every captive thought

Ok, so it's only 11 days until Christmas and I have exactly 3 presents bought.  Only 3 presents!!!!  I am feeling all panicky and scared.  Brad and I plan on knocking it all out this weekend. Today we made a birthday cake for Jesus.  I left the cake to cool on the counter.  Later James came around the corner with a big handful of cake. Which led to this. Jude stood by James, literally and figuratively.  He wasn't going to let James take the punishment alone.  Brad came home while James was still in the corner and asked what had happened.  I told him to go to the kitchen and look at Jesus' birthday cake.  He died laughing. O-well.  No big deal.  Whoever gets that piece will just get an extra serving of frosting. James was thrilled to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and have some cake.  Of course, Jude was too.  He cried when he was done with his piece.  I feel the same about dessert. ~~~~~ On a totally differen...

I know this video is a little lengthy (4 minutes) but this is typical of what we go through when we serve James something he doesn't want for dinner.  Bribing.  Begging.  Threatening.  Pleading.  Tricking.  We try it all.   (And I don't know what was so darn funny to Jude in the background). Jude on the other hand will eat anything.  And everything.  I've mentioned before some of the delicacies that he's snacked on...spiders, roly polies, leaves...well as of tonight we can add bird poop to that distinguished list.  Gross.  He definitely does not have the same refined palate that his brother has.  If he can get his chubby little hands on it, he will eat it. Last night Brad got him up to feed him a late bottle and he just couldn't wake up for it. But he ate it anyways. Today Nana came and took Jamesie for some ice cream.   When he got home he played outside while Brad worked in the front yard and I cooked dinner. ...

This morning Jamesie came bounding into my room at 6:00 am. Thankfully he was content with watching cartoons until I could make myself get up. But such an early morning demanded a mandatory nap time for everyone in the house...mainly me. James spent several minutes trying to kick his way out of his bedroom but finally fell asleep. (We put one of those door knob things on the inside so he can't sneak out). When I woke up I looked on the monitor to see him and he wasn't in his bed. I went down the hall and looked under the door. Not there. I started to freak out. I went in his room and nothing. No Jamesie. Not behind the door. Not in the bed. Not under the bed. Not in either closet. Nowhere! To be honest...I was in a panic. I flung back the curtains to check the windows...and... ...there he was! And then I gave him a sucker because I was really glad he didn't jump out of the windows. And then some Pringles and an apple because I was glad he hadn...

Brad went back to work today so I am down to just two patients.  I hope George doesn't get sick.  I don't know if I could handle that.  (Maybe I shouldn't have fed him ham scraps tonight????) Today we got a pick-me-up package in the mail from my sister!  It had this sticker book in it for James and he died and went to heaven.  He loves stickers.  (It also had lots of chocolate, Little Debbie Fudge Rounds and Milano cookies in it for me and Brad because chocolate goes a long ways towards fixing things in my world.  And for reals...what is not to love about fudge rounds????) James also loves kitty cats and would you believe that there was even a kitty cat card for him!?!?!  What an auntie!  He "read" the card over and over.  AND...it came with a bookmark that you can detach but he was having none of it.  He wanted it to stay in place. Jude got a toy cell phone that James promptly lifted....and Jude did this... Speaking of Judie ...

Jude's cough is really bad tonight.  Dr. Honey listened over the phone and told me to start his breathing treatments.  He takes it like a champ...typical Jude.  I have to sit on James to get him to take his. "No more pictures, Mom" My sweet sister Christi came into town last night and brought arm-loads of good stuff for the boys!  James' favorite was this potty book.  He found it this morning and jumped right up into our bed to brush up on all the latest in potty training.  "Too big for diapers" indeed! We are getting so close to our fund-raising goal and I am so so humbled by the donations we've received.  Thank you all SO much.  I really can't tell you how much it means to Brad and I.  We are so humbled, honored and blessed by our friends, family and even complete strangers.  Since Jude's diagnosis there has not been a day when the Lord hasn't used someone to be a blessing or encouragement to us.  Many times it is just the...

I couldn't sleep so I gave up trying around 4:00 and came downstairs.  I couldn't breathe because of my allergies, my head is killing me, my stomach hurts, and no matter what I do, I cannot sleep.  I have decided that all of this is from stress.  I wish I could tell you how many times and how many well-meaning people have said, "Just give it over to the Lord...".  Yes, I have...several times.  And maybe it makes it a horrible sin that I am still struggling with the stress of my son being diagnosed with cancer, struggling with trying to get our home/laundry/life back in order, struggling with sleep...but I do know that the Lord knows my heart...especially my Mommy heart and I feel like He understands.  I don't feel like He is judging me for continuing to grapple with these things.  Deep down I know that all of this is in His mighty hands.  He already knows the outcome of this and no amount of stressing out or worrying or anxiety on my part is going...

We are all snuggled down and ready for Christmas. Hope your next two days are filled with love, family, cookies, and most of all, reflecting on the precious gift of Jesus Christ our Savior. Merry Christmas... And happy mistletoes! For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

We've been talking a lot about the meaning of Christmas and Baby Jesus to James lately. We look at the nativity and point out Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the wise men. The other day I asked James if he wanted some cheez-its. He smiled, pointed to the nativity, and said, "Jesus!"

Today was not an easy day to be a mom for me. Have you ever had one of those days? It was just difficult from beginning to end. James, who is generally very compliant, is pushing the limits every chance he gets. And to be honest, we let him get away with way too much. And to be brutally honest...it's because it is just easier. It's easier to not make him obey. It's easier to just pick up the toys myself. It's easier to let him decide he doesn't want to eat dinner. It's easier to let him torture the poor dog. But I am not doing him any favors. He sat in his chair tonight for well over an hour, crying his eyes out, not eating his dinner. It didn't end well. He was punished and is now in bed with an empty tummy. That is hard on a mommy's heart. I know he is not going to starve and will eat a great breakfast in the morning though. I know that the Lord is teaching James about Himself through Brad and I. That is weighty. And daunting at times....

James had his 2 year old well check and immunizations yesterday. He is doing great. He is in the 90th percentile for his height and 10th for weight. Still tall and skinny like Daddy. I read 2 different devotional books each day as well as the bible and the theme today seemed to be the same throughout. Here are some excerpts from each- "I magnify You, O Lord, I exalt Your name, for You are great and highly to be praised....You are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or dream of. 'There is nothing too hard for You'. I praise You for Your sovereignty over the broad events of my life and over the details. With You, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted... Thank You that I can move into the future non-defensively with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, for You hold the future and You will always be with me, even to my old age...and through all eternity." "Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18: 14 Th...

Happy Easter! This was James' 2nd Easter but his first one to really enjoy it. I read him the Easter story of how Jesus died for our sins and then rose from the grave three days later...and because of all that Jesus did for us...we get to live forever in Heaven with Him. We gave James his Easter basket at breakfast. He and Puppy were pretty pumped. James looked handsome in his Easter clothes. We went to church with Mom and Dad and then went to their house for lunch and the Easter egg hunt. But first, he got his Easter sussies from Nana and Papa! As you can imagine, he was way excited about his new Baby Einstein video. Cute Easter bunny, huh? Brad and Dad hid the Easter eggs. Things got off to a good start with a little help...ok...a lot of help from Papa. But things came to a major halt when he found a BIG egg. It had fruit snacks in it and required an immediate break in the hunting. Daddy helped some too. He had to look really hard for some of the eggs. That crazy Easter Bunn...