A Couple of Funny Things....

Kaden absolutely LOVED the Caedmon's Call concert that Kev took him to this weekend. They didn't get home until after 10:00 p.m! That is VERY late for this little guy who loves his sleep. He was so pumped and so happy when he walked through the door, though. I could tell that he had an absolute blast. Kev said that a number of times he asked if Kaden wanted to come home, but he would just smile and say that he wanted to stay a little longer. The only time where Kaden was restless was when the lead singer talked for quite awhile about Compassion. Anyway, I guess the guy had a bit of a stutter, and at one point, Kaden laughed right out loud and repeated what he said, while the rest of the entire audience was being silent! He wasn't being mean, he just found it funny. A few of the students looked back and found that to be quite amusing! Okay, lessons to be taught about imitating others......

Then, yesterday we were headed to the park and the boys and I waited in the car while Kev ran in to get us some coffee. (I know - hard to believe). We probably were waiting about ten or fifteen minutes, and I was so pleased that Jesse was being so content in the backseat. Every few seconds I could hear a really contented little grunt, but other than that - both boys were silent. Well, I just happened to glance in my rearview mirror at one point, and I see that Kaden is very nicely sharing his LOLLIPOP with Jesse! Oh my word! That's why the kid was so happy! Good grief! Okay, more lessons about what to share and what not to share with babies.......

An Explanation.......

I feel that I must clarify my "R" for "Rebel" statement a wee bit.

Remember that I said I am a rebel as far as a nontraditional sense of "style" goes. This is very different from being a rebel as far as a heart issue goes. Now, don't get me wrong. If you talk to me about wearing nylons and dresses to church, you'll see the rebellion there. But, that's another issue for another post. I'm working on it. Especially if Kev gets hired by a church that really really wants me to dress up a little. That's really not overly cool with me, but I'll work on it. I really well. But I digress......maybe it was all those years at N.B.B.I......

When I said that I will not have an issue if my boys want piercings or tats, I honestly won't IF they don't do it out of a rebellious SPIRIT or wrong motives. And you can tell the difference. I'm not talking about being cool with it if they want to do it when they're in junior high - or even in high school for that matter. I don't know....we'll see. What I am saying is that if once they're out on their own and they come home from college on a break with a tat, I'm not going to fly off the handle and preach to them about being backslidden. Holiness is not about a list of rules and regulations. It's a matter of the heart. When we start talking about offending the weaker brother or being a stumbling block to others, well frankly, that's why I haven't done a lot of things that I might like to do. We'll discuss all of this if and when the time comes.

"Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart," and I care a great deal more about what God thinks. By no means have I figured this whole thing out, but there is a delicate line to be walked between legalisim and offending our brother.

My parents were really awesome about this during our growing up years. We lived in a community and culture where going to movies and dances was a sin, and where even wearing makeup might spark a discussion. I clearly remember in my high school years being taken aside by a deacon in my church because I had pierced the top of my earlobe. Now, I know the dear soul loved me and he was just concerned for my "spiritual well-being," but mister man, at the time did that EVER turn me off. That little discussion did nothing for my spiritual well-being!

When senior prom rolled around, there were many of my Christian friends who were having major issues with their parents, because they were forbidden to go. My mom and dad, on the other hand, told me that if I wanted to go they would go dress shopping with me and it would be no problem with them. They trusted me. They knew me. And they knew the friends that I hung out with. This spoke VOLUMES to me! In a sense, they were putting their own necks out on the line with THEIR friends, because they were letting us go. Ultimately I chose not to because, for one thing, I can't dance to save my soul, and for another, my boyfriend of four years and I had just broken up. I wanted nothing to do with the whole scene. But, had I wanted to go, they would have let me! That trust that they had in me made me want to live even more trustworthy for them! Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

Clear as mud?! I just want to major on the majors and minor on the minors. My parents did a really great job at that. I want my boys to love Christ intimately and passionately. I want them to be completely sold out to Him. I want to be completely sold out to Him. And if this is the case, what's a little ink? I shudder to think of the things that I will really be dealing with them ten years from now. I'm sure that by then, tats and piercings will no longer be what's "cool" and it'll be something like shaving their heads or pulling out all of their teeth, or women trying to grow beards that will be the "in" thing.

Then, I'll really have to eat my words...........

I Almost Forgot.....

You're supposed to tag the same number of people as letters in your name. I have six letters, but just in case not everyone wants to play, I'm listing more:

1. Angie S.
2. Shannon C.
3. Esther L.
4. Sarah Y.
5. Jessica Bloods
6. The other Jessica (I can't remember your married last name)
7. Kristi - even though you already got tagged by Shannon. I didn't want you to feel left out!
8. Katie B.
9. Kelsey B.
10. Trish D.
11. Shay P.
12. Ana B.
13. Alyssa F.

Tell me if you've done it!
You know, since I don't YET know how to do the linky-doo things with all your names..........

Tag!

Wanna' play?

