The funny things they say!

Update 2/6/2010
Landon asked if we could take a spoon to Heaven in case Allie got an attitude! What a selfless young man!

Dec 17, 2009

The kids are really saying some funny and/or profound things lately and I don't want to forget them!

Landon to his babysitter the other night about a picture in his room: "That's Bethany. She's my girlfriend and we're gonna get weddinged one day!"

Allie tells us, "Y'all are wearing me out!" in the most country accent you have ever heard. She is also requesting pink birthday cake for Jesus' birthday party, which is coming up soon!

Landon asked me not too long ago how people got to Heaven before Jesus died on the cross. Try explaining that to a four-year-old. He also cried the first time Ben explained Jesus' death to him. Wow, that kid has a heart.

One thing Ben and I tell the kids is "I love you to Australia and back." Well the other day Landon told me he loved me to Heaven and back. Pretty sweet until I told him "that is such a loooong way!" He said, "Not really, it's only to the sky!" That stinker.

Well naturally I can't think of many examples since I'm taking the time to "write"
them down, but I am hoping to update as more occur!

Updated 1/1/10:
When we were moving Landon's furniture to paint his room, we asked him if he wanted his bed in the same place or if he wanted us to move it. He said, "I want it moved." We asked him where, and without missing a beat, he said, "Into y'alls room." ha!

On the way home from a Rockets basketball game last night, Allie told Ben (who was driving), "Be careful, father!"

Also, after the game, the kids were talking nonstop about Louis Scola. They want to meet him and talk to him.

Bacation!

give away!

One of the blogs I love and follow is doing an amazing give-away! Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a pair of Switchflops, which are these really cool flip flops where you can switch out the straps and give them a different look! Head on over and sign up to win a free pair!

sweet

Today I was telling Landon I would be sad because daddy would be gone to Guatemala. He said, "Well, I'll take care of you!" I asked him in what ways he would take care of me and he answered, "I'll rub your back!" He knows what's important!

"Not my Child" Monday!

This post is courtesy of MckMama's blog- usually she does a "Not Me Monday," but this, week, it's all about the children! I certainly don't have TONS of content for this post!

Wednesday, my son did not come in while I was praying for the women in our small group and throw a temper tantrum, swatting his hands in the air and saying, "I don't want to leave!" And I certainly did not become very... ahem... disappointed in him.

While taking my two little ones shopping on Saturday, I certainly did not turn around to find my 2 year old daughter eating candy straight off the candy rack in the check out line. (Which I certainly did not have to pay for, after I had just swiped my debit card!) I couldn't punish her, though, even if she did that, because that was honestly the first time she has ever been out of the buggy at check-out!

A few weeks ago, my son was not nursing a baby doll in front of about 15 people at one of our weekly ministries. Wow. Certainly he would not do something so embarassing!

Now it's your turn! Share your funniest stories about your child (or yourself if you do not have children) and feel a great deal of relief in the making! :)

Look for the Rainbow

Many of you reading this (all 3 of you!) will have already heard this story, but I feel like I need to get it out "on paper" per say before my memory fades. So for that reason, I'm going to describe the moment as vividly as I remember it.

Four years ago, we were spending lots of time at Texas Children's getting the correct diagnosis for Landon. On July 12 of that year (3 days after my sister's wedding), Landon had to have a liver biopsy. It was terrifying- everything about those few weeks was terrifying. He was only 6 weeks old at the time. Leaving my baby on that operating table as sleep-inducing drugs flowed into his IV is not an experience that I can even explain.

The next day, we were waiting, and waiting, and waiting, in his hospital room for the results of the biopsy. Nothing will make the minutes on the clock tick by slower than waiting for doctor's rounds. Especially when something crucial will be revealed.
About 5 p.m. or so the rounding doctor came by and told us matter-of-factly that the biopsy did make Landon "appear to have biliary atresia." Now this is the same doctor, who 2 days before, had walked in and took one look at Landon and said, "this kid doesn't have biliary atresia." So it was easy to be very disappointed in her when she brought the bad news... although it wasn't her fault of course.

