A really good problem!

Have you ever had a GOOD problem? It doesn't happen much but it did this week. Last week was absolutely insane for us. Eight days in a row we were either going somewhere or we had overnight visitors. While I feel very blessed by all of the love that our family shows us and even enjoy watching the kids get a little bit spoiled, there are times that I just get overwhelmed by it all. I suppose that being exhausted from everything was a big part of it. So on Saturday afternoon, I set out to reclaim my house. A week of entertaining, being gone and having new toys and gadgets all over the house was really getting to me. At one point, I looked at Brad and said, I don't even know where to start so I'm gonna go upstairs and change my clothes and check my email. He laughed and told me that was a good start! haha! But seriously, it was all I could think to do so that's where I started. It was then that it suddenly hit me....you know, this is a GOOD problem you have. Your kids are healthy, you've had a great Christmas and you all managed to stay healthy over the holiday so just calm down, it will all get put away and cleaned up. I must admit, it was good advice I gave myself because I had it all knocked out in about 2 hours! Yippee!

Surviving December

Whew! What a month December has been. Despite cold weather, December is my favorite month, I think. I love Christmas time and all the sights and sounds. I love celebrating the life of the Christ child and all that he represents. Most of all, I love going to church (I love going to church all year, but especially during advent!) Well, this December did not prove to be very cooperative with that this year. We only made it to one church service this month and it was AFTER Christmas.

The first Sunday of the month, we got up, ready and left but the road conditions were terrible and we ended up choosing safety over church that day so we came home. The second Sunday we were sick. It seemed as if the kids and I spent the entire first three weeks sick with colds and infections. Most certainly not the best time of year to be sick! And the third Sunday, we had our power knocked out in the middle of the night and were up with kids from that point on. Yes, that night, we had Brad's mom staying with us so Gabby slept with me and Brad took the couch. The first thing that woke me up was Gabby falling out of bed and if you're a parent, you already know that she was not going to fall out of a sleigh bed and go back to sleep. About 5 minutes after that, the power went out...I waited, waited, waited and nothing. Brad's mom soon woke up because her breathing machine had stopped on her and from that point, we were all up. Carson was also sick with ear and throat infection so he woke up not feeling well as he hadn't been sleeping through the night for a little while.
It took the power over 2 hours to come back on but thankfully it did and by that time it was 6a.m. and everyone was hungry and a little chilly so I fired up the stove and made eggs for everyone. We all went back to bed at 7 and the kids and I slept until 11! Ahh....I was able to catch up on some sleep...somewhat.

So by this point, I am thinking...o.k. at least I'll get to go to the Christmas Eve. service and then we'll drive up to mom and dad's to spend the night as we had planned to have Christmas early so my brother's girlfriend could return to Fort Wayne as she had to work. Well, that morning, I got a call that my brother had slid off the road. No one knew his exact location and he had also gotten out of his car to start walking to get a ride and fell on ice. We knew he was hurt but didn't know how badly and didn't know if he was able to get back up or not. A scary thought when your loved one is stranded somewhere and you don't even know where to go to find them.
Long story short......we then didn't know the extent of his injuries, he hurt his shoulder. A good samaritan came along and took him to the hospital. The doctor was talking possible rotary cuff injury but didn't know. Brian was also scheduled to fly to Florida on Friday. He ended up o.k. but weather reports were predicting icy roads in the afternoon and evening so mom and dad felt we should leave early or not come. So.....we packed up early and left for their house early afternoon and so we didn't get to attend church services. An interesting thing though, I have found as I grow older, my faith grows so much stronger and so even though I didn't make it to church much in December, I still found Christ throughout the entire month. I still felt his presence and I still was able to celebrate in a deep and wonderful way! I saw him in the way our Mops group came together to give Christmas to a couple that had many needs. I saw him in my children and the excitement they had and how Gabby is really starting to grasp the TRUE meaning of the season. I saw Him in so many ways and it was awesome!
I hope you were all able to do the same amid all the running around this month! So many people have the opinion that if you go to church on Sunday, you're going to heaven. While this may be one of the criteria, I don't think it's the going through the motions of attending that get us there, it's what we do every day of the week that really matters!

4 going on 16

Just had to share a conversation that Gabby and I recently had. To set the stage, I have a few houses that I clean on Wednesday's and Friday's so on Friday morning, I leave and go clean and then return home in time to take Gabby to preschool. Here's what was said:

I'm sitting at the counter eating lunch. I am wearing an old blue jogging suit. Gabby approaches and sits beside me at the counter.

Gabby: "I hope you're not planning to wear that when you drop me off at school."
Stacy: "Well, I don't have enough time to change so yeah, this is what I'm wearing."
Gabby: "Well, the teachers are gonna smell you."
Stacy: "I'm not gonna get that close to your teachers."
Gabby: "They're still gonna smell you."
Stacy: "Too bad, it's time to go."

I just had to laugh to myself, knowing this is most likely not the last time we will have a conversation like that.

Meet Lucky!

Meet Lucky! He is the sole survivor
Of a set of triplet goats. The mother that
delivered the triplets did not have enough
milk to feed him so my dad has literally
taken him in and he lives in my parents'
basement in a large plastic tote. Lucky
has to be bottle fed every 2 hours so as
you can imagine, he is kind of like taking
care of an infant.

I had made up my mind Thankgiving night that the kids and I were going to stay home (Brad had to work at my parent's place of business) and I was going to finish getting Christmas decorations out and clean up the house. On Thanksgiving night, we received a call from my dad, which came as no surprise. He has not missed calling our house more than 2-3 consecutive days since the day Gabby was born! However, this call was different. He had something he wanted to tell Gabby. If you know Gabby, she can sometimes be selective about who she talks to on the phone, my dad and brother are not on her list of favorites to talk to...for whatever reason. So she actually took the call and got the news about 2 baby goats that grandpa had living at his house. It's pretty obvious that Brad and I have passed on our love for animals to Gabby and she immediately wanted to go see "Hope" and "Lucky". I tried to hold her off thinking that in the morning she would have forgotten about it but there was no such luck. She woke me up on Friday with the words..."Good morning, Mom. Can we go see the baby goats today?" As I pryed my eyes open, trying to get my bearings, I told her that if she was really good, and let me get some things done, we'd go see the goats. So....we left Ft. Wayne around noon and made the treck to Shipshewana.
Sadly, when we arrived, we found "Hope" had died which was not unexpected as her chances for survival were slim but there stood Lucky bellering like he hadn't been fed in days and wagging his tail. I took him upstairs and gave him a bath and fluffed up his coat and Gabby about jumped out of her skin waiting to play with him. The tears that she shed for Hope had been replaced with laughter and giggles over the life that had been spared in Lucky. She was able to feed him a couple of bottles before we left and is already asking when she can go back. She's talked to my dad more on the phone today than ever before in her life and I think my dad is eating it up! As you can see in the pictures, she had a blast. The sweetest thing from the whole experience is that now when she prays at night, she asks God to send the angels to come and get Lucky's sister.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to write and say Happy Thanksgiving! So many times we (myself included, note the Christmas backdrop) overlook this special holiday and move right on to stressing about getting all those gifts bought when we need to take time to focus on all that we have to be grateful for. So..in honor of Thankgiving, a few things that I am thankful for:

2 healthy and beautiful children
1 wonderful and loving husband. I am living the life I dreamed of when I was growing up. Thank you, Brad for making all my dreams come true. I am so blessed to have you walk beside me in this journey we call life! Don't know what I would do without you! You work so hard for our family and even when you're tired from work and I am headed out for the evening, you never complain or even call to see when I am going to be home. You are the love of my life!

