be over tired and want to be held, and 8 year old boys complain of hunger in hopes to get a snack from the concession. That's life. DEEP BREATH! DEEP BREATH! DEEP BREATH!
After a few minutes of Jaxon being on the ice, Mike was able to meet us at the rink, and I took a very tired Tyson home and let Mike finish up with the practice.
Once I was home I could not stop thinking of this tone of voice that I tend to use in frustrating or stressful situations. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about how often that mean mommy voice creeps out. I know I'm not the only parent who does this, I could hear other parents all around me acting in the same manner. In fact, at one point I actually heard 3 moms comparing whose children were worse (in front of said children) . Yes, you read that right. WORSE. Is this how parents behave? Our children have become an obnoxious pain, and not the precious jewels they are intended to be?
I don't have the right to let my frustration or stress rule situations with my children. It doesn't build positive character or confidence in a person to have someone speak with a harsh tone every time they are annoyed. And it doesn't teach my precious little ones how to positively handle their own stresses.
So my goal is to make sure that my own stress and frustration don't change the way I interact with my kids. When things are normal and everyone is in a good mood we all talk nicely and positively towards each other. This doesn't need to change just because I'm tired. I will ask myself "Is this the way I would want to be spoken to?" If my answer is NO, then it's time to take a DEEP BREATH and start again. I want my kids to always know, they are PRECIOUS. And NOT a pain!
I am still learning how to be a home schooling mama, how to lesson plan and teach the kids. How to keep them focused and happy throughout our school day. And then of course there is the daily chores to keep up with. Oh, and not to mention my Autumn indoor/outdoor clean-up list that we've barely begun! And now of course it's hockey season. And with 2 of the 3 boys playing this year we are at the rink Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, every other Friday, Saturday & Sunday. WHOA! And this doesn't even scratch the surface. There's still appointments, commitments of mine or my husbands, errands to run, ect. There's a lot going on, and I am starting to feel the drain and stress from it all. Me, and so many other parents who have so much on their plate feel the drain and stress from it all. So where does this leave us? For myself it's left me tired, disorganized, and quite frankly - grumpy. This is not how I like to feel, and certainly not how I want my family to see me.
So how do I deal with this type of stress? Not well apparently.
On Friday evening, after a very long day Jaxon had hockey. Mike was still at work which meant it was up to me to get everyone ready and out the door. The kids were tired, I was tired. Tyson didn't even want to leave the house, BUT we have the commitment of hockey and we follow through. Once we're at the arena I feel frustrated. Jaxon only being 5 still needs me to put his equipment on, but Tyson wanted to be held. And Ryan was complaining of being hungry, even though we just ate supper. I can't hold Tyson while I do Jaxon's equipment, so Tyson sat on the bench crying. And Ryan sat there complaining. It's then that I really noticed my tone of voice. It was that "mommy's not in the mood, and you're driving me mental" voice. And it didn't sound nice. It's also then that I noticed my 8 year old using that same tone of voice when addressing his brothers. Eeck, definitely not the way I want to treat my kids. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that a 2 year old has every right to be over tired and want to be held, and 8 year old boys complain of hunger in hopes to get a snack from the concession. That's life. DEEP BREATH! DEEP BREATH! DEEP BREATH!
After a few minutes of Jaxon being on the ice, Mike was able to meet us at the rink, and I took a very tired Tyson home and let Mike finish up with the practice.
Once I was home I could not stop thinking of this tone of voice that I tend to use in frustrating or stressful situations. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about how often that mean mommy voice creeps out. I know I'm not the only parent who does this, I could hear other parents all around me acting in the same manner. In fact, at one point I actually heard 3 moms comparing whose children were worse (in front of said children) . Yes, you read that right. WORSE. Is this how parents behave? Our children have become an obnoxious pain, and not the precious jewels they are intended to be?
I don't have the right to let my frustration or stress rule situations with my children. It doesn't build positive character or confidence in a person to have someone speak with a harsh tone every time they are annoyed. And it doesn't teach my precious little ones how to positively handle their own stresses.
So my goal is to make sure that my own stress and frustration don't change the way I interact with my kids. When things are normal and everyone is in a good mood we all talk nicely and positively towards each other. This doesn't need to change just because I'm tired. I will ask myself "Is this the way I would want to be spoken to?" If my answer is NO, then it's time to take a DEEP BREATH and start again. I want my kids to always know, they are PRECIOUS. And NOT a pain!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Stop. Breathe. Pray.
What a week... And it's only Monday! It's days like today that I think if there were a reset button, I just might push it. Not to reset my life or anything, just the day. Or maybe the week... ;)
Things started getting tough when Saturday through the night I started getting sick. Like stomach flu sick. Yuck! I was up most of the night not feeling well, but was comforted knowing that my hubby would take over the kiddos in the morning while I tried to recoup. (He's awesome like that!) But around 7:00am Sunday (after maybe 2 hours of broken sleep) I heard my little ones wake up. Jaxon came into our room and informed me that Tyson didn't feel good. Uh-oh, this can't be good. Tyson couldn't even make it to my room to tell me himself like he usually would. My first thought was that he had the same stomach flu I was experiencing. But once I saw him I knew it was worse then that. Our poor little Ty was white as a ghost, struggling to breathe normally, and his heart rate was increased past what his "safe range" is, and he couldn't hold up his own head. So, off to the hospital we went. After tests we found out that he has a pretty severe lung infection, which was causing some issues to his heart. And for some reason his body wasn't responding in the typical way a body does when it senses there's an infection. He had no fever so the doctor couldn't figure out why he couldn't stay awake. He didn't even flinch with the many needles he had gotten. Blood results showed his potassium was extremely low, which apparently was the cause of him being lethargic. So after hours, and some treatment we were able to bring him home with the instructions that on top of the IV antibiotics he received at the hospital he would need to take more at home and to please keep him indoors and resting (away from the germs of others) to keep his heart and lungs happy. Okay- no problem! We went home, and cared for our sweet boy and he was improving! I was still exhausted, but I think all us moms find the energy to keep going, even when we're sick!
So needless to say I didn't sleep well last night, it's hard to fall into a nice deep sleep when you know you have a sick kiddo, and I knew I had to check on his breathing through the night so I sort of just tossed and turned. Thankfully Tyson ended up having a good night so YAY!
