Bee + Ethan = Not Friends!

I am sad to report that my sweet boy had his first experience with a bee/wasp today. Sigh.

Daddy stayed home from work today as we have all been kinda under the weather with colds and he wasn't feeling great. He rarely takes a day off of work and I encouraged him to stay home so he could rest. Such a smart man he is...listening to his wife :)

Jeremy decided to take Ethan out early afternoon to play for a little...suddenly a bee flew by his ear quickly and before Jeremy could even walk over to him it flew away. Ethan immediately started crying and saying, "Beeeeee Beeeeee". Jer came in and told me he thought he got stung. It didn't take but 15 minutes to realize he definitely got stung! His poor ear was bright red and was getting super swollen.

He was screaming and I was trying to put ice on it but that only got him more upset. I quickly went online and googled what to do. Of course the first thing I read is, "Bee venom may cause death." Great....thanks for making a momma so calm. NOT! I knew he would be fine but seeing as this is his first sting I was nervous he could be allergic and his ear was getting extremely swollen. I called the doctor and he told us to give him benadryl and if it seemed like he was having any trouble breathing to bring him in immediately. Some friends also told me to mix baking soda and vinegar together and put it on his ear - I guess it takes the pain of the sting away. We didn't have vinegar so we just mixed the baking soda with water. We figured it was worth a try. He cried for a good 20-30 minutes and then the pain stopped but his ear looked awful. It broke my heart! He got a popsicle, a cookie, all sorts of goodies because I felt so bad! Hopefully he doesn't start chasing bees now in hopes to get lots of special treats ;)

He is doing much better now...happy as can be and is himself and his ear is slowing getting better but it is still swollen. I'm praying it's a lot better by morning and I'll give him some more benadryl tonight to help him sleep.

I took some pictures of it right after it happened....and then I took one about 4 hours later. None of them look great and as you can see it got super swollen. He was breathing fine so we weren't too concerned but we kept a close eye on him all day. He may be allergic, I'm not really sure...I mean it seems so swollen for him not to be allergic...but he was stung on the back of his ear so I'm sure since it's kinda a funny place to get stung the swelling is somewhat normal in that area.

The poor kid is terrified of flying objects now and I don't blame him! We were eating dinner outside tonight and a fly kept coming by us and he would panic and duck his head down and say, "Beeeeeeee, Beeeeeeee" and start to whimper :( I've always been nervous about him getting stung and I figured it was inevitable at some point. I felt so bad for him though....it's hard being a momma sometimes when they are in pain and you feel so helpless. Poor kid was in the ER a few weeks ago with a swollen eye and now a swollen ear. I pray nothing else swells on this kid for a long time!

Here's some pictures of his ear. Doesn't it look awful??! The white stuff is baking soda...




Praying my little man's ear is all better in the morning...

Momma Keri ♥

Cutest Boy Alive....

Wouldn't you agree??
He melts me.

And Happy Father's Day to the best daddy in the world, my hubby! You know how much I love you babe - thanks for being such an amazing father to our babies - they will always know how much you love them and that means the world to me.

3 years ago today we found out we were expecting our first baby :) Hard to believe it's been that long!

Love you JD.

Blessed beyond measure...

I must start out by saying that God is so faithful! He knows our desires, wants and longings and as we learn to be content with what we have and trust Him completely in everything He likes to surprise us and spoil us!

About a year ago there were 2 things that I talked to the Lord about that I really desired as a mom. They were big things but I just gave them both to Him and trusted that He could and would take care of it. The first thing was a house. We were in an apartment and it was a beautiful place that I really enjoyed but we had loud people above us that would constantly wake up my babies and we had a heating problem that left us really cold in the winter months. I prayed that God would bring us a rental house in our budget with 3 bedrooms and we hoped to stay in Fenton. It seemed almost impossible to me as we looked for months and didn't find anything that fit what we were looking for. I knew God was big enough and I left it in His hands. It was only a couple short months and God totally blessed us beyond measure. He worked out all the details and here we are loving this house we are renting from our friends. It's a blessing for them and a blessing for us. Not only is it 3 bedrooms but it has a garage, a huge yard with swingset and we have amazing neighbors. Oh, and it's in Fenton...the timing was just beautiful. God surprised and spoiled us!

The other thing that I had been praying about was a minivan. I've desired one since Ethan was born but I knew it wasn't a need - just a want. God showed me the importance of contentment. That Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim. 6:6) We've had 1 car for the last 2.5 years and honestly it's been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Sure, it would be tough at times and we couldn't always do what we wanted but it was ok and I was content. We bought that car in cash and wanted to live a different lifestyle with our finances. A lifestyle that we felt God would be honored by...living IN our means, not above them. So, we bought my aunt's 10 year old car that had 177k miles on it and I was so happy. Happy to have paid for it with money we had....it's so freeing!

Fast forward to now...well, we've been saving up for a minivan. I've been searching for months and doing reviews and checking out different makes but ultimately I prayed that God would bring us the perfect minivan for us and that it would bless us in years to come. I'm beyond excited to share a picture of my new ride....a beautiful burgundy 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette! We got a great price on it through a small family owned dealership and it's more than we expected to have. It has low miles for the year and it's even leather....which we totally didn't expect to have. Again, God surprised and spoiled us! We will have it paid off by the end of summer! So excited about that!

I feel so blessed. God is so faithful. He cares about the details of our lives...no matter what they may be. Trust Him with everything and He will surprise and spoil you in His time...I promise!