Look at me! THREE posts in one day! But, who can resist a good game of tag? (Okay, so some of you can). But, for those of you who want to play, here are the rules: Write out an anagram for your middle name, (I think that's the right word) and for each letter tell us something about you. This is different from the "14 things you love" game. How so? I'm not really sure. How about - just don't write about things you love! :0) Write about OTHER things that will help people get to know you more. Okay. Enough rambling. Here goes:

M: MARRIED to my best friend of 8 1/2 years. And since you all know that, here's another: MIDWIFE. If I were to go back to school and do it all over again, I would study and train to be a midwife. I'd work with another awesome midwife (because I don't like to do things by myself), we'd have our own little practice, and we'd deliver all of our friend's babies, and anyone else's babies who wanted us to! We'd make sure they had a FANTASTIC birth experience - one that was never traumatic or disappointing. You know - in the perfect world.......

A: ARACHNIDS. I hate them too, Shannon. In fact, since my mother would scream such ear piercing shrieks whenever she saw them (and still does to this day) she has instilled within all three of her children's hearts a horrific terror of them. It's true. HOWEVER.....since Kaden is so in love with bugs, whenever he sees them, I try to play it cool so as not to instill that same fear into his poor little heart. I play the "it might be poisonous" or "it might bite" card and tell him that he can only hold Daddy Long Legs. I can deal with those. I have heard that they have one of the most poisonous bites for spiders, but their mouths are too small. It would be like us trying to bite a beach ball. Interesting little tidbit......Anyway, I know I'll scar my children in other ways, so I try to play it cool in the spider category.

R: REBEL. In my heart, I am a secret rebel. Not necessarily in the bad sense of the word - more like in the "nontraditional" sense of style. If I didn't think I would offend many people that I know and love, I would have multiple piercings and tattoos, I would have wild hair and clothes, and I would ride a motorcycle. I'm not joking. In fact, I will have NO problem if my boys want tats or earrings. Shocking, eh? Don't judge me. I still love Jesus. :0) Anyway, I can't even picture Kaden with either of those......Jesse is another story. Okay, once you lift your mouths off the floor, here's another:

REALLY short. That's my hair. I got it chopped today.


I: INJURIES. In my thirty years of life I: broke my big toe playing soccer, broke my collar bone playing soccer, got my nose broke by one of my teens by playing soccer in youth group, got 2nd degree burns on my leg on two different occasions on my Dad's motorcycle as a kid, had stitches in my head because my brother thought I could catch a hammer, had stitches in my chin because I thought I could fly, and almost lost my womb when Kaden was born. Glorious!

O: OPEN SPACES. Wide ones. I need them. That's why we go to Lancaster all the time. I need country, with fields, and streams, and trees, and 4-wheelers, and grass, and chickens roaming freely.

N: NEW BRUNSWICK BIBLE INSTITUTE. The place where I spent three years of my life and made some of the best friends of my life, where I met my future hubby, and where I almost got kicked out during my Senior Year. (See previous "R" for "Rebel." That's a story for another day).

Okay....I must sign off. I've already said more than I should..........I really have no idea who reads these posts......Don't judge Kev on account of me. He's a clean as they come!

Oh glorious day!

Kev DOES have a snow day today, and it is SUCH a fun and unexpected surprise!

He made us omelets for breakfast which were delish. And now he and Kaden are out playing in the snow while Jesse sleeps. When Jesse wakes up, we're going to brave the storm and go and run a few errands. We're from Maine, right? While six or so inches shuts down the world out here, schools would only delay an hour or so up home!

On another note - there's going to be a Caedmon's Call concert at the school on Sunday night, and Kev and Kaden are going to go - just the two of them. How cute is that? Kaden asked, "Do we get to dance around?" This will be a "first" for him, and I think he's totally going to love it. He LOVES music. He has a little guitar that Kev found for him on a yard sale, and he has a plethora of other instruments. When we have worship practice at church, he always sits on the steps beside us and plays either his harmonica or piano horn right along with us! If Kev tells the band to cut out the instruments, he'll cut out, and if he tells them to play quietly, he tones it down. It's so cute! And he wants music playing at home continuously. So, I think he'll totally love this concert experience.

Okay, I'm off to conquer the world while I have this unexpected hour to myself!

Snowy Dayz!

We woke up to a significant (for Pennsylvania) snowstorm this morning, and it's still coming down. The first real storm of the winter for us out here. It's crazy - just a week ago, I was going for walks in a t-shirt and sweating like it was summer. Well, I guess I pulled my capris out too soon. Bummer. Maybe Kev will get a snow day out of it, though.......

Okay....

Sorry for the bummer post yesterday.

It's amazing what a little sleep, a couple of phone chats with my Marmie and Mom-in-law, a treat brought home for me from hubby, and a relaxing night of vegging can do for one's perspective.

