The Ladybug and Eeyore

I have long thought I have super cute kids. Tonight, that was just proven more true :) We dressed Eden as a Ladybug and Josiah as Eeyore and took them trick or treating. Eden could have cared less about taking pictures and was not to willing to cooperate. Josiah was easy because he can't walk away yet. Here are a few of my favorites of Josiah and some that Eden wanted to be in briefly.

I'm outta here!

not a happy ladybug

Trick or treat country style :)

Tonight was one of those nights when I felt I had stepped back in time to enjoy a holiday.I felt like I did when I was a kid, only this was much better, it was with my kids :)

Gary and Amy invited us to join our neighborhood children in a tractor pulled hayride and trick or treat. We went through the subdivision, then down the road to visit other church member's homes. 3 other tractors pulling trailers joined us and I would guess there were 100 children and adults. We knew most of the people we visited, and made some new friends. It was nice to know all the candy and food was safe for the kids because everyone knew everyone. At one point I started to tell the kids not to eat their candy until their parents could check it out. (That was the rule when I was growing up.) Then I thought about it and realized that the parents all knew each other. One of the benefits of country living.

It was so much fun to be a part of this and to watch Eden enjoy herself so much. She liked the tractor ride more than the trick or treating. I don't think she figured out that it was candy she was getting in her basket until the very end. She got some coloring crayons and playdoh as well. Josiah fell asleep before we were done. Afterwards we went to Gary and Amy's for a big bonfire, complete with hot dogs on a stick and smores.

You know, I really love this county living :)

Gary dressed as Fred Flinston on his John Deere
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Walking back to meet the group. We were slower than most of the kids

Wait daddy, we might have missed a house!

Not sure who this other ladybug was,

but she loved walking Eden around to the different homes.

Another tractor full of friends

Dorthy and Toto

aka Daylin and Macy

This is Amy

Aka Wilma Flinstone

You can see by her smile how we had such a great time.

These people are great!

Smiles in the sun

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL the past few days.
I took these as I grilled dinner tonight.
I love how the sun looks in Eden's hair.
Josiah's not so crazy about being outside just yet, give him time. He will :)

Eden Update

Larry and I took Eden to see her cardiologist this morning. We've got good news and I won't call it bad news, but it's a prognosis that I would rather not have to face.

The good news is that Eden's EKG was great. She cried through the whole thing (it was nap time) So it showed her with a little stress, which for this test was not a bad thing. The doctor said the EKG looked great, but so did the one they took in the ER less than 5 minutes after the SVT episode. She has to be in a tachycardic state to get a different reading.

One of my major concerns was if the SVT edisodes could have damaged her heart. He didn't think so, Which is a BIG relief!

The medication that Eden is on is supposed to keep these tachycardia episodes from happening. She's doing well on the medication with no side effects. Her medication levels look great on the EKG as well. He also told us we would not have to have her blood tested every six weeks like the pediatrician wanted. The levels can be checked through an EKG done in their office every 6 months. That is also a big relief.

Now the not so fun part. We decided that we would keep Eden on the medication for the next year or two. ( sometime between the ages of 4 and 5.) We will start to wean her off of the medication. Then Eden will undergo a test that will try to trigger an episode. If SVT occurs then they will do ablation therapy to destroy the bad areas of her heart that trigger the tachycardia. This is a heart cathetherization surgery that will be done under general anesthesia. Thankfully, this is a one shot deal. They will do the cathetherization immediately after the test if it is necessary, So she will only have to be under anesthesia once.

The reason we decided on this course of treatment is that there is a 10% chance that Eden will outgrow this condition. We wanted to give her the time to do that. Plus, she will be more verbal and better able to communicate her heart issues more clearly in the future.

So for now, we're going to enjoy our sweet little girl. The doctor said not to make ourselves crazy following Eden around with a stethoscope or limiting her activity. She can play and run around like a normal toddler. We just have to watch for signs of SVT.

This is something that I do not want to consume my thinking or allow me to become fearful of Eden's future. It's more than likely that she will have to have this heart surgery. BUT we never know what this time and Eden's heart can do. So for now we will make this a daily prayer. For me it's easy to remember twice everyday for the next two years as I give her medication. I will pray for the Lord to heal her heart, to make it strong. My long standing prayer has been for God to be a in Eden's heart. I have always prayed that in a spiritual way, now it is in a literal ways as well. We have faith that whatever happens. God is in control and we pray He will be glorified by Eden's life and her fast beating little heart :)

Eden's heart

Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from a friend who has a baby that has been very sick since her birth. She had received some additional bad new. This mom is a great lady of faith and I tried to encourage her with scriptures and prayer. Larry came home for lunch and I shared with him the latest news and we both said how blessed we were to have healthy children. That we should never take them for granted. We prayed, and went about our day, but I was unable to get that baby and those thoughts out of my head.