My plan for today was to do a little bit of school with the kids, but we were all feeling mentally drained so I was keeping everything relaxed and easy. All of a sudden there was loud knocking on the door, as well as the doorbell ringing. Scared the wits out of all of us! Scared me even more when I opened the door to the fire Chief of our town with a mask on yelling for us to evacuate our home immediately due to a dangerous gas leak outside only a few doors down from us. He gave me enough time to get the kids a coat and grab the dog, and get in the van. He told us the complex and the road will be closed until the problem is fixed. The kids were terrified, and I was terrified. In the rush of having to leave so quick I didn't have any Tyson's meds, and with the cool Fall air and no inhalers I was worried. The police blocking the road told me there was no estimated time to how long it would take to gain control of the problem, but that our entire neighborhood was evacuated and to make arrangements of where to go in case we were not able to get back in for the day and/or night. So, there I sat in our van at a nearby lake. Kids terrified, and me a bunch of nerves. I don't have a ton of friends in our town yet, and it just so happens that one of them had the flu in their house, and another has a new baby. Either way I couldn't walk into either with a sick kid, not only would we not want to pass our germs, we can't risk Ty picking up more. Hubby works in the city, about an hour commute but I was worried about going there too for the same reasons. So I sat there in the van and just prayed that the leak wasn't so severe that they couldn't get it sorted out. And you know what? It all worked out. We were able to get back into our house less then 2 hours later, and just in time because Tyson was really needing his meds by then. Our gas still hasn't been turned back on yet but that's OK we're back in our home where we have everything we need.
what a crazy few days! Here's hoping that little man gets better, and that mama can catch up on some rest.
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine
Things started getting tough when Saturday through the night I started getting sick. Like stomach flu sick. Yuck! I was up most of the night not feeling well, but was comforted knowing that my hubby would take over the kiddos in the morning while I tried to recoup. (He's awesome like that!) But around 7:00am Sunday (after maybe 2 hours of broken sleep) I heard my little ones wake up. Jaxon came into our room and informed me that Tyson didn't feel good. Uh-oh, this can't be good. Tyson couldn't even make it to my room to tell me himself like he usually would. My first thought was that he had the same stomach flu I was experiencing. But once I saw him I knew it was worse then that. Our poor little Ty was white as a ghost, struggling to breathe normally, and his heart rate was increased past what his "safe range" is, and he couldn't hold up his own head. So, off to the hospital we went. After tests we found out that he has a pretty severe lung infection, which was causing some issues to his heart. And for some reason his body wasn't responding in the typical way a body does when it senses there's an infection. He had no fever so the doctor couldn't figure out why he couldn't stay awake. He didn't even flinch with the many needles he had gotten. Blood results showed his potassium was extremely low, which apparently was the cause of him being lethargic. So after hours, and some treatment we were able to bring him home with the instructions that on top of the IV antibiotics he received at the hospital he would need to take more at home and to please keep him indoors and resting (away from the germs of others) to keep his heart and lungs happy. Okay- no problem! We went home, and cared for our sweet boy and he was improving! I was still exhausted, but I think all us moms find the energy to keep going, even when we're sick!
So needless to say I didn't sleep well last night, it's hard to fall into a nice deep sleep when you know you have a sick kiddo, and I knew I had to check on his breathing through the night so I sort of just tossed and turned. Thankfully Tyson ended up having a good night so YAY!
My plan for today was to do a little bit of school with the kids, but we were all feeling mentally drained so I was keeping everything relaxed and easy. All of a sudden there was loud knocking on the door, as well as the doorbell ringing. Scared the wits out of all of us! Scared me even more when I opened the door to the fire Chief of our town with a mask on yelling for us to evacuate our home immediately due to a dangerous gas leak outside only a few doors down from us. He gave me enough time to get the kids a coat and grab the dog, and get in the van. He told us the complex and the road will be closed until the problem is fixed. The kids were terrified, and I was terrified. In the rush of having to leave so quick I didn't have any Tyson's meds, and with the cool Fall air and no inhalers I was worried. The police blocking the road told me there was no estimated time to how long it would take to gain control of the problem, but that our entire neighborhood was evacuated and to make arrangements of where to go in case we were not able to get back in for the day and/or night. So, there I sat in our van at a nearby lake. Kids terrified, and me a bunch of nerves. I don't have a ton of friends in our town yet, and it just so happens that one of them had the flu in their house, and another has a new baby. Either way I couldn't walk into either with a sick kid, not only would we not want to pass our germs, we can't risk Ty picking up more. Hubby works in the city, about an hour commute but I was worried about going there too for the same reasons. So I sat there in the van and just prayed that the leak wasn't so severe that they couldn't get it sorted out. And you know what? It all worked out. We were able to get back into our house less then 2 hours later, and just in time because Tyson was really needing his meds by then. Our gas still hasn't been turned back on yet but that's OK we're back in our home where we have everything we need.
what a crazy few days! Here's hoping that little man gets better, and that mama can catch up on some rest.
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tyson ~The Fighter~
This post is going to be another long one... Sorry again ;)
Also, I will be including a few pictures from Tyson's hospital time that may make a few people squeamish. I've kept out some of the more gruesome pictures, but this is what our sweet boy looked like and I wanted to share that.
January 8, 2009 started out with a very early morning. I was 35 weeks pregnant and had a regular obstetric appointment later in the afternoon, but for some reason I was up when there was still a 5 on the clock! ;)
I felt enticed to pack my hospital bags. I was trying to save it for another few weeks just because it would give me something to do closer to “the time”, but God got me up out of bed way to early with my mission. So, I packed my bags. After my bags were packed I was feeling very unsettled. I woke up feeling that way but I thought after I was done packing I would feel better. No such luck. I felt so anxious, I couldn’t relax.
Finally around 12:30 hubby came home from work because he wanted to be there for the appointment. The kids and I made our way to the van while hubby lugged the hospital bags out. We were backing out of the driveway when he said “Did you think to pack for the boys?” No, I hadn’t. Well that’s not true, I did think about it, but again I wanted to have something to do closer to “the time”. Mike thought it would be best if we quickly grabbed a few things for the boys even though we were already running behind, so I grabbed the necessities and we were off!
Once we got to the doctors office I was still feeling really anxious. I remember when I went to the washroom to do the always lovely urine test, I was praying. “Lord, something doesn’t feel right. I feel anxious and off today. Please, if something is wrong with me or the baby let the doctor pick up on it.” The first clue came when the nurse weighed me. I was down 15 pounds in two weeks – over the Christmas season where there was no shortage of delicious foods and treats. Hmm… weird. Then the doctor joined us. It was our family’s favorite time of the appointment; we were going to hear the heart beat! But as soon as the Doppler was on my stomach I knew something was wrong. In 3 pregnancies I had never heard a baby’s heart beat THAT fast. I could see the concern on the doctor’s face. She said the heart rate was too fast to count. She asked me to lie down and relax a few minutes and that she would try again. Maybe he had just done a big movement in me that increased his heart rate? But in a few minutes when she checked, the results were the same. It was time to head to the hospital for a non-stress test.
Thankfully my parents live nearby and my mom was able to leave work and meet us at her house to take our older boys. Hmm, that overnight bag is sure going to come in handy now!