One Blessed Momma,
Keri

Ps. I must add that our most loved 1998 Oldsmobile now has 224k miles on it and is still kickin'! Oldsmobile has been good to us and I believe our van will be another great vehicle for our family!

Happy Birthday, Gracelyn!

So my intentions were of course to blog yesterday as yesterday was Gracelyn's Birthday. Well, the day got a little busy and I never had the time. So here it is, a day late. Better late then never right?

A year ago today I had my sweet baby girl in my arms....exactly 12 hours old. I was so in love with her and so happy that she was here, healthy and so beautiful. I couldn't wait for everyone to meet her and I couldn't wait especially for Jeremy to bring Ethan up to the hospital. I sure missed my little boy! I thought I would share some pictures - they bring the biggest smiles to my face.

Gracelyn just born.My first time holding my baby girlBig brother meeting his little sisterOur first family picture as a family of fourI remember thinking she was the cutest thing in this picture. I was so in love with her.One week photo shoot by Christina Kingsley


My adorable Ethan @ 16 months
Sweet G at one month old2 months3 months4 months5 months
6 months7 months8 months9 months10 months11 months

And here's my sweet girl at her first birthday party - wow is she beautiful! Thanks Uncle Mark for the great shot!

This past year getting to know Gracelyn and watching her grow has been amazing. She truly is everything I dreamed a little girl would be and I feel so blessed to call her mine.

I will leave you with a special video I put together in honor of Gracelyn's first year. Be sure and put your speakers on.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Love to all,
Momma Keri

A year ago today...

I was very pregnant!

I was 4 days past my due date with Gracelyn and wondering when this little one was going to come out and meet us! It was later that night around 6pm that I started to have contractions and then we headed to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning - around 3:30 in the morning. Jeremy always loves how I like to go into labor in the middle of the night - ha ha. Hey, these things are out of my control :)

It's hard to believe it was just the three of us still at this time last year...I remember feeling like Ethan was my baby...even though he was 16 months old already...but he was my baby...then Gracelyn was born and I was away from Ethan for a couple of days and holding this new little peanut at the hospital. I remember coming home and hugging and snuggling Ethan and thinking he was SO big. Funny how that is. Oh how I disliked being away from him for those 2 nights - I missed him so much! I'm just not that mom who wants to be away from her kids often. While I love having a date night here and there with my hubby I just love being with my kids as much as possible. They bring me so much joy, and I feel so blessed that I get to hang with them everyday. They are so much fun.

Here's a picture of me in the hospital waiting for "Bertha" to arrive. :) Little did I know that my labor with Gracelyn would be even longer than Ethan's!

This past Saturday was Gracelyn's 1st Birthday celebration. It was so much fun and thank you to all our close friends and family that made it out to the party. We appreciate you. Gracelyn was looking adorable as ever in her little tutu and onesie and she definitely enjoyed playing outside, opening presents and eating cake :) Here are some pictures from her big bash.

Looking adorable as ever in her tutuEnjoying my very own cake that mom made for me. It was really yummy!Opening some presentsDaddy, Mommy and the Birthday GirlMommy and G
Expect a special Birthday post tomorrow ♥

Love,
Momma Keri

Life is Short....

My heart has been breaking for the past couple days for a girl I never met. Bridgette - 25 years old, beautiful, bubbly, full of smiles, loved God, and engaged to the love of her life. Just getting ready to start her life as a wife and I'm sure would become a mom someday too.

She suddenly died from a blood clot.

This has really hit home for me. I am only a few years older than her and wow - I couldn't be enjoying my life any more. I'm happily married to the love of my life and have 2 beautiful children. God has blessed me immensely.

So I think of Bridgette and somehow see myself in her and what she had to look forward to in the coming years. She knew Jesus so I am thankful to know that....she is definitely in a better place and probably wouldn't want to come back even if she could but the sadness and pain of those who loved her is overwhelming for me to just read about.

Here is a picture of Bridgette and her fiancee Nick. Please be praying for Nick - he is not doing well at all. As you can imagine. He is absolutely broken inside - in shock - numb - crying - just devastated. He probably thinks this is all a bad dream. But it's not. This is now his reality. His future bride to be who he has been with for many years - gone to be with Jesus.

And her parents....her poor parents. This one chokes me up even more.

Last year they lost their son. A tragic roofing accident.

Now their daughter unexpectantly. While they know Jesus I cannot imagine their pain. It really is unbearable for me to even try and grasp. I fast forward 20 years with my two angels...and to think of losing them both in 1 year....it's just unimaginable. I love them so much and they are only 2 and almost one. I can't imagine 25 years of laughter and memories with them. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about her parents and what they are going through right now. All I can think to say or ask is for people to pray. For people to pray that God will bring them peace in the midst of the worst storm ever. That their kids lives will somehow speak to many about their own lives and question what life is all about. That in the midst of such pain and sorrow for these parents that their will be joy because friends and family came to know Jesus through this.

Nick is my cousin's girlfriend's brother....that is the connection I have with Bridgette. While it's not much of one at all, I feel as I know her and miss her. From reading her facebook it is obvious that she was a special person and I must believe that her life being cut short here on earth will mean more lives in heaven because of the life she lived.

Today is her visitation and tomorrow is the funeral - please be praying for these families.

Bridgette - who is now Hangin' with her Savior....