We took Spencer to the doctor today for a recheck. He's definitely feeling better and recovering from his ear infection.  We were not surprised that the doctor noted that he still has a heart murmur although she still states that he will most likely "grow out of it"  I don't like not knowing why he has a murmur and I really don't like just waiting for him to grow but that is all we can do.  The pediatric cardiologist that looked at his echo (taken a year ago February) did not feel there was anything to be concerned about.  So we will just trust God to heal his heart and hopefully the murmur will disappear as he matures.  We were especially relieved to hear that the recent outbursts and misconduct we have seen from Spencer are all normal signs of a child dealing with stress.  We can all agree that our family has been through a lot in the last two years and Spencer is no exception.  Dr. Bumberry suggested that we do some family and/or individual therapy to help him learn how to cope with all the craziness.  We certainly can't remove all the stressors from our life but we can at least try to keep his world as stable and secure as possible and equip him with ways to express his fears and frustrations in a healthy manner.  We will definitely be praying for him (as well as the rest of our little family) as we try to learn how to cope together.  Pray for us too that we can be aware of what he needs and provide security for him even when our own lives feel chaotic!

Well, spring break is over.  School starts back up for both the kids and I tomorrow.  We all really enjoyed having some time off and just being able to relax together.  The only downfall of the week was that Spencer started running a fever on Friday and was diagnosed with an ear infection on Saturday.  I have TONS of empathy for him as I struggled with ear infections my whole childhood.  We've got him on antibiotics now along with pain relieving eardrops.  He was mostly back to his old self this afternoon... playing, laughing, and as busy as ever! 

 

Friday the kids spent the entire day with Grandma and Grandpa Feistel while Daddy was at work and Mommy was sleeping (after working overnight at the hospital).  From what I hear the kids had a  blast riding bikes and just hanging out with the "gramps".  Thank heaven for Mom and Papa being willing to "di hye dz" (that's chinese for babysit). 

 

Chris had a good day at work... apparantly they have been doing some speed training and his crew really impressed the Deputy Chief with their efficency.  It's always nice to hear him talk about that... you should see the look on his face when he tells of how they managed to get a ladder off the truck and set up in 43 seconds.  He's really doing a great job as Captain and enjoying his job even more than ever! 

 

When Chris and I held our babies just after birth we wondered what they would be like... would they inherit our best qualities... or our worst?  In the end, good or bad, our children are in so many ways just like us! 

 

Today I caught myself sounding just like my mother and the funny thing was she caught me too!  I was telling of how I have been working with Spencer to control his temper.  He's so sweet (most of the time) but when he gets mad it can get ugly.  One point (in his defense) is that he always says he's sorry.  Still I am trying to teach him to make better choices first so he won't have to say he's sorry later.  Mom pointed out with a wink that she has given me the exact same "talk" so many times through the years.  Tongue-in-cheek I admitted, yes, he is MY child through and through.  

 

Later I was reciting the rhyme "Mary Mary quite contrary..." to my daughter as I teased her about always doing things differently than her brothers.  It's just her way of being independent... and it should come as no surprise that she is, in this way, just like her mother!  If they're having mustard she'll have just mayo please.  If they choose a red balloon she'll take the green one please.  Even this morning she wanted to plant the packet of flower seeds that looked different from all the rest. 

 

The honest truth is, Mary's garden grows just the way she planted it.  Just one more reason to humbly remember that little ears are listening and little mouths are saying everything they hear from me!

 

 

Hurray!  We finally had one fabulous day for the kids to run around outside and enjoy themselves!  I took them all over to Katie's so we could enjoy some "girl time" while the kids entertained each other.  It was awesome!  We did a little scrapbooking, a lot of talking, and took turns looking after the other's kids (hey, sometimes it's nice to let someone else tell them to behave!)  I also got lots of cuddles from 7-month-old Haidyn. (ah, I needed a fix)  Of course the kids managed to get filthy picking up pine cones and having a mini-burial for a bird... we were all very sad and then we washed our hands.  Chris met up with us around 3pm to take Chas for a haircut.  Later we all headed over to my house for a big pot of Chilli and milkshakes... yes, they go well together.  Abby and Morgan donned every piece of dress-up clothes in the house while Chas and Spencer chased them with cross-bows and light sabers.  It was a perfect day!

 

 

I have decided to start blogging a bit on this space just as a way to keep my friends and family informed of the kids adventures and antics.  My personal blog can then remain more personal... about me and my rollercoaster emotions! 

 

I hope you enjoy the pictures and I'll try to keep on top of this as the kids fill my life with wonderful stories to share! 

 

This week is spring break so we have been trying to make it as enjoyable as possible even with the steady rain and fog.  Yesterday we embarked on a short excursion to Branson to see the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.  We had a blast!  We also stopped briefly in a scrapbooking store to purchase a few papers and an album to start a family scrapbook.  I have never tried this before so it will be a fun learning project for me!  Chris is actually excited to work with me on it so I'm thinking it is going to be a lot of fun!  I've made a few rules for myself though. 

 

1. I'm starting NOW so that means I will not try to scrapbook the last 10 years of our lives and end up forever playing "catch up"

2. When fun turns to frustration I will put it away... the point is afterall to make and preserve GOOD memories!

3. I will not pay the scrapbook before I pay the bills!

4. Perfection is NOT fun... FUN is fun!