We made our way up to the labor/delivery floor of the hospital where the nurse hooked me up to the monitor. Immediately the alarms were going off. She explained that the monitors trace as high as 250bpm (beats per minute) and his was too high for the machine to trace. Within seconds there was a team of at least 5 doctors in the room with an ultra-sound machine. They wanted to make sure it was in fact the baby’s heart and not that the machine was picking up a combination of both of our heart rates. It was the baby’s. I was taken in immediately for an emergency c-section. It all happened so fast. Our original doctor’s appointment was at 1:30, I don’t remember what time we got to the hospital, but Tyson was born by 3:15pm.
A very quick look at our sweet new boy, before he was taken to the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit).
The doctors had no idea what was wrong with Tyson. His little heart was still racing. Sitting between 200-300bpm. I was still stuck in my postpartum room recovering from the c-section and couldn't see him, so Mike and the doctor would go back and forth to try and fill me in one how he was doing. I remember that finally at almost midnight the nurse could finally take me over to the NICU in my wheelchair to see Tyson. This was the first time I could actually LOOK at him. I just sat there and stared. I don't know for how long. He looked so perfect. How could his body not be working?
Through the night Tyson didn't do so well. By morning it was obvious to the doctors that he needed to be transferred to a hospital with a higher level intensive care where there were cardiologists around 24/7. So the Neo-Natal transfer team came and took him to another hospital in the city. Hubby went with Tyson, I filled out the forms to release myself. No way was I staying in the hospital with my baby leaving.
-First time I was allowed to hold Tyson, 5 days old!
Days went by without any doctor being able to figure out what was going on. They were calling the problem Atrial Flutter, but there were no meds that would work for him. He was having to be cardio-verted daily (the panels on your chest to re-start your heart) and one day had it done multiple times. Nothing was working for our sweet boy, and during the night on January 19 Tyson went into heart failure. We were called into the hospital (parents can not stay over night on this unit) and it was the longest 1 hour drive EVER! The neo-natologist that was caring for Tyson met us outside of the unit before we could see him to let us know what was going on. Because his heart could no longer pump blood properly and was racing so fast his lower organs and limbs were suffering. He was having internal bleeding, his lungs were full of water and they STILL had no idea why this was happening. By this point in our journey they doctors and specialists were already consulting with other cardiologists from all over north America. Nobody had heard of this happening this way. Usually these symptoms were given a diagnosis pretty quickly. Finally Dr.Patton (Ty's cardiologist and just an amazing man)came to preform an ECHO (heart ultrasound) himself. Ty had at least 1 a day since being born, mostly by the techs. It was at this point he could finally see what was happening. Tyson had a Corarctation of the aorta, this means his aorta (your main artery) was narrowing. Typically a newborns aorta measures around 6-7mm wide. Tyson's was less then 2mm, and closing. And because each baby is born with a hole in their heart that naturally closes after a few weeks called a 'ductus' they couldn't see the problem. Tyson's ductus still being open was actually what was keeping him alive. But, it had now closed. Hence the heart failure. The artery was now too narrowed to supply blood to his entire lower body. Tyson would need heart surgery ASAP, but in a different city. But because he was so unstable, they couldn't fly him. There was one choice left. There is a drug that if administered soon after the ductus closes, it can re-open it. The doctor explained that this was our last hope. If this drug couldn't work, Tyson would not make it through another night. It was a long shot, because generally the babies that they use this on are premature and when their ductus begins closing too early, they can use the meds. On a almost full term baby who's ductus was already closed, they couldn't predict an out come. The drug was administered into a main artery with the ultrasound machine on his heart. If this was going to work it would be within 15 minutes, and they would see the change happen. With my husband and I beside Tyson's bassinet, and about 15 doctors and nurses surrounding us we waited. I have never in my life prayed as hard as I did in that time waiting. And I will never, ever forget the sounds of the doctors sighs of relief when they all watched Tyson's ductus re-open in front of their eyes. It was a miracle! Tyson was far from safe still, but at least now there was hope to make the trip to the Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton, Alberta where they preform the serious pediatric heart surgeries.
Tyson, about 15 minutes after having his ductus re-opened!
We finally made our way to Edmonton a few days later when Tyson was stable enough to fly. We had an amazing surgeon explain what needed done, and also explained that there were a few other "small" issues with Tyson's heart. Nothing that is effecting him at the moment, but later in life can become a problem. They were going to attempt to go in through Tyson's back, between ribs to preform his surgery. It would mean a better recovery, but also makes it easier for future open heart surgeries to not have to go through scar tissue. He assured us that he would do everything he could possibly do to fix the problem at hand. And, he did! Tyson made it through his first surgery at 22 days old, and everything went beautifully! He still had a long road to recovery, and still would need time in the NICU, but our beautiful baby boy was no longer struggling to hold on to life.
First cuddle a few days after surgery!
Tyson had a few more weeks of time in the NICU where he healed and gained a bit of weight. And then, finally after 6 long weeks we got to bring him home!
Our beautiful boy, and his beautiful scar.
God has big plans for Tyson. I can just feel it. His rough times, and his medical problems are far from over, we still are dealing with new issues all the time. But I can see God working in this little boy, who is now over 2 and a half! He has surpassed every single doctors expectations. He has someone much "bigger" working on him!
I'm linked up over at
Also, I will be including a few pictures from Tyson's hospital time that may make a few people squeamish. I've kept out some of the more gruesome pictures, but this is what our sweet boy looked like and I wanted to share that.
January 8, 2009 started out with a very early morning. I was 35 weeks pregnant and had a regular obstetric appointment later in the afternoon, but for some reason I was up when there was still a 5 on the clock! ;)
I felt enticed to pack my hospital bags. I was trying to save it for another few weeks just because it would give me something to do closer to “the time”, but God got me up out of bed way to early with my mission. So, I packed my bags. After my bags were packed I was feeling very unsettled. I woke up feeling that way but I thought after I was done packing I would feel better. No such luck. I felt so anxious, I couldn’t relax.
Finally around 12:30 hubby came home from work because he wanted to be there for the appointment. The kids and I made our way to the van while hubby lugged the hospital bags out. We were backing out of the driveway when he said “Did you think to pack for the boys?” No, I hadn’t. Well that’s not true, I did think about it, but again I wanted to have something to do closer to “the time”. Mike thought it would be best if we quickly grabbed a few things for the boys even though we were already running behind, so I grabbed the necessities and we were off!