I'm back on track today. For some reason, the news about Jesse really bummed me out yesterday. And it's not like it was a surprise, by any means. In fact, I actually kind of expected it. It has just felt like this continuous drawn out drama of a waiting game; and the thought of him being put to sleep and having a cast and scars for life just made me really sad.

Truth be told, Jesse will probably be quite proud of his battle wounds and will have SEVERAL more to join these ones in the not so distant future! We have been told on numerous occasions that this doctor that we have is the best of the best, we are at a pediatric hospital that deals solely with children, and most importantly - we are in the Lord's hands, and we fully trust Him to take care of our little guy no matter what the outcome.

SO......all is well.

On a lighter and more fun note - Jesse is doing a full crawl now. He has graduated from a sort of commando snake slither to the full out hands and knees moves. He also pulls himself completely up into a sitting position and growls loudly at us until someone acknowledges his accomplishment. It's really cute, and he's totally proud of himself when he does it. He still will quite often immediately fall over backwards or sideways because he's so top heavy, but he just stares into space for a sec, lets out a little grunt, and continues on his merry way. It's QUITE hilarious.

Jesse is SUCH a bruiser. There is nothing that is done mediocre with him. He is intense about EVERYTHING! He has almost flipped his exersaucer over with him in because he rocks so violently in it; he's almost flipped his chair over with him in the booster seat because he won't sit still; when he gives us "love pats" on our faces, he almost gives us bloody noses because he flaps his hands so violently, he has made Kaden cry on a number of occasions because he's bopped him so hard in the face, every bathtime I fear for his life because he buries his entire face in the water, and when we read stories, he literally attacks the pages and growls, grunts, and screams so loudly we can't even hear ourselves read the book!

Kaden just shakes his head, looks at us and laughs, and says: "He's a looney bin, guys!" It's true!

We truly have complete opposites in every sense of the word, and it is totally delightful. I am loving the differences - finding them hysterical, actually - and the boys completely adore each other. Let's hope this keeps up for years to come despite their many differences. The Tough and the Tender.......it could get interesting!

The Verdict

We think.

So, it looks like our little guy is going to probably have to have surgery after all. After today, our plastic surgeon said that he's still not 100% sure, but two or three times he said "probably," whereas last time, he said he was "hopeful."

The concern is that we are going into the 3rd week of healing now, and there is still a patch on two fingers and the top of his palm that is still raw and hasn't healed over with new skin. It WILL heal but with scar tissue which will cause pulling and possible contractured fingers. We asked if it was just something that Jesse could learn to adapt too seeing as he's so young and won't really know the difference anyway. But, they said that this is something that will cause him pain for years to come and could affect things he may want to do - sports, piano, full range of motion things etc.

The plan now is to let it completely scar over for the next two months. We'll go back in April, and from there we'll probably be looking at dates for surgery. The doctor wants to break up the scar tissue with new skin. If he feels that he'll need a lot of skin, he'll take it from Jesse's groin; if only a little, then from his inner elbow.

It was such a weird visit - we feel like we went through the full gamet of emotions in just an hour. The nurse came in, looked at it, and declared that she felt "cautiously optimistic." So, we were like: "Okay. This looks good." Then, the first doctor came in, looked at it for two seconds, and said: "Oh, this looks great. There won't be any need for surgery." So, we were THEN like: "Oh yay! Let's go celebrate!" And just a few minutes later our main doctor comes in and says: "Yeah. He's probably going to need skin grafts. But, we'll still give it a couple of months." My word - I almost cried! I still love this doctor. He's not quick to rush to the operating room, but he seemed pretty sure that Jesse will need them because of the tightness the scars will cause. He's just not in any rush because Jesse's still so young.

So, we're trying to keep perspective. In the big picture of life, we know that there are FAR larger and MUCH more painful things that parents have to go through with their children. This isn't life threatening - it's not like we're dealing with cancer, or tumors, or emotional trauma or anything like that. And I fully expect that with two boys, we'll be visiting the ER several times throughout our season of parenthood. I expect broken bones from riding bikes or from sport injuries etc. I don't expect those times to be fun, but, I think I'll roll with them more easily. I think that this has been so hard on us because he's still just a baby and it wasn't from anything you would EXPECT, you know? I EXPECT my kids to get hurt playing outside and especially if they're involved in sports. That comes with the territory. I didn't expect any of my babies to have to have surgery and to have scars for the rest of their life from something that took place in their first year of babyhood.

Anyway.....big picture - it's not a major thing. I know that. Right now it's just hard.

I'm Baaack!

My! I've been slacking lately. It's been a whole four days. Thanks for the reminder, Kris!

