Breathing Treatments

B has gotten sick again. What started as a runny nose and a horrid cough has turned into bronchiolitis (guess that's how you spell it). It's apparently the stage before pneumonia. What brought that on? Apparently his daddy's history of asthma. The pediatrician said it wouldn't necessarily mean it will turn into asthma, but he is going to watch it carefully and suspects that it will come back several times throughout the winter. Poor B has been wheezing a lot, especially at night. So we now own (thanks to our insurance) a breathing treatment machine that is made to look like a friendly old bear, complete with a smile on it's face. Quite cute and good attempts at being child-friendly. My child, however, will not care if it's a bear or if it's a picture of the Wiggles on it. All he knows is that this mask that makes noise is going over his entire nose and mouth. I had to battle him in the doctor's office to make sure he got the treatment. That was quite a workout! I don't know how mom's go through so much worse with their children. I'm thankful it's just this, but I am preparing myself for the fact that this kiddo is going to have asthma just like his daddy. If he doesn't, then at least I was prepared! So every 4 hours we get to tackle this machine in hopes that it will keep the pneumonia at bay during the Christmas week. Any prayers you'd like to say for us would be most welcome!

Toddler bed? I think NOT!

I finally finished B's room a few weeks ago and we moved his crib back into his newly cleaned AND organized room. Quite an accomplishment, if I must say so myself! In order to get it back into the room, Daddy T had to take off the front side, which happens to be the side that you use to make the conversion to the toddler bed, into the full bed, etc. Anyway, B liked to climb on it with the side down. I thought maybe we'd see what he would do without the sides. NOPE! Up. Down. Up. Down. Jump. Up. Down. Roll off. Not a chance, buddy! You'll be in the crib with the sides up for a while longer. It doesn't help that this boy sleeps like his mommy and takes up the ENTIRE bed and sleeps in all different directions. I like knowing he's not walking about the house opening presents and I want to savor that for a while longer. Maybe by the time the next baby comes. Hmmm....Oh...I should mention one thing. It doesn't help when Daddy decides to show you ALL of the new and cool things you can do on a bed from jumping, bouncing, etc. What a sweet dad! Sometimes, I'd just rather not watch so I can be surprised at his new skills. I love my boys!

The Heavenly Man

As promised, I want to share with you an incredible book I have finished. It is very challenging and really showed me how much I live in a comfort zone and how little we are persecuted for our faith. The book is:


Brother Yun is a Chinese Christian who came to know Christ at a young age when his father was sick and they were too poor for the doctor or any help. His father was told he would die, but there was nothing the family could do because they were so poor. His mom had been taught about Jesus a long time ago and had forgotten about Him until there was no where else to look. She taught her family to pray for their dad and to be healed. God chose to heal him and he lived for several more years after that. Once the family saw how miraculous God had worked, they all accepted Christ. Brother Yun had told his mom that he wanted a Bible. They only knew one person that had a Bible because of how illegal it is there. He went to see the man and Brother Yun just asked to see it. He said, "I don't even have to touch it, just look at it." The man told Brother Yun to pray for a Bible and God would make sure he got one. After several weeks of praying and no Bible, Brother Yun had a vision. It was one of someone coming to his door in the morning and giving him a Bible. He woke up and sure enough, someone was at the door with the Bible. He had prayed and God had answered. This book is full of these stories. Visions from the Lord, the consequences that happened when he was worn out from the ministry, what happened when he disobeyed God and thought he could do things on his own power, and how the Lord changed his marriage and his views on the people that tortured him.

He spent so much time in the jails. He was beaten, urinated on (in his mouth and his head by different prisoners), electric shocked, had his legs broken so he wouldn't escape (but God healed those and made his escape another miraculous story), and so many other things that are beyond imagination. Several times he prayed for death because of how awful he felt. He had parasites among other things. However, he praised the Lord. He led everyone in his cell to the Lord, several guards, the higher ups in the Communist party, and countless other people. He led one man to Christ who was about to be executed for murder. Right before the man died, he asked that Brother Yun go talk to his parents when he got out to let them know that his son had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior before he died. He did and his whole family accepted Christ.

Brother Yun refused to join the Three-Self Patriotic Church (TSPC). These are legal churches with registered Christians. However, they are ruled by the government and are only allowed to do things within their rules and laws. The PSB (Public Security Bureau) is the group that looks for the Christians and those causing "political unrest," which is what they view Christians as. Brother Yun is part of the House Church movement. It is illegal because they are worshipping God as they please and are telling others about Jesus, something you can't do in the TSPC.

A lot of Americans and other countries help out China by giving them Bibles and other things. He talks about how these other countries are also causing more problems. In China, there aren't all of these different denominations that are there. There is Christianity among other religions...but NOT other denominations. He talks about how the Western churches were actually creating divisions among the churches in China because they would only offer money to people that would believe like them. That is not what it should be. I've talked a lot about denominations and how I believe that they don't mean a thing. God doesn't say if you're Baptist, you'll go to Heaven. Nor does He say if you're Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Seventh-Day Adventist, etc., then you are guaranteed a spot in Heaven. No. He says if you are a Christian and accept Him, then you will enter into Heaven. So much confusion comes into play when you add denominations and sadly, it only creates more division among friends, family, and acquaintances. That is not what God intended.