Once we got to the doctors office I was still feeling really anxious. I remember when I went to the washroom to do the always lovely urine test, I was praying. “Lord, something doesn’t feel right. I feel anxious and off today. Please, if something is wrong with me or the baby let the doctor pick up on it.” The first clue came when the nurse weighed me. I was down 15 pounds in two weeks – over the Christmas season where there was no shortage of delicious foods and treats. Hmm… weird. Then the doctor joined us. It was our family’s favorite time of the appointment; we were going to hear the heart beat! But as soon as the Doppler was on my stomach I knew something was wrong. In 3 pregnancies I had never heard a baby’s heart beat THAT fast. I could see the concern on the doctor’s face. She said the heart rate was too fast to count. She asked me to lie down and relax a few minutes and that she would try again. Maybe he had just done a big movement in me that increased his heart rate? But in a few minutes when she checked, the results were the same. It was time to head to the hospital for a non-stress test.
Thankfully my parents live nearby and my mom was able to leave work and meet us at her house to take our older boys. Hmm, that overnight bag is sure going to come in handy now!
We made our way up to the labor/delivery floor of the hospital where the nurse hooked me up to the monitor. Immediately the alarms were going off. She explained that the monitors trace as high as 250bpm (beats per minute) and his was too high for the machine to trace. Within seconds there was a team of at least 5 doctors in the room with an ultra-sound machine. They wanted to make sure it was in fact the baby’s heart and not that the machine was picking up a combination of both of our heart rates. It was the baby’s. I was taken in immediately for an emergency c-section. It all happened so fast. Our original doctor’s appointment was at 1:30, I don’t remember what time we got to the hospital, but Tyson was born by 3:15pm.
The doctors had no idea what was wrong with Tyson. His little heart was still racing. Sitting between 200-300bpm. I was still stuck in my postpartum room recovering from the c-section and couldn't see him, so Mike and the doctor would go back and forth to try and fill me in one how he was doing. I remember that finally at almost midnight the nurse could finally take me over to the NICU in my wheelchair to see Tyson. This was the first time I could actually LOOK at him. I just sat there and stared. I don't know for how long. He looked so perfect. How could his body not be working?
Days went by without any doctor being able to figure out what was going on. They were calling the problem Atrial Flutter, but there were no meds that would work for him. He was having to be cardio-verted daily (the panels on your chest to re-start your heart) and one day had it done multiple times. Nothing was working for our sweet boy, and during the night on January 19 Tyson went into heart failure. We were called into the hospital (parents can not stay over night on this unit) and it was the longest 1 hour drive EVER! The neo-natologist that was caring for Tyson met us outside of the unit before we could see him to let us know what was going on. Because his heart could no longer pump blood properly and was racing so fast his lower organs and limbs were suffering. He was having internal bleeding, his lungs were full of water and they STILL had no idea why this was happening. By this point in our journey they doctors and specialists were already consulting with other cardiologists from all over north America. Nobody had heard of this happening this way. Usually these symptoms were given a diagnosis pretty quickly. Finally Dr.Patton (Ty's cardiologist and just an amazing man)came to preform an ECHO (heart ultrasound) himself. Ty had at least 1 a day since being born, mostly by the techs. It was at this point he could finally see what was happening. Tyson had a Corarctation of the aorta, this means his aorta (your main artery) was narrowing. Typically a newborns aorta measures around 6-7mm wide. Tyson's was less then 2mm, and closing. And because each baby is born with a hole in their heart that naturally closes after a few weeks called a 'ductus' they couldn't see the problem. Tyson's ductus still being open was actually what was keeping him alive. But, it had now closed. Hence the heart failure. The artery was now too narrowed to supply blood to his entire lower body. Tyson would need heart surgery ASAP, but in a different city. But because he was so unstable, they couldn't fly him. There was one choice left. There is a drug that if administered soon after the ductus closes, it can re-open it. The doctor explained that this was our last hope. If this drug couldn't work, Tyson would not make it through another night. It was a long shot, because generally the babies that they use this on are premature and when their ductus begins closing too early, they can use the meds. On a almost full term baby who's ductus was already closed, they couldn't predict an out come. The drug was administered into a main artery with the ultrasound machine on his heart. If this was going to work it would be within 15 minutes, and they would see the change happen. With my husband and I beside Tyson's bassinet, and about 15 doctors and nurses surrounding us we waited. I have never in my life prayed as hard as I did in that time waiting. And I will never, ever forget the sounds of the doctors sighs of relief when they all watched Tyson's ductus re-open in front of their eyes. It was a miracle! Tyson was far from safe still, but at least now there was hope to make the trip to the Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton, Alberta where they preform the serious pediatric heart surgeries.
We finally made our way to Edmonton a few days later when Tyson was stable enough to fly. We had an amazing surgeon explain what needed done, and also explained that there were a few other "small" issues with Tyson's heart. Nothing that is effecting him at the moment, but later in life can become a problem. They were going to attempt to go in through Tyson's back, between ribs to preform his surgery. It would mean a better recovery, but also makes it easier for future open heart surgeries to not have to go through scar tissue. He assured us that he would do everything he could possibly do to fix the problem at hand. And, he did! Tyson made it through his first surgery at 22 days old, and everything went beautifully! He still had a long road to recovery, and still would need time in the NICU, but our beautiful baby boy was no longer struggling to hold on to life.
Tyson had a few more weeks of time in the NICU where he healed and gained a bit of weight. And then, finally after 6 long weeks we got to bring him home!
God has big plans for Tyson. I can just feel it. His rough times, and his medical problems are far from over, we still are dealing with new issues all the time. But I can see God working in this little boy, who is now over 2 and a half! He has surpassed every single doctors expectations. He has someone much "bigger" working on him!
I'm linked up over at
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Really lovin' this home schoolin'!
I must apologize in advance; this is a long one... :)
So for those of you who don't already know, my husband and I decided that we would start home schooling this year. And so the craziness ensued!;)
It's really weird how life works sometimes. A year ago I couldn't have imagined that I would have what it takes to be a teacher. I never could have believed I was capable. Fast forward a few months and we found out that more then likely, because of Tyson's health issues he would HAVE to be homeschooled. The minute the doctor said this I felt sick to my stomach! Honestly so many thoughts came pouring into my head, not one of them positive. All I could think about was my own failures when I was in school. How could I possibly teach my child/ren what I once lacked or struggled in? So, I started doing research on home schooling in my province. Turns out we live in a great home schooling province. Lot's of choices in school boards and resources. And lots of families near where we live who home school. Some for 20+ years!
Then I took a BIG step back. We have 3 wonderful children. We don't know if it makes sense to send 2 to public school, and keep one home? And while I started thinking about the public school my children were going to attend (our oldest already attending) I started realizing some startling facts about our school. Between larger class sizes and lay offs, things were going to be changing. Boy oh boy did it get me thinking about the type of education I want my children to receive. And more importantly, what type of character we want our children to have.
