Our Laughlin News

Update on My Bucket List . . . and another list

2010-09-25T17:54:00.001-05:00

So, I didn't accomplish everything on my summer bucket list. I think I got overwhelmed buying school supplies and clothes for what felt like was half of Clyde.

But, now I have another list. The new backpack building. I am in love with the building and it will be amazing -- when it's finished. Sometimes I walk in and see that there isn't much left to do. Then, on days like today when the roof leaks and I have puddles in all 3 rooms, I think the building will never be finished. So, I'm making the list public. If you would like to help, I would gladly let you!

OUTSIDE:

* Paint the exterior

* Paint the front door

* Repair the roof

FRONT ROOM:

* Move shelving out

* Paint the floor (or tile the floor)

* Enclose double door

* Install double doors

* Paint trim

* Fix ceiling tiles

* Install curtains

* Switch out A/C

* Assemble furniture

* Install light covers & outlet covers

* Move conference table -- Aaron

CLOTHES CLOSET:

* Move shelving out

* Move table

* Tape & mud dressing rooms

* Paint dressing rooms

* Install lighting

* Paint floor

* Install baseboards

* Touch up painting

* Assemble furniture

* Install door to backpack part

* Fix Curtains & hang

* Install mirrors

* Buy & Install 3 curtain rods

BACKPACK ROOM:

* Remove standing water :)

* Move shelving out

* Remove chandelier from ceiling

* Paint floor

* Repair wooden wall

* Paint wooden wall

* Repair back door / order new doors

* Paint poles

* Paint shelving (?) / clean shelving

* Baseboards (?)

BATHROOM:

* Tape & mud wall

* Baseboards

* Paint walls

* Paint vanity

* Buy & hang new mirror

* CLEAN!!

OK. . . so I'm encouraged again. . . it's not a lot, right?

WOW!

2010-07-27T10:06:00.003-05:00

WOW! It's been a long time since I've updated this blog! Sorry! Seems like Facebook has taken the place of blogs everywhere. Every once in a while, I really want to write a blog post, though. . . I just seem to get distracted.

We are about to go into August, which means all things school. Payton will be in the 4th grade and Evan in the 1st. Jaxon will still be at home with me. :)

We just got back from vacation in St. Louis. We had a blast! Went to a few Cardinals games, went to the Arch, did all of the touristy things.

Well, again, I'm being distracted by a 2 year old who wants some Cheetos. What he doesn't know is that we're heading to the movies instead. . . I just couldn't stand to know that my last post was from August of last year!

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-25T16:41:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures from the first day of school. For some reason, I didn't get a picture of Payton in his desk . . . not sure he would have let me do that anyway! ;)

We are back in the swing of things, but gosh, it sure is quiet around here!! I think Jaxon is actually loving being all by himself all day long. He tells them bye in the mornings and he hasn't seemed to miss them! He does love it when they get home, though. The boys are loving it, too. It's nice to be back in the routine of things for sure!!

My Latest Project

2009-07-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

Goodbye John Wayne . . . Hello Cars!!

BEFORE:

AFTER:
The boys putting up the stickers

The bed with the most ridiculous stickers!

This excited little boy makes it worth it all. . . and no, I never got the permanent marker all covered up. . . guess it's ok.

In Honor of Grandma Bowen

2009-05-13T15:35:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, we received a call that Aaron's grandma had passed away. It was quite a shock and still doesn't seem real at times. She was the perfect example of the scripture that says, "Give and it will come back to you -- good measure, pressed down, shaken together, & running over (so much that you can't hold it." (my interpretation)

She was such a giver. She gave to everything! I remember when Alan & Cortney were moving to Arizona and they called them up to the front of the church and prayed over them. Aaron's grandma wrote them a check to help them move (it wasn't a small one, either).

Every birthday, we would get a check in the mail for however old we were and they started at $1. This year, I would have gotten a check for $32. Every birthday and anniversary, there was a card of encouragement and a check inside. She was the most amazing person with birthdays and anniversaries!!

She gave money to children's church and backpacks and always wanted to know what we were doing next. She gave money towards my trip to Cambodia and wanted to know all of the details when I got back.

Because of these events, Aaron went to see his mom on Sunday for Mother's Day and they went to her house and kind of went through her things. He said it was very interesting how much and where she gave. I can only imagine.

So, today we honored Grandma Bowen. Evan had a tub of toys that he wanted to sell in a garage sale. I wasn't thrilled about the idea, but he was stuck on it! On Sunday, I asked him if he would like to take them to the CCRC and give them away. His face lit up and he got all excited!! This morning, he got up and started going through his toys again to find others that he doesn't play with anymore and some that he said he just didn't need.

I was/am so proud of him. I am proud of the fact that he is such a big giver. I know that Grandma Bowen would have been proud of him giving and I know that we may not get anything physical from her death, but I am excited about the memories of how much of a giver that she truly was. I pray that I can follow in those footsteps.

Unloading from the car

In front of the CCRC

The toys dumped on the sorting cart

New Camera

2009-05-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

Last month, I dropped my camera at a baseball game in the parking lot & had to kiss it goodbye. It was hard to part with that little thing!! It took amazing pictures and it was super easy to operate! But, I got a new one a few weeks ago and thought I would share a few pics from it. It's taking some getting used to, but I think I like it besides the video part. When I move it to my computer, it skips. But, maybe I'll figure that out soon.

Evan wanted to have a picnic today -- of course, on the hottest day of the year! So, I put Jaxon down for a nap and we had a picnic in the backyard for lunch. I learned that Evan doesn't want to ever get married, but he wants to have 100 kids. I asked him how he was going to have a house that all of those kids could sleep in and he said he would just have his workers build it for him.

Evan with all of his food. He wanted to pack enough food to feed all his 100 kids!! ;)

The ants decided to join us after a short amount of time.

Enjoying the fruits of his labor (of putting it all together)

Seeing how many Pringles that he can shove in his mouth.

Trying to get a picture of the two of us . . . this is the best one, but I wish he hadn't been silly! Oh well. . . that's Evan for you!

Here's a few of Jaxon that I took this afternoon. He was watching Payton mow the backyard in 100+ degree weather.

CHEESE!!!
And a funny one to end on. . .

Motorcycles, Sewing, & CDC

2009-04-26T00:13:00.000-05:00

I'm going to throw all of these together in this one blog post. The safe haven was supposed to have the grand opening this past Friday. I'm waiting to see pictures, but I can hardly wait!!

In Cambodia, most children are required to work to help provide for their families. This is how the sex trafficking rings are successful. Parents need their children to work and people prey on that offering their children "jobs", but they end up in these rings. So, CHO (Cambodian Hope Organization) has these schools to give kids a trade so that they can earn money for their families.

The first one is a Motorcycle Repair School. These kids come to this school every day and take the motorcycles apart and put them back together. On the way to the school, we passed by several sweat shops where Wayne said there were kids sewing away inside these metal barn kind of things with I'm sure no air circulation. The kid in front is 14 years old. There is a kid that is hidden in the picture that is 8 years old. He is learning how to repair the motorbikes. It was amazing how clean they were. When Aaron is working on a project in the garage, tools and nuts and bolts are spread all over the place! These kids had a pan that they put EVERYTHING in -- their tools and whatever they took off of the motorbikes were in their pans.

The sewing school is another way that kids can learn a skill. This boy is 10 years old and he has been in the sewing school for 1 year. Their sewing machines are the footpedal kind and his little feet were just flopping away. One of the older boys said he could sew 10 pairs of shorts per day and they would sell them for 35 baht each on the Thailand side market. This is about $1 per pair. So, if the boy made and sold every pair, he would make $10 per day.

They also have an agriculture project where they help people start a business. The people are responsible for renting the land and working the garden. CHO provides the seeds, fertilizer, and a watering can. A CHO person checks in with each farmer once a week. They have 125 farming families. The gentleman who oversees this project is 25 years old. He looked like he was 16!! Their land does not have a lot of square footage, so they grow most things on a trellis system. Their cucumbers and watermelon grow off of the ground! It was interesting!

This is the lady whose garden we went to see. She gets the water for her garden from that river/water in the background. She walks down (just kind of a steep hill) with her watering can on a stick balancing across her shoulders. She fills it up and walks it back up to her garden.This is her hoe. . . pretty pre-historic looking.

Long beans in the garden
Their trellis system

Here's a picture of Cambodian school children. You notice them because they have the white shirts and the navy pants/skirts. I'm not sure what is on their face, but when I got home, I heard something about talc powder because it helps cool you off. Could have been, but I'm not sure.
I took this picture at the CDC (Center for Disease Control). This is the AIDS and TB hospital. The first time I went, we went in and walked around talking to people and just looking around. We talked to a woman who had been their 6 years. Her daughter sat on her bed and they told us she had been there with her mother since the beginning. . . the girl couldn't have been but 14 or 15 years old. I didn't take any pictures inside because I didn't feel like that would be respectful, but that had to be the hardest part of the trip for most of us.
The lady on the left (with the blue shirt) has AIDS. That is her son standing in front of her. They told us that she will stay there until she dies. Her son will stay with her. the lady on the right has TB and that is her son sitting on her lap. TB is very contagious, so when you think about it, these little boys are just sitting in a very contagious environment, but there isn't anything they can do about it.

Like I said, the first time I went to the CDC, we went in and walked around. There was another lady on a bed who was just a skeleton. Laying on the bed with her were 3 little kids. Her husband stood by her bedside. We prayed for a few of them and Steve laid his hands on some.

A couple of days later, I went back with Trish & Dr. J. They wouldn't even go inside!! Dr. J put his phone inside the door and took pictures that way. They talked about how contagious TB was and how they weren't going in. I panicked for a second -- we went in and Steve touched people! But, I think we're all fine. . . ;)

One last tidbit about the hospital. Chumno's wife has a restuarant that the workers eat in. Her and her girls did a fantastic job feeding us!! They make 3 meals a day to take to the hospital patients. How amazing is that? Their kitchen isn't very big. She had just a few pots and pans. But, she's using what she has to bless others that people might just want to discard. That blessed me!!

So, there's my trip. Trish got some good pictures of some kids that I'll probably post next. . . . might show a few from the Angkor Wat temples.

School on the Mat

2009-04-21T09:58:00.001-05:00

Welcome to School on the Mat -- Cambodia style. This is the CHO (Cambodian Hope Organization)'s school that they do in villages. Most Cambodian children do not go to school because the have to have the proper paper work (birth certificate, etc) and just because education is not a priority. If you know anything about Cambodian history, the Khmer Rouge killed all of the educated people in the 70s. It's really a crazy thing to read about, but even crazier to be there and see these fields where you know hundreds, if not thousands, of people died.

Anyway, we visited a school on the mat and I think it was one of my favorite places. CHO has 15 teachers that teach 5 classes/day with 10-12 students in each class. So, they have over 600 students in their schools!!

CHO has devotions at 7:30 am and then everyone hops on their mopeds and heads out to their job. These teachers spread a tarp out on the ground and set up their whiteboards and have school . . . yes, outside.

This is one class. On the far left side of the mat, you see the little girl in the yellow shirt? She is little. . . not sure how old, but her older sister is on the left of her (out of the picture). Her sister's job is to take care of her all day while her parents either work or they are just not there. Her sister was called up to the front to read from the board and the little sister followed her. But, the little sister sat so quiet on the mat. That is a house in the background (the blue building).

Yes, this is a monkey that was at the school/house they were in front of. It was the family pet. . . yes, that was weird.

The lesson that day was about obeying your parents. These kids are role playing. The kids on the left are brothers and the kids on the right are mom and dad. The "brothers" were fighting and Dad stepped in and told them to stop. The kids thought this was pretty funny. When she announced who was mom and dad, all of the kids giggled.

