Life.

 Sometimes all it takes is a sleeping baby in your arms to make life seem so real. We are truly blessed to have another night, another day, another minute with our family, friends, loved ones. I know almost every post I say this but sometimes people (myself included) need a reminder of how blessed we are. How everything could end in a second, life is like a vapor. I want to cherish every minute of my kids years, every minute of my years. 

Today was a wonderful day. We spent several hours over a friends house, celebrating a sweet little boys one year birthday! I was able to have an afternoon full of laughter with a group of sweet ladies and then a much needed afternoon out. My Nook came in the mail today so I had to accessorize it.  I am so glad I paid the money for a cover because it is like holding a book, it makes it a little easier.

Tonight has been spent watching movies with my wee ones. I'm so ready for bedtime. 

The Big 3

I am truly amazed at how time flies. It never slows and every day seems to go by faster than the first. I cannot believe I am 23. That many years of my life are gone. Scott and I will have been married for 7 years come June but the most amazing of all is Sam turned 3 this past Sunday. Three years old.  It feels like just yesterday we were going to the hospital to start mu induction, just yesterday that I was holding him in my arms for the first time. Only 15 years until he is an adult. When I was younger that seemed like such a long time but now it just doesn't seem long enough. 


It snowed on Friday. We had a big party for him on Saturday. All of his friends that we have met while being here in Louisiana showed up. What made the day so special was Gran, Chief, Ray-Re, Uncle By and Nate drove 7.5 hours in awful weather to spend the weekend with us and be here for Sam's big day! He got a lot of amazing presents and even some money that he is going to buy some bath tub toys with. We had a Toy Story themed birthday cake that the commissary made. It was really good and I was impressed.   On Sunday after everyone left Sam laid around and watched Despicable Me over and over while eating left over birthday cake and enjoying his actual Birthday by playing.  


                                                                   
                                                                       Sam 1 Day Old

Sam 3 years Old

Sam I Am (or not)

Sam was quoting Green Eggs and Ham "Do you like them in a train? I do not like them in a train" and I asked him "Are you Sam  I Am?" and he looked at me and said "No Mom, me just Sam". He was so serious like I didn't know who he was. 

He is feeling a little better today. His eye is still kind of red and he is still laying around a lot. We tried taking him outside and letting him play in the yard and ride on his John Deer tractor but after about twenty minutes he decided he wanted to come inside. We read some books and he was ready to lay back down on the couch. Thankfully he hasn't had anymore fever.

Tomorrow we are going to try Barron Road Baptist Church in Keithville Louisiana. It is about 25 to 30 minutes from the house! It's a smaller church than Baptist Tabernacle and a little more traditional. We're hoping we like it, if not then I think we'll just stick with Baptist Tabernacle for now. We like the church, we just wanted to be sure that is where God will have us. 

God is so good. Even though we truly do not deserve it. We had budget of 100 dollars for groceries this week. That is 50 dollars less than what we normal budget.  We just don't have it this week, but God provides and He is good! I made a list before I went in and unlike me I only swayed a little from what was on their. My sick one asked for chocolate cookies, so I picked some up and a couple of little things that were on sale. It seemed like most of the stuff we wanted or needed was on sale this week at the commissary.  I got to the register and was really thinking that the groceries would be between 130 and 150, I didn't know how on earth it was going to be under 100. I prayed the entire check out process and it totaled out to 100.28. I was relieved and said a thank you to the Lord,  then the lady behind the counter said "Let me run your coupons" and the total after that was 98 dollars.  I was so amazed that I almost started crying in the check out.  

I love seeing God work in everyday things. Even the little ones. 

Since Sam was born we have thought about discipline and what the best course of action is for a disobedient child.  We agree that different situations mean different disciplinary actions, but we just haven't felt right with spanking their bottoms. I usually let myself get worked up and am a yeller, so I've been asking the Lord to truly help us see the best way to handle our children, without spanking, without yelling. Neither seem to be effective right now.

I swore I would never do the 'counting to three' thing.  I had heard it say that this gives children control, but we have been using it the past two days and I am falling for this method. If I say something twice and they still do not listen then I stop, take a deep breath and tell the kids "If you do not quit by 3 you will go to time out (they hate time out)". I count slowly to three, this gives me time to get my emotions under control and if they are still not listening I pick them up and carry them to a time out corner where they sit and face the wall until I feel like they are calm enough to get up.

I believe the Lord is showing me and helping me control my feelings while teaching the kids that when they are disobedient there are consequences. It helps, now if I can just stay consistent because in the end it doesn't matter what disciplinary method you use nothing will work unless you are consistent! 

Doctors, X-Rays, Shots and Suckers!

Today has been a little insane.  I made Lilly a doctor's appointment for this morning. A well baby so that they could look her over and check her out, get shots up to date. You know all the stuff that goes on with that type of visit.  Well, Sam woke up yesterday with a swollen red eye that also had yellow discharge coming out of it. I made him an appointment for today as well but his was not till 1:20.  So, doctors appointments are scheduled. 


