Little Sophie is ill and we are a little bit concerned. She has been seen by the pediatrician today. He was able to give her something for the vomiting and it is really starting to work. However, he was not able to rule out appendicitis because her tummy was so tender. He is going to check in for an update in the next hour or so. He said her symptoms would get worse as the day progressed if it was appendicitis (running fever, pain in one area vs. all over, etc.)
In the meantime, Sophie has started running a temp of 102. She also is still complaining about the tummy hurting. Just not sure what to think. The vomiting has stopped, so that is a good thing. But the fever is relatively new....
Will keep you posted. Please keep praying for Stellan as well. He needs the prayers a whole lot more than we do!
P.S. - I will explain the Twitter sidebar a little later on when I am not dealing with a sick little princess!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Prayers Needed for Stellan
Guys, I have added a new button to my blog. I found this blog because Angie ("Bring the Rain") linked to it on her blog. Sweet story this mommy has. Her fourth baby, a little boy they named Stellan, was diagnosed in utero with some heart problems that doctors were certain would make it next to impossible for him to survive once he was born.
There were tons and tons of prayers lifted up for this family before he was born. He was born COMPLETELY healthy. However, he is now in the hospital with a severe case of RSV. He is in intensive care and there is a good possibility that they are going to have to intubate him because he is having so much difficulty breathing. Please pray for Stellan and his family today. You can click on the "MckMiracle" button to the right to read his mommy's blog for updates.
Love to you all.....
There were tons and tons of prayers lifted up for this family before he was born. He was born COMPLETELY healthy. However, he is now in the hospital with a severe case of RSV. He is in intensive care and there is a good possibility that they are going to have to intubate him because he is having so much difficulty breathing. Please pray for Stellan and his family today. You can click on the "MckMiracle" button to the right to read his mommy's blog for updates.
Love to you all.....
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sweet Ella
Oh, our sweet Ella is such a girly girl. She only wanted two things from Santa Claus this Christmas - a baby doll and a toy called "Lucky the Incredible Wonder Pup". Bless her heart, she tries so hard to say all of that but it is a mouthful even for me! Needless to say, she got both of them yesterday. She was so funny because she would open one present and need it completely opened and out of all of its packaging before she was willing to open another one. We thought we would be there all day if that were the case. They make those packages next to impossible to get into! We finally got her moving along a little bit faster when she realized that there were baby dolls involved. All in all, she ended up with three new baby dolls yesterday. I think that means that she has a total of seven or eight now.
I let each girl spend about $10 picking out a present for their daddy. It can be anything in the world (as long as it costs around $10!). Ella's choice for her daddy this year - a baby doll. I am dead serious. He plays a game with her at night where he takes her baby doll and runs off with it. So, she wanted him to have his own baby doll to play with so he would quit taking hers. She, of course, ended up playing with "Daddy's baby doll" most of the day.
Not only does she play with all of these dolls, but she also wants to sleep with all of them! I counted last night, and I think she sleeps with about 20 or 25 animals, dolls, blankets, etc. I am constantly going in to her room when she is not looking and weeding out some of the stuff in her bed to make room for the "popular" lovies of the day. I swear there are times when there is no room for her in the bed! I plan on taking a pictures of it soon so that I can post it for you to see. It is quite funny to see - she needs all of those in there with her, you know!!!
I let each girl spend about $10 picking out a present for their daddy. It can be anything in the world (as long as it costs around $10!). Ella's choice for her daddy this year - a baby doll. I am dead serious. He plays a game with her at night where he takes her baby doll and runs off with it. So, she wanted him to have his own baby doll to play with so he would quit taking hers. She, of course, ended up playing with "Daddy's baby doll" most of the day.
Not only does she play with all of these dolls, but she also wants to sleep with all of them! I counted last night, and I think she sleeps with about 20 or 25 animals, dolls, blankets, etc. I am constantly going in to her room when she is not looking and weeding out some of the stuff in her bed to make room for the "popular" lovies of the day. I swear there are times when there is no room for her in the bed! I plan on taking a pictures of it soon so that I can post it for you to see. It is quite funny to see - she needs all of those in there with her, you know!!!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
"For unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
I love Christmas. I have loved Christmas for as long as I can remember. I love the sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes of Christmas. But most of all, I love the story of Christmas. I love the security that comes with knowing that the Father sent His son to this earth to live the life that I should have lived and to die the death that I should have died. And because He LOVED me enough to do so, I am free. Free from my sins and free from the burdens of this life - He holds me in the palm of His hand. Sure, He gives me my own crosses to bear, but I know they are just there to push me deeper and deeper into His loving grip. So, for that, I am learning to be truly thankful. There is a peace that washes over me knowing that He loves me with a love that will not let me go. I am broken and fallen and a complete and utter mess in every sense of the word most of the time, and yet He loves me. And I mean REALLY loves me.