Parent's that love us and support us in our parenting and life's struggles, no matter what the issue. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you all! You are all wonderful grandparent's to our children too! They are so blessed!

My health! Wow, we don't think about it until we have a small sniffle and then we complain of how miserable we are when there are people who are terminally ill and have a better attitude than I do. thank you God for good health.

Siblings...I have been blessed with a brother and sister and a sister-in-law that has loved and accepted me from the time she met me. You guys are all wonderful and I also want to thank you for treating our kids like they are your own. You all mean so much!

Lauren, you have grown up so much since the day I met you! Keep your head on straight, you are going to go far!

To Josh, who is going to join our family in June.....welcome to the family! We love you and you make a great addition! Take great care of my sister or you'll have to answer to me!

Whitney, you are so sweet and I love ya!

Last but not least, thank you God, for giving us life and the promise of eternity in Heaven with you. I hope when I'm standing at the gates, you will say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I love you!

I hope you will take the time to think of the things you are grateful for in your life. Be blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Popcorn Party

I just thought this was too cute not to post. A couple of weeks ago, Brad was working late so I let the kids have a late afternoon snack, which I rarely EVER do so they wanted popcorn. I gave them their popcorn and went about some business in the kitchen. A few minutes later, I noticed it was SO QUIET and if you're a mom, that is almost like a fire alarm going off. I went into the family room to see what was going on and there they both were, sitting on the floor with their kool-aid and popcorn, just hangin out. It really is starting to get easier since Carson is getting older. There are times when they will just play so well together and I sit back and remember dreaming of these days before I even ever became pregnant with Carson!

An Historic Day

You didn't have to go far today to know what the buzz around town was! Voting! I set out this morning around 7:30 to vote, totally anticipating a long wait. I arrived at the church and saw the line back to the door...ugh! Somehow, I live in an area that got scooted right along in line and was back out and on my way back home by 8a.m. Pretty good! Without a doubt, this was a very historic day. Regardless of where the votes fell, either winner was going to make history today. I am optimistic of where our country is headed and whether you are or not is totally your opinion and I respect you for it. All I am asking you to do now is pray...pray for our new leader, pray for our country. We are not in good shape right now and while we could be a lot worse, we could be better too! So take a minute and thank God for this wonderful country you were born into or came into and pray that he guides our new leaders next year!

The Elf on the Shelf

O.k. so I just had to post this cute story really quick. As with a lot of families, while we teach the TRUE meaning of Christmas to our kids, we also have Santa Claus visit. Well, my mom got the kids this adorable book entitled, "The Elf on the Shelf" and I just finished reading it to Gabby. It comes with a little elf that comes to stay at your house for a little while before Christmas and then goes back to the north pole each night to report back to Santa. In the morning, he settles into a new spot so it's a game to try and find him. ADORABLE BOOK! So she found him this morning and asked if she could tell him what she wanted for Christmas. I told her yes but the rule is that she can't touch him and he cannot talk to her. He can only listen. She looked at me, and as serious as she could, she said, "Turn on the commercials." I said, "What?" She said it again and said, "I want him to see what I want for Christmas." It was all I could do to not laugh! Just had to share!

Jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating

Snow White

Little Tiger

O.k. so as you can see, I'm having a little trouble with my picture placing for this post. I think I'm gonna have to put myself through some training but it will have to wait. I just wanted to get some pics of the kids posted before more time got away from me. We have been having a great fall. The weather has been ideal for outdoor activities and trick or treating this past Friday was perfect. I don't remember having that nice of weather on Halloween in a very long time! We are all doing well. Gabby is having a blast at preschool. She recently took field trips to the fire station and the pumpkin farm, both of which she really enjoyed. Carson...well, he's Carson. He keeps me on my toes but as you can see, he has joined right in on all of the fall festivities and is loving it!

The tasting of the seeds. Even the 20

month old knew better. Yuk!

Preparing for the carving!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness. What comes to your mind? I'm sure in your lifetime, you've either hurt someone or been hurt by someone. Sometimes it's hard to let it go and forgive, isn't it? In the Bible it says that we should forgive for Christ died to forgive us of our own sins. And when I say sins, he covered it all from cussing to murder. Think about your day....what was it like? Did you get mad at the car in front of you and shout obscene things? Did you say something to a friend, spouse or significant other that you didn't mean, it just came out? None of us lived a perfect day, I don't care who you are!!!
Oprah recently had a man on her show who lost his wife and one of his sons to being shot as they were returning home from a celebratory dinner for a college graduation. As this man, Kent, was sitting in the hospital with a gunshot wound, he shared on the show that he made a choice that he was going to forgive the person that had killed two of his nearest and dearest family members as well as shot him and his other son. Kent soon found out that it was his surviving son that plotted the entire murder. I will spare you the details but here is the point....Kent did forgive his own son for what he had done because he knew that's what God wanted him to do and he also knew that it would help him in the healing process. He stated at one point that "Life is too good to walk around holding a grudge against someone." As I was watching this, my thoughts were consumed with thinking how in the past, I have been hurt by some of my own family members. The ones you want to think would do anything for you and yet it wasn't that way and it still doesn't seem that way. I do feel like I've forgiven them in my heart because, you see, I don't even think that this one particular person knows the extent of the hurt he has caused to some of his own family. If you are reading this and you know that you are carrying a chip on your shoulder over something that may have just happened today or years ago, forgive that person and go on. You will feel much better and be happier in life. If you feel like you may have hurt someone, go to them or write a letter and ask for forgiveness. Life is too short!

Fireproof

I just had to post that Brad and I went with my parent's tonight to see a movie that's out starring Kirk Cameron. It's entitled, "Fireproof" and it was excellent. To begin with, it's Christian based so it was very clean, a nice change from what a lot of movies are these days. It is about a marriage going bad and what he does to attempt to change it. I don't want to give too much of it away so just go see it, it may just change the way you look at things in your own marriage. And take your husband, it's one to see together!