Well, let's see. What have we been up to these days? Kev didn't have class this last weekend, which was glorious, so we did another little day trippy-doo like we love. Next weekend, he doesn't have class either, so we're going to do the manly thing and go to Cabella's. Again. Kaden loves it, Jesse is mesmerized in the backpack, and Kev has all these points he's earned, so he's pumped to get some free treasures. And me? Well, I get a couple of glorious hours - to myself - where I go upstairs to the restaurant, get a drink, and just sit. With my Bible and my journal. And it's Heaven. Really looking forward to Saturday, actually! :0)

The wee ones that I babysit for today are home with the pukes, so the boys and I went on a spontaneous little date today. We packed a picnic and walked over to the college campus to eat and feed the ducks by the pond. And then we went up to the library and signed out a bunch of fun books to read over the next few days. I didn't realize how blasted windy it was outside, so we nearly blew away, but the boys still had fun. I could tell that Jesse was trying to wrap his little brain around what in the world those feathered things that quacked were! He looked so confused, but was so excited; he kept lunging out of the stroller at them with his loud little grunt screams. Quite the picture!

Now they are napping. I had a good quiet time, and now I'm checking up on all of you guys. I've been reading in Exodus lately about the relationship that Moses had with the LORD - how he was called friend, and how we was given the opportunity to see the back of the Lord's glory. I keep thinking about the verse where the LORD tells Moses that He is a jealous God, and He desires for the nation of Israel to have no other gods than Him alone. Then, after speaking with the LORD on the mountain, Moses' face was shining, because he had been in God's presence. And the people KNEW it! There was no denying that Moses had been in the presence of God - speaking with Him, getting to know Him, and learning His heart.

That's what I want! I don't want Jesus to EVER question the place that He holds in my life! I want Him to always see that He comes first! And I know that this so often is NOT the case. I so quickly put other things before Him at times. When Moses was with Him on the mountain, he neither ate nor drank for forty days, because the LORD was ENOUGH! I want to live that truth - not by not eating or not drinking - but by REALLY living the truth that He is ALL I need. And I want those that come in contact with me to know that I've been in His presence! Especially my family who sees me for who I really am! I want my boys to grow up seeing Mommy constantly living in Christ's presence. I want them to catch me reading and praying and loving and serving and LIVING Jesus every day! That's my heart's desire. Okay. More later.....

HELP?

Okay, so remember a few posts ago when I talked about how computer illiterate I am? Well, this is the post where I'm going to ask for help. My sweet friend Shay (isn't the coolest name?) sent me an email to try and help, and I'm really embarassed to admit, I didn't understand a word of it. When I mean I need help, I mean - pretend that I'm utterly clueless, because I am.

This is what I want to learn how to do:

1. Change my background
2. Change the title and the little ditty number underneath it. Because, it's not really "The Booker Blog" - it's more about my thoughts and musings. So, I want it to reflect me!
3. I want to know how to add links on my sidebar - you know, to add other's people's blogs
4. Can I put music in the background?
5. Put pictures on - real photographs and clip art or whatever
6. Play a video from my camera
7. Oh! This is another biggy: When I'm typing along and want to link you over to another place by having you just click on the word I typed. (See? I don't even know how to explain this stuff! Did you get my drift, anyway?)

Okay, there's more, but that's good for now. Maybe Esther just needs to call me when she has a kazillion hours free while I'm sitting at my computer? She did this whole thing for me in the first place!

You know the phrase: "Give a man a fish and you feed him a meal. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him forever."

TEACH ME TO FISH, GUYS!!!

Round Two

Okay. There are just SO many things that I love, I just had to write a second list. I promise this will be my last, even though there are a kazillion things I could write about. This one is going to be a little more random and simplistic.....kinda like me...ahem......

1. kittens. (And NO - not dead ones, Peter C.) I love snuggling them, and a kitty's purr is one of my most favorite sounds. Seriously. It is.

2. Yard saling. Oh man - I think it's an addiction. On Saturdays, once the warm weather hits, it literally hurts me to drive past one. I am SURE that I am missing a treasure!

3. Old wooden boxes and trunks. Again - possibly another addiction.

4. Bittersweet berries in the fall. I love going on adventures to find them and then making them into crazy little wreaths to hang all over my house. (I DON'T love when the boys roughhouse and knock down all of the berries for months on end after said wreaths have been made and hung).

5. Shopping at funky, little antiquey stores when I can find fun little treasures.

6. Buying presents for people - big or small. It seriously makes me wicked happy.

7. Going on vacation, and it doesn't matter where.....camping, hotels, HOME, wherever. It's just so much fun knowing there's a little break in life and a change in routine for awhile.

8. A good hair day. Who doesn't love that?

9. Notes from Kev. I LOVE love letters.

10. How I feel after I exercise.

11. Things of beauty - creation, a great picture, anything that is really beautiful to ME.

12. A really deep, gut-wrenching, tear jerking, long lasting belly laugh with someone. And for some reason, I love it even more when it happens at an inappropriate time - like when I'm supposed to be quiet. How bad is that? It just seems to make things that much funnier!