I sat here today and thought about loving someone SO MUCH that I would be willing to sacrifice one of my girls so that person could live. It is something that I cannot wrap my mind around. And yet, that is what we are celebrating today. We are celebrating the birth of one who would ultimately die so that I could live. So that John and Ryan and Sophie and Ella could live. So that you could live. The idea really does overwhelm me and humble me. It is something that I do not deserve.
Last night, we went to Christmas Eve service at church. It is one of my favorite worship services of the year. It really is a short service, but always so rich and sweet and precious. I was moved to tears this year (what's new, right?) at the sound of my precious girls singing along as best they could to songs about the birth of their Savior. Ella is our little songbird and she did the best she could to sing what we were singing, even if she just sang the ending sounds on the words. I have been trying to sing "O Come All Ye Faithful" with them each night after we read our Advent story for the night. They both know all of the words to that song, so it was exciting for them to get to sing it during the service last night. Dr. Young then read the Christmas story out of Luke 2. I just cannot help but look ahead to Easter at each Christmas Eve service. As we take Communion, I sit there and think about the fact that we are celebrating the birth of the One who came to DIE for us.
I have done the best I could to talk a lot with Sophie this year about what Christmas is really all about. Ella is still just a bit too young, but Sophie is at the perfect age to start "getting it". We talked again tonight about why we celebrate Christmas, and I really do believe that it is starting to click in her little mind and that God is softening her heart so that it is moldable. That has always been my prayer and to see it start to come to fruition in God's perfect will is an awesome thing. Again, I am humbled. To have these girls entrusted to me is such an awesome responsibility. But at the same time, it is such a wonderful gift and blessing.
This has been a wonderful year in so many ways. This is my week to slow down and really reflect on that. Now that the hustle and bustle of shopping and wrapping and baking and shipping is done, I intend to do just that. I plan on having my two oldest girls do the same.I think it is so easy to get stuck in "the moment" when things are scary or sad or stressful, and we (or at least I) have a tendency to focus on all of the negative aspects. We get scared and overwhelmed and tense and anxious. Things that seem so big and impossible to overcome in the moment are, in actuality, very small when you look at them in hindsight. So, this week, I am going to look back in hindsight. I am going to focus on the ways that I made my God so small. I am ashamed to think about all of the times that I did just that - thought that my God was too small to handle something in my life. And, I am going to choose to look at this year all over again - this time looking at how BIG my God was throughout it all. I am praying that 2009 sees me remembering Him as a God who is mighty to save.
For those of you who read this (if anyone at all reads this), I assume that you are reading because you love our family. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the countless prayers you have lifted up on behalf of us and our girls. We love you all so very much.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26
I sat here today and thought about loving someone SO MUCH that I would be willing to sacrifice one of my girls so that person could live. It is something that I cannot wrap my mind around. And yet, that is what we are celebrating today. We are celebrating the birth of one who would ultimately die so that I could live. So that John and Ryan and Sophie and Ella could live. So that you could live. The idea really does overwhelm me and humble me. It is something that I do not deserve.
Last night, we went to Christmas Eve service at church. It is one of my favorite worship services of the year. It really is a short service, but always so rich and sweet and precious. I was moved to tears this year (what's new, right?) at the sound of my precious girls singing along as best they could to songs about the birth of their Savior. Ella is our little songbird and she did the best she could to sing what we were singing, even if she just sang the ending sounds on the words. I have been trying to sing "O Come All Ye Faithful" with them each night after we read our Advent story for the night. They both know all of the words to that song, so it was exciting for them to get to sing it during the service last night. Dr. Young then read the Christmas story out of Luke 2. I just cannot help but look ahead to Easter at each Christmas Eve service. As we take Communion, I sit there and think about the fact that we are celebrating the birth of the One who came to DIE for us.
I have done the best I could to talk a lot with Sophie this year about what Christmas is really all about. Ella is still just a bit too young, but Sophie is at the perfect age to start "getting it". We talked again tonight about why we celebrate Christmas, and I really do believe that it is starting to click in her little mind and that God is softening her heart so that it is moldable. That has always been my prayer and to see it start to come to fruition in God's perfect will is an awesome thing. Again, I am humbled. To have these girls entrusted to me is such an awesome responsibility. But at the same time, it is such a wonderful gift and blessing.
This has been a wonderful year in so many ways. This is my week to slow down and really reflect on that. Now that the hustle and bustle of shopping and wrapping and baking and shipping is done, I intend to do just that. I plan on having my two oldest girls do the same.I think it is so easy to get stuck in "the moment" when things are scary or sad or stressful, and we (or at least I) have a tendency to focus on all of the negative aspects. We get scared and overwhelmed and tense and anxious. Things that seem so big and impossible to overcome in the moment are, in actuality, very small when you look at them in hindsight. So, this week, I am going to look back in hindsight. I am going to focus on the ways that I made my God so small. I am ashamed to think about all of the times that I did just that - thought that my God was too small to handle something in my life. And, I am going to choose to look at this year all over again - this time looking at how BIG my God was throughout it all. I am praying that 2009 sees me remembering Him as a God who is mighty to save.
