Wordless Wednesday....Grandparents

Spring Has Spung!!!

We enjoyed a nice day a few weeks ago at Garden of the Gods!

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE living in CO?!!?

(just realized-I think my blog might need a Spring facelift soon!)

This post was created in 15 minutes for Steady Mom's 30 Minute Blogger Challenge!

I'm Back......I know you missed me! Right? ;)

Well, I guess an update on our lives is long over-due. (Well, at least an update here-we know what’s going on, lol!! But, since I am HOPING our lives *might* be of some interest to a few other people out there, perhaps I should fill everyone in!!!)

Here’s the short story-(& if you want the long one-feel free to keep reading beyond this paragraph!)

We are all doing fine! (Wink-ha!)



Now, the real updates:
My Celiac diagnosis/change over to a Gluten-Free diet has been a fairly smooth transition. Dave was out of town for the first few weeks (yes, it has been almost a month!!!), so I really didn‘t have to cook much. I also spent a week (with the kids) at my parents, who already eat gluten free, as my dad got his Celiac diagnosis over 10 years ago.

I have been blessed in that I noticed an almost instantaneous burst in afternoon energy. Not sure if this is because my body is finally getting the nutrients it needs from food-or if it is more due to the Vitamin D I was deficient in that I am now taking! What do you think would make the most difference?

I have discovered in the past few days, that Celiac is actually an auto-immune disease, which I didn’t realize before, but totally makes sense, since it is an allergy to certain foods.

Ana: (Now, here is some big news in our house!)
Ana has been suffering on & off with headaches & a month or so ago, began complaining that things were blurry.

You guessed it-she has had glasses now for about two weeks & has had no headaches & no more blurry vision!!!



Ruth:
Ruthie has suddenly hit a stage where she doesn’t seem like a baby at all any more. She carries on in-depth conversations & asks questions that are really making her mama think!

She is very concerned that she turn 4 on her next birthday & not 1!!!!

We are having her evaluated next month to see if she needs a bit of occupational therapy, but other than that, she is progressing very well.





Nat:
He is getting ready to transition to a big-boy bed here in the next few weeks. He is also showing some interest in potty training!!! Yeah!!!

He talks non-stop (yes, my BOY) & has one volume-ear piercing!

Dave:
Home again-at long last!!! He had been gone for almost a month-testing a satellite out in CA! While we don’t like him being gone, I am so thankful he enjoys his job-& he is super good at it! (& I’m not biased at all! Ha!)

The kids & I spent Spring Break in Kansas & the kiddos enjoyed every minute of being spoiled by their grandparents & digging in the mud that is Eastern KS in the Spring!!!

The week before that, my sisters & I had a ball with some old friends that came out for their Spring Break!

We have been busy, but we are all doing great, & I-for one, have missed my “cheap therapy.” (That’s what one of my friends calls her blog!) I expect to be back for a while now!!!

Slowly Ajusting To My New "Normal."

I plan on posting more soon about how my Celiac/Gluten-Free eating is going, but honestly, it can be so over-whelming.....I am still having to post less frequently. Meal planning is WAAAY more time-intensive than I was used to.


So, sometime in the next two weeks or so, I plan on returning to more regular posting, but for now, I need to concentrate my efforts elsewhere.



Thanks so much for understanding & I truly value your prayers-as this is quite an ajustment & I still really miss "old food."

My Little Man!

(taken on our visit trip to Guatemala-11-07)

Such A Cute Little Baby.....

(Taken on our visit trip to Guatemala-10-06)

What Happened to this Little Girl?

Parenting.....a question for us to bat around a bit.

A couple of weekends ago, I took a few moments at church to visit with a friend who is a huge inspiration to me.

This mom has 13 children (all adopted) & has homeschooled them all. (& I’m sure she wouldn’t say she’s a wonder-mom-she’s just a woman on a mission-to rescue as many children as she & her husband can.)

When we first started looking into adoption, this couple was one of the first we sat down with. (of course!)

Anyway, I have needed some advice from someone with more parenting skills than I, & possibly some left-over attachment issues with one of our adopted kiddos.

But, I never expected one thing she said to revolutionize my whole parenting outlook. When I asked her about it later, she couldn’t remember saying these exact words to me, but what I took away from it is this:

“Are we PRO-active parents or RE-active parents?

Wow!

What do you think?

What does this simple question mean to you?

Would it change your approach to parenting? If so, how?

I sure am looking at it differently! I’ll tell you how after you share some of your thoughts!

(This post was created in 10 minutes for Steady Mom’s 30 Minutes or Less Blogger Challenge)

FFF....& not following the theme-since we have had no St. Patty's Day Celebration yet!

We have had NO Spring weather here at all, &, honestly, I am kind of tired of Winter! But, I found this adorable one of our family 2 months after bringing Natty home two years ago!

Can't believe how little my kiddos were!

Good Times!!!!

Wordless Wednesday.....Missing Guatemala

Well, This Was A Delightful Discovery!!!