In 2009 when Tyson was born, our oldest, Ryan was in grade one. After Tyson joined the world he had many health issues and spent a long time in the hospital. He also was air lifted to another city for surgery, so as you can imagine our family life was upside down to say the least. During this time Ryan began to have problems in school. He would disrupt the class and the teacher, and had very little patience for the repetitive lessons. This earned him a pretty quick diagnosis to having ADHD. And because of everything going on, I will be honest I just listened to what the school said and trust that they would know better then we would. I was very vulnerable because of so many things being out of my control.
Ryan ended up being labeled at the school he was in, and was being bullied everyday. So at the schools recommendation we sent Ryan to a different school in town that offered a program for kids with a variety of mental and/or emotional needs, where they could focus on those and not just the educational stuff. As well as a regular public program that they intergrade back into whenever the time is right. This was a great program, and the teachers were amazing in this program. I can't say enough good about them. However, looking back Ryan did not need this program. What he needed was the attention and focus to help him get through the rough family time that had initially started the new behavior. Unfortunately due to oversized classrooms, and his class being a grade 1/2 split the teacher didn't have the time to understand WHY Ryan was acting up. And because we were consumed in what Tyson was going through and in a different city, while the other boys stayed with grandparents we didn't take the time to realize what the truth beneath the surface was. It started to become apparent in the last few months of grade 3 that Ryan doesn't seem to have ADHD. He can focus on a task for a long period of time. He can focus on more then one thing at a time. And his outbursts seemed to be no different then other frustrated 8 year old boys. The only other thing that hasn't seemed to change is that he hates to sit down, but in looking at my own dad and brother they are no different and tend to prefer standing to sitting and might pace every now and again.
During Ryan's time in his program he learned it was sort of an easy way out of doing school. If a student was having a bad day they were encouraged to express themselves through an art project, or to go sit in the "quiet room" that boast a big comfortable chair, books, and Lego. Well, Ryan learned very quickly that if he could pretend his day wasn't so great he wouldn't have to go to his math class with the rest of the grade 3's, he could have a hot chocolate in the quiet room instead. Needless to say, educationally speaking he didn't progress at all in grade 3. This was very frustrating for us because Ryan is very smart. In fact he scored "superior level" on most of his IQ test, and was reading over 3 grade levels higher then his own. We realized something had to change. Over the summer my husband and I had many long talks about what is right for our children’s education. And we had many long talks about their character development and who their peers are. After many, many long conversations, and a whole lot of praying it became very obvious that it was time (past due even) for us to take control over our children’s education.
I contacted wonderful women who is a local home-schooler and is also our area's home school support person and she really helped me see home schooling in a whole new light. I never had a problem with home schooling before, just a problem with the confidence of being able to home school my kids. I really began to dive in after that. After lots of research, and prayer, about how and what I want to teach our kids. How it will affect our household, and how will we achieve our goals. I'm still a newbie and learning new ideas and techniques everyday, but so far - I LOVE HOME SCHOOLING!! We're around 3 weeks in, and it's going so much better then I imagined it could. I fully anticipate rough times ahead, and know that it won’t always run so smooth... But in the meantime, WOW! This is great! And what I felt was already a wonderfully strong bond between my boys and I, has seemed to double! What a blessing! OH- and by the way. All those negative thoughts that bombarded me with the initial suggestion of home school have been replaced with whispers from God telling me how capable I am of teaching and training my children to become everything they are supposed to be!
So THANK YOU to everybody who has supported our decision to home school our kids. Most everyone has been wonderfully understanding and we are so greatful!
And another big THANK YOU to all the awesome bloggers who take the time to blog everything from their day-to-day routines, ideas, blunders, and awesome printables! You have all been a great resource and have kept me inspired by how awesome you all are doing! I appreciate YOU!
"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." -Proverbs 1:8-9
So for those of you who don't already know, my husband and I decided that we would start home schooling this year. And so the craziness ensued!;)
It's really weird how life works sometimes. A year ago I couldn't have imagined that I would have what it takes to be a teacher. I never could have believed I was capable. Fast forward a few months and we found out that more then likely, because of Tyson's health issues he would HAVE to be homeschooled. The minute the doctor said this I felt sick to my stomach! Honestly so many thoughts came pouring into my head, not one of them positive. All I could think about was my own failures when I was in school. How could I possibly teach my child/ren what I once lacked or struggled in? So, I started doing research on home schooling in my province. Turns out we live in a great home schooling province. Lot's of choices in school boards and resources. And lots of families near where we live who home school. Some for 20+ years!
Then I took a BIG step back. We have 3 wonderful children. We don't know if it makes sense to send 2 to public school, and keep one home? And while I started thinking about the public school my children were going to attend (our oldest already attending) I started realizing some startling facts about our school. Between larger class sizes and lay offs, things were going to be changing. Boy oh boy did it get me thinking about the type of education I want my children to receive. And more importantly, what type of character we want our children to have.
In 2009 when Tyson was born, our oldest, Ryan was in grade one. After Tyson joined the world he had many health issues and spent a long time in the hospital. He also was air lifted to another city for surgery, so as you can imagine our family life was upside down to say the least. During this time Ryan began to have problems in school. He would disrupt the class and the teacher, and had very little patience for the repetitive lessons. This earned him a pretty quick diagnosis to having ADHD. And because of everything going on, I will be honest I just listened to what the school said and trust that they would know better then we would. I was very vulnerable because of so many things being out of my control.
Ryan ended up being labeled at the school he was in, and was being bullied everyday. So at the schools recommendation we sent Ryan to a different school in town that offered a program for kids with a variety of mental and/or emotional needs, where they could focus on those and not just the educational stuff. As well as a regular public program that they intergrade back into whenever the time is right. This was a great program, and the teachers were amazing in this program. I can't say enough good about them. However, looking back Ryan did not need this program. What he needed was the attention and focus to help him get through the rough family time that had initially started the new behavior. Unfortunately due to oversized classrooms, and his class being a grade 1/2 split the teacher didn't have the time to understand WHY Ryan was acting up. And because we were consumed in what Tyson was going through and in a different city, while the other boys stayed with grandparents we didn't take the time to realize what the truth beneath the surface was. It started to become apparent in the last few months of grade 3 that Ryan doesn't seem to have ADHD. He can focus on a task for a long period of time. He can focus on more then one thing at a time. And his outbursts seemed to be no different then other frustrated 8 year old boys. The only other thing that hasn't seemed to change is that he hates to sit down, but in looking at my own dad and brother they are no different and tend to prefer standing to sitting and might pace every now and again.