Turning 30

Just over a week ago, I turned the BIG 3-0 and I'm not above telling you, it was very difficult for me. I even cried! Yes, I was cleaning house, by myself, crying because I did not want to turn 30! Now, I do blame part of this on being really tired that day! I was sleep deprived (I still am) and was working on top of it. As the big day finally arrived, I was forced to reflect on my last 30 years and think about all that I've accomplished. The most recent things came to mind: college graduation, getting married, starting a career and then having kids. We have bought and sold our first house and now own a second house. I thought about all that Brad and I have been through since we started dating which will be ten years in November and thought to myself, "We have really come a long way." I remembered times when we were in college and we dreamed about having kids and a house and just living life and now we are doing just that! I thought about the stuggles that having kids and making the sacrifice to be a stay at home mom have created and knew that I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's the one thing that I will some day look back on and say with certainty that I do not regret doing. I also thought about the MOPS group that Gretchen Carrel and myself started just over a year ago and am so proud that we did that together because I see how many moms it has touched.
I think the one thing to keep in mind is that as I've gotten older, my confidence has gotten better. I no longer worry about what people THINK of me. If you don't like me, I'm sorry but I've got bigger fish to fry right now and quite frankly, there's probably a poopy diaper that needs to be changed or an ouchie that needs to be kissed, so I gotta run! I think people start to respect what you say a lot more in your 30's. It's finally an age where you've got a little bit of life experience and so what you have to say might actually matter! Yeah, you might just know what you're talking about!
Regardless of all of this, I ended up having a wonderful birthday! Brad arranged for my parent's to watch the kids and took me to a very nice, romantic dinner at Joseph DeCuis in Roanoke. It was a very nice time for us to sit and relax while enjoying dinner. We reflected on the past and talked about our future hopes and dreams. Thank you, Brad for a wonderful night. It was great to get some one on one time with you again.....I really miss those days and hope to get more and more as the kids get older! I love you!
In conclusion, I've decided that my 30's might not be so bad afterall! Who knows? I may just end up liking them and won't want to turn 40! Eek!

Coffee

Have you ever had a conversation take place in your house between you and your spouse that your kids overheard and just would not let die??? Well, we recently had one and I just have to share......

A few weeks ago, I had coffee with a friend. Now, you have to understand, I don't typically drink coffee, even when I go to Starbucks the most "coffee" type of drink I get is a mocha. So I had this coffee because I was feeling like trying something new and I actually kind of liked it! So later that week, I went to the store and bought the creamer that I liked and decided I would enjoy having a cup of coffee from time to time at home. After all, my mother did insist that I have a coffee pot in my home for use when I have company! Later that night, I was talking to Brad and here's how the conversation went:

ME: "I had coffee the other day with Laelya and I kind of liked it, I think I'll start drinking it more."

BRAD: "That really is not a good habit to start." Why would you want to start drinking coffee now? You don't need any more caffeine."

ME: No answer....I shoot him a confused look like why do you care so much and just let the conversation go....it didn't matter, I already had the creamer I wanted in the fridge, ready for me whenever!

ENTER GABBY INTO CONVERSATION: "Brad, you don't need to tell mommy she can't drink coffee! She can drink it if she wants to! You don't need to tell her what to do!"

BRAD: Has now zoned back into football game on t.v. and probably doesn't even remember the conversation.

GABBY: Goes on her way....conversation over!

So time goes on, at least a week and every time Gabby hears the word coffee, she insists on telling Brad (in a tone of voice she has only heard her mother speak) that he doesn't need to tell me I can't have coffee! Well, this morning we were in the car, traveling to church and I announced to Brad that I have a giftcard to use at the cafe` at church for a free coffee and if Gabby didn't pipe right up and say, "Brad, don't you even think about telling mommy she can't have coffee this morning. She can have some if she wants to!"

Brad remains quiet and I know he was probably thinking....."I do not need two Stacy's to tell me what to do!"
Just had to share!

School Days

Last Monday, Sept. 8 was Gabby's first day of preschool. Although we had been talking about preschool since the spring, it seemed as if the day approached rather quickly. As the last couple weeks of summer wound down, I found myself thinking, "It's time for school to start. It's time for her to take directions off someone else and it's time for me to have a break." On Monday, I got to sleep in a bit as my mom and dad had the kids overnight so Brad and I could attend the Colts game. Mom brought the kids back for me Monday morning and fed Gabby so she'd be ready to go when she got home. Gabby was absolutely pumped for her first day. She couldn't wait and I was happy she was because I think there would be nothing worse than having to drag your kid to preschool. As we pulled into the drop off line that beautiful late summer day, I was fine. Gabby and I sat in the car and talked about what she would be learning this year and how she would meet lots of new friends. After a few minutes, it was our turn. I'm so glad I had my sunglasses on because she hopped out of the car, looked back at me, waved and said, "Bye Mom." Tears streamed down my face. "BYE, MOM!" Is that all??? I know this is preschool but it just was a harsh reminder that she is growing up so much and from now on, she is going to be in school. She's going to make friends, she's going to want to go to birthday parties, she's gonna have things that she wants to do that won't include her parents. I know I may be blowing this a little out of proportion but I just felt like this was the beginning of something huge! However, I was able to compose myself that day and join my mom, grandpa and Whitney (brother's girlfriend) for a nice lunch and then some time at the mall which was a great way for me to pass the time that day. We are now into our second week and I am finding that I very much enjoy the 3 hours 3 times a week to work out and get things done around the house while Carson is napping. Maybe this preschool thing won't be so bad afterall.......

A visit to "The Luke"

Back in early August, we were again surprised with tickets to a professional sports game by my parents! This time it was the Colts vs. Da Bears!!! So, on Sunday Sept. 7, we once again were given a break from parenting and loaded into a minivan with my brother, sister and both of their significant others and headed south on I69 for some fun and of course food! We stopped at Cheeseburger in Paradise (that's right, I got to eat there twice in one weekend) for a great dinner and then it was on to the game. Obviously, this was our first visit to the new stadium which Brad has dreamed of visiting since he first heard it was going to be built. I must say.....IT'S MASSIVE! The picture does not do it justice. So once we got through security, it was on to the game. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and it was good we did because we had a workout ahead of us and we didn't even know it. Now, please don't take what I'm about to say as me being ungrateful for the tickets because we would have never gone to that game if it wouldn't have been for my parent's buying the tickets for us, they are not cheap! But, if you can just imagine with me for a second, there were only 3 rows behind us and then you were out of seats so we were up pretty high. Nevertheless, we had a great time and were in awe of the building. The National Anthem was sung by Johnny Mathis and they brought out a flag that covered the entire field. As you can see, it is absolutely beautiful. There must have been at least 100 people holding the flag and at the end, they shook it so it looked like it was waving! I had goosebumps. The part that brought tears to my eyes though came at the end when there were 4 choppers that flew over the open roof! To think there are men and women fighting overseas for us so that I had the freedom to attend that game....absolutely breathtaking!