Taking your shoes off is the appropriate thing to do before you go into a building in Cambodia. I really started to like the whole idea and walking around barefoot! So, the kids take their shoes off before they get on the mat. So, around the mat are all these shoes. This pair of flip flops caught my eye. Notice that the back of the shoe is gone. Both of the shoes were like that.

The boy is reading something off of the board and the class is repeating him.
Wayne sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" with them. They know that song pretty well from different English speaking teams that come through because it's the easiest song to "translate". You point to whatever you are saying, so it also teaches them a little bit of English.

Here's a video of them singing "This is the Day". It was too cute!! First, they sing in English and then they sing in Khmer (their language).

These kids followed our van down the road to the school. These kids aren't in school, but they acted like we were celebrities. They stared and pointed and talked with each other. The little girls fell in love with Joel.

I thought this little boy looked like Trip. He rode his bike down the road and hung out for a little while.
As we were driving away, this laundry was hanging out to dry. See that nasty water in the background? That's the washing machine!! ;)

More of Cambodia

2009-04-12T21:48:00.002-05:00

So, I'll post a few more pictures of my trip. I'll have to admit that it's been hard. I want everyone to see all 487 pictures and I want everyone to hear all of the stories behind them. But, I feel like people are tired of hearing about it. I'll spare you all 487 pictures. I think I'll just blog about the safe haven, the school on the mat, the motorcycle school, the CDC, the sewing school, and that's about it. . . sounds like a lot, huh? Don't worry. . . it will be over the next few days but what happened to me in Cambodia really did change my life.

Here's the gate to Cambodia. It was quite a difference between Thailand. The Thai side is paved and nice and then you hit the border. Dirt and that's where we saw most of the begging children. This is one of those moments that I think will be etched in my brain forever. We are almost ripped off with our visas. Kind of a long story, but a strange man had my passport, my picture, and all of my information. That might have been the only time I was scared on that trip. I was afraid I wouldn't get it back. It was a rookie tourist mistake, but he finally gave it back and we went on our way.

The thing I will remember, though, is the begging kids. We walk around the corner in the market and these girls are lined up with umbrellas. They come out to greet you and shade you and they want to carry on a conversation with you. But they want you to pay them for shading you at the end of the road. You just have to keep telling them, "No."

Then, there's the little girl with the messed up hair who I think I remember her carrying a baby doll that was disgusting. She was filthy. The doll was filthy. She was crying and begging us for money. I think Dr. J gave her a quarter or something. She followed us for what seemed like a long ways. She was pulling on our pants and just crying. It made you want to just pick her up and take her with you. But, when I made that comment to Wayne, he said, "Yeah, but I guarantee you that she could take care of herself if you tried to take her." This little girl was a little taller than Jaxon. . . probably a little older, but probably not 3 years old yet. Made me sad that she had been trained so well and that she had to already know how to take care of herself.

This is how we got our luggage across the border. In the Thai market, we stopped our van and all of these guys surrounded it! I was a little nervous because I was sitting by the door and I wasn't sure what they wanted. They wanted us to pay them to carry our stuff across the border. Wayne told us to take anything that we couldn't absolutely live without on the rest of the trip. This kid pushed the cart for us through the streets. Every once in a while, he would look over at us (we were walking along the sidewalk and going through the buildings for our visa stuff) and smile and wave. It was pretty funny.** Forgot to say in my original post that the crazy thing was that if this guy decided to make a run for it, he had all of our stuff with him! This cart was pretty heavy and full, so I don't think that was much of an option for him, but crazy to think that he had everything we had brought with us. **

Here's a picture of the safe haven from the entrance. The 3 houses on the left are where the kids will live. The house on the right is the guest house for people that come and want to spend 6 months living at the safe haven and working there. See those piles of rocks? We had to move those to make a driveway and sidewalks.

Here's a truck going down the street of Poipet. It was amazing how they would stack stuff on these trucks and tie it down to move it. This highway had recently been paved, which everyone said made a huge difference!

This is a house that is a pretty good picture of how they live. Most houses don't have that tarp stuff as walls. It's actually a pretty nice house too because it has a real door.

Here's the front gate/fence to the safe haven. It's crazy to think about how they built this thing -- remember, no machinery and only 1 wheelbarrow on the whole property. They made the brick. They dried the brick. They moved the brick and stacked the brick!! CRAZY!

This is their fish pond. They have a tank where they can breed these fish and put them in this pond and raise them. At the safe haven, in a few years, they will be completely self-sufficient. They have chickens and fish on the land right now and will have pigs soon.

This is Emily & Kathryn, the girls from the UK. We had a lot of fun with these girls while we were there. They are in Cambodia for 6 months, with 2 months down. In this picture, we are painting the bricks in one of the safe haven houses. Our scaffolding was a little scary, but you got used to it after a while.

This is the greenhouse at the safe haven. They are able to grow fruit trees to put around the safe haven and they grow fruit trees for the Cambodian government schools.

Here's a picture of the school at the safe haven. It wasn't finished yet, but it's still pretty amazing. It was awesome walking around thinking about how kids would be walking around that campus in a few weeks . . .

I'll leave you with these final pictures and video. The last day we were working at the safe haven, they threw us a little party and then Chumno told us that we were going to set the water tower up. So, everyone got around it and moved it.

This ditch will be for the water lines going from the water tower to the houses. They had to step over this ditch and dodge power lines . . . it was fun, though!!

In this video, you can see how they raise it up. You can hear Steve yelling "Pull!" At one point, it looked like it was going to fall over the other way, which would have been a disaster, so the guys stopped pulling. But, it put all the weight back on the guys who are walking it up. So, Steve is yelling "Pull! Pull!" But all of the Cambodians are yelling to stop in Khmer (their language). It was a nerve wrecking point for a few seconds, but it finally sat down just fine. The perfect way to end our stay there. Sorry it's sideways. . . It's not sideways on my computer, but it is on here. . . oh well.

Cambodia -- The accomidations

2009-03-30T16:19:00.001-05:00

I'm still in the processing stages of the whole trip and I haven't had much time to edit more pictures, so I'll share with you some of the pictures from our hotels. Nothing too terribly fancy, but I'll share them anyways. They are interesting!!

This was my hotel room in Bangkok. I loved the painting on the wall. It cost roughly $25 a night.

It had a little vanity area. There were a ton of snacks on the table, but they weren't free. They sure were tempting, though!!

Here is a shot of the bathroom. That spray thing by the toilet is a bidet -- what you're supposed to use instead of toilet paper. Luckily, I never had to use it . . . just didn't make sense to me. I did make good use of it washing my feet off at the end of the day!! The shower is to the left of the toilet. While you took a shower, the toilet got all wet. Weird engineering for sure.
This is how you turned the shower on. You set your hot water level and turned the knob. Again, interesting. I was just glad there was hot water at that point. . . wasn't quite ready for the cold showers.

This is our hotel room in Poipet, Cambodia. Nothing spectacular. Felt like a dorm room. It costs $15 USD/night. The beds were very firm, but at the end of the day, I don't think I cared very much. I crashed!! The room key had a little plastic thing on it that you had to put into this slot so that your electricity would work. I wish I had gotten a picture of that. Every time you left the hotel, you had to take your key to the front desk, so your electricity was off. The good news was that our room didn't take too long to cool off at the end of the day. The good news about the key thing was that there was only one key and if your roommate came back before you, they could have access to the room. That's the a/c up on the wall. The girls from the UK are living in this hotel for 6 months. They celebrated their 2 month anniversary of being there the day we left.

Here's the view from our 5th story "lobby" window. There was a little sitting area outside our doors with giant windows. I did a lot of people watching from this window. I fell in love with a little boy under that blue tarp thing of a "house" in the middle of the picture. He's actually outside in this picture, but you can't see him. He is the first character in my book.

Again, toilet & bidet or foot shower in my case.

Straight across from the toilet is the shower. No walls, just the shower head. There wasn't hot water here. We had it a few times for about 2 minutes, but it was so hot that you couldn't stand underneath it. The water wasn't extremely cold, though. The water tanks sat outside and I'm sure the heat warmed the water so that it wasn't freezing like it would be here in the US. You would think that red knob over there would mean something to do with the hot water, but it doesn't. I'm not really sure what it's purpose was.

A picture of some kids from our hotel room window. I was really zoomed in, but they have plastic sacks with plastic water bottles in them. Again, I loved watching the people from our hotel room. I was so glad that we were on the 5th floor so that I had a little secret "hideout" to people watch from!!

This is a video looking out our window. I think you can see a volleyball court in it (at about 10 seconds). There were always kid playing volleyball over there! There was even a rain storm that came in one afternoon and it was pouring down rain and it didn't seem to bother them at all. At the end, you can also see my little boy. He's outside sitting on that log thing. He's still far away, so you can't see him very good. My only regret? Not going down there and getting a picture of him.

I have pictures of the hotel in Siem Reap (the touristy parts of our trip), but they're on my phone. I'll have to e-mail them to myself and then put them on here. You really won't believe how amazing it was!! I'll try to get them up soon!

Cambodia -- The Food

2009-03-28T22:09:00.006-05:00

I've been back a few days now, but it's taking some adjusting. Time wise, while we were there, it seemed like everyone woke up about 4 am. I thought when we got back, that would be fixed, but it hasn't. Same thing-- I've been waking up at 4 am and can't go back to sleep. Plus, I've been having a hard time staying asleep. . . oh well. I've been told that it will all work itself out over the next few days.

I absolutely loved it there. I wouldn't want to sell everything and live there, but I could see myself going back and staying for longer periods of time. What they are doing over there will blow your mind. More on that over the next few days.

I thought I would break up the trip into a few parts so that my blog isn't forever long and you don't need an hour to get through it. So, I thought I would talk about the food first. I'll put a few pictures at the end of just random things, but I'm not finished editing and turning all of my pictures, so I'll post some of what I have done so far.

In preparing for this trip, I was warned about all kinds of weird foods -- squid, fried fish eyes, etc. I actually was going to try the fried fish eyes if someone got some. I thought I should go all out on the whole experience. I wanted to experience Cambodia, so why not?

So, as we were standing in line to get on the plane in Minneapolis, Joel laughed and said, "Say goodbye to all normal foods, dear." I was a little nervous. ;)

Well, I didn't get a chance to eat any fried fish eyes, but here's a list of a few of my food experiences:
* Cashew Chicken (no surprises there, but it was good)
* The most amazing coffee shake on the planet (yes, better than Starbucks)
* Really refreshing watermelon shakes
* Really amazing coffee
* Fried eggs & toast (I think this became my favorite breakfast while we were there)
* Fried rice w/ chicken at a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere. This was on our drive from Bangkok to Cambodia. It was all open, as in no walls. There were chickens walking around. I'm sure the chicken I was eating was walking around there once, too.
* Squid (yes, I ate it but I wasn't fond of the texture)
* Raw tuna (again, terrible texture, but I got it down)
* The thickest and yummiest and biggest pancakes ever
* Ate an ENTIRE meal with chopsticks (I had never used any before)
* Barbecued goat (again, texture got me on this one. . . good flavor, just a little too chewy for me)
* Fried potatoes (some kind of yellow potato, not white ones)
* Fried bananas (the girls from the UK loved these)

So, there is the beginning of my Cambodia posts. I know everyone is wanting to hear all of the other amazing things, and that will come, but I was shocked at myself for even trying some of these things and it is the easiest post to start out with.

Dr. J & Steve at the CHO restaurant where we ate almost every breakfast and lunch. This restaurant fixes 3 meals a day and delivers them to the AIDS & TB hospital for the patients there. See that watermelon shake on the bottom left? YUM!! I bet it was mine!

Trish & the UK girls (L to R: Nicole, Emily, Hannah (blue shirt), & Kathryn)
They had a train of massages going at one point. We loved hanging out with these girls. (By the way, their new year is like next week or something. That sign wasn't from January 1st)

Here's that coffee shop in the middle of nowhere. I'm not kidding. We were driving down the road and there is NOTHING. Then, all of a sudden, we pass this place. So, we turned around and went back for lunch.