During Ryan's time in his program he learned it was sort of an easy way out of doing school. If a student was having a bad day they were encouraged to express themselves through an art project, or to go sit in the "quiet room" that boast a big comfortable chair, books, and Lego. Well, Ryan learned very quickly that if he could pretend his day wasn't so great he wouldn't have to go to his math class with the rest of the grade 3's, he could have a hot chocolate in the quiet room instead. Needless to say, educationally speaking he didn't progress at all in grade 3. This was very frustrating for us because Ryan is very smart. In fact he scored "superior level" on most of his IQ test, and was reading over 3 grade levels higher then his own. We realized something had to change. Over the summer my husband and I had many long talks about what is right for our children’s education. And we had many long talks about their character development and who their peers are. After many, many long conversations, and a whole lot of praying it became very obvious that it was time (past due even) for us to take control over our children’s education.
I contacted wonderful women who is a local home-schooler and is also our area's home school support person and she really helped me see home schooling in a whole new light. I never had a problem with home schooling before, just a problem with the confidence of being able to home school my kids. I really began to dive in after that. After lots of research, and prayer, about how and what I want to teach our kids. How it will affect our household, and how will we achieve our goals. I'm still a newbie and learning new ideas and techniques everyday, but so far - I LOVE HOME SCHOOLING!! We're around 3 weeks in, and it's going so much better then I imagined it could. I fully anticipate rough times ahead, and know that it won’t always run so smooth... But in the meantime, WOW! This is great! And what I felt was already a wonderfully strong bond between my boys and I, has seemed to double! What a blessing! OH- and by the way. All those negative thoughts that bombarded me with the initial suggestion of home school have been replaced with whispers from God telling me how capable I am of teaching and training my children to become everything they are supposed to be!
So THANK YOU to everybody who has supported our decision to home school our kids. Most everyone has been wonderfully understanding and we are so greatful!
And another big THANK YOU to all the awesome bloggers who take the time to blog everything from their day-to-day routines, ideas, blunders, and awesome printables! You have all been a great resource and have kept me inspired by how awesome you all are doing! I appreciate YOU!
"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." -Proverbs 1:8-9
Thursday, August 25, 2011
I may have appeared to walk alone...
This past Sunday I did something that was very difficult for me to do, I walked into church alone. I walked into a church that I don't regularly attend, where practically nobody knows me with my head held high and a huge smile plastered accross my face! Alone!
As I mentioned in a previous post I had no problem walking into my old church alone because I was already very comfortable there (we've since moved away from the city where the church is). Since moving to our new town I had only attended church 3 times, and it was with a friend of mine who has since moved accross the country. And because I didn't get to know anybody at the church I didn't feel comfortable to go back alone.
But, Saturday evening I had this overwhelming urge to attend a service. I just knew that I had to get up in the morning and go. I can't begin to tell you how nervous I was. I prayed over and over for God to lead me in the right direction, to give me the confidance to go alone, and to soften my heart and mind so I ould be open to the people and the sermon. By Sunday morning I felt ready and excited to go. I was up bright and early and had some time before I needed to leave and decided that a bit of quiet time with the Lord was what I needed. I opened my bible and I was brought to Psalms 23:
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
This Psalm has comforted me in the past, and it was funny that my random page flipping brought me there. I actually laughed out loud, I really felt like I was getting the biggest message of all, from the big man Himself! I can't be afraid of walking into church alone. Because I am never alone. Jesus is always with me. He has lead me through so many things in life both good and bad, that surely I can walk into this church knowing that I don't need one other person beside me, as long as I have Him! So away I went. And no joke, the smile on my face as I walked through those church doors was all because I knew Jesus was right there with me. The worship was amazing, the sermon was good, and everyone I spoke to was friendly. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out what should have been so simple. I'm never alone. So now I've conqured my fear, and on Sunday morning I will be there again. And even though I appear to walk in alone... We are never alone. Thank you, Jesus!
As I mentioned in a previous post I had no problem walking into my old church alone because I was already very comfortable there (we've since moved away from the city where the church is). Since moving to our new town I had only attended church 3 times, and it was with a friend of mine who has since moved accross the country. And because I didn't get to know anybody at the church I didn't feel comfortable to go back alone.
But, Saturday evening I had this overwhelming urge to attend a service. I just knew that I had to get up in the morning and go. I can't begin to tell you how nervous I was. I prayed over and over for God to lead me in the right direction, to give me the confidance to go alone, and to soften my heart and mind so I ould be open to the people and the sermon. By Sunday morning I felt ready and excited to go. I was up bright and early and had some time before I needed to leave and decided that a bit of quiet time with the Lord was what I needed. I opened my bible and I was brought to Psalms 23:
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
This Psalm has comforted me in the past, and it was funny that my random page flipping brought me there. I actually laughed out loud, I really felt like I was getting the biggest message of all, from the big man Himself! I can't be afraid of walking into church alone. Because I am never alone. Jesus is always with me. He has lead me through so many things in life both good and bad, that surely I can walk into this church knowing that I don't need one other person beside me, as long as I have Him! So away I went. And no joke, the smile on my face as I walked through those church doors was all because I knew Jesus was right there with me. The worship was amazing, the sermon was good, and everyone I spoke to was friendly. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out what should have been so simple. I'm never alone. So now I've conqured my fear, and on Sunday morning I will be there again. And even though I appear to walk in alone... We are never alone. Thank you, Jesus!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Pumpkin Cupcakes ~Soo yumm-o~
OK, I apologize in advance because you are going to LOVE these and they just might be the source of a little Fall weight gain... Even I, who isn't normally a pumpkin flavor fan just can't get enough!
I got this recipe from a good friend of mine, Lindsay. She already had half the neighborhood hooked!These cupcakes are so moist and tasty that everyone will ask for more and everyone will want the recipe! They are also super easy to make so it's a good one to get the kids involved with! I literally throw everything into 1 bowl, so clean ups a breeze too!
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable oil
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups/1 large can of 100% pumpkin pure (not the pie filling)
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and either scoop into paper lined muffin pans, OR you could also use loaf pans. (just adjust baking time to about 60 mins or until toothpick comes clean)
Bake @ 350 for about 15 mins depending on cupcake size. Cool and top with Cream Cheese frosting! Or, I've also made a cinnamon glaze when I make it in loaf pans.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Equal parts Cream cheese and butter. I normally do 1 cup of each. blend well, add icing sugar (confectioners sugar) I don't measure the sugar, I get it to the sweetness and piping consistency that we like. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon!
These are such a great treat for the Fall/Halloween festivities that will be popping up!
Enjoy!
Smiles & Blessings
Corrine
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable oil
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups/1 large can of 100% pumpkin pure (not the pie filling)
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and either scoop into paper lined muffin pans, OR you could also use loaf pans. (just adjust baking time to about 60 mins or until toothpick comes clean)
Bake @ 350 for about 15 mins depending on cupcake size. Cool and top with Cream Cheese frosting! Or, I've also made a cinnamon glaze when I make it in loaf pans.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Equal parts Cream cheese and butter. I normally do 1 cup of each. blend well, add icing sugar (confectioners sugar) I don't measure the sugar, I get it to the sweetness and piping consistency that we like. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon!
