Thursday, April 7, 2011

HeLovesMe!


Mmmm....nothing better than a shamrock chai latte from Main Street Coffee Shop.
My absolute favorite!...and the hubs brought one home for me this morning when he was done studying.
The pic may not be that great, but trust me, the drink was de-lish!
I'll definitely be on the mend now!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

SpringBreakInOurPJ's

So far, we have spent our entire Spring Break in our PJ's! The girls have played so well together and have watched way more than our normal share of tv and movies. I have taken at least a two hour nap...every. single. day!!! Today, I slept for almost 3 1/2 hours!!!!

I'm feeling a little better each day but am doing my best not to overdo it...I have too many people checking up on me to overdo it! ;) I have been overwhelmed by family and friends, my hubby and girls included, who have cared so much....calling or texting to see how I'm doing, praying, making meals, watching the girls, doing my laundry, cleaning the house, getting groceries, helping out at Epic...I am loved!!!

Thanks so much...you all know who you are!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Pnuemonia,Pleurisy,&TheER

Last night I had a chance to catch up with a friend from high school that I haven't seen in years...she was my nurse at the ER.

After a few hours of wishing away the sharp pains I was having in my chest, I finally woke Brooks up at about 12:30....crying and trying to catch my breath. The pains had become so bad that I couldn't take a breath and I was starting to get very scared.

Our first phone call was to a wonderful nurse-friend from Epic, Karleen, who advised us to head to the ER (and also offered to drive 35 minutes, each way, to come sit with the girls while we went!) The next call was to my mom, who came to stay with the girls so we didn't have to drag them out.

The X-ray results....pneumonia in both lungs. The pain I was having, and still am, came from pleurisy...inflammation of my lungs from all the gunk. Jayme, my friend from school, was a wonderful nurse who sent me on my way after a relaxing cocktail of Motrin, Tylenol, and Vicadin to help me sleep.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Good,Good,&Good!

CT scan...still waiting to hear from my family doctor, but the radiologist said everything looked clear...just lots of nasty gunk in my lungs.

Epic...we had our first preview service at our new building today and all went well! For those of you who don't know, Epic Church is our 1 year old church that we have helped plant. We previously have been meeting at Meadows Edge Elementary School until we were offered a building...amazing story how it all worked out...read more here.

Spring Break...looking forward to a fun filled week with the girls!!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

TheStuff

It's been awhile...yes, a long while.

My life has been a crazy whirlwind of stuff the past few months.

Yes, I have thought about blogging.

I've thought about it often.

Even taken pictures for the big event.

I've thought about telling you all about how crazy busy my days are! How much stuff I have to get done and not enough time to get it done in! Cleaning the house! Doing laundry and dishes! Running here and there! Never having enough time for myself!

I've thought about telling you all about the long hours that we have been putting it at our new building for Epic! How tired I'm getting of painting cute little sea turtles and jungle trees on the walls! How I don't have time to be writing our own curriculum! That my poor little girls are so tired of spending hours on end watching us paint and trying to find something to keep them occupied!

I've thought about telling you all about the busy week of the Children's Resale! All the hours that go into getting stuff ready! The fact that two of my children came down with bronchitus that week!

I've thought about whining to all of you about being bed ridden for the last four days because I am sicker than I have ever been in my entire life! Complaining about how miserable I have felt!...the body aches and chills. The uncontrollable coughing and the sleepless nights! And now, waiting for Friday afternoon to come so I can go have a CT scan done because the radiologist didn't like what he saw in my chest x-rays!

But really....who wants to hear all that junk?!?!

Kaicee came home from school today and was so excited about two songs that her music teacher sang today at the school's talent show. I mustered enough strength to lop on the couch as she searched on youtube to find them.

Here you go. This Is The Stuff and His Hands. Two of my absolute favorites on the radio right now. And yes, her teacher sang these at a public school talent show! I love when God uses my precious Kaicee to bring me back to Him!

Yes, my life may be busy...but He have me all I have!

Yes, there may be days where I want to just take my book into the bathroom with me and pretend I'm going potty, just so I can have a few quiet minutes.

Yes, my girls may have been sick last week.