13. A REALLY great movie with some REALLY fabulous food or snack to go with it. That's some good chill time!

14. Bonfires, 4-wheeling - Oh I really love 4-wheeling, going for a drive with no particular destination in mind, talks with my Dad, when Mom comes to visit, hanging with friends, camping, swimming, eating, going for walks, wooden stars, sunsets, pizza, restaurants, when those I love are happy, my brothers, my friends, world peace........okay, I said I'd stop.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, everyone! Let's play! Shannon in Canada did this last year and has already given her post for the day, so we must all play along. In honor of today, let's ALL (even you Stevo-Supremo!) list 14 things that we love! Good times!

Okay, so here are 14 things that I love.....in no particular order.

1. My 3 boys. LOVE them. Wonder every day how I've come to be so blessed with them.
2. Family days. There's nothing more that I love to do than have a whole day with just us.
3. Coffee. The smell, the taste, the warmth in my hands, how it's usually drank over conversation with someone I love.
4. Blogging. I'm on quite a roll, I must say. I love posting, I love reading my comments, and I love reading other's updates. (Ahem, did you catch that last sentence, Ang?)
5. HOME and all it represents. My family, my roots, and Maine - minus the snow
6. The jeans I'm wearing. For some reason whenever I'm wearing only this pair, people ask me if I've lost weight. Come on! Who doesn't love that?
7. The fact that in the past couple of weeks I've done 30 pages in Jesse's baby book. He's finally born now! Whoo-hoo! I AM a good mother! :0)
8. Sleep. Deep, uninterrupted, when-I-wake-up-I-feel-like-I-could-conquer-the-world sleep!
9. A good book. One of those where you're sad to read the last page and have it be over.
10. ANYTHING that inspires me to be a better woman, wife, or mother
11. A really great, deep, vulnerable conversation with a friend
12. Warm, sunny, summer days spent at the beach with our family getting all wet and tanned
13. Snuggling with my boys while they're sleeping and breathing in their little smells
14. My apartment. Especially when it's clean, organized, and looks cute

Man. 14. That was so few! There are so many MORE things that I love! I might have to do a second list here a bit later.

Okay....tag to all who have blogs. And Jessica, you write one right along with Steve! And Jess Berry - this would be a great FIRST post for your NEW blog that you're going to start. Hint! Hint! Oh - and Kelsey - a perfect opportunity to update, since you haven't in about three months! Hast thou died?

Happy Heart's Day, all!

Valentine Cookies

Here's the delish little number that I was writing about the other day. Packaged up in little gift bags with some pretty ribbon and a cute little tag make for a super cute little gift for someone on Valentine's Day.

By the way, sweet Katya, should you find a way over to my place sometime tomorrow, I have some with your name all over them! Loves.....

Kiss Cookies

2 sticks butter (room temp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
pinch salt
1 cup fine chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
hershey's kisses
confections sugar for dusting when cool

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour and salt and gradually add to butter mixture. (I didn't sift, because I'm lazy, and they still turned out fine).

Mix well. Chill for 2 or more hours.

Shape dough around kisses. You can do as much or as little as you want - depending on whether you want big or small cookies. Dough should probably be at least 1/4 inch deep, though.

Bake on sheets lined with parchment paper for about 12 minutes or until edges are light gold at 375 degrees. Package up cutely and give to someone you love. Delish!

Jesse Update

Hmmm. I tried to come up with a more catchy title, but I'm drawing a blank. Besides, that's what this post is going to be about, anyway. So here goes.......

Once again, we THINK we're encouraged. It's kind of another "let's wait until next week" game again, but we remain hopeful. The great new is that one of Jesse's little hands is now free from bandages! Whoo-hoo! How I love seeing those little pudgy fingers wiggling all around and picking things up again. He's already far less frustrated, as well, so that's really nice.

As far as the other hand goes, the plastic surgeon wants to wait another week to see if it heals any more. He said that it's made progress, but he really want to see it start to heal more significantly. If it hasn't done so in a week's time, than he said we'll talk surgery. It's still really raw and goopey. I guess there comes a point where a burn will only heal so much before it needs a skin graft. We asked if he could take the graft from one of us, but he said he could only do that with identical twins. He said that he was hopeful, though. So we are too!

We'll keep you posted.

Just a side note: A friend researched the top ways that kids burn themselves. Curling irons made the top three list! Me thinks this girl's hair is going straight from now on......

Cozy Times....

The day is winding down, and it's been good.

It's yucky outside. With the kids still not on top of their game, I told my friend that she should probably find someone else to watch her kids, and we just had a cozy day inside. Kaden never even got out of his p.j.'s! I love days like this once in awhile. I had no big agenda. We just played, read stories, and made a super huge "wall card" for Daddy for Valentine's Day. We used stickers, puffy paint, and water paint and Kaden has been SO excited to show it to him. He says: "Oh! Daddy is gonna be SO happy with this! This is SO GREAT!!!"

Jesse has been a bit of a crabadoo, but he's allowed. He's sick, he's hurt, he's got a bum rash, AND he's got another tooth trying to poke through. (Hence, the bum rash). So, we've been gracious with the (not so) wee one.