These boys were at the school on the mat. They aren't in school, but they followed our van down to it. They just sat and watched what was going on in the school (outside, of course) and they watched us.

These girls were at our children's outreach. You can tell that they are probably sisters. People think that they have highlights in their hair, but it's actually a sign of malnutrition.
One afternoon, I was in my hotel room and I heard a pig squealing and squealing and squealing! At first, I didn't want to look because I thought they might be butchering it somewhere, but when I finally go the nerve to look, this is what I saw:
Yes, that's a live pig on the back of a motorcycle. Interesting, huh? Wayne said he saw a cow on the back of a moto later that afternoon.

As we were driving into Siem Reap for the touristy part of our trip, we saw this:
Another interesting thing. I think these chickens are alive. We would see them move their heads every once in a while. Funny how when you see a cattle truck going down I-20 full of cows, you don't think of it as tomorrow's lunch. But in Cambodia, that's all I could think!

And, my favorite picture of the whole trip. We were invited to a village by the assistant village leader (comparable to one step up from mayor, I think) and this baby was laying on a bed under their shelter (again, no walls). The grandma was so proud of her! Every time the camera would flash, she would laugh and smile really big. I absolutely love this picture!! Makes me feel like Angelina Jolie! ;) (Thanks, Trish!)

Heading Home . . .

2009-03-24T07:51:00.001-05:00

Another airplane ride . . . fun, fun, fun! At least this one is only about an hour and a half. We're flying out of Cambodia and we're heading back to Bangkok. Then, tomorrow morning at 5:45 am (5:45 pm Texas time) here, we'll fly out to Tokyo. . . then, on to Detroit. . . then on to Dallas!! We land in Dallas at 9:45 pm on Wednesday.

Today we went out to a floating village. . . just plain craziness. People living on boats/houses out in the middle of the lake. They had kids, there were stores, they had tv in some. . . it's will just blow your mind. Not to mention another sun burn . . . not bad, though.Here's something else cool that happened.Trish & I went and got our toenails done and she got her fingernails done . . . all for $7!!! Complete with flowers and bows!! They are beautiful! Yes, $7 USD!! Anyway, our tuk-tuk driver took us to this place and we walked in and let the girls get started. One of the other "girls"started talking and it was no girl. . . it was a "lady boy"shop!! We laughed hysterically once we figured that out!!! But, the girls that did our hands & feet were not. It was a pretty funny moment.

While we got out of the tuk-tuk, I had my money in my pocket, but when I went to pay for my nails, it was gone. It wasn't in any of my pockets. I checked two or three times and it wasn't there. I was freaking out because I thought one of these girls had pick-pocketed me or that I dropped it getting out of the tuk-tuk. So, Trish covered me and we went to get in the tuk-tuk again (I like that word! ;) )

Anyway, my money was in a different pocket!! And not in one that I would have put it in and I checked it at least 2 times sitting in that chair!! What in the world? I'm just believing that God gave my money back to me.Then, we headed back to the market to pick up a few more gifts before heading home. That was fun!! I love the market!!

I've had a blast, but I'm ready to be back home. Well, internet time is about up. Got to run!!P.S. By the way, I've taken 495 pictures!!! Some are just of life kind of things . . . toilets, showers, bathing pots, etc. But, lots of awesome pictures!! Wishing I had my computer so I can edit them on the way home.

Cambodia

2009-03-23T01:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in the "Joel Famous" Blue Pumpkin little restuarant here in Siem Reip (sp?) Good food and time to be tourists. We are going to Angkor Wat (again sp?) this afternoon . . . it's some old Buddist temples.

Our hotel is like we're in a tropical resort. It's AMAZING! I almost don't feel like I'm on a mission trip!! ;)

We have had an absolute blast here and I definitely want to come back. What God has done here and is doing here will blow your mind away.

The other day, the guys put up a 30 foot tall water tower at the safe haven. I'll have to post the video when I get home. Cambodians and Americans working together to raise this amazing amount of metal with some electrical wire for rope and a few poles. . . other than that, it was pure man strength.

Well, I'm going to let Trish have her computer back now. I'll try to post when I can. . . if I don't, I'll be home late Wednesday!!!

Bangkok, Thailand

2009-03-16T19:49:00.001-05:00

Greetings!!
I survived the longest plane rides EVER and I'm sitting in a hotel in Bangkok! How weird is that? I just had a great breakfast and we're about to head to the Cambodia border. From there, I'll only have internet at the safe haven, but I wanted to let everyone know that we made it and this is just amazing. I've mostly seen everything in the dark, but this morning just looking around, it's very interesting.

Right beside our table at breakfast, there was a Buddist shrine that a man was "fixing up" this morning. When people walk by it, they bow to it. You can smell the insence burning. It's interesting.

Everything on the plane was smooth and we had tremendous favor going through customs in Bangkok. When we got to Bangkok, some of our luggage wasn't there -- mine, Trish's, and one of Joel's. They told us that our luggage was on the way to Phenom Phen, which we are NOT going to! But, they were able to pull our luggage off of the plane and bring it to us. That was interesting!!

Then, going through customs, they didn't want to let us bring our medicine in. But, after Wayne & Dr. J finished, they let us go with our medicine.

So, our driver just got here and we're about to head to Cambodia. I'll e-mail when I can!!!

Off to Cambodia

2009-03-15T04:34:00.001-05:00

In about 15 minutes, Joel & Trish will be here to pick me up so that we can go meet Wayne and head to Dallas! Our flight leaves at 10:20 from Dallas and flies to Minneapolis. From there, we fly to Toyko, Japan. We have a 1 1/2 hour layover and then it's off to Bangkok. We will stay the night in Bangkok and drive to Poipet the next morning.

I can't seem to find the papers with the info on it about our flights and hotels. I'm sure there around here somewhere and I'm sure Wayne has all that info with him.

Some ladies at church are taking care of the kids while Aaron's at work and they are also bringing dinner to the boys every night that I'm gone. How cool is that? I have the best friends in the world!

I'll try to update when I can!!

Cambodia

2009-02-24T11:17:00.002-06:00

In three weeks, I'll be in Cambodia. I'm so excited about going, but there seems like there is so much to do before I leave. I have to go clothes shopping, which is not my favorite thing to do. I don't have anything clothes wise to wear over there, plus I need some new clothes anyway.

Our missions trip has grown from building a fence to a children's crusade and a medical mission on top of the fence building. I'm so excited about going!! Please pray for Aaron! 10 days without mom. . . I think it will be just fine!!!

Project 365 . . . or 358 . . . or 300 . . . or however many pictures there are at the end of the year!

2009-02-05T21:41:00.001-06:00

Thought I would just post an update and some pictures. . . of random things. There was a scrapbook kit at the beginning of the year that was called 365 scrapbook. You were supposed to take a picture of something every day. I thought it was a great idea, but forgot to take a picture on days 3-8, so I kind of quit. But, when I think about it, I take random pictures of things around our house -- everyday things. So, here are a few random things from around our house.

First off, Evan and his CARS collection. Every time we go in a store that MIGHT have them, we have to look and see if we can find ones that he doesn't already have. We are always on the look out for them. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure who is more obsessed with them -- him or me.

Here's another picture of Evan. He goes to Trish's house on Fridays while I do backpacks and she lets him bake things. It's kind of their thing. This is a cake that Evan baked and frosted all by himself. . . well, he said Trish only did one thing and turning on the oven doesn't count. ;)
Here's a picture of the boys on the day that it was so icy. They thought it was fun to run and slide on the patio.

This is one of my favorite things I got for Christmas -- my hair straightner. I've had more compliments on my hair since Christmas than ever before!! This thing is amazing!! It takes my morning wild hair and makes it smooth and straight!!

These are Jaxon's new shoes that he got today. He puts them on and he loves them, but once he stands up, he hates them! I paid just as much for these little shoes as I do my own!!

My biggest pet peeve lately: Leaving the lights on!! Seems like at any given point in time, I can walk through the house and EVERY SINGLE LIGHT IS ON!! So, I go through and turn them off. Within a few minutes, there are at least most of them back on!! Not sure how to fix this problem!!

So, there you have it. My "randomest" post ever. . . the most random things in the Laughlin house.

To Go or Not To Go?

2009-01-26T15:42:00.002-06:00

I was invited this week to go on a mission trip to Cambodia in March. It would be March 15th through the 25th. I've been excited about this trip since I first heard about it, although I wasn't going to be allowed to go at first. They are building a fence for an orphanage and I wasn't "fence-building-worthy" or something.

Anyway last week, he called and invited me to go. I have never been out of the country. I have never been on a mission trip -- well, I went to St. Louis once to help build a church, but I don't necessarily consider that a "mission trip".

I can hardly sleep because I'm thinking about going. I think about all of the things I could learn. I think about being able to get off of a plane in a different place -- a foreign place. I think about knowing that I made a difference to orphan boys and girls by the simple act of building a fence.

On the other hand, there's the $3000 it's going to take to go. Not a lot, really. . . I mean, in the grand scheme of things. The trip is 10 days, so there are kid issues -- who will take care of them? I'll miss Payton's birthday and our anniversary. . . again, in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. I'm the only girl going at this point, which doesn't really bother me, but you know how that is.

So, now I'm just trying to decide if I'm supposed to go or not. . . that I'm not sure yet.

An Update From Us

2009-01-10T16:22:00.005-06:00

WOW! A lot has happened since my last post! Somehow the holidays were busier than I thought they would be!! Here's what has been going on with us since my last post:

Jaxon turned 1 year old!! He is now off of his bottle and is finally sleeping through the night. Sorry these pictures are sideways. . . I'll try to fix that soon!

Jaxon LOVES his car!

He wasn't quite sure what to think of all of this stuff!!

I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, but I lost my wedding ring at our Hallelujah Night on Halloween that I was in charge of. We couldn't find it anywhere. So, on Black Friday, I was able to buy another one! I absolutely love it!!

In December, I headed up a "Project Santa" for my backpack kids. We bought Christmas presents for them (plus some). Our list started with 56 kids and in the end, we were able to buy Christmas for 73 kids!! The whole thing is miracle story after miracle story. Maybe for another time. . . It was a BLAST!! Here are a few pictures of that:

These boxes were full of toys that we were able to get from the Toys for Tots Foundation. I have always supported that foundation and will continue to do so because this experience was amazing!

Some of the boys' toys:

Some of the girls' toys:
The sacks took up the whole hallway at the church! These bags have a complete outfit (shirt, pants, socks, & shoes) and at least 3 toys per kid!
These are half of the room that we took them to at the school. The parents came to the school to pick up the sacks. They could then use them for Santa or say they were from them. The white sacks are food from the backpack program. Each kid was to be sent home with 3 sacks of food, but because it was too much for them to carry, we were able to send some home with the parents and some with the kids.

Christmas time was here before I knew it! The boys made these costumes at Purty's house for Christmas day. We laughed at how Evan looks like he's the mad elf!

A rare picture of mommy & Jaxon

After Christmas, Aaron took Payton snowboarding. He didn't like it very much the first day, but really got the hang of it on the second day.

Evan Turns 5 Years Old!!

2008-11-15T21:40:00.001-06:00

I've never seen anyone so excited about their birthday!! Evan needed to know the plan and he was excited about it!!

On Friday, the first present arrived!! Excitement was in the air!

OK, now I'll continue!

He thought it was funny that everyone was singing Happy Birthday to him.

Blowing out all 5 candles! He acted like he had to blow out 500 or something!
That ribbon on his shirt says "I'm 5 Today". Yes, he just HAD to have it! He wore it proudly all day long pointing out to anyone that would listen that it was his birthday!

