Sunday, November 30, 2008

I Am Still Alive....I Think

It's been so long since I've been on blog land. I'm looking forward to catching up on reading everyone's entries that I'm so behind on. I think I just got in such a funk cause everything seemed to be so negative, I didn't want all my entries to be so pessimistic. Quick, quick update:

So much for dying without making a turkey. We had Jim's family come to our house....don't ask how that happened. That made 10 adults and 4 children. Okay, truth be told....Jim made the turkey. We had a really good time, and I was so glad we had it at our house. It gave Grandma and Papa a break this year. Plus, even though I kept telling everyone that Jim cooked, I cleaned, I still got all the credit for the meal. I finally gave in and just said, "Thank you." How great is that!

Trip to Oklahoma City to be with my family was much different. Everything has been much different since my dad's stroke. I am very thankful that he is alive, walking, talking. However, I want my pre-stroke dad back, and my mom wants her pre-stroke husband back. It's been very difficult for my family. I think I feel like I get to 'run away' from it by being here. But going back home shows me how real it really is. I felt like I either cried or was griping at Jim for some reason the whole weekend. It definitely forces me to concentrate on what the meaning of Thanksgiving is and to remember all the blessings the Lord has poured down. Blessings are great, but I also have to remember that we were never promised an easy life of roses. It's what I do with all the hard times that determine how thankful I am for Jesus. After all, He didn't exactly have a rosy life when He walked the earth. Next....

Benjamin is officially a toddler!!!! A clumsy one, but oh well. While he's still quite weak and can't walk for enormous amounts at a time, he way prefers to walk on his two feet than to crawl. I had forgotten how adorable they look.

Avery is pretty much officially potty trained. The only thing we haven't tackled is nighttime. The latest joy is that she has finally started to poop more on the big potty than on the little one. Cleaning that thing out gets pretty gross after a while. I'm so proud of her.

Ian is still a day by day. We've been struggling a lot more with his behavior. Jim is ready to go for stronger meds. I AM NOT. This is a big source of contention with us. Probably the hardest thing we've had to try to work together on. More on that later. I just love my little boy so much......

My friend, Rian, had her baby boy!!!!! His name is Malachi "Kai" Ellington, and he is adorable. He was born November 17. I got to see him come into this world and it was amazing. Rian did great. I already can't wait for him and Benjamin to play together!

That's about it for now. Thanks for those who wrote to check up on me. I'm still in a bit of a funk, but working through it.