While the boys napped, I made my all time fave comfort food lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Reminds me of home. Love it. Had a good time in the Word with the Lord. Reading in Exodus how God spoke "face to face with Moses as with a friend." How awesome is that? Seriously! Wrap your mind around that one.

Then, Daddy came home early to play with Kaden, so they've been out back sliding down our three foot tall mound (it's not even a hill, really) in the half inch of snow/sleet that we got today. It's freezing rain right now, so they're no doubt getting drenched, but this is the VERY first time there's ever been anything even remotely slide-able out here this winter! Meanwhile, Jesse and I stayed inside and I baked some super delish valentine kiss cookies to package up real prettily to give to friends. I wish they were mailable - my friends who live far away. Recipe to follow, though, and you can make some for yourselves and YOUR loved ones. Very easy, and VERY worth it!

When the boys come in, we're going to make pancakes and eggs for supper - per Kaden's request, and then once both wee ones are abed, hubby and I are going to snuggle up and watch American Idol. AAAhhh. A good day indeed.

I Can See the Light!

Whew!

It has been a HAUL for the Bookers lately. On a number of occasions Kev has stated: "The Bookers are falling apart!" Between Jesse's burns and each of us at varying degrees of sickness, it has surely been interesting around these here parts the past couple of days. On Sunday, I planned to stay home with Jesse because he had a little fever. Kev was going to take Kaden with him to church, but when I woke up, I could hardly see straight. He told me to go back to bed and he called the pastor to say he was going to stay home to take care of me. Let me tell you, while Sunday was "the worst of days" for me sickness wise, was it ever "the BEST of days!" I went back to bed and literally slept until 4:00 in the afternoon! Now THAT was a nap! I have been pining for some extra sleep, and God let me have it in spades on Sunday!

So, today, Kev and I are somewhat feeling back to our chipper selves. While the boys are still not quite back to their prime and are at varying degrees of fever, coughing, and grumpiness - I find it much easier to be a loving, compassionate Mommy when my own head is not throbbing and when I'm not seeing TWO Kaden's and TWO Jesse's!

Kev and I were talking over supper last night, and we were saying that these past ten days (since Jesse burnt himself and since we've all been so sick), has been probably been one the most stressful times in the 8 1/2 years of our marriage. There were some really overwhelming days. If it has done anything, it has really shown us how much we take for granted just in the day to day living and how thankful we need to be for the little things that really aren't so little i.e. the months on end where we are all healthy, ALL of the times that our children are pain free, and the days on end that go by WITHOUT misshap. It has also given me great respect and compassion for the families that truly do have serious issues with a child - maybe a life-threatening disease, a horrible illness, a birth defect, or something that will have to be lived with for LIFE where there IS no end in sight. Forty minutes of changing bandages day and night with a crying baby who is in pain has given me just a tiny taste of what others probably go through year in and year out. It has made me thankful and it has given me perspective.

We go back to the doctor tomorrow to get our diagnosis on whether or not Jesse will need a skin graft. Whatever the answer, I am at peace.

I Chose You

Let me be clear. I DID NOT write this following little ditty, so I want to give full credit where credit is due. The only problem is that I do not yet know how to do all of those "linky doo" things to connect you folks over to other blogs and such. (More to come about that later. I need HELP people. There is so much I want to do with this blog, yet the skills are SEVERELY lacking).

So, anyway, I found this from Shannon, in Canada's blog (picture being able to click on those words and you could fly right over to her site) who got it from someone's else's blog. You following me? Okay. I read this this morning and I loved it. This is so what I needed today. I kind of feel like we are just barely treading water over here. There is just a lot going on with school, Jesse's burns, babysitting, cleaning houses, sickness, and just life, you know? EVERYBODY is busy - that's life, and I really do love it. I know that it will slow down a bit soon, people will feel better, Jesse's burns will heal, we'll catch up on sleep somehow, and we'll get back on top of things. Right now, it's just a little crazy. So, that's why I love this little ditty. :0)

I CHOSE YOU
(Picture that title being underlined. I don't even know how to do that. I'm pathetic).

This is for every woman who ever chose a child over other options.
(Picture this phrase being italicized. See above previous sentence in parenthesis).

I could have had more time,
more house,
more room.
I chose you.

I could have had more money,
more things,
more dinners out...
I chose you.

More me,
More sleep,
more freedom;
I chose you.

Less mess,
less cooking,
less laundry;
I chose you.

Less school, (well, not yet)
less PBS,
less PBJ,
I chose you.

Because of you,
I have MORE.
More love,
more memories,
more smiles,
more delight,
more joy.

Where would I be without you?

AHH! Good stuff! Now, I'm off to give Kaden a little bit of "me" while "Fussy-Doo Sicky Pants" has a nap. :0)

News........Kind of

Okay, it's 2:15, we're home, unpacked, and the boys are asleep.....even Kev! Big things like this absolutely drain him! He's going to love that I'm writing this, but this is the downside of him being so fiercely protective of the ones he loves. Anything that happens to the boys or I that is even remotely serious affects him deeply. I actually think it's really sweet.