You know how it is……

When you started out on your parenting venture, you were sure that you would be the kindest, most organized, devoted parent.

Although I still try to be kind, & devoted…..

I have lost all hope of being organized!

I can’t tell you the number of times we have missed appointments, forgotten to take medicine, left special blankets places, & lost shoes, toys, books or clothing. (sometimes all in one day! Ha!)

*Please tell me some of you can relate-or else I might just fall down in a heap & cry!*

But, a few weeks ago, when I went on a weekend get-a-way with my honey (love you, Dear-I know you read this every day!)…….

& I astonished myself by discovering (wonder of wonders)

I do, in fact, still have most of my brain cells intact!

In the course of the weekend, I:

~Kept the bathroom counter organized & free of stray hair pretties flung down by little hands & free of goobery, toothpaste covered toothbrushes.
~Found it easy to keep clothes hung up & put away.
~Never lost my room key.
~Always made it out the door with everything I needed-(I never got that *feeling*-you know that awful feeling the split second after the heavy hotel door slams shut, just barely missing your 2 year-olds fingers!-“doggonit! I forgot to grab the diaper bag!”)

In the interest of full disclosure-yes, these things all DO happen just about every time I travel-but, without the kids-I suddenly seem to have gotten my brain back!

(Breathing a huge sigh of relief that one day, I might not be such a flake…..signing off for the night in 25 minutes for Steady Mom’s 30 Minutes or less blogger challenge!)

A Day Away......

Thanks, Rebekah & Shannon for hauling my kids up the mountain so many times!

We had such a good time together with my siblings!!

(Until my nephew broke his leg, that is!

I am serious! Please pray for his quick healing!)

We're Playing Hooky Today........

I'm taking the kiddos skiing! My two sisters, one brother a brother in law & my three nephews are going too! (& yes, my sister's kids are playing hooky, too!)

Wordless Wednesday

"Mystery Diagnosis"-one of my favorite shows on Discovery Health-but I never wanted to be a mystery myself!

Terrible picture of me-but adorable of my three kiddos!!!

(this was taken on my birthday two weeks ago!)

(I wonder when we will FINALLY be able to get a whole family portrait.....when the littles are teenagers, do you think?)

For all my FFF friends, I am also re-posting some medical info I found out about myself last week-mostly to get the word out about Celiac Disease.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I have been sitting here wondering how to begin with this post. I guess I’ll just jump in with both feet!

A week ago yesterday, my phone rang.

Little did I know by the time I hung up, my life would be henceforth & forever CHANGED.

& it would eventually send my emotions reeling.

Two weeks ago, I visited the dr. to try & get some answers to a few questions.

One thing that has been really bothering me as of late is that I cannot function without caffeine-no matter how much sleep I get!

Even then, most afternoons, my eyelids STILL drooped so much my bed called my name.

So, long story short-I asked the dr for every blood test I could to get some answers.

My Vitamin D levels were low enough that they wanted me on some of that…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But, the thing which has totally changed my life is the next thing the nurse said-which I remember exactly.

“Your blood test for celiac came back positive, so the doctor is recommending that you go on a gluten-free diet.”

(Now, let me say-this diagnosis was not really a surprise-this disease runs in my family. In our case it is genetic & my dad & at least 4 of my nieces & nephews have been diagnosed with it)

But……It still requires a complete & total change in my approach to eating-as wheat gluten is an additive in just about every prepared food & of course, in wheat flour (read: breads that I really love!)

So…..on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, my diet changed.

I ate one last GLUTEN-FILLED meal, & since then, I have done my level best to avoid it completely.

Now, what does all this have to do with my emotions?

Well, with in this first week, I have felt:
~Overwhelmed (when I was shopping over the weekend, I looked at the vast isles of food & realized I have to now read almost every label-carefully before I place food in my cart).
~Fearful (What if I can’t do this? What health issues might come down the road as a result of my eating GLUTEN-FILLED for my first 39 years)
~Sad (Good-by bread, breaded foods & most things I like when eating out)
~Hopeful (that many of these seemingly unrelated symptoms can go AWAY now that I am eating correctly)
~Angry (that my body has betrayed me-& I am too young for this!)

I am doing better now, but every time I think of a food I will never eat again (so long Arby’s Mozzarella Cheese Sticks & my mom’s homemade bread), I have a new “death” to deal with.

But, with God’s help, I will get through this initial shock-& I hope to educate some people along the way, as I embark on this new journey to get my health/emotional well-being back! (& if any of you have celiac-or are on a wheat-free diet-please share your thoughts/tips! I know we will be revisiting this topic often!)

One of my favorite verses seems appropriate here:

“Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3



P.S. If any of you are suffering from any health issue you can’t quite put your finger on, please run-don’t walk to your dr & GET SOME ANSWERS!!!

P.S.S. If you suffer from exhaustion, digestive issues & slight depression (especially if you are of Northern European decent), please don’t rule out Celiac!

Finally-this post was created in 32 minutes for Steady Mom’s 3o Minutes or Less blogger challenge!