Unfortunately, the Colts lost but we had a great time anyway and it was such a thrill to see the new stadium! What a great place to watch football. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house. After the game, we hightailed it for home and arrived back in Fort Wayne at 2:15. Half of the party was able to get out and go to bed while the other half still had an hour of driving to go! I think we were all tired on Monday but I also think we would also say it was worth it! Go Colts! Hopefully the first game isn't an indication of
what's to come this year!

Touchdown

It's been another couple of crazy weeks at the Beeman household. To back up a little, the weekend of September 5, Brad and I were busy spectating football. On Friday we travelled to Muncie and left the kids with Brad's mom. Brad and I had dinner with a college roommate of mine and her husband who we haven't seen in years and then skipped on the Ball State football game against Navy. For those of you that don't know, Brad is a "Cardinal Alumni" and we purchased tickets early this summer so that we could have a much needed date night. Dinner was great, we met at Cheeseburger in Paradise (one of my favs of central IN) and the weather was perfect for a football game, cool but not cold! Ball State ended up winning that night but I must admit, my favorite part of the game was 1. Being with Brad and 2. Watching Charlie Cardinal! Yes, I'm not much of a football fan, unless we're talking Colts as after 10 years of watching BRAD watch the Colts, I feel like I've gotten to know the players by name and feel like I about know them personally! So here are a few pictures of our night! I had one of Brad and I but don't know what happened to it.

Labor Day....already????

Yesterday was Labor Day. A day when we celebrate the "unofficial" ending to summer and start to focus our thoughts on Autumn and then the dreaded "Old Man Winter." As this past Labor Day passed by, my thoughts travelled from past to present. Two years ago yesterday, we moved into our new home. I was pregnant with Carson and it was the third move our small family had made in just under two years. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was so excited to finally be moving into a house and settling into a place that I could officially make my home for an extended amount of time, at the very least. Time has flown since that day and our family has grown and changed so much. Brad has changed the type of insurance he is selling and Gabby has gone from being a toddler to a little girl who loves playing with Barbie's, on her swingset, with My Little Ponies and most of all....TALKING! She is a total girl! She has even gone from not wanting to talk on the phone to being mad if she can't answer it when it rings. And then there's Carson! Oh, Dizzle! He has been such an enjoyment and it was nice going through the baby stage with him and not worrying about whether I was doing something exactly right or not.
As I look to the future, it's with bittersweet feelings that I will take Gabby to preschool for the first time on Monday morning. Although I am looking forward to the time alone and with just Carson, it also saddens my heart to know that this is just the beginning of lesser time with her as next year she is off to kindergarten all day. She is totally pumped so that helps mommy to feel better about it too, I just feel like she's growing up right before my eyes.
A new MOPS year is about to start and I am so excited about what it will bring. We have a lot of new moms coming this year and that will add to the excitement. I love knowing that we will have a chance to give these moms a greater sense of being a mom and feeling more valuable as a person as well as leading some to Christ for the very first time. THAT IS AWESOME! I have a wonderful team working with me to make sure we make MOPS at Sonrise the absolute best it can be and for that I am grateful and blessed!!
So, although I hate to see the summer go, with it comes a new season that will bring a new beauty all its own. Just think....it won't be long and we'll be seeing Christmas trees in the stores. The magic of Christmas will be upon us once again!

Wrigleyville

On Sunday morning, Brad and I made the drive to Shipshewana to join my parents and my two siblings along with each of their significant others to make the journey to Chicago for a Cubs game. This was my first time at Wrigley Field. We got there and had lunch at Casey Moran's, which we all loved and then headed to the game. Due to the fact we had bleacher seats, we needed to arrive in plenty of time to get seats so with two hours to go until the first batter, we sat in 90 degree heat in the blazing August sun and waited and waited and waited.....
Despite the heat, we all had a great time and took turns getting out of the sun to cool off. Much to our disappointment, the Cubbies were unable to pull off a victory which meant I did not get to help sing the victory song but it was great to spectate anyway. Brad and I enjoyed our adult time out as well as just hanging out with family.
I would like to thank my parents for such a great day! Brad and I appreciate you taking us so much! I think it's worth repeating.....we had a great time!!! I love you both!

Update

Just wanted to post an update and let everyone know dad came through his heart cath just fine. There was only 30% blockage and it can be treated with meds. Thanks so much!

Prayer Request

Hi Everyone!

I just have a quick prayer request. My dad is going in for a heart catherization tomorrow morning. Our hope is of course that they will not have to do open heart surgery but if they do, surgery will most likely take place tomorrow. Please just pray all goes well and we get a good report. Thanks so much!

Being Grateful

I had a bad night with the kids...it was just crazy. I complained to Brad and allowed myself to get way too stressed out over some crying and temper tantrums. It was just bad and I couldn't wait until bed time...but it didn't actually come for Gabby until an hour after I tucked her in. What a night!
You're probably wondering why I am starting off my blog like this. Well, as you read this, there is a man by the name of R.D. Reid lying in a hospital bed in Indianapolis. He is my age, has a very loving wife and cute little girl and he was involved in a horrible lawn mower accident almost 2 weeks ago. I have never met them but they are good friends with one of my good friends and so she has passed on their story in hopes of increasing the number of prayers going up for them. I have been keeping up with them through the Caring Bridge website and recently was reading about how he was doing. He has been told that he is paralyzed from the waist down and he suffered horrible burns over 30% of his body. His prognosis is not good but he will live. PLEASE PRAY FOR A MIRACLE!! He is a pastor trying to spread God's word.
I tell you this because in a recent post, his wife was sharing about how hard it is to stay positive right now so she has begun listing praises for things that she is grateful for. The praises are simple but they are real......something I know I need to be more focused on and not let myself get out of control when the kids are screaming. I'm sure the Reid family would do anything to get their old life back.....just a thought! And please keep the Reid family in your prayers.

Rainy Day fun and other stuff we've been doing.

I thought it was time for an update. The Beeman's have been busy this summer, I often look back and wonder what we've been busy doing but thoughts of playing outside and watching Gabby run through the sprinkler often fill my mind. I have very much enjoyed the summer as well as watching the kids play and interact with each other more and more each day. No....not always in a positive manner and some days I just wish I could lock them each in their own separate rooms. While I hate to see the summer go, Gabby is looking forward to preschool with much anticipation and that is exciting for me to see her so pumped about something. I may feel different about that September 8 but for now, I'm happy too. O.k. I'm going to make my first honest attempt at getting these pictures up. Gabby loves playing in the rain and I usually don't let her indulge but this week I was feeling "fun." We also spent our Saturday at Mounds State Park in Anderson with Brad's extended family. We gather there every summer to celebrate all the kids' birthdays and enjoy time together. Woo Hoo! Myah will be so proud of me for getting these pictures up. With a little help from Brad......THANKS BRAD! You're the best! We got this to work. Enjoy the pics of my 2 beautiful kids! They may not be placed real well in this blog but I'll keep working on it!