Anyway, so by this time we are very, very depressed. I had never seen Ben like that before, and haven't seen him like that since. It was especially disheartening for me because he was usually my rock, telling me that everything would be okay.
My sweet mom was with us for this visit, and she was gazing out the window, holding Landon. She said, "Look, there's a rainbow!" (It rained constantly that summer- adding to our dismal mood!) We were like, "Who cares? Our baby is sick." I remember Ben laying face down on the "bed," which is actually a couch that pulls out into a twin bed for two adults to share. And usually a baby. But anyways. Let's say it was good that we have a close marriage!

Ben pulls himself off the couch after a few minutes and looks out the window, thinking of what the rainbow means in scripture. (See Genesis 9:13-17) He prays for Landon, and prays for God to show him that he has not forgotten us. We had so many people praying for Landon, and things just weren't going the way we thought they should. Ben prays for a sign that God was still there, and at that moment, a second rainbow appears. It was an amazing, humbling moment. I must be honest and admit that I still wasn't all that impressed at the time- if God could make a rainbow appear at will, why wouldn't he heal my baby? But looking back, I see that it was all part of his plan to get us here.

It may not seem like a huge deal, but that was God showing us his love and grace in a moment where we needed it most. Do I have the answer to why babies are sick, and even more tragically, die? No. I won't even pretend. I cry almost every day over some child or another who is having health problems. It just doesn't seem fair, even to me, that my child is doing so well while others are having a horrible time.

But I do know that when things are going badly, it might help to look for the rainbow.


PS I have a picture of the double rainbow that I will post as soon as I get it scanned. For some reason, I can't find the digital images from that month.

Orange you Excited???

This weekend we celebrated Landon's fourth birthday! We are so excited for the blessing of excellent health and lots of fun this past year! He is getting so big and loves life.
We had an "orange" birthday party for him... this was his request for months! When I'd ask him what kind of cake he wanted, he'd answer, "An orange cake with an orange truck on it." So that is what he got!
We had a great time with some family that traveled in from Houston, as well as new friends in Houston.
Here's the cake:



Landon being silly. Imagine that!



With one of his numerous cousins:




Sunday, his actual birthday, we went to Bass Pro Shop after church. Landon "deerly" loves this place!





We are so lucky to have such a great guy in our lives.

The children are...

Landon is...
...almost 4! So hard to believe that this TALL boy is the same one who made his debut at 10 pounds, 10 ounces almost 4 years ago.

...playing T-ball. He loves it one game, won't play the next! (one game, he hit the ball, then went and sat in a chair and closed his eyes, saying, "I don't want it!"




...OBSESSED with the Rodeo. Ask anybody who has been around us in the past 2 months, and they will tell you. Everything is a bucking bull. Including the chair he sat on while doing a developmental assessment. It "bucked" him off more than once! He also got a HUGE goose egg last week from jumping off the deck. While mommy and daddy were gone. Thanks, Nicky and Mitzi, for taking care of him!

...FUNNY! He told our good friend Danae the other day to come in to his mommy and daddy's room- their door closed and locked. Ahem.

... so sweet. Yesterday morning while we were eating breakfast, he came around the table to me and hugged me and starting singing, "My favorite mommy, my favorite mommy," over and over again! It brought tears to my eyes. I told him that was my favorite song and he had to sing it to me everyday for the rest of my life!

Allie is...

... TWO! And I'm sure the neighbors know it by the fits she throws sometimes! Don't know where she gets that from.

...so feminine, and a tom-boy at the same time! She loves to have her toenails painted and then loves to plow over her brother like a bulldozer!

...talkative. When she decided to start talking, there was no going back! She loves to talk all the time, and I love hearing her sweet little voice. I love how she says, "uh-huh." It's hard to explain in writing, but it is just precious! I also love when I lay down with her for her nap and she wraps her arms around my neck and says, "Don't leave me!" Sometimes I don't.

...also funny. She told her Sunday school teacher the other day, "I like to move it!" Still cracks me up thinking about it.

... beautiful. Sometimes I just stare at her, and think, "She really is gorgeous." No bias here! :) Oh, and in case you were looking for the newest beauty tip, it is to cover your face with spaghetti sauce. Improves one's looks everytime!

Landon's visit to the "liver doc"

(Pictures from Landon's ultrasound. I did not have the presence of mind to take pictures during the doctor's appointment; more on that later.)