These are such a great treat for the Fall/Halloween festivities that will be popping up!
Enjoy!
Smiles & Blessings
Corrine
A journey to Christian fellowship
I. Am. Lonely.
I have my wonderful hubby, 3 wonderful children, and lots of friends who I love and value.
But...
I am lonely. Why? you ask... Well, I have no Christian friends. Like I said, I have lots of great friends. Women I can trust who are kind, and are fun. But no Godly women. My quest to walk with Jesus seems to be somewhat of a foreign concept to them. Not that they don't support my faith, but I think somewhere in their heads they compare it to me writing letters to Santa. Like God is some type of a mythical character.
So you see, I'm lonely.
I do have one Christian friend, who I love and adore (this women and her family were really who introduced me to Christ years and years ago) but alas, she lives in a different town, and is a busy working mama so phone time is limited to once every few months. We pray for each other, but we don't pray together. I would love to have someone to pray with (other then the kids).
Are you wondering why I don't just pray with my husband? Well, he's not a Christian either. That's right, I married a wonderful non-christian! And I don't regret a thing because as far as husbands and fathers go, Mike takes the cake! No, really... He's AWESOME! And I know in my heart of hearts that God is working through me, to get to him. And I will stand by his side and wait as long as it takes for him to get there.
But... in the meantime... I. Am. Lonely.
I don't regularly attend a church in my town. For a few reasons (none really good enough) but mostly because family commitments (kids hockey) and me being uncomfortable walking into a new church alone hold me back. When we lived in the city I had "my" church. If I couldn't go every week that was okay, because I was always welcomed like I was never away when I was back. And because I felt so comfortable there and had a few friends that attended the same church walking in alone was never intimidating.
I know that part of me meeting new Christian friends is going to come hand in hand with going to church, but the 3 times I attended service I didn't feel welcome. It may have been my own insecurities, but that's just how I felt.
So how do I stay close to Christ? Well I follow many Christian bloggers (partly my inspiration for starting my own blog) I read Christian books, and I read the bible and pray daily.
I'm so happy that there are so many women who are such inspirational followers of Christ, willing to blog about everything that's important to me. The ministry that these women have online is such a God send to me at this point in my life. In fact, connecting to these blogs is what set my heart on fire all over again for Christ. It's always been there, but was ignited ten fold after finding a few blogs that speak so directly to my heart that I just KNOW God lead me to them. These women (who have no idea who I am) have inspired me more then they could ever imagine. And if I can't have "real life" Christian fellowship right now, then I will bathe in the fellowship I have online. I pray everyday that the Lord will lead me to positive, faith-sharing friends and if you have time, maybe you could pray for me too?
And to you wonderful Christian bloggers - THANK YOU. Truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Smiles & Blessings
Corrine
I have my wonderful hubby, 3 wonderful children, and lots of friends who I love and value.
But...
I am lonely. Why? you ask... Well, I have no Christian friends. Like I said, I have lots of great friends. Women I can trust who are kind, and are fun. But no Godly women. My quest to walk with Jesus seems to be somewhat of a foreign concept to them. Not that they don't support my faith, but I think somewhere in their heads they compare it to me writing letters to Santa. Like God is some type of a mythical character.
So you see, I'm lonely.
I do have one Christian friend, who I love and adore (this women and her family were really who introduced me to Christ years and years ago) but alas, she lives in a different town, and is a busy working mama so phone time is limited to once every few months. We pray for each other, but we don't pray together. I would love to have someone to pray with (other then the kids).
Are you wondering why I don't just pray with my husband? Well, he's not a Christian either. That's right, I married a wonderful non-christian! And I don't regret a thing because as far as husbands and fathers go, Mike takes the cake! No, really... He's AWESOME! And I know in my heart of hearts that God is working through me, to get to him. And I will stand by his side and wait as long as it takes for him to get there.
But... in the meantime... I. Am. Lonely.
I don't regularly attend a church in my town. For a few reasons (none really good enough) but mostly because family commitments (kids hockey) and me being uncomfortable walking into a new church alone hold me back. When we lived in the city I had "my" church. If I couldn't go every week that was okay, because I was always welcomed like I was never away when I was back. And because I felt so comfortable there and had a few friends that attended the same church walking in alone was never intimidating.
I know that part of me meeting new Christian friends is going to come hand in hand with going to church, but the 3 times I attended service I didn't feel welcome. It may have been my own insecurities, but that's just how I felt.
So how do I stay close to Christ? Well I follow many Christian bloggers (partly my inspiration for starting my own blog) I read Christian books, and I read the bible and pray daily.
I'm so happy that there are so many women who are such inspirational followers of Christ, willing to blog about everything that's important to me. The ministry that these women have online is such a God send to me at this point in my life. In fact, connecting to these blogs is what set my heart on fire all over again for Christ. It's always been there, but was ignited ten fold after finding a few blogs that speak so directly to my heart that I just KNOW God lead me to them. These women (who have no idea who I am) have inspired me more then they could ever imagine. And if I can't have "real life" Christian fellowship right now, then I will bathe in the fellowship I have online. I pray everyday that the Lord will lead me to positive, faith-sharing friends and if you have time, maybe you could pray for me too?
And to you wonderful Christian bloggers - THANK YOU. Truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Smiles & Blessings
Corrine
Thursday, August 4, 2011
~Our 3 joys~ Introduction to the boys!
Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would be blessed with 3 boys! Growing up I knew I would be a mother. There was no question in my mind that I would get married and have children. I didn't know how many. But I knew I would have girls and that I would dress them in matching outfits. Well, 3 kids later and no girls in sight! I am the only female in this house. Even our sweet puppy is a boy!
And you know what...? I wouldn't have it any other way! I LOVE having boys!! They are messy, stinky, hyper, and busy but I wouldn't change a thing. They are also sensitive, kind, loving, and adore their momma!! :)
Yes they fight - but they get over it as quickly as the problem arises and are best friends again!
Yes they make some crazy messes, and I am constantly finding rocks in my washing machine - but they are quick to help clean up and lend a hand!
And YES they are very noisy - but the minute someone in the house needs a calm, tender moment they are quiet as mice and full of love and cuddles.
All 3 of our boys are wonderful! And each of them amaze us everyday with their talents, intelligence, and eagerness to learn and explore.