Stepping Out in Faith as Parents

I love reading other people's blogs. Really, I don't even have to know them, I just love having a peek into another person's world as they see it. The past week, I have read two blogs from people who I know that are parents also. One has teenagers and one has daughters that are both graduated from college, one just this year. Why do I tell you this? Well, this past week both of these people have shared about how their children are travelling far from home without them and how hard it has been. I have found myself reflecting on that as I am getting ready to send my firstborn to preschool in just over a month. For me, this seems like "stepping out in faith." I want to believe that since I'm sending her to a "church preschool" that she will never come across anyone that will say mean things to her or laugh at her for something she did. I can't imagine the day that she tells me she is choosing to travel thousands of miles away whether it be to do missions, vacation or a job she is feeling led to do...........I hope I will be able to step out in faith as these parent's did and let her go with confidence! Just a thought....

Pesky Bee

Gabby reached another milestone today. She got her first bee sting and I must admit, it was one of the bigger ones that I've seen in my life. My sister in law and niece came to visit us for a couple of days this week. We had just finished having a picnic at Solomon Farm and were walking around when it happened. Of course, it got her right on the bottom of the foot because she stepped on it. Tears and crying immediately followed and we hurried her to the car to go home and treat it. She handled it like a champ and by the time we got to the car, she was done crying. The best part of it (if that's even possible) was that she wanted to tell everyone how "pesky" those bees can be and when Brad got home and they were talking about it, she told him, "Daddy, I didn't even see it comin!"
I told her it would all be alright but part of me wanted to tell her that she would experience many different kinds of "stings" in her life and that it won't always be o.k. right away but if she can look at it with a "pesky bee" attitude, she would be just fine.

Blueberries

As a child, one of my fondest memories is going blueberry picking with my grandma and cousins. My grandma would have all of us (anywhere from 6 to 9) grandkids over for a slumber party the night before. We would play games with my grandparents until it was time to go to bed. Then, she would tuck us all into sleeping bags out in their living room and tell us to get our rest so we could go picking the next morning. Needless to say, we layed on the floor and giggled for quite a while and sometimes she would come back out and say, "Now, if you don't get to sleep, we're not going in the morning." That was the point we knew grandma meant business. Once we finally got to sleep, it wasn't long and grandma was standing at our toes telling us it was time to get up. She would wake us around 5:30 a.m. and we'd get dressed and ready to make the trip to the blueberry patch. We didn't have one close to where we lived so we would drive approximately an hour to an hour and a half into Michigan. On the way there, grandma would get us breakfast at McDonald's. As a kid, who doesn't like breakfast at McD's??? I'm almost 30 and still enjoy it from time to time. So we would pick berries until we had enough to take to all of our families back home and then we'd load up in her van and hit McD's for lunch on the way home...AGAIN! It was the only day of the year we got to eat fast food twice in one day. I won't ever forget those times in the van and the slumber parties with my cousins. Many fond memories were made during those times.
Well, I took Gabby blueberry picking this morning and she had a great time. No, we didn't leave at 5:30 a.m. the patch is just down the road from us but seeing the dew on the grass and feeling the hot early morning summer sun brought all those memories rushing back while also making new memories with my daughter. I wondered to myself if there would be a day many summers from now that she would let me have her children overnight and then take them blueberry picking and I also look forward to the day that Carson can join us but for now, he is just enjoying all the "fruits of our labor" and Gabby and I are enjoying the one on one time alone that we so seldom get anymore. I used to always think back to my childhood, every time I saw blueberries but now I'll also think of my little girl! I love my little princess even more than the memories.

Old Navy

I am dedicating today's blog to Brad. In fact, he named it! This past weekend was great! We spent time with family, by the pool, ate good food, AND BRAD DECIDED TO REMODEL THE KITCHEN! O.k. so it may have not been a "complete" remodeling job but it came close. God Bless that man! On Thursday night, we spent the night at my parent's house and then Brad decided to come home early on Friday to get yard work done. The kids and I stayed behind since we had our own car there and wanted to have some time by the pool. At approximately 6 p.m. Friday evening, I received a picture on my cell phone of my kitchen. At first, I honestly did not recognize it. Why??? Because he had come home, ripped all the wallpaper off the walls and painted my kitchen...navy blue! Now don't gasp too hard. I had mentioned a few times that I thought I may have it painted when the time came to do that. Now that we've lived here for a couple of years, we're starting to make our house a little more "ours" if you know what I mean.
So anyway, I saw the picture and really didn't know if I was excited he did this "random act of kindness" or if I wanted to wring his neck! Only because I had just told my sister the same day that I thought of maybe doing red in the kitchen instead of navy but now it was done!
I came home that night and saw it.............and I must say I love it! I still have some things to get to accent the new color with but I do like it and think I'll enjoy spending time in my kitchen!
Moral of the story....if you're thinking about doing something different in your home, make sure you are serious before you voice it to your husband. You never know when he may throw you for a loop!

A lesson in spending

Wow! The month of June buzzed right on by and now we're well on our way to the "Big Fourth." The kids and I have enjoyed the beautiful weather we were blessed with by making several trips to the zoo with our new zoo pass. It's been great to have as it's not always possible to take kids and stay the entire day at the zoo....they just don't last that long. So, with our pass, we can take off and go for an hour or two in the morning, picnic there on the lawn for lunch and be home in time for a nice, long afternoon nap. Gabby is also getting to the age that she loves seeing all the animals and telling me what she already knows about them. I would have to say that the aligator is by far her favorite (right now). We never leave the zoo with out checking in on the gator and hopefully getting a ride on the ponies!
This past month also provided an opportunity to teach Gabby about saving money in order to be able to purchase "fun" things. Brad and I both have a theory that we can occasionally buy our kids toys and fun stuff but other than that, it comes at Christmas, birthday and of course the grandparents keep them satisfied. Well, one evening Gabby and I had gone to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Gabby had been asking for fish and for some reason, this night I thought, "Why not?" So we purchased 3 goldfish of which she named Nemo, Goldie and Emma. I know you're wondering where she came up with those names...........I HAVE NO IDEA!
So we brought these goldfish home and I prayed that they would not die within the first 24 hours that we purchased them. We put them in a fish bowl that I have had for years. She was just beside herself. I think she told almost everyone that called the house for the next week. Every morning during that week, I would come down before Gabby got up just to check and see if I could still find 3 fish swimming and I would come down to find 3 of the most lively fish ever! So.........after the first week, Gabby came down one morning and asked if she could go to the new dollar store and pick out something as I had promised her $5 to get anything she wanted. I told her we could do that and then, in the same breath, she asked me, "After that, can we go to PetSmart and get an aquarium for my fish?" Well, that just wasn't going to fly with me so I told her that she could either buy toys OR she could put the $5 in her piggy bank and save up money to go buy and aquarium. She ran upstairs right away and got her bank, brought it down and dumped out ALL of her change so that I could count it and see how much she had.
Needless to say, she had over $12 in change BEFORE I gave her my $5 so that day, she decided she would rather have an aquarium than more toys. Later, we trotted off to PetSmart with all of her change and she got her fish a small 1 gallon aquarium. Those $.28 fish have brought her more joy than a $5 toy ever would and I don't have to pick that aquarium up off the floor everyday and throw it back in the toybox so it was a win for both of us.