So, here's the next one : Jaxon's birthday is in 2 weeks!! 2 weeks I said!!! I haven't even started!! Oh well! Luckily he doesn't have an opinion yet.

Evan Turns 5 Years Old!

2008-11-14T22:11:00.000-06:00

My Ring is LOST!

2008-11-01T16:10:00.001-05:00

In the last week, I've finally been able to put my wedding ring back on. When I was pregnant with Jaxon, my fingers swelled so bad, I couldn't wear it for about the last 4 or 5 months of my pregnancy and I haven't been able to wear it since. Finally this past week, it started to fit.

On Wednesday, I put it on but once we got going with Hallelujah Night, my fingers started swelling and I had to take it off before it got stuck. I had to put it in my pocket until I could put it somewhere "safer". Then, I got so busy that I didn't think about it again. . . until the next day when Aaron asked me where my ring was. I thought I had tried to put it on that morning, but then I realized I hadn't seen it. When I got home from Hallelujah Night, I emptied my pockets, which were full of all kinds of things during Hallelujah Night and it wasn't there.

I can't find it anywhere. My guess is that one of the several times I pulled my keys out of my pockets, my ring fell out. I'm just believing that it will be returned to me.

Mom, I have NOTHING to wear!!

2008-10-15T18:27:00.003-05:00

Here's a video I got of Jaxon last night:

Guess he doesn't like any of his clothes!

God, Our Protector

2008-09-16T19:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening, Payton, Evan, & I were doing those little bead things where you can make shapes and then you iron them together. I'm not sure what they're called, but that's not the point.

I had the iron on medium-high heat and we were in the kitchen. When we were finished, I unplugged the iron and we were all talking, not thinking much about the iron. Jaxon went to grab the cord of the iron and Aaron said, "No Jaxon. Don't pull on that." He pulled his hand away, but he turned around to sit down and he sat on the cord. The iron came right down on his head, point first. You know that little point at the end of the iron? Yep. . that thing. Right on his soft spot. Aaron saw it happen, but couldn't grab it fast enough. He scooped Jaxon up and started praying. Jaxon was screaming. I was trying to assess the damage, but I couldn't see any blood or any burn marks. Aaron held Jaxon tight and when he pulled him away to look at him, I was expecting to see a burn or blood or something. There was nothing. He calmed down pretty quickly, too.

It didn't puncture his head. There was a dent there and it was going to bruise, for sure but there wasn't anything else wrong. Aaron called Gary Cheek to see what to do. Jaxon hadn't had a nap that afternoon, so he was already sleepy before the incident and now he was really tired. We wanted to make sure it was ok to let him go to sleep. His eyes were dilating and we could wake him up, so we just let him sleep. When he woke up from his nap, he was the same ol' Jaxon crawling all over the place.

This morning, there is a little scratch kind of thing on his head and it's got a little bump, but nothing else. PRAISE GOD!! And, he wasn't burned ANYWHERE!! I would think that after the point hit his head, it would have fallen and burned him, but it didn't. It did shatter the iron, but that doesn't matter.

One of "Those Days"

2008-08-26T00:35:00.000-05:00

This morning, we all got up on time. I cooked breakfast. Payton was dressed before I knew it. He even beat Aaron getting dressed! When he came in, he didn't have his Texas Rangers jersey on. When I asked him if he wanted to wear it, he just said, "No, today is just a NIKE day." He had on his new NIKE shoes, his new NIKE socks, his new NIKE shorts, and his NIKE under-armor (by the way, he insists that NIKE be spelled with all caps).

He fixed his own lunch, which I was a little sad about. He ate his breakfast and finished tying his shoes. Aaron had already backed the car out of the driveway and was waiting on Payton. As Payton started out the door, I said, "WAIT! Can't I get one picture?" He turned around, smiled and said, "CHEESE." Then, I said, "Hurry! Run!" As he took off running with his Colorado Rockies backpack swishing back and forth on his back, I thought, "No, stay home with me! Are you sure you have to go to 2nd grade?" And, for the first time, I cried about Payton going to school. I didn't cry with Kindergarten. I didn't cry with 1st grade. But for some reason today, it hit me that my "baby" is growing up. Wasn't he just Jaxon's age a few months ago?

I went to the church for my meetings and this seemed to carry over. I cried in staff meeting -- I HATE IT when I do that.

When I posted this originally, I did forget to add that Jaxon was beyond fussy today. All day. During our staff meeting, he had a friend to play with, but he was more fussy than usual. I do know that he was tired, too, but that kid was just "out of whack" today. We got home and I put him down for a nap and he was still a little fussy. But when Payton walked in the door, that smile flashed across his face just as big as he could smile!! His bubba was home!! Payton picked him up and Jaxon just laid his head down on Payton's shoulder. He just followed Payton around wherever he went! He really did miss him.

Next week, Evan starts going to Mommy's Day Out. What the heck will I be like then?

Playing in the Rain

2008-08-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the boys were outside playing football, when it started to sprinkle. They came in and put their bathing suits on in case it rained. It started pouring down and they were still "working out". Payton said it was because the pros practice in the rain. So, here are my very own football pros:

All the pros do push-ups in the rain, too.
I couldn't turn down a few shots of splashing feet!
I didn't realize Evan had such a vertical leap!

I'm not sure exactly what Evan is "practicing" here. . .
I guess every pro needs to know how to swim in the driveway!

Good thing we live on a cul-de-sac! Only then can you go out and swim in the road!

Cul-de-sacs are good for being able to ride your bike down the middle of the road, too!

It's only a day away. . .

2008-07-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

Yes, it was only a day away, but it was a fun day away!! Here's our adventures in Austin! Who knew it was only 3 hours away?!? But, because Trish & I don't like our pictures taken, here are Bear & Elephant to tell you about our trip!

7:45 am . . . time to leave. A little later than planned, but everyone is excited!

Had lunch at La Madeline. . . but nobody wanted to admit how much they ate. Here's the leftovers! It was delicious!

Here it is!! IKEA!! We spent 4 hours in there!! Found a ton of things. . . why can't money grow on trees?

Off to the outlet mall. Fossil didn't have the right watch, so we stopped to enjoy some Starbucks Passion Tea (and a small cookie)!

Off to pick up Trish's sister at the hospital where she works. Then, to her house to see about Bella. Bella's staying, so we stop at HEB. I do have to admit that it was a pretty cool HEB.

A Sugar Free Redbull for Bear for the drive home.

Back to IKEA to pick up our furniture. . . and a few other things!

OK, time to end the day. Time to head back to real life.

Enjoying the beautiful sunset (not bad for a moving shot)

As it gets darker, things aren't looking quite right.
Bear: I don't think we're going the right way. This doesn't look familiar.

Elephant: What town did we just go through?
Bear: Hamilton.
Elephant: Let's look at the map

Elephant: Nope, we missed our turn somewhere. Just take this other highway
and we'll be back on track. Glad we noticed that now!
We were heading for Ft. Worth!

So now, we're back on track headed back to Clyde.

We arrive home about 11:30 pm and I think Bear & Elephant are both exhausted!!
Thanks, Bear, for the WONDERFUL day!!
We MUST do that again sometime . . .
sometime soon!

Adventures in Cupcake Baking

2008-07-07T15:21:00.001-05:00

Aaron's birthday was on Saturday so Evan & I made him some cupcakes. Here's some pictures to document our adventure in cupcake baking.

At first, we forgot to add the water, so we had "cupcake soup" for a little while". With a few more stirs, we had cupcake batter.

OK, just one taste

Oh, what's one more going to hurt?
No, mom. I didn't have any cupcake batter!
Now they're done. When will they be cool enough to put frosting on?

Next it's time for SPRINKLES!!

Then 31 candles . . . yes, I said 31!!

Jaxon gets his first taste of cake. That piece really wasn't that big, but he sure made a mess out of it!!
Yes, mom. I think I like cake.

Time for a bath in the kitchen sink!

Gosh! It's been a while!

2008-06-25T15:58:00.003-05:00

Here's the catch up on us:

Payton's out of school. He played baseball for the first time this year and made the all-star team. He really had a great time playing! He has been learning how to mow the yard so he can save up his money to buy baseball/football/basketball jerseys.

Evan is just being Evan -- silly most of the time and loving the rest. He just wants to be big like Payton so bad. He is going to start going to a mommy's day out in September, which he is VERY excited about. He's going on a little vacation with his "girlfriend" on Friday to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose, TX. He is very excited about that!

Jaxon is getting bigger by the day! He is rolling all over the place and has started scooting in the last week or so. If he sees something that he wants, he is pretty quick to get from point A to point B. A month ago, he went to the doctor and he weighed 21 lbs 8 oz. He's a big boy, but I'm sure some of that will come off as he gets more mobile.

Aaron leaves tomorrow for a hiking trip to the Grand Canyon. He is very excited about that! He is going with his dad, his brother, a friend, and a cousin. The boys and I will be holding down the fort while he's gone.

So, that's it from us! Lots going on. . . little time to blog!

A budding writer?

2008-05-22T14:17:00.001-05:00

Here are a few stories that Payton has written at school over the last week or so. How he spelled, how he worded things:

Once upon a time Joebob, Hairybob, Billybob were kings of fat pigs. And then the big bad wolf tried to blow there houses down while they were rideing their dirt bikes. One day a fat pig came up to Joebob and said how can I die?

He didn't have time to finish. This one came home yesterday:

Lady bugs can fly and they have a hard shell. Lady bugs have black spots. Lady bugs are round. lady bugs taste bad. lady bugs help farmers.

My question is . . . how does he know lady bugs taste bad?!?! And, why did the pig want to die?!?

On The Move. . .

2008-05-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

Last week I was on the phone with my mom and Jaxon was laying in the floor. He's been trying to roll over for quite some time, but he would get stuck about 1/2 of the way. But, last night he rolled right over. Payton & Evan rolled from their tummies to their backs first because they were so fat they couldn't get over. But, Jaxon decided to do things a little different.

Here are pictures from this morning:

A busy life. . .

2008-04-28T19:14:00.001-05:00

Gosh! I've been wanting to make a list of the things I've been working on . . . here it goes!!

Made 60 of these:

Watching this guy get bigger:

Packing Backpacks. . . we're up to 44 kids!!
Yes, I realize that is an old picture.

Loving this guy:

Watching Payton play baseball:

Made 2 of these for a wedding shower:
There are what seemed like a million flowers pinned on this topiary. I loved the final outcome!

This is something really cool about this wedding shower. The bridesmaids all talked about the shower, but not really about details like colors, etc. We all show up with our different parts and everything matched!! I also made her a recipe box that I didn't get a picture of somehow.

I helped fix this cake after it made the ride from Abilene to Dallas and didn't exactly look the same when we got there! Let me tell you, this cake has a story!! It was perfect for the shower, though.
That punch is the BEST punch I've EVER HAD -- EVER!!

Love ya, Niki!!

You too Natalee!!

Jaxon has his first taste of cereal. . . he wasn't impressed. I had to take him to the doctor last week and he weighed 20 lbs. 14 oz. and was 26 inches long.

Hosted a 4th & 5th grade girls Princess Party
(INSERT PICTURE HERE)
Somehow I didn't get pictures with my camera, but I'll have some later thanks to Kelly N.

Hosted a Celebration Sunday LUAU for over 80 kids that was a BLAST!!
Say Hi to Eric!!

The kids loved this!!

Thank you to Trish and JoAnn and Alicia who came in and helped out!! It was a blast, but that was quite a clean up!!

So, I've been one busy girl!! I keep thinking that things will slow down next week, but next week never seems to get here!!

Our Worship Band

2008-04-20T18:33:00.004-05:00

The other day Evan told me that when Payton got home, they were going to play church. I asked him what he was going to do and he said that he was going to play the drums and Payton was going to play the guitar. Then he said, "But I need 2 pianos." So, here's their band.