Ryan (8) - I can't believe our oldest "baby" is going into grade 4! He is SO smart, and reading well beyond his grade level. He is a gifted student, and athlete, and is seriously mind boggling at building/creating things. Whether it be with Lego, or some cardboard and glue, you can guarantee this boy will come up with something amazing! Not to mention his awesome gaming skills - he'd hate for me to forget that!!
Jaxon (4) - This "baby" starts kindergarten in the Fall! How did time go by so quickly? Jaxon is our Mr. Sensitive. And Mr. Imaginative! He loves to sing, dance, and put on a good show. And he is great at doing so. His imagination is so great that before we know it we're completely enthralled by his performance! And he is also hilarious... In our case it's "Jaxon says the darnedest things"! He is our family entertainer!
Tyson (2) - "Tyson the Fighter" is this guys nickname! Our sweet boy has pretty much been fighting for his life since the minute he was born. Between having a heart condition, (which has required heart surgery as well as potential future surgeries) Epilepsy, and multiple severe allergies this little man keeps us on our toes! Despite the many trials he has already had in such a short time, this guy is energetic, happy, and SO smart! Due to difficulties with all his medical stuff there have been questions in the past about how well he would or would not develop mentally and emotionally. But he is amazing, surpassing every doctors expectations! (Thanks YOU Jesus!)
As I'm sure you can tell by now, our kiddos are pretty much awesome! :) We know each day, that these children are a blessing. Doesn't mean that everyday is easy, or that there aren't days where my children have sent me to the brink of insanity. But it means that everyday we make the best choices we can for them, and that no matter what has happened in a day each child is showered in love, hugs, and kisses!
Don't forget to enjoy your children daily. We will never get this time back with them, and they are so worth slowing down for, and enjoying!
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine
And you know what...? I wouldn't have it any other way! I LOVE having boys!! They are messy, stinky, hyper, and busy but I wouldn't change a thing. They are also sensitive, kind, loving, and adore their momma!! :)
Yes they fight - but they get over it as quickly as the problem arises and are best friends again!
Yes they make some crazy messes, and I am constantly finding rocks in my washing machine - but they are quick to help clean up and lend a hand!
And YES they are very noisy - but the minute someone in the house needs a calm, tender moment they are quiet as mice and full of love and cuddles.
All 3 of our boys are wonderful! And each of them amaze us everyday with their talents, intelligence, and eagerness to learn and explore.
As I'm sure you can tell by now, our kiddos are pretty much awesome! :) We know each day, that these children are a blessing. Doesn't mean that everyday is easy, or that there aren't days where my children have sent me to the brink of insanity. But it means that everyday we make the best choices we can for them, and that no matter what has happened in a day each child is showered in love, hugs, and kisses!
Don't forget to enjoy your children daily. We will never get this time back with them, and they are so worth slowing down for, and enjoying!
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A blogger newbie - let me introduce myself!
Well, here I am. A blogger! I will admit, this is not my first attempt at starting a blog. I have started with 2 other attempts but for some reason my past attempts never felt right. Soo, after much prayer and thought on the subject I feel ready to share the start of my blog. So join me, on my journey through this beautiful (but hectic) life of mine.
Here's what you need to know: My name is Corrine, I am married to an amazing man (Mike), we have 3 wonderful sons (Ryan 8, Jaxon 4, & Tyson 2) and a shih tzu named Snickers.
We live in a moderate sized town in Alberta, Canada in a home that doesn't quite fit us, but we make it work!
I stay home with the kids, and also have a little cake/cupcake business that I do from home for family and friends. I'm a Christian, and am trying my very best to be a Proverbs 31 women that does everything for the glory of God! BUT I am far from perfect, and am learning more and more everyday how to walk with Christ! Thank the good Lord for grace! :)
The reason I want to be a blogger: After following many wonderful blogs and finding so much encouragement and support on homemaking, marriage, parenting, and faith I felt like I had ideas to contribute and share with women too. Also, I wanted to start writing on my youngest sons chronic health struggles, to encourage and support others going through similar situations and also to find support and encouragement for myself and family. And, whether I'm good at it or not, I LOVE to write!
What you will find on my blog: Obviously I'm new, so I'm not 100% certain on what direction my blog will take, but my ideas are to post on everything marriage/family/parenting related, my walk with Jesus, my sons health issues, recipes, and cake/cupcake tips and recipes. I will have personal posts about my day to day life. The good and the struggles, and I hope that there are people out there that can relate!
What you will NOT find on my blog: Negativity! Yes life is tough, and yes there will be struggles and difficult topics at times (I'm sure). But NO intentional negativity. No rude or vulgar posts. And certainly nothing degrading towards my family, friends, or the people who read my blog. I will be following my rule book on this folks - The Holy Bible!
I really look forward to getting my blog growing and connecting with my readers! (look at me assuming people will read this! hehe) Please feel free to leave comments, and if you re a blogger too leave me your link so we can all support each other! And please, be patient with me! I am a total newbie and am currently NOT blogger savvy! ;)
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine :)
Here's what you need to know: My name is Corrine, I am married to an amazing man (Mike), we have 3 wonderful sons (Ryan 8, Jaxon 4, & Tyson 2) and a shih tzu named Snickers.
We live in a moderate sized town in Alberta, Canada in a home that doesn't quite fit us, but we make it work!
I stay home with the kids, and also have a little cake/cupcake business that I do from home for family and friends. I'm a Christian, and am trying my very best to be a Proverbs 31 women that does everything for the glory of God! BUT I am far from perfect, and am learning more and more everyday how to walk with Christ! Thank the good Lord for grace! :)
The reason I want to be a blogger: After following many wonderful blogs and finding so much encouragement and support on homemaking, marriage, parenting, and faith I felt like I had ideas to contribute and share with women too. Also, I wanted to start writing on my youngest sons chronic health struggles, to encourage and support others going through similar situations and also to find support and encouragement for myself and family. And, whether I'm good at it or not, I LOVE to write!
What you will find on my blog: Obviously I'm new, so I'm not 100% certain on what direction my blog will take, but my ideas are to post on everything marriage/family/parenting related, my walk with Jesus, my sons health issues, recipes, and cake/cupcake tips and recipes. I will have personal posts about my day to day life. The good and the struggles, and I hope that there are people out there that can relate!
What you will NOT find on my blog: Negativity! Yes life is tough, and yes there will be struggles and difficult topics at times (I'm sure). But NO intentional negativity. No rude or vulgar posts. And certainly nothing degrading towards my family, friends, or the people who read my blog. I will be following my rule book on this folks - The Holy Bible!
I really look forward to getting my blog growing and connecting with my readers! (look at me assuming people will read this! hehe) Please feel free to leave comments, and if you re a blogger too leave me your link so we can all support each other! And please, be patient with me! I am a total newbie and am currently NOT blogger savvy! ;)
Smiles & Blessings,
Corrine :)
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