I'm a Proud Sister!

Here is a video of my baby brother, Matt, getting sworn into the Army. He is going into the infantry. He gets shipped out to basic training on May 7th. His baby will only be 4 months old when he leaves! I am so proud of him for making this decision. He is brave and has a loving heart. I pray he will grow stronger and that the work he has to do will not affect him. He is following my older brother's, Brandon, foot steps. I am one proud sister!

God can speak thru an insurance company!

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

DJ and I have been leaning more towards having a child of our own (instead of adoption). We have actually been getting excited and at one point were discussing baby names. I know, we jumped the gun a bit! Well yesterday I wanted to check our maturity insurance again. See, with DJ's new job we had to purchase our own health insurance. With this new coverage we had the option of adding maturity. We did...for that "just in case" moment. Turns out the insurance company will not start paying benefits for maturity until 12 months after the start of coverage! Which means now is not the time to get pregnant. Not unless we want to pay an unmentionable amount!

I really was kind of sad yesterday after reading this info. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was God's way of saying "slow down". We have a meeting we are going to attend for adoption. Maybe God really wants us to adopt. Or maybe he just wants us to be patient and wait for His timing and will and not ours.

Visiting the Vet

We had to take Lexi to the vet on Monday because her ear had another hematoma. This is where fluid, usually blood, collects under the skin and causes swelling and pain. Think of a very large fluid filled blister. She has had one before in her other ear. Because of her history, I check her ears often for the signs. I caught this one earlier than the last, and thankfully it was much smaller. The vet has to drain the hematoma by puncturing it with a needle. 

 Dr. Bridges and his staff have always been wonderful to us. We love them very much. I had to take Lexi back on Thursday to have it drained again since they tend to re-swell. I also found out that Dr. Bridges is starting to work less and he has brought on more veterinarian to work on days he is off. Dr. Taylor we saw on Monday and Dr. Travis we saw on Thursday. They were both really nice and informative. I am looking forward to getting to know them better. Here are some pictures of the kids and Lexi from Thursday's visit.

Sitting in the "corner" seat waiting on Dr. Travis to come in.

Hannah just being silly. Lexi thinking "why did you bring me here?"

Lexi waiting patiently for Dr. Travis

Kid Friendly Dinner

Thursday night I watched Iva for a little bit for her mom. Since Hannah didn't have school on Friday, I let them stay up a little later than normal. I also wanted to do something fun for dinner. I thought of personal pizzas. I love the idea of letting the kids help in the kitchen. I really believe it helps them eat better when they get to make it themselves. However I am a perfectionist and don't like big messes when it comes to cooking. So most times I don't let the kids help. This is something I am working on. So Thursday night I bit my tongue and allowed them to help and make it their way, messes and all! They had a lot of fun and so did I!



These are the ones I made after the kids made theirs. I didn't remember the camera until they had already made theirs. This just shows the steps I used to make them.

Ingredients: Jumbo biscuits, pizza sauce, mozzarella-shredded, and topping so choice. I found these mini Pepperonis and thought the kids would get a kick out of "their" size toppings!

We're going to "The Jackson Five"...But how to get there?

Two weeks ago our pastor preached about using what God gave us for His glory and not ours. Some are blessed with many things while others are blessed with little. Where do you stand? How do you use what God gave you (little or much)? Don't feel guilty for having more than someone else and don't feel shortchanged if you have less than someone else. God gave you exactly what he wanted you to have. Now go use it to bring glory to God!

These are some of the key points Pastor Jeff touched on. These were questions we are to ask of ourselves and evaluate where we stand with God and the material possessions He has entrusted to us for the time we are on earth to do His work! One thing DJ thought of was expanding our family. At first, the idea was about adoption. God has opened his heart to adopting a precious child who has no home! This was the first time for him to feel this way, but not the first time for me. I have considered the idea before. I knew God didn't want me to close my heart to the idea. So I prayed that God would lead our family (and DJ) in the right path when it came to this option.

Now most of you know for 2 years now I have NOT wanted to have another baby via pregnancy! This didn't include adoption. I was/and am open to adoption being the way of expanding our family. However, since DJ and I have started talking about adoption, God has been softening my heart about pregnancy too. I feel this is an option, much like adoption, that I shouldn't close my heart to. So, how does God want us to expand our family? Well that is the big question right now!

Going back to the lesson two weeks ago, we have felt we have room enough in our lives and home to expand our family. We have a meeting to attend about adoption in the next few weeks. We have lots of information to gather about the whole process. And we have the option of pregnancy too. We are now praying for God's plan. I know he will reveal it to us, I just have to be patient. So, eventually we will expand The Jackson Four to The Jackson Five!

Happy Halloween!

This year we decided to reuse our costumes/play dresses! Why pay when your kids are happy either way! Ok, maybe I won't get the best mom of the year award. But my kids still had a great time! Trey the cheese burger and Hannah as Rapunzel. (She wouldn't let me do anything to her hair so really she just looks like a princess without a crown!) My brother Matt came with us too. He was Wolverine.

Pumpkin Carving 2011

Getting ready for pumpkin carving. She was been asking for several weeks now!

First year Trey has been old enough to help. He ended up getting bored and started helping me make dinner. A chef in the making!

Drawing the traditional face: Triangles for eyes, Circle for the nose and a half moon for the mouth!

All finished and cleaned! Ready to light!

Happy Fall Y'all!!!