I definitely think they should make a CD. Don't you?! (wink wink)

Backpacks For Kids -- Day 1

2008-04-10T23:58:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of packing backpacks!! You might not believe this, but we packed 25 backpacks in 20 minutes!! It was very organized and efficient. The kids LOVED it!! They were wanting to pack more!! It was Krissy, Emma, Avery, Blaise, Cherith (and Justus), Evan, Hannah, and me. I'm telling you, once those kids got the hang of it, they knocked those backpacks out!!

I got home from doing those backpacks and got an e-mail that they had 2 more! So, I went back and did 2 more. It didn't take but about 5 minutes. Got home and got another e-mail this afternoon that they are going to have probably 2 more by tomorrow!! Praise God!! I've said this all day, but I'm not excited that there are hungry kids in C-town. I'm excited that we're finding them and we're doing something about it.

Here are a few pictures from today. I have pictures with all the kids in them, but I didn't want to post their pictures on the internet before I had permission.

So, here's one of Evan packing his sack to put inside a backpack.

Here are the backpacks all ready to go. I went to the store this afternoon and bought luggage tags for all of them so we know whose backpack is whose. Those are now on and they are ready to go out tomorrow afternoon!! Please pray over these backpacks!!

Tonight, Evan went with me up to the CCRC to put the luggage tags on the backpacks and add some cereal to them. On the way up there, Evan asked me who the backpacks were for. I told him they were for kids in C who might not have enough food at home for them to eat. In his little voice he said, "Well, that's just silly." I had to agree.

Please pray that we find 4 cases of cereal. I know that sounds so silly, but that's been the only "kink" we've had. We're not sure where they are or what happened, but we need to find them. I'm not worried, but it's just crazy that 4 CASES of cereal can disappear!! But hey. If that's the only kink there is in this whole thing, we're doing really good!!

Update on Backpacks

2008-04-09T17:29:00.002-05:00

We have a total of 25 kids that we are passing out backpacks to this Friday!! These are kids in the elementary school here in C that are hungry or they have been identified as needing some help with food. I feel like this whole thing has happened so fast, yet so slow!! But, I'm excited that this week we are sending home 25 backpacks!! YAY!!

Some have asked, so I'll post it here. If you wanted to "sponsor a child", it would be $15 a month per child. God is good!!

See This?

2008-04-04T20:43:00.001-05:00

What do you see when you see this?

You might see my back patio. You might see the waterhose or the grill. I see my new scrapbook room. Don't you see it? Instead of those windows, french doors that lead into my new "bonus room" all for me. Walls and a roof that look like they were original to the house. Or maybe instead of the door that leads outside, that door leads to my very own creating space. Zebra painted walls. Hardwood floors. A couch for reading or relaxing. My creative juices flowing. Paper scraps all organized. Embellishments in their place. Of course there's a mess on the table. . that's how you can tell something creative is going on.

So, where am I going with all of this? On Wednesday night, Aaron asked me what I thought about having my own room built where our patio is now. I didn't really get excited about it because I know we don't have the money to do it right now. I've been working on a few projects lately that have taken over the living room. In the last month, I've made 48 wedding shower invitations, 50 recipe cards (covered front and back), and a bouquet of flowers. I think Aaron's tired of seeing my scraps and unfinished projects cluttering up the living room.

Anyway, Aaron had Randy come over on Thursday morning. I was so excited to even think this was a possibility! We were talking about all the different options that I have. Randy kept telling me that this wasn't a big deal. I know he was talking about the construction of it all, but I also took it that it wasn't a big deal for God. I started getting excited. I know that right now we don't have the money to add this room on to our house, but I know who does! My God has enough money to do this just for me. I only need $8,000 to $10,000. That used to be a large amount to me to believe God for, but not anymore! Remember, I'm his favorite! ;)

So, for the last few days when I go outside and stand on this patio I've been thanking God for my new creating space. I've even thought about doing a little scrapbooking/altering items and put the money towards my new space. I'm not sure that would really work, but it's an idea for sure! Now, look back at the picture. Don't you see my new creative space this time?

We're IN!

2008-03-05T23:01:00.000-06:00

Today's meeting with the school went WONDERFUL!!! I was glad that I had Joel there to break the ice a little bit for me. The principal there is great!! She reminds me of someone that I know, but I haven't figured out who yet.

Joel explained what we wanted to do and I was able to give them a little more information. I explained that they didn't have to do anything -- just identify the kids who need it and we'll do the rest. It was wonderful!!!

At the end, the principal said she thought it was something they should do as long as everyone agreed and of course, nobody disagreed! I met with the school counselor and we are going to work together on this project.

A pastor's wife, who is a teacher at the school, caught me afterwards and told me she was going to talk to her husband and she was confident that her church would help us. I explained that we needed to get a few more things ironed out on our end and the plan was to go to each church and let them know what we needed. She thought it was a great idea.

I'm so excited that I just can't hide it. I had to go to the church and let everyone know. I felt like I wanted to shout it from the highest point in Clyde that God is so good!! Let me tell you two things I've learned in the last few weeks:

1. Money is not really an issue.
2. When God has a plan, he just needs a person to carry it out. He likes to move at HIS pace, not always ours.

(Now picture me doing a funny dance!)

New Children's Church Endeavors

2008-03-04T10:00:00.002-06:00

Superbowl Sunday, we went to a friend's house to watch the big game. During the game, the wife & I were talking about our town and the dynamics of the town. She said there were kids at school that you knew lunch would be the only meal they got that day. That statement wouldn't let me sleep that night. I started praying for God to bring me those kids. I wasn't quite sure what I would do with them once I got them, but surely I could do something.

That Monday, Gary C. brought an article to our staff meeting about people in Haiti who are making cookies from mud. They are adding shortening to mud, baking them, and eating them because they are so hungry. The price of rice is so high that people can't afford it. I shared with the staff what had been on my heart and I just started crying. Again, I asked God to send me the hungry kids. I couldn't do anything about people in Haiti right now, but I wanted to do what I could for kids right here under my nose.

Fast forward a week. Pastor Bryan challenges each department to find a way for our departments to get outside the walls of our church. I have a team meeting and I asked my team what they thought we should do. Joel says, "Why don't we ask the kids?" Genius idea. . . next item on the agenda. This is where we got interrupted by a huge fire in town! It was crazy!

But as we regrouped and kept talking, I was able to share the above story with my team and really share my heart about what I wanted to do. This is when things started to fall into place. Joel (a guy on my children's church team) knew about a program at the Food Bank in A-town that gave backpacks to hungry kids on the weekends. It was their own stash of food so that when they got hungry, they had something they could eat. As we sat around that table, ideas started to flow. Money actually started to flow -- or ideas on where to get it. I got home and couldn't sleep because I was so excited about the thought of being able to see hungry kids with food in their stomachs.

The next morning I woke up totally overwhelmed. How in the world am I going to do this? How can I throw one more ball into the air among all of the other things I'm juggling? I have so many things going on. How am I going to go meet with the Food Bank and the other places I will have to go? I called Krissy (my friend and partner in children's ministry) and had a little "meltdown". She encouraged me and told me to just take a step back and look at it without the overwhelming feelings. I got off the phone feeling better and just asked God to make a way.

Wednesday morning, Joel calls me and tells me that he wants us to get on this. He said he would go meet with the Food Bank and at least get the information for me. I was again so thankful that God has put my team together for a reason!!

So, Joel met with the Food Bank yesterday (Monday) and got the information. He also got us a meeting at the elementary school tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon to introduce the idea and just let them know what we want to do. I am so thankful for him!! I'm so excited that this is happening!! God has been so faithful in this whole thing. I feel like it's a whirlwind and it's happening so fast. But, we have a plan.

It will take $1445 to feed 100 kids on the weekends for a month. We aren't going to start out with 100 kids, but that's our goal. It costs $3.61 per child per weekend to send them home with a backpack of food. $3.61. . . not much at all. Here's how good God is. The first person that we told about it said he would give me $1000 to get it started!! Last Wednesday, I mentioned the idea to my life group and they were ready to jump on board asking what they needed to do to sponsor some kids. Just this past Sunday, someone told me they would give me the money every month to feed 100 kids!! I think I'm finally learning that money is no object.

I'm not going to totally depend on the adults though. We are ordering some banks for our kids to collect change for this project. This is going to be their project. They will have the opportunity to put the food bags together. They are going to help find the money to fund this. The cool thing is that every child will have an opportunity to participate hands on with this project. I know they will, too!!

Anyway, that's just part of the plan. There are a few more things to be worked out before I reveal it all, but please pray for us! Pray that we will have favor with the school system tomorrow afternoon. Pray that I wouldn't be nervous, but confident about what God has called us to do. I'm so excited that our kids are going to make such a difference in the lives of their peers!

My Bedroom Makeover

2008-02-21T23:13:00.000-06:00

So, some have asked to see pictures of my bedroom makeover and I finally got the final curtain rod hung up last night. So, here are the before:

Here's the AFTER:

It's a little cluttered still, but you get the idea. I need to find to side tables for the room. I want to use African drums or something like that. I also want to find some artwork for the walls. I've thought about putting pictures of the boys in there but I'm not sure yet.

Spring Break 2008

2008-02-11T16:25:00.001-06:00

Wanna know where Aaron is taking me? Here's a hint:

The hotel:

Just one block from this:

Just down the "street":

With dinner here (bad picture):

Yes, you read that right!! I'm packing my bags because I'm heading to NYC!!! OK, so maybe I'm not packing my bags just yet, but that's where I'm headed!! We fly out on March 16th and come back on March 20th. We're staying at the 3-star Hotel 373 Fifth Avenue which is just one block from the Empire State Building. We're having dinner at Tavern on the Green on Monday night. One day will be shopping at Woodbury Premium Outlets. We also have a 2 day New York Pass where we can get into all the "touristy" things like the Statue of Liberty, etc.

I am so excited!! I almost want to jump up and down like a little girl!! We got an amazing deal on this trip!! I'm telling you that this is a reward for submitting to my husband back in September. Now just pray we don't get stuck in any traffic so Aaron enjoys himself (wink, wink)!!

My Week In Review

2008-01-31T20:09:00.000-06:00

I've been at home all week and I've taken a few pictures, so I thought I would review my week with those in Blogville.

My baby is doing breathing treatments:

I figured out that he doesn't scream through them if I put him in his swing so he can look at the mobile that is on it:

My boys seem to be getting bigger and bigger

Here's my bedroom before:

You'll have to wait for the AFTER pics, but here's a hint of what happened
(yes, Evan painted that):Evan had a picnic in the living room with 5 granola bars. Each one has a bite taken out of it.

My baby turns 2 months old!! His shirt says, "Kiss me I'm charming!"

So there you have it. Yes, I've been stuck in the house all day every day this week, but it's been good!!

God Is Good!!

2008-01-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

This post is from Friday:

It's 12:33 am and I'm still awake and about to give a breathing treatment. Yes, you read that right. Jaxon has RSV. I am believing that God is going to heal him in a speedy way, but this post isn't to focus on how the enemy is trying to bring sickness on my boys this week, but to praise God for how GOOD He is!!

I've been debating all week on whether to take Jaxon to the doctor. His coughing sounded terrible, but I couldn't tell if the junk was in his throat or his chest. Thursday night, he had 2 scary episodes (well, scary for me) in the middle of the night. One time, he started coughing and he couldn't catch his breath. There wasn't anything I could do to help him, which made it even more frustrating. The second time, he had the longest, most painful, rolling burp/choking. . . that doesn't even explain it good, but it scared me because I have never heard or felt anything like that.

He got up on Friday morning, took a bottle and went right back to sleep. I went ahead and called the doctor to make an appointment. Be there at 2:30 pm. Jaxon woke up took another bottle and started smiling, etc. We headed to town, but Jaxon was acting FINE! I almost called to cancel the appointment, but decided to go ahead with it since it was Friday.

