Pondering...

Life is sometimes compared to mountains and valley's. Do you ever feel like sometimes you're stuck in the valley? No matter how hard you try, you just can't climb back onto the mountain? You know the mountain is better? You know that there are not as many shadows on top of the mountain. You know the things that are weighing you down, that which is keeping you in the valley. You know that if you could just trust God enough to let Him carry your "pack"(since we're climbing) you could make it to the top in no time. You are being reminded of things that God has promised over and over. Things like "He takes care of the birds",Mt. 6:26, or even "the hairs on your head are numbered",Mt. 10:30. Or even verses like Malachi 3:10, "Test me in this says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven..."
These are things that I know!! And it is because I know them that I wonder why I am still in the valley staring up at the mountaintop!! There is too much involved to go into detail here. I keep wondering why it is that I'm here in the valley. What lesson am I not learning? Why do I have to be so stubborn? Why do I have to be so untrusting? Why, why why? Too many whys I know! Maybe it's the whys that keep me stuck in the valley? Maybe this is all to deep for a Tuesday night!
Any ideas on how to get back up on the mountaintop?

Getting Back to Normal

Whew what a long week it was! We finally finished Sugar Plum's nebulizer treatments on Monday. When we saw the doctor she said that we just have to keep a close eye on Sugar Plum. She is probably developing asthma. It is obviously triggered by colds and chronic allergy issues. FUN, FUN!! In any case she is better NOW and that is something to be thankful for!

Last week the girls started swim lessons. They really enjoyed them. Pumkin keeps asking when we are going back for more lessons! That girl is so easily distracted!! I kept having to remind her to pay attention to the instructor and not the other kids. I've been thinking about putting her in a gymnastics class, but I don't think she's got the focus for that yet. Why gymnastics? Because that girl has got some thighs on her that you wouldn't believe. I say that she got my thighs, but hers are muscular!! I don't think that at three years old she should be as built as she is!!

Sugar Plum has been a cranky bossy little bit for the last few weeks. I know she's been sick and she is trying to pop out at least four teeth. But the cranky, clinginess is getting old, really fast!! I don't know what to do with the girl!! People have suggested that we add another child. They said that should cure the clinginess. I fear that I would just be hauling around two kids instead of one. Any suggestions??

Since I haven't posted any pictures of the girls in awhile I thought I'd post a few today.



This is for the 4th of July pig roast that we had. Sugar Plum is sitting with my friend's son. Isn't he adorable?!?


Sugar Plum is closing up shop. Okay I don't really know what she's doing!

This is when we went "camping". We stayed in a cabin, but to my grandparents that is camping!

Gratituesday

I'm back!! I guess I've been sort of back since Friday. I say "sort of" because right after we unloaded the car we headed over to my mom's house because my grandparents came to town on Friday. They actually got here from NM before we did! No one is shocked, believe me! We're glad that they came for a visit!

On Saturday morning we did get to have a lazy morning. The kids slept in until NINE! Talk about a gift!! We did pretty much nothing in the morning. In the afternoon we went to a 4th of July pig roast with other members of our congregation. Yummy food. Who knew that you could rent a smoker big enough to fit a whole pig?!?! We stayed to watch the firework display, both of the kids(both big and small) in attendance and the one by the local golf course.

On Sunday after worship services the girls and I headed out to join my grandparents at a cabin they rented about 45 miles from here. They wanted to go "camping". Now please understand that we were in no shape or form "roughing it". Unless you consider using a charcoal grill "roughing it". Later in the afternoon my aunt's family plus quite a few of their friends met us up in the mountains as well. It was fun when it wasn't raining. We played volleyball, ping-pong, ate some delicious steaks, roasted marshmallows and played Chinese checkers. It had been a LONG time since I had played that game! My poor Honey had to work on Sunday, but he did join us later in the evening. He didn't want to miss out on good food!

We had a great vacation in New Mexico! I am so thankful that we were able to go!! We were able to listen to some great speakers. I loved the class that we chose to go to. It was talking about how we need to be intentional parents. Meaning that the here and now isn't and shouldn't be our main focus. Heaven is our destination and as parents we need to be using every minute to make sure that our children know that that's what we are striving for! Oh it was so good!!

Being able to visit with our friends was really nice too. I really enjoy their company. It's nice to be able to discuss spiritual things and know that you are of the same mind!

And now that this has gotten incredibly long I want to wrap up by asking for prayers for my little Sugar Plum. I think VBS and vacation so close together was too much for her little body. We are thankful that I am writing this from the comfort of our home and not a hospital room. She started having issues last week. Last night it turned into wheezing issues. By the time we got back into town this morning I think it was a full blown asthma attack! The doctor let us come home because Sugar Plum is what she called borderline. If she gets worse tonight I have to take her to the ER. Right now we're praying that the nebulizer treatments and PRAYER will improve things!! Unfortunately asthma is a very chronic condition in my husband's family. It wasn't really a question of if, but more of when. I know that God is in control. Maybe He will spare us and we won't have to deal with this health issue. But even if not I just pray that he comforts my little baby.

Whew! If you made it to the end, Congratulations!!! Now you can reward yourself by going to Heavenly Homemakers and checking out other Gratituesday posts!! Most of which are probably shorter than mine!