Among all of the above, Gabby and I also enjoyed our annual trip to the strawberry patch this year. As she gets older, she eats less and picks more, always asking for my approval before she drops the berry in the box. I believe in today's world, we need to GIVE our children the affirmation and blessing they are looking for without them asking for it. I want her to grow into a strong confident woman, something I didn't get until after college. It wasn't that I didn't get it at home, I just always felt like I needed others' approval to be accepted and I want Gabby to get that long before college graduation. I want her to know in her heart that she is a wonderful, smart and funny person.

So that catches you up a little on what's been going on here. I'll try to do a better job of posting this month! Thanks for reading!

Bragging on my hubby...

So it's been awhile since I've blogged and thought it was time. Today I wanted to brag on my husband. I have shared frustrations in parenting and recent joys but I don't think I've shared much on what a wonderful husband I have. Brad, please take note I am writing this in what I think is Colts Blue.....just for you, baby!

I met Brad during my freshman year of college and then didn't see him again for another year. Although I thought he was very cute, I knew he had a girlfriend so I went on with life.....as the saying goes, "there were plenty of fish in the sea." I mean, come on! I had just left Shipshewana for Anderson University. I thought I was in a whole new country!!!! So a year later when we met, I stayed up talking to Brad about his current girlfriend and how he felt like he had already broken up with her in his heart, yadda, yadda, yadda, until 5a.m. I'll never forget calling home and telling my mom.......I think she thought I had committed the ultimate sin........PREMARITAL SEX! After assuring her that I wasn't into that and she didn't need to worry about it, I told her that there was something "different" about this guy that I didn't see in others. However, I had just decided that I was going to not worry about dating so much and just focus on my relationship with God, so you can imagine what kind of a loop this sent me into.

Soon after our long talk, he was breaking up with his girlfriend and we found ourselves spending more and more time together. I really liked this guy but was scared to death! By November of my sophomore year, we had decided to see each other exclusively. Since then, my life has been nothing but sunny skies. I always dreamed of being happily married but never thought I could actually have the prize. For the rest of our college careers, there was seldom times that we went more than 24 hours without seeing each other and if we went more than a day, you would have thought one of us traveled out of country for a long period of time. We enjoyed being with each other that much! It was like a sickness!

I think the one line that grabbed onto my heart and made me realize that this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was this...we were talking one night about marriage and raising a family and he said, "When I'm married and have a baby, I'm gonna be fighting my wife to get up at night with the kids." Well, I'm here to tell you, I'm still waiting on that fight! But, on April 27, 2002, I married him and I have never looked back. Brad goes to work everyday to provide for his family and when he gets home at night, after a long day at the office and frustrations that sometimes come with the job, he joins me and we're a team in parenting the kids together. He never, ever has taken frustrations out on us. He jumps in and helps with both hands and never, I mean NEVER complains about it. Even in the midst of all my crying sometimes about the long day I've had with the kids, he brings such a calm spirit into our house and even though I don't always like to admit it, and sometimes I just want to remain angry about my tiring day, he takes all the stress away from me. He finds a way to make me laugh EVERY DAY and I can't tell you how much that means to me.

Brad, I just want to say thank you. You are my knight in shining armor and my prince charming all wrapped up into one! Thank you for making all of my dreams come true. I love living out our dreams together and can't wait to see what the future holds! I love you, "to the moon and back." Thanks for loving me in all the ways that you know how.

Who do you look like?

O.k. I just had a quick story to share with all of you about an interaction that Brad and Gabby had the other night.

Brad and Gabby were sitting in the chair together and I was upstairs putting laundry away when I heard Brad just cracking up. This is what was said....

Brad: "Gabby, who do you think you look like? Do you look like Daddy?"

Gabby: "No Dad, I don't think we look alike, I have a lot more hair than you have."

Moral of the story...don't ask questions about things you may not like the answer to.
Have a great day!

From Baby Girl to Little Girl

At what point does your daughter go from being your "baby girl" to your "little girl?" I think Gabriana is at that point in her life where she has gone from baby to girl and it hit me this past Saturday.
Gabby has been taking ballet and tap lessons since March and this past weekend was her end of the year recital. This was a milestone for not only her but Brad and I as parents as this was the first time we've signed Gabby up in anything other than church related stuff. As I helped her get ready in the afternoon and the time approached for us to leave and go to the school for the performance, I just looked at her and thought, "Oh my gosh! She's not a baby anymore. We are going to an event in which I will leave her in a large room with other little girls and she will come out onto the stage and (hopefully) perform." It hit me like a ton of bricks and as I did her hair and make up, all of the memories of her when she was a baby came flooding back.
So we got to the recital and she took off to be with the other girls to play until her turn was up. She turned around and waved and I ran after her to give her that kiss on the forehead and tell her "mommy loves you." Then, I went and took my seat in the auditorium. Gabby came out and did great! I feared that she would freeze up when she got out there but she didn't and she did just fine. I am so proud of her!
Although I hate to see the baby days end ALREADY, I look forward to the future with excitement, having quality "girl time" with my baby girl. Yes, she will ALWAYS be my Baby Girl!
If you'd like to see pictures from the recital, check out our website: www.beemanfamily.myphotoalbum.com
I promise to one day figure out how to post pictures on my blog! Thanks for reading!

Better Days

So I must say, I think the wrath of Carson is finally calming down to say the least. After several weeks of finding ways to keep him out of things and keep him happy (this includes lots of lap time) it finally seems as if I am getting my happy go lucky boy back. If you would have called me on Monday morning, there is a good chance I would have broke down in tears to you. I am afraid to say, even a telemarketer would have been sorry to have called my house that day! I was at the end of my rope with Carson, sleep deprived and not knowing what to do. Thoughts of walking out the door and not turning around were getting closer! Just kidding! It was around lunch time when I got a text message from my mother-in-law asking, "How's it going?" The irony in all of this is that she is such a caring individual and she always checks in on the kids and I when we are sick or if something has happened but no one was sick and nothing serious had happened and here came this text out of the blue. I sent her a quick text back as I was getting lunch on for the kids and told her it had been a bad night and and even worse morning. I told her I was glad that my mom and aunt were coming into town for the day. It would be nice to get out of the house for lunch and some girl time. Nothing was going right with Carson. I felt like I had to fight him to get anything done, diaper change, dressing, eating, you get the idea.
It wasn't long and I got words of encouragement back. "I know it's hard. Hang in there. I love you." I thought to myself, "God, is that you?" I felt as if He knew that I needed some form of encouragement and it was at that point that I felt a sigh of relief and peace come over me. I felt as if I could get through the day and no matter what happened, it would be o.k. And you know what? IT WAS! I had a great afternoon with my mom and aunt and the evening seemed to go pretty smoothly too. I put the kids to bed and they both slept a minimum of 12 hours! Better days are comin!