Here's where God gets good!! We sign in at the desk at 2:35 pm and we were in a room waiting on the doctor at 2:45 pm!! That in itself is a miracle! Usually during this time of year, you can wait HOURS to get back there!

Dr. S came in to look at him. (Jaxon now weighs 14 lbs. 15 oz. by the way!) I told him I just wanted to make sure the junk wasn't in his chest. He took one look at him and said, "Well, it is." He talked to me about RSV and what it meant. I remembered all of it from Evan. Dr. S said if I had let it go over the weekend, it could have gotten bad enough quick enough to put him in the hospital. Dr. S finished his exam and asked me if I had insurance. I said no. He said, "OH NO!" I said, "Yeah, just what I was thinking." I know this medicine is expensive -- could be around $200 for a box of it!

He told me he had samples of the medicine he would give me. He would give Jaxon a prescription, but it wouldn't be too bad. Then he said something about the machine. I said, "Oh I have one of those." He said, "Oh good!! That's a relief. So, this won't be so bad." He gave me the mask and the tubes for free.

So, all in all, it cost me $60 for the office visit and $4 for the prescription!! $4 for the medicine out of my pocket!! This medicine is really expensive and God GAVE it to me!!

Well, continue to believe for a speedy recovery for Jaxon. 12:45 am . . time for a breathing treatment!

How Many Steps Did I Take?

2008-01-24T16:54:00.000-06:00

Aaron's mom (Perty) got Payton & Evan pedometers for Christmas. Today, Payton found them in a box in the garage (guess we didn't bring it all in) and he brought them to me. Here's how our conversation went:

Payton: Mom, what is this for?
Me: You put it on your belt and it tells you how many steps you take.
Payton: Good! I've been wondering how many steps I've been taking!

So, they have been walking all over the house trying to figure out how many steps it takes to get from point A to point B. Who knew that a pedometer would be the perfect gift?

Here it is

2008-01-22T15:49:00.001-06:00

I love this picture!!

I FOUND IT!

2008-01-22T15:46:00.000-06:00

This morning when I got up, I felt like I was supposed to go look in my car for my camera. Let me assure you that I have tore that thing up looking for my camera several times. So, I dismissed the thought and went about my day. But I kept thinking to go look in my car.

So, I bundled up and pulled my car into the garage so I could shut the garage door and be a little warmer. I cleaned out the front of the car and nothing. I got to the backseat and put my hand under the middle seat and viola!! There sat my camera!!

I had to laugh!! All morning I was searching online for a new camera, but I couldn't even get excited about a NEW camera because I wanted my old one back. . . not to mention the money I was going to have to spend, which I have allocated to something else.

Now I realize that if I would have just listened to that voice telling me to look in there this morning, I wouldn't have wasted my whole morning online comparing cameras and I might have gotten all my laundry put away by now!!

Anyway, I'm so excited!! I can finally take pictures of Jaxon's smile!!

Update on Us

2008-01-21T08:55:00.000-06:00

Things are moving right along here at the Laughlin house. Jaxon is now smiling and it is so cute!! I would post a picture, however I lost my camera. It is so frustrating! I left it at church last week and it's disappeared. It doesn't help that our church meets in a junior high auditorium/gym, and they had 3 basketball games in there this past week. I'm believing that whoever found it is going to be honest. Or that God will provide me with an even better one!!

Anyway, this past week, I am reminded how much the boys are growing up. I'm really cherishing the middle of the night feedings with Jaxon knowing that he may very well be my last baby.

Payton is over half way through his first grade year, which doesn't even seem possible. Evan is 4 and convinced that he is going to go to Pre-K next year. I'm trying desperately to make that happen, but I'm not sure it's going to work out. He is so smart and he wants so much to be learning the things that Payton is learning. The other night Payton was going over his addition/subtraction tables and Evan said, "Mom, tell me what equals 8." I told him 7 + 1 = 8. He went around the rest of the evening saying, "I know what equals 8. 7 + 1 = 8."

Well, time to get dressed for the day! Payton is out of school today for MLK day and we have another little girl over for the day. My plan today is to tape off my bedroom so I can paint sometime this week and maybe get a little scrapbooking done. At least get my pictures uploaded and ordered.

Just a few new pics

2008-01-06T19:58:00.001-06:00

Here's a few pictures of Jaxon at just over one month old:

Hanging out in his swing. I love this GAP shirt!!

Look at those cheeks:

Here is Jaxon with our friends' son, Justus. Justus is 4 months old and Jaxon is just over 1 month!! Justus was born weighing only 5 pounds, though. These 2 are destined to be friends:

2 Weeks Already

2007-12-14T16:53:00.000-06:00

Jaxon had his 2-week check up today. He weighs a whopping 10 lbs. 2 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long!! Dr. S had a good chuckle when he saw 10 pounds already -- that's 2 pounds in 2 weeks!!! Jaxon started crying at one point and Dr. S said, 'Oh, are you hungry? I bet you are all the time!" I told him that yes, he does eat all the time. Dr. S said, "Are you nursing?" I said yes and he said, "I'm sorry."

Everyone wants to know how he's sleeping. . . well, we did good for 2 nights in a row!! Then last night he was up every 2 hours again. I guess that's part of it.

I keep trying to remember to make a slide show to post on here of all the pictures we've taken over the last two weeks (ok, maybe not all of them), but I keep forgetting. . . guess that's what happens when you're brain is low on sleep!! ;)

Jaxon Carter has arrived!!

2007-12-03T21:34:00.000-06:00

I cannot tell you how good it feels to be in my own house with my own stuff and my own bed and our new son!!

I am convinced that Jaxon loves his mom and wanted things to go the way I wanted them to!! I cannot tell you how perfect my labor was with him.

I dropped Payton off at a friend's house and headed home. I wanted to get my kitchen swept and mopped and I wanted to finish getting my Christmas tree put together before going in to be induced. I got home and started sweeping. My contractions started and were 5 minutes apart!!

Aaron was planning on going over to Bryan's to play Halo, but I asked him to stay home or let them come over here to play because I wasn't going to make it to the morning. About 9 pm, I felt this pop in my stomach. I wasn't sure what that was, but thought it could have been my water. I called Brandi at some point in there to give her the good news.

I got everything done that I needed to do and went and laid down on my bed. I decided to go on in because at least they could give me some sleeping pills or something to take the edge off of the contractions. Right as we walked out the door of our house, I had a really bad contraction and started feeling pressure. It was a little scary.

We made it to the hospital in 13 minutes -- walked in about 11:45 or so! We walked in the ER and I had another contraction. This lady brought a wheelchair behind me and told me to sit down when I thought I could. Then, this guy nurse came out and bumped my legs with the wheelchair and told me to sit down now because we had to go. I thought he was awfully rude!!

This guy takes me FLYING down the hallways!! I had my eyes closed, but I could hear Aaron running -- not kidding, RUNNING -- behind us. He gets me up to L&D and they open the door and he pushes me through the doors and just lets me go. The nurses kind of had to run after me. That was quite funny at the time!! I got the last room available. They said they were going to have to call me and cancel my induction for the next morning anyway, so I was glad it happened on my own.

There were about 6 nurses in the room and one tries to check me and she can't feel Jaxon's head. She asked me if he has been head down. When I would have a contraction, you could see him laying sideways in my stomach. The weird thing is that a few months ago, I had this weird thought that I would have to have a c-section. I thought it was weird and it came from nowhere. I decided to believe against that, but also thought it could have been a "warning". Anyway, several of them checked me and they were whispering. I'm not sure at what point they finally felt his head, but I was relieved!

There was a lady who came in after me, but she was already pushing and they were convinced that she would deliver before me, so all the nurses ran over to her and we were both having to wait on Dr. Sinclair. The really neat thing was that I would have a really bad contraction and then have a period of rest for what seemed like a long time. Aaron said the rest wasn't all that long if any.

Speaking of Aaron, he was amazing!! He knew when to encourage me and when to stay quiet. He was so supportive in everything -- from the birth to family things. He kept telling me how proud he was of me. At one point, I was really embarrassed at how loud I was being during contractions. During my "rest" I actually said, "I think it's time I get myself together." The nurses thought that was funny. I don't know how many times he offered me his hand, but I grabbed the bed rail instead afraid that I might break his hand if I did hold it. I was just so thankful for him!!

Dr. S arrived and delivered the other lady. Then, he came in the room and told me to start pushing when I was ready. I don't think he was quite ready for how fast it all happened!! One push and Jaxon came flying out. Dr. S almost dropped him and things got a little chaotic at that point. He cut the cord and the clamp on my side of the cord came off, which wasn't good. The nurses weren't quite ready or they were shocked or something because everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion. I got the shakes really bad afterwards, which wasn't fun, but, in the end, all is well and Jaxon made his entrance on his own terms!! ;)

Here are his stats:

Jaxon Carter

born at 12:41 am
8 lbs. 5.5 oz
20 1/4" long
14 3/4" head
14 1/2" chest

The nurses were all laughing about how big his head is and how long his toes are. Another great thing about his birth is that we were able to just be the 3 of us for a while before we called anyone or sent out text messages. Aaron's family was in town and I didn't want anyone at the hospital waiting on Jaxon or calling to get the updates while I'm being induced. I cannot even tell you how perfect everything was for what I wanted. I just felt like I was Jaxon's favorite and God's favorite for the way He set everything up.

Last night was a little rough. We were up all night. For some reason, he doesn't seem to enjoy his 100% Egyptian Cotton 800 TC sheets in his bed!! So, we slept in the recliner together for 20 minute intervals last night.

After he was born, he slept for a long time, then they circumcised him that morning, which made him even more sleepy, so he didn't eat much at all for the first day. They told me before I left the hospital that he would probably make up for it and boy, did he!! All he wanted to do last night was eat!! In the hospital, his blood sugar level dropped, so they had to give him formula and they sent some of it home with us, so luckily I had a bottle I was able to give him on occasion to give me a break. Today is much better. I took a nap this morning while Aaron watched him.

Here's another weird detail about his birth. Most of you know I have this weird thing with numbers. I don't like odd numbers, however all of our birthdays are on odd months, odd days, and odd years. Jaxon made it on an odd month, odd day, odd year by 41 minutes!! See, I'm convinced he loves his mom!! ;)

Surprise Blessing

2007-11-19T00:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning, I went to church prepared to stay in children's church, but preferring to be in the service. I have been a little "on edge" lately and children's church is the last place for me to be when I'm like that! ;)

But, when I got to church, Krissy (my other teacher) kept trying to kick me out of children's church. It didn't hurt my feelings, but she was being a little pushy about how I needed to get out of there and go sit down and do nothing for a change. But, I had my yellow team to talk to and Krissy was quick to say that she would handle it for the day. At our team pre-service meeting, Krissy told Eric & Nicole to just flow with it. . . she didn't say what "it" was. . . just flow. OK . . . not exactly how I do things, but I trust her.

So, I go to service, they dismiss the kids, I ask one last time to make sure Krissy is going to be ok and she assures me that if they need me, they will come and get me.

I'm sitting in the service when an usher comes up and tells me that I am needed in children's church. I knew whatever it was, it had to be bad. I'm walking up the aisle wondering what in the world could be going on. I get to the door of the gym and it's dead silent on the other side of it! I was a little scared and then I thought "What if the Holy Spirit came and knocked them all out and Krissy just wanted me to see it?" I just prayed real quick and asked God to get me through whatever was on the other side of that door!