Wow, can I just say that God is good. Looking back over the last almost-four years, I can honestly say I didn't see things working out this well. I don't know exactly what I expected, but not for our time inside TCH as patients to come down to 30 minutes a year! For those of you who don't know/remember, from the time Landon was born until almost 1.5 years, we spent a LOT of time in the hospital with him.
So here is the short of it: Landon has NEVER had normal liver function tests (LFTs) except for his bilirubin. Well, due to a lot of prayer and skillful doctors, his labs from last week are NORMAL!!!! I cannot tell you how good this does a mother's heart. Only one number (GGT for those of you who know the specifics) was out of range by 5 points, but compared to what it has been, it is amazing!
Thank you God for a great report. The doc's words were the same as last year: "See you in a year!" Biliary atresia is still a nasty disease; Landon is definitely the exception and not the rule. So we are keeping the other families we know in prayer that aren't having such an easy time.
Speaking of, since most kiddos who have BA eventually have a liver transplant, Ben and I are very much into organ donation awareness. April is Organ Donation Awareness Month and so we went to an event today to get TMC employees to sign up to be donors. Ben actually signed up the president of TMC! Anyway, Landon got to wear a shirt as a "future potential recipient." We got to hear stories from donor families, and let me tell you that is emotional. They are such selfless people who use their pain to bring joy to others.
Here is Landon playing with a friend who already had a liver transplant as a baby:




Side note: The actual doctor's visit last week is a blur to me because Allison was an absolute TERROR. And I am not exaggerating. Horrible. Embarrassing. Screaming. Throwing toys across the room. Don't let the cuteness fool you, that child has a mean streak in her! But we love her to pieces just the same. But hence, the reason for no photos of Landon with his awesome doctor!

Oh my goodness, so it has been soooo long since I blogged, I don't even know if I can catch up!
But I'll try. On March 20th, we closed on our new house! Thanks to some great friends and some super-hard-working movers, we got the bulk of the stuff in the next day. Ben's brother and one of his friends came over the next day and finished it up. Man, we have a lot of JUNK! Hopefully, that amount has decreased by my pruning!
Anyway, the next weekend we went home for a flying visit. I had breakfast with one of my BFFs and sister (don't mess with the girls at the Golden Corral Breakfast Buffet!), plus we saw my parents, my grandparents, and Ben's family, and our friends Jason and Mandy! Yes, it was insanely quick but fun.
---------------------------------------------------
So I just decided I'm going to do several different entries to catch up; too many things that are totally different from one another and just can't all be lumped into one.

Babies Don't Keep

I ran across this poem on the another blog and thought it was worth sharing:

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~Ruth Hulburt Hamilton.

So true. It's hard to remember when my babies looked like this:


and this:



But they'll always be my babies!

NMM

It seems that all my blog entries lately are not me Mondays. Maybe that should tell me something about myself? Hm....
Check out MckMama's blog for the rules and regulations, and then have a blast making your own!

Anyway, I did not get on the computer after dinner tonight just to do my NMM post. (Well, MckMama is giving away a prize for this!) No, no, no.

My daughter is not running around here with no clothes on- it's not the best way to potty train! (at least it's worth a try, right?)

I did not go into Sam's today for a few things and spend $150. Man, I am glad I have more self control than that!

I did not fall asleep this afternoon reading the book I am supposed to be reading for church. I mean, come on, I am the pastor's wife after all!

I did not take to my son's head with #2 guard and go right down the middle. Seriously. I did NOT scalp him. Man, I'm glad I'm a better hair dresser than that!

Well people have a great week and I promise I'll post more pictures soon!

Another Manic Not-Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not do many things this week!

I did not become awe-struck this week while meeting Miss Texas at the hospital where I volunteer. I mean, she is just a person, right? (Oh, and when my dad looked at the pic of us, he said, "I can't tell which one is Miss Texas. Wasn't that so sweet?)

I did not have to run to the grocery store last minute before my parents arrived this weekend, conveniently leaving most of the house cleaning to my hubby. And he is not a wonderful man and did not do it willingly!

My son, within five minutes of my parents' arriving, did NOT say to my mom, "Shut up! That's what mommy said to daddy!" Oh, my. Maybe once?!?! I would never be disrespectful to my husband. In all seriousness, gonna work on that one.

Well, it's midnight and can't think of much else, although I'm sure there are many more things that I am proud to say I DID NOT DO this week! Join the fun, you won't regret it!

Not Me Monday!

Check out MckMama's blog for some great free therapy every Monday! Okay, here is my list for this week!