So, he's crashed on the couch, the boys are both in bed, and I am processing. I think the appointment was encouraging....I'm still not sure. We made it to the heart of Philly with no misshaps - big doin's for two small town kids! We gave ourselves tons of time just in case we got lost, so we were an entire hour early, but they got us right in because there was nobody there!

Three different people looked at Jesse's hands, and they all had various things to say. This morning was the first time that we've noticed his bandages were quite oozy with a slight odor (gross, I know). The nurse thought at first that this might mean signs of infection starting, but then later she thought it just might be the medication that was causing the smell. One of the doctors said that he might have to have a skin graft on one of his palms, but the other seems hopeful that he won't. So, we're not really sure what to think yet. We're going to keep taking care of it for a week and then go back in next Wednesday and decide from there.

The plastic surgeon who is also a "hands specialist" - who is the one that counts, in my opinion - said that Jesse's burns are between a 2nd and 3rd degree burn on his palm and one finger. Because they are not a full-blown third degree burn, he wants to wait and see how they heal on their own for awhile. He is hopeful that they will heal just fine on their own - and we are going to pray to that end! :0) Jesse was a little trooper, and aside from giving a couple of grumpy squawk-screams at the nurse who dressed his hands, he was really quite smiley and chatty for most of the visit.

I'm slightly embarrassed but not a bit surprised to confess that we did not play around in the city like I previously posted we might do. By the time the visit was over, we wanted to do something fun for Kaden (because today was supposed to be our family day since Kev has class on Saturday) and because he was so patient and good. So, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and then to a (safe, quiet, thug-free) little park to play around on until naptime right in the comforts of our own (semi-safe) little town!

You can take the people out of the country, but you just can't take the country out of the people!

Okay

Here's the deal.

Jesse is going to be seen by a plastic surgeon who is also a hands specialist tomorrow morning at 10:00a.m. We're going to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia right in the heart of Philly - Kev's real thrilled about that - but supposedly they're the best. Not overly sure what to expect. They may cut away the excess skin from the broken blisters, they may recommend surgery, or they may just look at him and say that all is healing well. We're hoping for this last diagnosis! The blisters were so huge that when they burst, there is a ton of skin that is now laying against his palms and fingers. The doctors just want to make sure that his hands heal correctly and that he'll be able to have full range of motion once everything begins to heal. We are praying for the best.

If the diagnosis is okay - and the visit is not overly draining for all of us - we're maybe going to take in the sights and check things out in the city of Brotherly Love for the day. Kev's not a huge fan of the whole city scene, but I say if we're there, we might as well make the best of it! :0) We've only been there one time in the ENTIRE time we've lived here. Kev's been kind of proud of the fact that we've never driven into the city and was hoping to maintain that record until we moved home! Alas, the poor guy gets to drive right into Center City! Kinda funny.....

Anyhoo, we're all feeling a little fried around here. Both boys are fighting yucky colds and have been a wee bit grumpy these past couple of days. Kev is finally starting to come out of his blech-iness and was able to make up two tests today. I tell you - I am so spoiled. He is such a hands-on, involved Daddy, that when he is out of comission for a few days, my world gets totally thrown. I feel like a single mom! I'm pathetic.

Well, the kids are a-bed, so we are off to eat pie, watch American Idol, and hit the hay early in hopes of a very UN-eventful day tomorrow!

Yuckiness Abounds

We took Jesse to his pediatrician today to have them check out his burns. He's managed to pull or bite his bandages off twice now causing several of his blisters to burst, but we've been able to stay on top of infection. No signs so far. However, after looking at his little hands, the doctor wants him to be seen by a plastic surgeon to make sure that they heal correctly. Fabulous.

Kaden also had a check-up because he's been coughing for about three months straight - mostly right before and after bedtime or after he's been rough-housing with Kev. The doctor determined that he has "cough induced asthma" and gave us a nebulizer with some steroids for him to inhale each night before bed. Joy.

Both boys woke up with runny noses and a case of the grumpies, and Kev is feeling like he got run over by a mac-truck (mack-truck??). Wunder-bar. The flu is flying around here like crazy, and it looks like he might be fighting it. He's reminding me of a walking zombie - yet papers and tests still abound. Poor guy.

And me. Well, I'm doing okay. I've come to grips with the fact that "motherhood" and "guilt" are synonymous terms, and I'm accepting that fact. People have been so sweet about checking in on us and sharing all of their "mother-guilt" stories with me. Makes me feel a little better. :0)

Now they are all a-bed, and I'm just going to sit and stare into space for awhile!

"His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh Lord." Amen to that....

Jesse Update

Well, the day is done and night begins. We'll see what's in store for us.