Later that afternoon, Eden Josiah and I went to Larry's office. Eden knocked on the door. I asked if he wanted to have a study break and come play with us (see post below) I am so glad he did. We had a wonderful time playing and laughing together. Enjoying being a family. It was such a beautiful time. I am so glad we had that time together because 2 hours later we were in the ER with Eden.

After we played, Larry went back to work. The kids and I came home to rest and get ready for Wednesday night service. Josiah was pooped so I laid him down for a nap. Eden got some juice and watched Dora while I was reading through my lesson. Eden came up to me and wanted to be held. (Not like my independent girl.) She said, "night night Momma," and laid down on me. I could feel her heart beating so hard through her chest wall and realized how pale she looked. I ran and got out the stethoscope and tried to count Eden's heat rate, but I wasn't able to keep up. It was beating too fast. I called Larry and he ran home. He couldn't get the count either.

So I called Amy. She's a friend of mine who lives nearby. She also a nurse. I explained what I thought was going on and she was at my house 5 minutes later. ( Amy, I love you and am so thankful you were here) She couldn't get a count either. So she cradled Eden in her lap and put her feet up. She said her best guess was that it was in the 260's. We called Eden's Cardiologist and he was paged. We took off to the ER.

On the drive to Pitt, The cardiologist called my cell and wanted us to go to the local hospital to get her on a monitor ASAP. (We live 45 minutes away from Greenville. The local hospital was 5 minutes away) We pulled in and Eden was on a monitor within 3 or so minutes of us walking in the door. While the nurse was hooking Eden up, the Cardiologist was calling the ER to give them instructions on how to treat Eden, I love our Cardiologist!

The Nurse said give me a minute and I'll give you some numbers. Eden was scared at this point and looked wiped out. She didn't want to be hooked up to the monitors. She didn't understand what was going on. I had to hold her and show her the monitors didn't hurt. We got her hooked up and I couldn't believe what I saw. 278!!!! I said, "is that right? Is it really 278 beats per minute?" The nurse said, "yeah, it's 278." She yelled something in the hallway and then the room was full of people.

Larry and I were told there was two ways we could treat her. The less invasive was to stick her face in Ice water. That is a Vagal nerve stimulus, and should reset her heart. If that didn't work they would use medications or shock her. We agreed to do the water first .

They filled a bucket of water and I pushed Eden's face in it. She was angry and cold, but her heart immediately converted when she took that deep breath. So did all of us in the room. I sat there thanking Jesus and watching the monitor praying it would stay at the 145-150 range. It did! Then it lowered down into the 130 range. I cuddled Eden and the room emptied. Larry and I just stared at one another, not saying anything. Just dazed and thankful that she was ok. An hour later we were on the way home.

Now is the hard part, the wait and see part. The Cardiologist has put Eden on a heart medication to slow her heart down. We have to have blood test done regularly to make sure that she doesn't get toxic levels of this medication. But it is supposed to be free from side effects.

Eden's condition is called SVT. (Supraventricular Tachycardia) She was diagnoses at 2 months, but hasn't had another episode that we knew about or had recorded until yesterday. We're in a wait and see because Eden is so young and can't really tell us how often it is going on. We are praying that this episode has not done any damage to her heart. We have an appointment on Oct 19th to do further test.

I am so thankful Eden came to cuddle with me and that I noticed her heart. I wonder how many other times it could have happened and I not noticed. I worried it was because we were outside playing. The what if's seemed overwhelming last night. The worry was overwhelming. The tears came when I calmed down and the kids were safely tucked in bed. The reality of the situation was sinking in. We had thought Eden had outgrown this, but she hasn't.

After a great talk with my sister and prayer with Larry, I realized that I needed to be thankful for so many things that took place. I am thankful I noticed this episode. I am thankful that there is medication that can help. I am thankful that Eden converted to a normal rhythm without medication or being shocked in the hospital. I am thankful for the sweet nurses and doctors who took wonderful care of Eden. I am thankful for Amy's friendship, calm nature and her willingness to watch Josiah while all this took place. I am thankful for the many people who were praying for Eden while we were at the hospital. I am thankful for our church family who love our children as they would their own. I am thankful for our family who love us and would leave in an instance to be with us if we would ask.

Most of all I am thankful that I can look back on the Scriptures I shared with my friend that morning, and know the Truths I was trying to share with her are applicable to our situation as well. I told her that there is nothing that ever happens to us that hasn't been sifted through the hands of our loving God. God has given us a child with a special heart. He trusts Eden to Larry's and my care. He knows her and loves her better than we do. And no matter what happens with Eden, God is in control! In all of this, I pray He receives the Glory!