I did not go to CVS 8 times this week trying to find a particular item that I could get for free. No, coupon shopping does not make me that crazy!

I did not stay up until 1:30 a.m. talking to my cousin on the phone Saturday night. And then, I certainly did not stay up until 3, just reading. Nope, that would not be good for getting up to go to church Sunday morning.

I did not eat six spring rolls when my father-in-law took us to eat Vietnamese food. Of course I have more will power than that!

I did not sign my children up for preschool one day a week. I never need a break. OH YES I DID and YES I DO! :)

I did not decide to give away FREE etsy stuff to people who comment on my blog. Read the post below if you decide not to believe me!

have a great week and see you next Monday!

Free Stuff for Reading my Blog!

Okay, so I'm trying to get started on Etsy. So, if you are reading my blog and leave me a comment before next Wednesday (January 28th), I will send you something for free! It will be either a hand-made greeting card or a magnet! This way, I can spread my shop name (www.benandkelli01.etsy.com), and a little happiness as well. :)

After Wednesday, I'll briefly post my e-mail address so you can send me your mailing address. How does that sound? Have a great day-

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Wow, it's been a while since I have participated, so time for some confessions! :)
MckMama hosts a blog carnival each and every week for us imperfect moms to tell all! You really should head over and check it out... she is a true blessing!

I did not pop out of bed this morning and come straight to do "Not Me Monday." Nope, not that excited about it!

I have not let my children stay up until 11:00 or later some nights because of the holidays. Because the holidays are over, and we are back on a strict schedule. ;) And last night was not one of those nights, because they were in bed by 8:00. ha!

Last night, I did NOT feed my children (and my nieces!) chocolate for dinner- brownies and ice cream to be exact- at the Chocolate Bar. Nope, I am much more responsible parent than that. Hey, if I did do it, it's because it was my daughter's birthday.

We did not take our son out in public yesterday wearing a shirt he had "decorated" with a pen during church. And added more "decorations" during lunch. I always inspect my children before taking them out!

My house does not look like a tornado hit it because I don't get tired of picking the same toys up over and over and over and over and over again. Nope, I tirelessly pick them up 57 times a day so my house always looks like a model home!

I'm Nine!

Happy Birthday to Allie!

Today is our beautiful daughter Allison's birthday. She is two. But don't try to tell her that! Ask her, and she'll say, "NINE!" in the cutest little voice. I have no idea where she picked that up, but it is adorable! The funny thing is, our friend Bethany used to say the exact same thing at this age. And of course Allie wouldn't remember that- she was not even one yet!

We had a fun party with her back in our hometown yesterday, and tonight we're having her pictures taken. Then, we're hitting The Chocolate Bar for dessert first! Yummy. Our nieces are also visiting with us, so it's shaping up to be a fun day, after spending the morning at our great church.

No matter how old you turn this year, celebrate life!

Some Pictures of Allie at her birth- oh, what a great day!








Allie's first birthday. Pictures of yesterday coming soon!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Wow, I cannot believe it has been an entire month since I last blogged! What a whirlwind it has been, too.

Dec. 19th-21st, my sister Lindsey and her hubby Alan came to visit us. We took Alan to a wonderful restaurant for his Christmas present, and also Santa came to visit us while they were here:





Dec. 21st-28th, we visited both of our families in East Texas. It was a very relaxing time of fellowship- well, minus the stomach bug that wiped out about 25 members of my family. It was an interesting Christmas, with everyone comparing bodily functions. :)

At Pop's and Mimi's house:


At Uncle Joe and Debo's house:


Dec. 24th, our new nephew was born. He deserves his own post, so look for that later!

Dec. 29th was our 7th (!) anniversary and we went to a Rockets game- Ben's first NBA game ever. It was very fun, and we discovered a great new restaurant as well!







Dec. 30th- my cousin Tasha and her four kids came to visit us for a few days.

Dec. 31st- my friend Mandy came to visit for a few days as well; we had a New Year's Party at our house

Jan. 1st- Tasha and the kiddos had to leave early b/c her kiddos got sick. Very sad.
Mandy, Fabia, and I went to eat lunch, then Mandy and I spent the rest of the day shopping.

Jan. 3rd- Mandy left to go back home.

So much fun! Now back to real life.
I hope that your holiday season was spent enjoying your family and friends, and celebrating Christ's birth.