On our way to the medical clinic I get pulled over by Security Forces.  I was already running late so I was a little annoyed, I was going the speed limit, what could I have done to draw their attention away from their donuts (sorry SecFo)? Apparently while I was handing Lilly her nutrigrain bar I swerved a bit. I guess they were checking to make sure I wasn't intoxicated (by the end of the morning I might have needed a sip of something, a real Cola would have worked).  So, I get there 9 minutes after my appointment time. One more minute and I would have been kicked out of the system.  


Last night Sam went to bed at 7:00. He must have been exhausted and not feeling well. At midnight he woke up and was running a 102 fever, not wanting to go back to sleep. He drank a full cup of water without complaint. Lilly also woke up with us moving around, Scott retrieving medicine, me trying to get Sam back in his bed.  That didn't work and by 1:30 or so we had kicked Daddy out of the bed, sent him downstairs to the couch, so the three of us could sleep in my bed. By 2:30 everyone was back asleep. . 


I told them this at the doctor and asked if they could see Sam at the same time they saw Lilly so I wouldn't have to come all the way back at 1:00. They decided they could do that. So, Lilly had her doctor's visit, they decided during this time she needed to have x-rays done of her hips because one is making a clicking, popping noise when they move it. She also needs some immunizations.  Sam is seen next, yes, he has pinkeye. Very good, on we go. . 


Immunization clinic next. I decide since we're there we will all get the flu vaccine. It turned out to be in shot form instead of spray, the kids had to keep me from running out of the office. We all got our shots and then headed on to pharmacy to activate Sam's meds and then to x-ray!  My poor baby girl had to strip down from the waist down and have her x-rays done, she hated it. It was over quickly though. They will send the results of that to an orthopedic doctor and we'll go from there. 


In the end we ended up with three stickers and three suckers. :) 


Ps. My arm feels like lead where I had the shot, is that normal?

We Are So Blessed.

It's 10:33 pm and I was just fussing because my children were still awake. Even though it is dark in the living room they are still playing with their barn, animals and tractor. I was complaining because they were not in bed and yet they would probably still get up at 8:00 in the morning. Then I opened a blog that a lady is keeping, she has a daughter about Sam's age that has to have a feeding tube, at all times. There is no diagnosis, she just cannot keep food down. Other than that she is healthy. I follow another blog about a little girl named Scarlet. She is only a few months old and had a brain tumor, her parents post updates in hopes of keeping themselves sane through this trying time.

I am so blessed.

I could be posting from a hospital room where my child might lay sick with cancer or some other sickness. I could be watching them dying. I am not. Instead I am able to sit here and watch them play in the floor, watch them grow and interact and be healthy. We are truly blessed. I need to remember that even when it is 10:30 at night and all I want is some rest. I need to remember that they will continue to grow, they will eventually go to college, move out, or get married. They may be called to be military or missionaries and I may only get to see them once a year. Their little hands will continue to grow.

Some people have lost their children but I am being blessed with another night with them. Sometimes I believe we forget to look at the little things in life. When we lay our heads down at night we should thank God that he allowed us another day, another evening to spend with our beautiful families. We should thank Him that we have a roof over our head, some people don't have have that. Some people do not even know where their next meal is going to come from. I know that when I wake up in the morning I have an option, do I want pancakes or oatmeal? How truly blessed we are.

!

So, now that I have cried a bit. We were thrilled yesterday because a friend of ours told us of a church only fifteen minutes away from us. We are searching, but cannot seem to find 'the church' for us. . We know it is out there and God will lead us there we just have to do a little bit of searching in the process. I did not realize how trying this would be. We got dressed and were ready to walk out the door by 10:30, service did not start till 11:00. We put the address into the TomTom and pulled out of the drive, after driving the long way around to reach the interstate we finally hit the road and were on our way. The weather was pretty bad so we had to drive 60. By the time we got to the church it was 11:30. .

We decided to turn around and go home. Church had already started, we had no idea where the nursery was or the sanctuary. . We would just disrupt church. I was heartbroken. Sunday night the roads were completely flooded, so we ended up having to stay home again. We're planning on trying Wednesday night at Barron Road Baptist church.

Today was a good day. The kids have been excellent. It was a cloudy day, very overcast. Scott was home so we just had a family day. We traded off. He let me nap before our trip to Wal-Mart and when we got home I tended to the kids while he played his game with Rob and Fairchild. I always enjoy the small breaks when he is home. It makes me realize just how much I will miss him if/when he deploys. He is such a huge help, and I really appreciate having a husband that is so good with the kids and helps me around the house whenever he is home.