Thank you Jesus for my sweet girl and for her special heart.

Time with Daddy

Yesterday was a great kite flying days with perfect temptures, and lots of wind.
Eden and I went to Larry's office to give him a study break. Who could say no to that? He taught Eden how to fly a kite. Really what happened is he would get in up in the air, then Eden would run off with it. She LOVED it and had a blast. It was one of those moments you wish you could just freeze in time because you realize how happy you are, how perfectly content you are in that moment. Oh, how fast things can change!

On your mark, get set...

GO!

Eden loves to say that as she slides :)

My cute girl!

Just a swingin'

Ok Mom, Not real sure about this thing?

Ummm ok so it swings back and forth.

Gotta figure out how to balance

Yeah, I like this!

Ok, lets just lay here for a few minutes. I'm pooped!

Is it time for another nap yet?

Two teeth and a bottom lip

This shot is just all about the teeth:)

Check out that bottom lip...

Not sure what Josiah was thinking, but he'll trip over that bottom lip when he starts to crawl :)

Doesn't that smile just make your day?

My two favorite men

We're models

A few months ago my friend Andrea asked if I wanted to be a part of a project she was doing for Sleepy Wraps. A Sleepy wrap is a great babycarrier that I had used before and enjoyed. I had modeled baby carriers for her before and thought it would be a lot of fun. She also wanted me to take photos of her using the wrap. We did have a lot of fun and I got to keep the beautiful light blue wrap I modeled.

Andrea just shared with me that they picked my photo of Josiah for their web ad. :) AND that the photo I took of her was chosen for a print ad in NJ Family Magazine Click here to see it online.

I'm so excited. I can now say I'm a model (haha). I know Josiah's cutness is the reason that photo was chosen. Plus, I have a picture in a print ad! How cool is that!!!?

If you would like to order a Sleepywrap you can use Andrea's coupon code “Unique” and get 10% off your order.

Thanks again Andrea for letting me be a part of this. :)

This is one of the shots I took of her. She was borrowing this baby (even though she looks like she could be Andrea's.) Andrea's baby is due next March :)

This is the web ad.
I love this picture. Josiah's face is so angelic.

Blueberry Cobbler

Every so often I try a new recipe, and am excited with the results. We hosted the revival pastor and his family last night. I wanted to try to make a blueberry cobbler because I knew Travis would enjoy it. Revival was great and so was the cobbler :)

Here's the recipe for those who want to try it out. I found it at allrecipes.com That's my new favorite place to find yummy things to try.

For those of you who know me, I use recipes as a guide and never really measure anything. I know I used more blueberries than this called for. I also used more cinnamon and sugar than the topping called for. It turned out great. I look forward to making this again :)

*Sorry there is no picture. We ate it all before I thought to pull my camera out!

Blueberry Cobbler
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries ( I used fresh, way better!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup white sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pinch ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Great Grands

My sweet cousin in law, Erin, is great on the computer. She's the one who introduced me to www.scrapblog.com. I'm always checking out her blog because she makes the cutest scrapbook pages to use as headers. She put this one up of all the Great Grands. Technically, this is not all of them, Abbey and Brian are due in March :) I guess we'll have to get a bigger page :)

Erin, Thanks for taking the time to put this together. You did a great job! I love you :)

Samuel, Shay, Lucy, Eden, Brielle, MaKenna, Josiah and Wyatt :)

Happy Birthday PawPaw!

To my Dad (aka PawPaw) I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I wish we could be with you to celebrate. Thank you for being such a godly influence in my life and in the lives of my children. You are an amazing father and friend.
I love you!

Sorry this is out of focus. But with that smile, I figured you wouldn't notice :)

8 Months Old

It's so hard to believe that my little man is growing so quickly. Josiah will be 8 months old tomorrow. He is so much fun and such a great baby. I think it's a nice payback for such a difficult pregnancy.

New friends

This past weekend we went to Wake Forest for Larry to attend a conference. We stayed with our friends Jerry and Leslie. Their granddaughter Harper came by for a visit. She and Josiah made fast friends. They are just a few weeks apart in age, but surprise, surprise, Josiah outweighs her by 5 or so pounds. They were so cute together.
Leslie and Jerry, I hope you enjoy these. Thank you again for being such hospitable host. The Gates Inn is the best!

Hey can I get your attention. We're both super cute!

Who can make the funniest face?

Why are you looking so suspicious Harper? Don't you make those sounds too?... hehehe

Ohhh He's so cute. Check him out! Hubba hubba!