I opened the door and all the kids yell SURPRISE!!! They all came running at me with cards in their hands that they had made for me. They threw me a surprise baby shower!! I was overwhelmed and shocked and truly blessed!! They had the presents all lined up and ready to go and they had a special seat for me to sit in. The kids had cookies and couldn't wait for me to open their gifts!! I had fun listening to them say "Diapers & wipes! Again?" So, here's Jaxon's loot from the day:

It totals:
398 diapers
1,071 wipes
1 bottle of lotion
6 washcloths (that have crowns and castles on them)
4 bibs
4 outfits
22 socks (11 pairs)
1 diaper rash cream
$5

After I opened my gifts, the kids spoke blessings over me and Jaxon. It was the sweetest time. They told me how much they loved me and how much fun Jaxon was going to be. I think there are two that stand out the most -- one of the boys said, "All I have to say is Jaxon, rock on!" and then one of the girls told me that Jaxon was going to follow in my footsteps and the blessing that I've been to them (my current kids), that Jaxon would be that same blessing to their kids. WOW! That one caught me off guard, but it was so powerful!!

That's not to mention all of the cards they gave me!! I am truly blessed!! Our kids are such givers and they just love to give -- even if it's a piece of paper with their drawing on it.

So, it's 1 am and I'm heading to bed a blessed children's pastor and a blessed woman -- blessed above and beyond all I could ever hope, ask, or think!!

That's my boy!!

2007-11-15T18:28:00.000-06:00

Payton brought home one of his papers from school where he had to list 7 things he is thankful for. Here are his 7 things:

1. Xbox
2. NFL
3. NBA
4. Brothers
5. Dad
6. Mom
7. Romo (Tony Romo from the Dallas Cowboys)

Now is that a boy's list or what? And, what is up with me being number 6?!?!?!

The Room Is FINISHED!!!

2007-11-13T11:16:00.000-06:00

Jaxon's room is completely finished!! Here's the link to the final product:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fyhgbqj.9a96x9j3&x=0&h=1&y=760452

11/7 -- My Favorite 4 Year Old

2007-11-13T11:10:00.000-06:00

Ahhh. . . at this time 4 years ago, I was sitting in the hospital with our new bundle of joy. Who knew how much fun this kid would be?!?! Who knew how silly he would be? Who knew that he would be the king of goodbyes? Who knew this kid would be obsessed with Cars? Who knew he would love football so much? Who knew he would know names and numbers of NFL players? Who knew he would be such a people person? Who knew he would be so laid back and relaxed? Who knew how much he loves to have his picture taken or take random pictures himself? Who knew how much I would love this kid? Who knew how much I would love his personality? Who knew how much I would want to be more like him?

So, today as I celebrate my baby turning 4 years old, I am so thankful that he's my kid! I'm so thankful that I get to watch him grow up. I'm so thankful that he is my favorite 4 year old!!

The Nursery Pictures

2007-10-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

I just can't wait to show you guys the pictures!!! I'm so excited about this room and even though it's not quite finished, I just have to share!!

So, instead of trying to upload all of them to here, click on this link and you can see the slideshow from start to almost finished!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=fyhgbqj.cb6yyud3&Uy=7tu0eu&Ux=0

I am so pleased with this room!! Just a few more things to get done. Then it's time to move the furniture in and just the littlest details!!

WOW! I can't believe how close it's getting!!

10/5 -- I am DETERMINED!!

2007-10-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

I wanted to title this blog "I am OBSESSED", but I think a better word is DETERMINED. I'm DETERMINED to get this nursery finished!!! I feel like I've been working on it forever. Although, it's only been a few weeks off and on, I guess just because I've had the whole thing in my head since July and how many times I've drawn it all out on my graph paper, it feels like it's been forever.

I can say that I think I know more about the Dallas Cowboys than I ever thought I would. I know their colors, what the field looks like, I even know a few players and their numbers. I only have one wall left in the nursery to finish and it's the football field. So, I've been checking out the Dallas Cowboys website and looking at the new stadium through the hole in the roof down onto the field. All the while, learning about the tradition of the open roof and the Dallas Cowboys. I've been trying to match the font of the field. I can't find the right stencils, but last night I realized that I have my scrapbooking die-cut machine (my Cricut (pronounced Cricket)) that can cut letters out and I can make the stencils. . . I just don't have the right cartridge.

Right at this point, Aaron would think that I'm nuts. He thinks I'm getting too detailed on this room. I just keep telling him that it will be AWESOME when it's finished. I already have a few kindergarten boys that are wanting to move in there!!

I did find a lady online who has done the whole football field thing on the wall. She did her son's room in the University of Alabama. Her wall looks AMAZING!! I just hope this wall looks half as good as hers when I'm finished!!

BUT, the reason that I'm able to focus so much on this room is because I'm learning to delegate. I am so thankful for that!! By delegating things out, I'm able to focus on the nursery. I'm able to focus on my house. I'm able to not be all stressed out about how many things I have to get done in a day or this week. And, in learning how to delegate, I am so thankful that I get to go to children's church on Sunday morning and I don't have to do a single thing -- just be there.

My goal for today is to:
* Finish taping off the yard lines in Jaxon's room and get them painted
* Get Payton & Evan's room picked up and organized again (aka throw a bunch of stuff away)
* Get my laundry all done

Then, maybe tonight I'll head to the scrapbook store for a little R & R and use her Cricut and the cartridge there.

Gosh! Maybe I should have delegated someone to finish Jaxon's room!! No, I'm too much of a control freak for that! ;)

P.S. Here's something neat that happened to Aaron last night. Ever since we got married, Aaron has wanted to go to the OU vs UT football game (aka The Red River Shootout). But, tickets have been expensive and hard to get. About a week ago, Aaron's cousin called and said he MIGHT have Aaron a ticket, but he had to make sure it wasn't taken already. Aaron got excited, but that started to fade after days of not hearing from Ryan. But, last night at 10:30 pm, Aaron's phone rang. His cousin has him a ticket on the 50 yard line on the first row on OU's side!! Aaron is so pumped!! He kept telling me it was an answer to prayer. I just laughed. He thinks I'm not excited about him going, but I really am. Yes, I have to take my kids to 3 birthday parties on Saturday -- two of which are at the same time, different places -- but I'm really excited for him. And, I'm excited that at least the boys and I have something to do on Saturday!! So, if you watch the game, rejoice with Aaron that he's there!!!

EDITED TO ADD: Aaron had a blast at the OU game!! His ears were still ringing on Sunday, but he loved it!!!

My 30th Birthday Party

2007-10-10T10:33:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I never blogged about my birthday party!! So, here it goes!

I get a phone call on Thursday that says to be at Brandi's house at 7 pm on Friday night. That's all the information I got. Now, I don't like surprises, but I was trusting Brandi on this one!! By the way, Brandi is my best friend.

We got to Brandi's house at straight up 7 pm and when the door opened, I hear "New York, New York" playing on the CD player. I was so excited!! But, not near as excited or amazed as when I came into the living room and saw this:

And, I can say that I don't think the pictures even do it justice!! It's a HUGE mural of NYC and we all have our own stores!! It is complete with a Business Records Management building, Jaxon's Baby World, Evan's Pet Store, Rachel's Scrapbook Heaven, and Payton's Sporting Goods!! I'm trying to find a place in my house to really hang this thing! It was so awesome!!

I head to the kitchen and see this spread of food!! New York hot dogs!!

I love New York t-shirt cookies that Brandi made herself!!

An Empire State Building cake made by Donna herself!!

Songs about NYC playing in the background!! I was in heaven!! I was so surprised!! I loved EVERYTHING!!!

We ate dinner and then opened presents -- oh how I love presents!!

I got an Andy Warhol bag that is black and white with purple flowers on it. On the handle, it says "My favorite smell is the first smell of spring in New York. . . " I love it!! It has a banana shaped coin purse inside of it! It is so cute!!! Thank you, Joel & Trish!!

I got a really cute card from Brandi. It was so cute!! On the envelope, it had Brandi's name with a big X over it and then it had my name. On the inside, was written a really cute note by Christy (Miles' nurse) and it was marked out with a note from Brandi on the other side. The P.S. said, "Look, it was either a handmade card OR a party! I went with the party!" I'm so glad she did!! It was awesome!!

I got a zebra wallet from Dustin & Krissy that I love!! On the inside of it was a gift card to Sharky's and a gift card to Lowes and some cash!!!! I love it! It has so many pockets and places for stuff!! And, it matches my purse that I have now and when I do "upgrade" to a zebra purse, it will match it, too!!

Then, Brandi tells Randy to go get the present. Randy comes around the corner with this zebra suitcase!! I said, "Oh my gosh!" outloud! I was so excited!! I had been in the store a few weeks ago with Marki and I saw it there. I stood there trying to justify the purchase, but I couldn't. And, there it was -- all mine from my amazing friend!!! Now it's even more special!! Brandi told me I could use it when I really do get to go to NYC!! I love it!!

Then, we all played a game of "Apples to Apples" (get it? NYC -- the big apple?) when in the middle, the doorbell rings. In walks these 3 high school girls dressed as "show girls". I don't even remember the song they danced to because we were all laughing so hard!! Oh, I think it was "All That Jazz". That was definitely one of those things you just had to be there to see. Describing it wouldn't do it justice -- at all!!

Randy ended up winning Apples to Apples, but we kept playing. I think Cody won "second" -- or first loser as he put it.

I had Aaron take a few pictures of me with Brandi and Randy. I cannot believe how much work they put into that mural and the party itself!!

I'm telling you, I am so blessed to call Brandi my friend. Someone asked me yesterday how we ended up at our church and when I was thinking back on it, I remember the first thing we ever went to was Brandi & Randy's life group at David & Candy's house. Jocie was a little baby. We just felt comfortable there. Then, at the end of the night, Brandi said, "Do you scrapbook?" Right then and there, she had my heart!! ;) Who knew at that moment, I had made a friend for life. For that, I am very thankful!!

So, here's to the bestest best friend in the whole wide world!!!
(Yes, I had to crop Randy out of this photo. In the picture of just me and Brandi, I blinked. And, don't pay attention to the rabbit ears!!)

My Saturday in a Nutshell

2007-09-15T18:57:00.001-05:00

NOTE: I had a children's church girls camp out Friday & Saturday.

* 2:00 am -- Got to go to bed after most of the girls were asleep at the camp out.

* 7:30 am -- Some girls were awake. Head to Clyde for the morning donut run.

* 8:15 am -- Make it back to the camp out after stopping by my house to pick up coffee creamer because some of the girls wanted coffee and Erica said ok (I secretly thought that was kind of cool). Start tearing down tents and getting girls stuff together. We still seemed to manage to lose a few pairs of shoes and I came home with someone's pillow.

* 10:00 am -- Head home after making sure Kelly's house was all clean and tidy.

* 11:30 am -- Head to Wal-Mart for children's church stuff

* 12:00 pm -- Aaron and the boys move the "swingset" from a property that our church owns to our house.

* 1 pm -- Make it back home. Search for Aaron's hammer. It's vanished into thin air.

* 2 pm -- Lay down to take a nap because my allergies are acting up.

* 4:30 pm -- Wake up to see these pictures:

Good thing -- Aaron did have them both cleaned up by the time I woke up.

* 4:50 pm -- Evan gets tackled in a bed of fire ants. Payton comes running in the house and Evan's screaming. Aaron knocks all of them off of him and this is what was left:

(The blue is left over paint . . . not from the fire ants.)

* 5:00 pm -- Payton has a theory on the fire ants. He says, "Mom, you know how Jesus arose? I think what happens is that dad goes out and puts out the poison on the ant bed and he puts water on them because that's what you're suppose to do, but on the third day, they come back to life. It's kind of like they're just knocked out or something." Payton is proud that he was Evan's "hero" and got Aaron so quickly.

* 5:40 pm -- Evan's running around and most of the bites have disappeared.

* 6:15 pm -- Aaron leaves to go take Cole's trailer back and go turn on the a/c at the school for tomorrow morning. He then heads to Abilene for Bryan's party. I'm staying home with the kids because my head is all still plugged up and I feel like I can't breathe. Evan complains a little that his bites are hurting again.