Anyway, I guess that's enough. Goodnight everyone (I think Lilly is finally sleeping) 

Starbucks, Hair Cut, Insanity

Well, today started off like any other Saturday morning with the Sheldons. Since Scott has to get up early during the week he usually gets to sleep in on the weekends, this is not a bad trade for me because he will let me nap later in the day. Anyway, we did our normal routine before getting ready and heading out in the rainy weather to get the guys hair cut and let the kids play at the inside play area at the BX. We thought since it was raining it would keep all the sane people at home, apparently we were wrong and there is not a sane person around here.

Thankfully the barber shop was not busy. Unfortunately the barber didn't have a clue what he was doing. He completely butchered my darling sons beautiful hair, so I took him to the salon to have someone who knew what they were doing fix the mess before I had a break down. The lady was able to save it without cutting all of it off but it's still a lot shorter than I wanted it.

I was able to have my Cafe Mocha from Starbucks and my Cinnamon Minis from Burger King, so at least that much went correctly AND the kids were able to play at the indoor play area while I wrote out my grocery list and Scott rocked his freshly cut hair. Then we braved the commissary, oh yes on pay day, with Monday not only being closed (which is normal for this commissary) but also a day off.

We finally made it back home where we enjoyed a fabulous nap. The kids have been fairly good this evening, with only a few casualties, but now I'm so ready to go to bed and they are wide open. Church is tomorrow. We're trying somewhere new, please pray that God will lead us where he wants us to be. 


Something amazes me. Everyone told me how difficult being a military wife would be, but no one told me how much I was going to fall in love with the life style.  Scott and I got I discussed options on our way home, and what would happen when reenlistment time came and if they decided not to reenlist him (there is always that chance). It actually made me heartsick to think about not continuing on with this life. We are so happy with finally being able to afford to live and not have to worry about where money for bills will come from or if we can pay this, that and the other. That's how we were living before the Air Force. Yes, we do miss some things. We miss family, but we still get to see them, Skype with them and talk on the phone every day. We miss our home church, but we believe with enough prayer and searching we can find another one that God will use us to work in. 


We would have never visited Mississippi or Louisiana if it had not been for the military. One day we may get to go over seas and see other parts of this wonderful world that God created and we may have never gotten that chance. Then there are the people we have met, friends I will never forget, and love already. I would have never met them, my children would have never had the friends and play dates they have had and I would have never laughed over jokes that have been told or enjoyed the Twilight nights and cupcakes that I have if it had not been for this road. 


We are almost a year in (February 2nd) and I'm so in love with this life. I pray we can continue to journey down this road for the next 19 years (or 24, or 29, we may never retire!) 


Goodnight everyone. 

The Beginning..

I would like to thank some of my friends for talking me into beginning a blog. I'm not exactly sure what I am doing but I'm going to try, how hard can it be?

I believe we are finally getting adjusted to living here in Louisiana. When I begin to think about the bad things I count off how blessed I am. I am only about seven and a half hours from my wonderful family. It will still be hard to travel by myself, but I should be able to see them more than once of twice a year. Some military families do not even get that. When I get to missing back home I think about how lucky we are to have a roof over our heads, good health insurance and the other few perks that come with being in the military. Like having a stable income that we know will continue to come in for (at least) the next 5 years.

I am blessed with being able to stay home with my children. So many women do not get to experience being a stay at home. Some women can't wait to get away from their children. Maybe being a stay at home mother and wife is not for them, but it is for me and I actually get to do it! I wish I could have had that train of thought tonight when Lilly took her diaper off and pooped in the floor for the 3^rd time this week. I should have held my breath, closed my eyes and counted silently backwards 10. I might not have lost my cool. I'm thankful for my Little Green machine that Mom bought me for Christmas. If not we would be up crap creek, literally.

We're now watching Beauty and the Beast while Sam gets settled down on the couch. My Princess is sleeping in my arms. These are the moments.I would like to thank some of my friends for talking me into beginning a blog. I'm not exactly sure what I am doing but I'm going to try, how hard can it be?

I believe we are finally getting adjusted to living here in Louisiana. When I begin to think about the bad things I count off how blessed I am. I am only about seven and a half hours from my wonderful family. It will still be hard to travel by myself, but I should be able to see them more than once of twice a year. Some military families do not even get that. When I get to missing back home I think about how lucky we are to have a roof over our heads, good health insurance and the other few perks that come with being in the military. Like having a stable income that we know will continue to come in for (at least) the next 5 years.

I am blessed with being able to stay home with my children. So many women do not get to experience being a stay at home. Some women can't wait to get away from their children. Maybe being a stay at home mother and wife is not for them, but it is for me and I actually get to do it! I wish I could have had that train of thought tonight when Lilly took her diaper off and pooped in the floor for the 3^rd time this week. I should have held my breath, closed my eyes and counted silently backwards 10. I might not have lost my cool. I'm thankful for my Little Green machine that Mom bought me for Christmas. If not we would be up crap creek, literally.

We're now watching Beauty and the Beast while Sam gets settled down on the couch. My Princess is sleeping in my arms. These are the moments.