To Vacation or Not...

On Saturday night, we returned home from a one week vacation with my mom, sister, grandfather and "The Bizzy Beemans." We were in Orlando, where the palm trees sway and the sun is always out. The entire week before, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off to make sure I had everything I needed to get two young children boarded on a plane and entertained not only for the duration of the flight but also for an entire week! Blankets, snacks, sippy cups, bottles, pacifiers, toys, coloring books...you get the idea! I also am a freak at wanting to make sure my house is clean before I leave so I can come home to a clean home and don't have to worry about doing anything other than unpack. So that added to my chaos for the week. At one point, I wondered to myself if this vacation I had been counting down the days to would really be worth all mess. I remember telling Brad that I won't relax until I'm in the car headed to his dad's to spend the night before leaving early the next morning to head to the airport.
I must say....BOY WAS I WRONG! The next day, we boarded the plane for Mickey's hometown and I knew immediately it was going to be a long 2 hours. Carson fought me all but 30 minutes of the trip as he wanted to be down walking around and that wasn't possible. Once we arrived, I was ready to call it a day.
The week would have gone perfectly if Carson's molars had not decided to arrive during our time there...yes, for all you mom's out there, three out of four of his molars broke through last week. AAAHHHH! The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and 80 during the day and then cool but pleasant in the evening. So despite the lack of sleep I got due to Carson not being able to sleep, the trip was a hit! Brad and I had our 6 year wedding anniversary while we were there so that will be a memorable trip.
As we were getting ready to leave, Brad asked me if I was ready to go. My answer to him was obviously no. I had just spent a week with around the clock childcare assistance and even got some quality time to myself. Do I want to leave and take on the mommy role full time again??? Of course not!
When we landed in Indianapolis, the weather was cold and cloudy, it was then that Brad looked at me and asked the exact question I had just asked myself...he said, "Do you ever wonder why we live here after spending time in a place where the weather is beautiful all the time?" I told him that I think about it everytime I finish another trip to my parent's condo but this is what I've come up with......

Home is not just the walls that you live within. Home is where your family and friends are, it's where you feel loved and appreciated and it's where you can be yourself. While my vacation was wonderful and I even admit I could have easily spent another week there, it felt good to take my things out of my bag and be settled back into the comforts of home! And I also decided that it's worth all the chaos to take a vacation and I will do it again without any question!

If you'd like to see pictures from our trip, check out our website at www.beemanfamily.myphotoalbum.com

Earth Day

So it's "Earth Day" and the theme color for the day is green. This day is not necessarily one that we get to take day off and celebrate (although the government buildings would probably love that) however, I do think it is a day that is worthy of being observed with some seriousness. I did not grow up in what I would call a very "green and earthy family." We didn't recycle, in fact we burned all of our trash and I remember my mom trying a garden one year and it pretty much turned into a mosquito farm. I don't blame her, I think it was just the weather that year but mom had the garden covered with grass seed that fall.
In this day and age, you hear a lot about global warming and how we need to be doing more to save the earth. There are more ways than one to "skin that cat" so if you are sitting there thinking to yourself, "I just don't have time to recycle", then you are putting forth no effort, my friend. I'm not just talking about recycling. Just this week as I was walking through Target and Wal-Mart, I noticed they now have reusable bags for sale that you can buy and they are not in any way expensive. There are things as small as changing your light bulbs to the energy saving type to as big as purchasing appliances that now save more energy. Not only does it save energy, it saves the green in your pocket. I'm not saying you need to go out and buy new appliances but please look at the small things you can do to make a big difference. If we don't do something now to help out, we will leave this world in a lot worse shape than when we arrived.
I have a new found friend who I met through my MOPS group last fall and she is my "Green Rolemodel" She has found a website that gives a lot of great tips for helping to save the Earth. Here is the link: www.idealbite.com
I am learning more and more and changing my ways as I go. It's not hard, it's just change!

Little Red Riding Hood

O.k. so I think this is one of the funniest Gabby stories I have told in awhile. Last week, Brad's mom was here with us for a couple of days as she was on vacation. She stayed here and watched the kids for us while Brad went to the office and I went to clean. Gabby asked grandma to put on a play with her and it was going to be "Little Red Riding Hood." Gabby of course was the director for this play so she instructed grandma to be the big bad wolf and Gabby would be Little Red Riding Hood. As they were playing, grandma put a blanket over her head and from my understanding, it went something like this:

Grandma said, "Ahh, I'm the big bad wolf and I'm going to eat you!"
Gabby said, "Oh, grandma! Not that scary! I think this show is over!"

Terri said her eyes about popped out of her head when she said it and she cleaned up the mess and was done! If you know Gabby, she loves to put shows on but she wants them to all be downplayed from the real thing!

Just had to share it with you...have a great day!

God answers prayer.

It has been an interesting week here. I recently started reading a new book entitled, "The Dream Giver" and for those of you that have not read it or heard of it, I recommend it. In a nutshell, the book is about finding what it is your heart most desires for yourself and trusting God to help make it happen. While reading the book, I really didn't feel that I had any "big dreams" at the time but it was good because it forced me to think about my life now and where it's headed not only in me as an individual but as a family unit. As I read, I was reminded of another book I once read, "The Prayer of Jabez", another phenominal book that talks about prayer and how you can ask God to "enlarge your territory" and bless you in your life.

I have a family member who I love dearly and have watched work so hard and yet just when they think things are getting financially better, something else goes wrong. The car goes out, a trip to the doctor is needed, etc..... Do you know anyone like that or are you in that boat? I must say I have been there and still revisit that same place sometimes. Well, this loved one has had car troubles for some time now and has made repair after repair and it was finally to the point that it was better to get a new car than keep fixing the old one. Knowing that Brad and I were not financially able to help them, I decided to let prayer be my guide and trust that God would make everything o.k. because I knew how much distress our loved one was in knowing that their car could break down at any time. I am so excited because this person has found a way to get a new car on a lease and be able to make payments that are comfortable for them.....GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!

At the end of last week, Brad and I were talking and he shared with me that he was working on some big accounts for his business but wished he could get some smaller ones too, he felt like he was kind of at a standstill and would have to start doing some more cold calling which is not exactly his forte`. That night, as I lay in bed, I just prayed that God would expand his territory and bring him new clients so that his business could continue to flourish. The very next day, he met with a new couple and was able to help them out with several small accounts. GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!