* 6:35 pm -- Payton decides to teach Evan how to ride a big boy bike (without the training wheels)

* 6:37 pm -- They crash.

* 6:45 pm -- Sit down to blog about the day.

* Now heading to my scrapbook closet to try and finish Justus' calendar and another "secret surprise"!! ;) I'm secretly hoping to get Jaxon's room taped off so I can start painting this week!!

Just A Few Pictures

2007-09-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

Our friend and photographer took these pictures of the boys at Aaron's warehouse a few weeks ago. When I heard she took their pictures, I wondered what she would do to get some good shots in a warehouse, but I think she did an amazing job!! So here they are:

The internet keeps messing up, but I'll try to post more later.

Evan's F-U-N-N-Y!!

2007-08-30T20:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Aaron was telling the boys that they're going to Roy & Marki's for the weekend and Evan said, "I hope they don't have their cows anymore." Aaron asked him why and Evan said, " Because I don't like cows anymore, they bark too much, like this MOOOOOOOOO and scare me."

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A friend of ours had a baby on Sunday and we went to see him on Monday. On the way there, here's how our conversation went:

E: Is he already out?
R: Yes, he was born yesterday.
E: Mom, how do babies come out of your tummy?
R: Well, that's kind of tricky.
E: Do they cut your tummy open?
R: Sometimes they do.
E: Wow!! That would take a lot of band-aids!!

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Last night at the dinner table, Evan said, "Is 'What the heck' a word?"

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Payton was complaining about his head hurting and his throat hurting. Evan said, "Payton, if you eat cottage cheese, it will make you feel better."

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A few weeks ago, we were sitting at the table and everyone was snacking on pudding or Jell-O when Evan said, "Hey! Anyone want to see my butt crack?" We laughed so hard!! It was absolutely hilarious!! Then, we look over and he's mooning us!!

Payton Update

2007-08-30T20:55:00.001-05:00

Payton has had a headache since Saturday. He's been running a fever off and on, although we haven't been able to "catch it" to see how high. It goes up and he feels bad and then it breaks and he feels fine. He has wanted to go to school every day and we've sent him because I know how that works -- he gets up and starts feeling better by 9 and still gets to stay at home all day. I didn't want to do that, especially the first week of school.

Last night, his voice was weird and he was saying that his throat hurt and his head hurt. We went to a friend's house to swim while Aaron & his guys had their fantasy football thing. He jumped in a few times and said he was ready to go. I thought it was because his friend wasn't there and the water was really cold from the earlier rain shower that came through.

Anyway, he got up this morning and he was sweaty like his fever had just broke and he was still saying his head and his throat hurt. So, Aaron took him to Dr. J's this morning and Payton has the early stages of MONO!! YUCK!!!

They did a blood test (Payton was so BIG! He didn't even cry!) and it came back negative, but he has several symptoms of it. Dr. J said he isn't contagious now and it's still really early, but he was sure that in 4 to 7 days, it would be full blown mono. He said Payton can still go to school because he's not contagious yet, but he can't do any activities (like P.E.) and when he gets home, he has to lay on the couch and watch a lot of movies (words of Dr. J) and I'm sure Xbox goes in that category, too.

So, I'm believing that the symptoms will stop and Payton will be instantly healed. We definitely don't need mono going around our house or anyone else's house!

The BOYS are BACK!!

2007-08-10T14:53:00.001-05:00

Evan and I were glued to the tv last night watching the game, listening to all the stats, blah blah blah. We just wanted them to show the crowd, but they didn't do much of that. They did show one family where the "dad" had on a Panthers jersey. Not sure if he was at the right game. ;)

Our car pulled in our driveway this morning at 1:45 am. Inside were 3 very sleepy boys who came in and went straight to bed. This morning, I asked them how it went and Payton said, "Good." Ethan gave me all the details (which I loved!). Aaron told me he got some good pictures and video of the game, so after he left for work, I went out to the car to get my camera.

So, here are some pictures from the game:

Doesn't he look excited?

Doing the WAVE:

Don't they look excited?

The cowboys sideline, although I don't know who any of them are:

The Colts are close!! So are the boys! They moved down once the game started so they could be closer.

Here's the Cowboys tunnel. These videos are short because if they get too big, my camera won't hold them:

Payton said he did have a good time and he would like to do it again sometime. I'm not sure Aaron does -- lots of cars and lots of people. Aaron said maybe once a year!

Tune In TONIGHT!!

2007-08-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight's a big night at our house!! Payton has a chance of being on tv and he wants everyone to know and be watching FOX at 7 pm tonight!!

Aaron is taking Payton & his friend to the Dallas Cowboys game tonight. It's the Dallas Cowboys vs. Indianapolis Colts pre-season game. Payton is so excited that he's going to get to see Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, and Peyton Manning all in the same game!! He is so excited about it!! He's been on the phone this morning with Na Na (my mom) and Purty (Aaron's mom) making sure they're going to tune in.

They're going to be in one of the end zones (section 33) on the side. I had tickets on Ebay that were in the end zone on the first row, but I lost them in the last 30 seconds. But, we were able to get some more, so it all worked out in the end.

I'm sending my camera with Aaron and hopefully he'll remember to use it! ;)

My 30th Birthday

2007-07-31T16:45:00.000-05:00

My 30th birthday is coming up in September (the 21st to be exact) and my friend, Becky, asked me what I wanted to do. Now, I know this is a HUGE STRETCH in every way possible, but here's what I want to do: I want to go to NEW YORK CITY!!!

I have always wanted to go see the Big Apple and this would be a trip that would definitely not be exciting for Aaron. But, how fun would it be to take a few girlfriends and see the big city for the weekend?!?!

Last night I looked up some prices and it's ranging from $442 to $539 to stay in the heart of NYC. I do have a friend who can help me with the best of the best in NYC for the cheapest rate. And, yes I will be 7 months pregnant, but I think it would still be ok for me to fly. I'll have to check on that one.

Again, I TOTALLY know this is a HUGE STRETCH, but I think it would be a BLAST!! I've been trying to figure out how it would all work and I just don't know other than I'm just going to believe God that He will take care of the money!!

Leaving Comments

2007-07-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

If you leave a comment under "Anonymous", will you please sign your name in the comment? It's just nice to know who left what comment instead of trying to guess.

It's Official!!

2007-07-30T12:38:00.001-05:00

The baby's name will OFFICIALLY be:

Jaxon Carter

We've gone back and forth (or at least I have), but I've decided to make it official.

July 24th -- Brown Baby?

2007-07-30T12:04:00.001-05:00

Here's something funny Payton said tonight about naming the baby:

Payton: Dad, if our baby was brown, you know what I would name it?
Aaron: What?
Payton: Michael Jordan

We just laughed and laughed -- if our baby was brown?

July 21st -- Naming the Baby -- OR NOT!

2007-07-30T12:03:00.001-05:00

This past week has really been fun for us as a family. We've been discussing names for the baby and trying to find something that "sounds good". We've had a few suggestions from different people. I thought it would be funny to make a list of some of the names that have been thrown around inside our house. I'll add more as I remember them. At this point, I'm thankful that my children will not be having/naming children any time soon!!

Aaron's suggestions:
Cameron
Carter
Kaden
Weston

Payton's Suggestions:
Jack-Jack (from the Incredibles)
Romo (after Tony Romo -- plays for the Dallas Cowboys)
Chase

Evan's Suggestions:
Chicken
Dora
Clock

My suggestions:
Jackson
Anything besides CHICKEN!!

July 13th -- Poison Control Center

2007-07-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

Everyone should have this phone number on their refrigerator!!

This afternoon, Payton & Evan were supposed to be taking a nap. I was working on my computer when I hear the bathroom water start running and Evan started screaming. I went to the bathroom and he is standing there with a cup in his hand and his hands are shaking. I asked him what happened and he said, "I drank it." I thought he meant the water, but it was on cold, so I was still a little lost as to what happened. I kept asking him what he drank and I got more and more frustrated because he was just crying and screaming saying it was hot.

Finally, Payton came in and told me that a glow stick had broken and it got in Evan's mouth. I asked him where it was and he showed me an 3/4 empty container!! I went nuts!! I mean, whatever is in that thing that makes it glow is now sitting in Evan's stomach and in his mouth!!

I started trying to find a phone book around, but not sure exactly who I was going to call. In my mind, I could see me having to take him to the emergency room. Then, thoughts of how we would pay for it. All the while, Evan's following me around screaming that his mouth is burning.

Finally, I pick up my phone and call Trish, our friend who will soon be a nurse practitioner. My goodness, can I just tell you how thankful I am for her?!?! I was in hysterics and when she answered the phone, I knew all would be ok. I asked her what to do and she asked me if I had any of that stuff that would make him throw up -- I didn't. Then, she said she would call poison control and get back to me -- DUH! Poison control!!

So, I looked it up in my phone book and called. I got a very understanding lady who told me not to worry about it and it wouldn't hurt him. It would burn his mouth and his throat, but to give him a popsicle or some yogurt or something really cold that would make it stop burning.

Just a few nights before, I had bought a HUGE thing of popsicles, so I broke those out and gave him one. Trish called back and the lady she talked to at poison control told her the same thing, so I felt even better. The popsicle did seem to work, although I had the smell of that stuff on my hands for quite a while!!

So, now I've added Poison Control to my list of contacts in my cell phone. Today I am so very thankful for Trish and how she saved my day!! I'm also very thankful that nothing was wrong and Evan will be ok. Thank you, Jesus, for angels that are encamped around my children!!!

July 10th -- Snaggle Tooth & Hate Mail

2007-07-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last night, Payton finally lost a tooth!!! It was kind of on accident, but it came out anyway! His bottom tooth is growing in behind his baby teeth and there is no way that thing was going to push the baby ones out. So, we've been wiggling his baby teeth at night so they will still fall out. Last night, Aaron was wiggling his tooth and kind of flicked his finger out of his mouth and the tooth came out!! Payton was shocked and a little freaked out about it. But, it's done. Here's some pictures:

Here he is with his tooth fairy money this morning:

The other night, Payton caught a little butterfly and the girl next door was very upset about it. I was outside and she was telling me how this butterfly was missing it's mommy and Payton should let it go. I assured her that it would be ok and Payton just wanted Aaron to see it. That just didn't satisfy her. She kept telling me how rude it was and how mean it was. Again, I assured her that we were going to let it go when Aaron saw it. Finally, Evan grabbed the bowl that the butterfly was in and he took it in the house. He said, "Ha ha, Makenna. You can't see it anymore and you can't let it go!" I told him that he didn't have to be so rude and this little girl says, "Yeah, I know. I have to tell him that all the time." Lucky for me, it was getting dark and I told the boys to get their things from outside and it was time to go in the house. We closed the garage door and she was still in our driveway still appalled that I would let them keep this butterfly.

Today when I checked the mail, I pulled out a note that was written in orange marker. Here is what it said (literally):

Paten and Evean You are a stoped nabr. We hate you.

My interpretation is:

Payton & Evan

You are a stupid neighbor. We hate you.

Now, I would almost bet money that it was written by the little girl that lives in the "not-so-nice-neighbor-house". The girls in the "nice-neighbor-house" are older and would know how to spell better and I can't imagine them doing it. The boy in the "not-so-nice-neighbor-house" is older, but again, I think he should be able to spell better.

But, what do you do? Do we go tell the parents? If my child did that, I would definitely want to know, but they are definitely not me and I'm not sure they would disagree with the letter. ;) But, they're closing on their house and I will have new neighbors on Monday, so does it really matter? But, can you believe that?!?!

Thank you, Jesus, that they are moving!!!

Welcome!!

2007-07-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Aaron and I thought a blog would be a perfect spot for family members to come and see what's going on in our house!! We'll try to update it often for big events (and not so big events) that are going on in our house!!