But I had the opportunity to stay home and be mommy with them...to three little girls who love me so very much! Yes, they may have been sick...but I still have them to hold and snuggle. In the grand scheme of things, they are very healthy! I don't have the same struggles that some of my dear friends have...having serious health issues to live with or going thru the heartache of not having one here with me to hold. Three precious, beautiful, full of energy, little girls. I love them all!

I have a wonderful husband who loves me more than I know! We may not see each other much...with our oppostite schedules. He may be at school a lot, being a full time student...and when he's home, he may be studying. But, I know, without a shadow of a doubt!!!!...that he loves me more than anything!

Life during Resale Week may be a bit hairy...but is anything more refreshing than walking away from something you were able to be a part of, and see how much it blessed the socks off of soo many people!!!!

I may be sick and tired of writing curriculum and trying to fill empty spots in nursery schedules. I may not want to ever see another cute little bug that needs painted again....but will that really matter if it means that little "Suzy" will be a little more comfortable to stay in our room on Sunday morning and learn about Jesus while her mommy and daddy have a chance to go hear about the same amazing man who loves them deeply? More than they could ever imagine? Will I ever be bummed about wearing a homemade necklace on Sunday morning from a precious little girl who runs up to me and says, "Mrs. Erica, I made this just for you!"?

No way!

We can only be blessed when we allow God to use us!

Am I still worried about my CT scan I have to go to? You betcha! But I'm not crying myself to sleep right now, like I was when I first got the call.

I'm trusting in the One who holds me in His hands...and uses this stuff to make me who I am!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

HowCanWeMakeOurLightShine?

This was the question we got to discuss with the girls tonight during our bedtime devotions.

This week at Epic the kids talked about Being the Salt and Light. Our guestion for the day came from Matthew 5:13-16.

I have to be honest, I was having some trouble trying to explain this to a 3, 6, and 9 year old. What exactly does it mean to "be a light"? I felt like I was losing them every way I tried to go with this.

Next thing I know, daddy gets up and walks out of the room....is my explanation really that bad? I was a bit annoyed. You're gonna walk out, right in the middle of our talk? Really?!?!

Then, he comes back in with the laptop....you're kidding. You are gonna check your email?!?!

I have to take this time, right now, to DEEPLY apologize for my bad attitude. I'm not really sure why I allowed those thoughts to run through my head?

Brooks proceeded to go to Need To Breathe's website where he showed the girls this video .

Perfect! They got it!

Now, I need to learn from our discussion tonight!

Sorry honey! Thanks for the wonderful visual for the girls! You are the best daddy!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

SuperBowlSunday

...is just another Sunday in our house. Our family is not, by any means, sports enthusiasts. The only time you will see Brooks or I cheering at a game (or even watching for that matter) is if one of the girls are playing.

Even though we are not into "The Game", it's a great excuse to get together and hang out with friends!

...not this year.

All three girls and myself have been fighting wonderful colds and an ear infection. This morning, Breck was still running a low-grade fever so we decided it best for me and the girls to stay home from church....bummer. No listening to that stud guitar player and awesome worship band rockin out today.

This also meant that we would not be going to Epic's Game Night either. Instead, we kept ourselves snug and cozy in the house....all day. We managed to stay in our pj's ALL DAY long, watch a couple movies (mommy may have taken a short cat nap), play with babies, pretend to be lions, work on Valentine's Day crafts, read lots o books, and create a few concoctions in the kitchen.

Here are a few pics from our day:


Taylor and Breck made homemade pizza for lunch


We all worked together to make some yummy Peanut Butter Chews


The girls used my eyeliner pencil to make themselves look a bit more realistic while playing lions





*please note Breck's mane around her face :)


We even managed to survive a couple power outages! The first one took place early on in the day so we did what anyone would do who wanted to stay warm and cozy....grabbed a big fleece blanket and a big stack of books and headed to the couch to snuggle and keep warm.

The second power outage happened just before I started to make supper. Since we have a gas stove, matches, and a few sickies in the house, we opted for good 'ol chicken noodle soup and saltines...by candle and flashlight.

The girls decided to work on their Highlight's word search while waiting for the feast to be prepared.


Not to worry....the electricity came back on just before heading to bed!