For those of you who read this (if anyone at all reads this), I assume that you are reading because you love our family. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the countless prayers you have lifted up on behalf of us and our girls. We love you all so very much.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26
Sunday, December 21, 2008
BIG NEWS!!!
This past Thursday night, Sophie and I were able to attend a surprise party for Missy, who has been a part of our lives for a very long time now. I (Whitney) originally met Missy when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. Her mother, Cindy, lived with her three children just a few apartments down from us in Cordova. Missy would spend a lot of her time hanging out with my brother who was her same age. Missy's older brother, Matthew, actually graduated from high school with my sister, Erin.
I lost track with Missy and her family for a number of years until John and I were planning our wedding. I went to meet with the wedding planner at Grace. Lo and behold, it was Missy's mother, Cindy. What a small world and what a blessing from God to bring this sweet family back into our lives! Missy has been babysitting Sophie since she was born and she really is a part of our family now. We really think of all of them as being a part of our family.
On Thursday night, Missy's boyfriend Craig proposed in one of the most romantic, fairy tale proposal stories you will ever hear! They are getting married in June of 2009. Our sweet little Sophie will be one of their flower girls, and I have the honor of being one of Missy's bridesmaids. We are so excited!!!!
I am including some pictures of Missy when she first saw Sophie at the party that night. You can tell just from the pictures how much they dearly love each other.
Congratulations, Craig and Missy! We love you both very much.
I lost track with Missy and her family for a number of years until John and I were planning our wedding. I went to meet with the wedding planner at Grace. Lo and behold, it was Missy's mother, Cindy. What a small world and what a blessing from God to bring this sweet family back into our lives! Missy has been babysitting Sophie since she was born and she really is a part of our family now. We really think of all of them as being a part of our family.
On Thursday night, Missy's boyfriend Craig proposed in one of the most romantic, fairy tale proposal stories you will ever hear! They are getting married in June of 2009. Our sweet little Sophie will be one of their flower girls, and I have the honor of being one of Missy's bridesmaids. We are so excited!!!!
I am including some pictures of Missy when she first saw Sophie at the party that night. You can tell just from the pictures how much they dearly love each other.
Congratulations, Craig and Missy! We love you both very much.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sophie's New Room
Without further ado.....
She could not have been more excited and we could not be more pleased. It is absolutely beautiful. Made me cry to think of her as a teenager in that bed. It is happening way too fast. She slept so well in there last night and told me this morning that the bed was "just so cozy". :-)
She could not have been more excited and we could not be more pleased. It is absolutely beautiful. Made me cry to think of her as a teenager in that bed. It is happening way too fast. She slept so well in there last night and told me this morning that the bed was "just so cozy". :-)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Yay! Yay! Yippee!
Yes, in the words of one Ella Koski: "Yay! Yay! Yippee!"
So much has happened since I last posted. It has been a sweet time, a trying time, a sad time, a happy time, a thankful time, a funny time, a joyful time, a time of learning patience (NOT my strong suit - those of you who know me really well know this already!), a time of remembering all that we have been blessed with, a time for understanding that we can never take any of it for granted.
I will fill you all in on some pretty funny stories in a later post (hopefully sooner rather than later). But, for now, I want to explain why we are so excited at our house. It really did leave Ella jumping all around the house screaming her signature line of excitement.
Sophie's "until you go to college" bed and furniture arrived today! It is absolutely beautiful and just fits her to a tee. She is at school right now and has no idea that it will be here when she gets home. I have already taken some pictures but will wait until she sees it before I let you see it. She would be very upset with me if she knew that "everyone else" got to see it before she did!
Love you all!
So much has happened since I last posted. It has been a sweet time, a trying time, a sad time, a happy time, a thankful time, a funny time, a joyful time, a time of learning patience (NOT my strong suit - those of you who know me really well know this already!), a time of remembering all that we have been blessed with, a time for understanding that we can never take any of it for granted.
I will fill you all in on some pretty funny stories in a later post (hopefully sooner rather than later). But, for now, I want to explain why we are so excited at our house. It really did leave Ella jumping all around the house screaming her signature line of excitement.
Sophie's "until you go to college" bed and furniture arrived today! It is absolutely beautiful and just fits her to a tee. She is at school right now and has no idea that it will be here when she gets home. I have already taken some pictures but will wait until she sees it before I let you see it. She would be very upset with me if she knew that "everyone else" got to see it before she did!
Love you all!
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