Jesse took two decent naps during the day and woke up relatively happy. We got quite a few smiles and giggles out of him this afternoon and evening. When it came time to change the bandages the cries began again, but at least there was no screaming. One hand looks pretty good; there are only blisters on two fingers and a pretty big blister on the top of his palm. The other hand looks horrible. It's really swollen and his entire hand is one huge blister. He's asleep now, but he wimpers every now and then, so we can tell that he's in pain.

In the grand scheme of things, we are just so thankful. It could have been so much worse. Still, it's awfully hard to see your little baby in pain and unable to understand what's going on. Poor little guy. So brave.

weekends.........

Oh, it's been a really sad weekend so far.......

I had to rush Jesse to the emergency room this morning for bad burns all over his little hands. I know that accidents happen all the time, but I am KICKING myself that this one happened because of me. I left my curling iron on in the bathroom this morning like I have done SO many times before. Kaden knows not to touch it, so I didn't give it a second thought. He went in to wash his hands and Jesse just scooted right in after him. What is so frustrating to me is that I knew Jesse was going into the bathroom, but I totally forgot about my blasted curling iron being in there and ON.

He grabbed right ahold of that thing with both hands and then couldn't let go of it. The poor little thing was just holding it and screaming over and over again while it burned him. Aagh. That image has been seared into my brain for life, I fear. Kev had class today so I called a friend who - bless her heart - jumped out of the shower and flew over with her hair soaking wet. Her husband took their car and ran over to the school to get Kev out of class, and she drove the boys and I to the hospital and sat with Kaden in the waiting room for two hours. Kaden is playing at her house now, and Jesse has finally fallen asleep.

Our poor little baby screamed unconsolably for two hours straight. We had to keep switching out cold, wet compresses and now both little hands are all gauzed up. Thankfully, he does not have any third degree burns - just pretty bad second degree ones - and it could have been so much worse. He could have bit down on the iron and burned his face really horribly. But this is bad enough. The doctors say that he'll be in pretty severe pain for the next couple of days, and they want us to keep an eye out for swelling and sluggish blood flow into his fingertips, so please pray for him.

Kaden was such a big boy and a huge help. He never lost his cool while Jesse was screaming and while I was crying. He said: "Mommy, you're welcome for me telling you about what Jesse was doing! I'll look out the window for when Miss Charlotte comes and I'll go let her in for you!" So sweet. And poor Kev.....a security guard came and got him out of class. When he had Kev in the hallway all he said was: "One of your sons is burned!" So, my poor husband is imagining the worst while he rushes over to us. Yeesh. After all was said and done Kev said: "These sort of things completely drain me! I'm always close to being sick anyway because I'm always so sleep deprived. But when these things happen, it's like my whole body just shuts right down!"

So the rest of this little week-end will probably be spent pretty close to home. Jesse won't be able to crawl, nor will he be able to suck his thumb or feed himself cheerios - his three most favorite activities. So, the rest of us will need to give him lots of snuggles and babying.

Out of Context

It's funny how AMAZING ordinary things suddenly become when they are placed in a completely different context. ! All of the married renters just received an email from our landlord a couple of days ago which reminded us that our contracts stated "absolutely nothing" should be stored in either our front or back hallways. If things were not removed by Friday, than they would get thrown away with no questions asked. We also received an attachment with about fifteen photos of all of the things that they were talking about.

Some apartments had a few cleaning supplies outside their doors. Others had a laundry basket or two. Just about all of us had shoes and small things like that. Then came the pictures from the Booker residence. To our amusement (kind of), about 85% of the pictures taken of "illegal stuff" belonged to us! We not only had a basket of shoes in front of our door; we also had not one but two strollers in the bottom front stairwell, a blown up air mattress and a trunk in our back stairwell, and a clothes rack filled with drying clothes in the bottom back stairwell! Over time, stuff has just started to trickle out - EVERYWHERE! Everyone else in our building is either single or just newly married, and then there's us - toting two chitlins and almost nine years of crapola into a two bedroom apartment!

So, anyway....back to my first paragraph. Because we were told that inspection would take place this morning, and because it's pouring to beat the band outside, I brought our double stroller into our living room until inspection is over - and until it stops raining. And then, I guess I'll store it outside - maybe with a bike lock on it. Kev doesn't want it stored outside for fear it'll get stolen, but I will go crazy if this has to be a centerpiece in our living room. Lord, have mercy! Some creative storage options may have to take place here. ANYWAY.....both Kaden and Jesse have played with that silly thing ALL MORNING LONG. We're talking HOURS here! I've done five loads of laundry, made bread, swept my kitchen, sewed a little project, and I'm now blogging! I keep checking in and making sure Jesse is happy and asking Kaden if he's having fun because I'm feeling a little guilty. But he assures me that he's having a blast wheeling either Jesse, himself, or all of his stuffed animals in endless circles! "We're going on trips!"

And here I thought it was going to be a cagey, stuck-inside-grumpy-feeling day for my boys! Amazing!