As you may or may not know, I started cleaning house for a family last fall and really love it. Yes, I love to clean when I don't have two little ones following me around to pull things right back out. Well, I've been thinking lately that I would like to take on a little more cleaning because it would be nice to have the extra money so I started praying that God would expand my territory and have gotten 4 calls in the last week. GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!

Lastly, I need to brag on my mom for a little bit. She started a new diet about 3 weeks ago and while it is hard on her and she is having to sacrifice a lot for it, the end result is going to be better health. I know she is frustrated because the scales are not showing quite what she'd like them to but she is sticking with it. Mom, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! Hang in there! It means a lot to me that you are doing this and I know once you start exercising with it, it's going to get a lot better! Don't give up! I'm praying for you!

I share all of this with you not so that it makes me look like a huge prayer warrior but so that you can see that God does answer prayer and he is always there ready to listen. I do realize that he worked pretty fast for me this week, he may make me wait next time but I do believe that he's there and he wants to help if we will just believe in him!

"Ask and you shall receive..."

Gabby's first dentist appt.

Today Gabby had another first....she got to go to the dentist and have her teeth cleaned. This was my first time at a new dentist as well. After several attempts to continue going to my childhood dentist in Nappanee, I decided after having 2 children it was just easier to find one in Fort Wayne. Surely I could find one that I liked just as well as "Dr. Joe." Brad had already checked out Dr. Ellinwood's office last year and loved it so I felt pretty good about where we were going. I must say, I kind of sprung it on her this morning while she was getting dressed as I knew that if I told her days in advance, she would have time to think the worst and it would very likely be an unpleasant experience.
When we arrived, she was a little nervous but was soon playing with the lego table and feeling right at home and of course we had to visit the bathroom within the first 2 minutes of arriving. After they took us back, Gabby got to watch them work on me for a little while and they also let her push the buttons that would take my x-rays so she thought that was pretty cool. When it was time for her to go to her room she got right up and went. As I was encouraging her and wishing her luck from my chair, I thought to myself..."Oh my gosh! She's going by herself and she doesn't even need me. She's not crying or demanding that her mom come along." It was such a bittersweet moment, proud that she was doing it and somewhat sad that she was becoming more independent and doing more on her own.
I feel like before I know it, she will be asking for the car keys and driving down the street by herself, not needing mom to take her anymore. And while I will give it all I've got now to make sure I give her a solid foundation at home before she goes out into the world by herself and will even have days when I will pray for that day to come a little faster, I will cry like a baby when it does!

Boys will be boys.

I always said that if I never had any boys, Gabby would be it. When she was little, she loved climbing on things from about 9 months old and she was always looking for things to fix. One of her all time favorite toys was her tool box that her dad got her after she caught a couple of episodes of Disney's Handy Manny. She would walk around the house asking me what I needed fixed and she was on the job immediately. I even remember her playing fix it shop one day and answering her phone saying, "Handy Manny's Repair Shop, I break it, you fix it." I had to laugh knowing she got the greeting a little mixed up but she didn't care, she knew what she meant. She still loves to fix things for me and rough house with her dad but now that I have Carson, I realize she was nowhere close to being like a boy in her play methods.

Although Carson is a little behind where Gabby was with climbing on things, he is catching up very quickly and not skipping a beat. I had to take him off of a chair several times today as he would struggle to climb up on it, facing backwards and grab the back of the chair. He then would stand there and wait for me to find him and as soon as I did, he started rocking it as hard as he could. Please note, we are not talking about a rocking chair, we are talking about a chair with 4 legs, our dining chairs.

Not only has he mastered the chairs, he has mastered the table. I brought a load of laundry upstairs today and was not up for very long before i heard my salt and pepper shakers banging on the tiles that cover the table. As I got downstairs and walked into the kitchen he saw me and there was sudden laughter! I was torn as part of me wanted to laugh with him and the other part of me was ready to shake him! There are many times that I find myself shaking my head as I am just not sure what to do with him. With him being at such a young age, I have already tried time out, restraining and a couple of times even spanking and nothing seems to get his attention. So there are days I'm at wits end and I keep praying for patience and there are days I shake my head, enjoy the season that we are in and say, "boys will be boys!"

God, grant me patience....PLEASE!

As I look back on today, I remember lots of sunshine and little giggles but I also remember MANY times where my patience was tested, time and time again. The sermon today was such a blessing to me and a fine reminder that even when I feel like I'm losing it, God is there. It was about peace and patience. Here are some notes that stand out in my mind:
Peace is not passive, you can pursue it in prayer.
God's delays are designed to develop us, not deny us!
In order for our spiritual fruits to grow and bloom, we need to prune back the branches that are not flourishing for they are only taking spiritual nutrition from us.
I sat at the dinner table tonight with my family, between my two children who were then not exercising the best behavior. At one point, I really thought I might just lose my mind and at one point, slammed a cup down in front of Gabby. At that time, my eyes met Brad's and I got a look that told me I needed to "cool it." He stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds but then I was back to reality and trying to deal with Carson who was screaming in his seat and not eating any dinner. I finally took Carson out of his seat and sent him into the other room while Gabby and I finished eating. After dinner, Brad took the kids outside so I could clean up and I found myself watching him and listening to them out on the swing set. I sat there and thought to myself, what did I do to deserve such a loving and patient husband? Even at his most frustrated, he doesn't seem like he's "losing it." I am so blessed to have a husband that takes an active part in our children's lives, cleaning the house and being home if I need to leave for an appointment or something MOPS related and he never complains.
One of the verses that stuck out to me today was this:
"Don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything...if you do this, you will experience God's peace....His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." Phill. 4:6-7.

So my prayer this week is this.....that God would give me the patience I need to deal with my sometimes crazy life and that I would be a better "patience rolemodel" for my children and to create a more calm home for my family. Brad, if you're reading this, I am so happy you are in my life. Your patience with me is priceless and I love you so much!

Welcome to Beeman World!

Hi! Welcome to Beeman World! I will admit that I am not the most "computer savy" person in my house and hopefully my kids won't bypass me too soon but for now, I'm trying. Brad is usually the person that does all of this kind of stuff but a couple of my friends sparked my curiosity at this so I thought I would give it a try.

For those of you that have never viewed someone's blog before (mom, Terri, aunt Donna H.) this is a place you can log onto at any time and catch up on what has been going on here at the Beeman household. I am hoping that since I am not very good at keeping up on the kids' baby books, I will be better at this so they will one day be able to open this up and read about things that they did or said and how it affected me at that point in time. I am also hoping to use this as a way to share my thoughts on pretty much anything that may be on my mind at that time.

So climb aboard! It could be a very interesting place to hang out on any given day! For any of you that know my kids on a personal level, you know that my house is always very "bizzy."