One such instant occurred when he came to the Western church to speak. People started saying how things he experienced were untrue and a lot of other mean things.
"I complained to my Christian friends, 'Why don't these people call us and read the
documents? I don't understand! Why don't they find the truth out for themselves? It's right
here for them to see!'" My translator told me, "Brother Yun, these people don't want to
know the truth. That's why they're not calling you or wanting to meet you. In
China, Christians are persecuted with beatings and imprisonments. In the West,
Christians are persecuted by the words of other Christians." Sad, but true.

I love the parts where he contrasts the differences between the Chinese house churches and the Western churches. From an outsiders view, who has only visited these churches as he now lives in Germany (read the book to find out why and his plans for going back), it is very eye-opening.

In response to why there is such a huge revival in China and not in the West, he says,
"All genuine revivals of the Lord result in believers responding with action and soul winning. When God truly moves in your heart you cannot remain silent. There will be fire in your bones, like Jeremiah, who said, "His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Jeremiah 20:9 Furthermore, it's only when we step out in obedience and share the gospel with people that we come to know God's blessing in every area of our lives. I've seen people in Western churches worshipping as if they're already in heaven. Then someone invariably brings a comforting message like, "My children, I love you. Don't be afraid, I'm with you." I'm not opposed to such words, but why is that nobody seems to hear a Word from the Lord like, "My child, I want to send you to the slums of Asia or the darkness of Africa to be my messenger to people dying in their sin?' Multitudes of church members in the West are satisfied with giving their minimum to God, not their maximum. I've watched men and women during offering time in church. They open their fat wallets and search for the smallest amount they can give. This type of attitude will never do! Jesus gave his whole life for us, and we give as little of our lives, time, and money as we can back to God. What a disgrace! Just because you have a church building doesn't necessarily mean Jesus is with you. He is not welcome in many churches today. Of course, not all Western churches are asleep! Of all the strong churches I have visited in the West I've noticed one thing they all have in common: a strong and sacrificial commitment to missions among unreached nations. I'm not talking just about local outreach, or even attempts to start churches in other cities in your nation. I'm talking about a heart to establish God's kingdom in the most gospel-starved and spiritually dark areas of the world, where nobody has ever heard the name of Jesus. When you start putting your time, prayers, and finances there you will soon experience God's blessing on the work of your hands."

"Many Christians have also asked me why miracles and signs and wonders are so prevalent in China, but no so evident in the West. In the West, you have so much. In a way, you don't need God. When my father was dying of stomach cancer, we sold everything we had to try to cure him. When everything was gone we had no hope but God. We turned to Him in desperation and saw Him mercifully answer our prayers and heal my father. We reasoned that if God could do that then He could do anything, so our faith grew and we've seen many miracles. In China, the greatest miracles we see are not the healings or other things, but lives transformed by the gospel. We believe we're not called to follow signs and wonders but instead the signs and wonders follow us us when the gospel is preached. We don't keep our eyes on the signs and wonders; we keep our eyes on Jesus."

I'll leave you with the last part of the book. He said that many times the Western churches will tell them they are praying for their government to fall or that they will allow Christians to worship freely. He states, "We don't pray against our government. We pray for them. We want the persecution because then we will never get comfortable where we are and grow complacent." Amazing. I'm not so sure I could say that.

"Sometimes Western visitors come to China and ask the house church leaders what seminary they attended. We reply, jokingly yet with underlying seriousness, that we have been trained in the Holy Spirit Personal Devotions Bible School (prison) for many years. Sometimes our Western friends don't understand what we mean because they then ask, 'What materials do you use in this Bible school?' We reply, 'Our only materials are the foot chains that bind us, and the leather whips that bruise us.' Christians who are in prison for the sake of the Lord are not the ones who are suffering. The people who really suffer are those who never experience God's presence. The way to have God's presence is by walking through hardship and suffering--the way of the cross. You may not be beaten or imprisoned for your faith, but I am convinced each Christian will still have a cross to bear in his or her life. In the West it may be ridicule, slander, or rejection. When you're faced with such trials, the key is not to run from them or fight them, but to embrace them as friends. When you do this you'll not fail to experience God's presence and help."

Check out his website and you should definitely read his book. Very challenging! The website keeps you updated on their mission to travel the three roads leading out of China into Jerusalem (through Iran, and all of the other hostile countries that tend to hate Christians) and lead as many to Christ. It was done once, and all but one person was killed for the sake of Christ. They are sending out thousands of Chinese missionaries to reach these people.

Christmas Pictures

Our little boy is blossoming more every day. In some ways it's great and in other ways it is a test of our patience and diligence and consistency. He has definitely learned how to throw temper tantrums and how to let us know when he doesn't want to do things we ask of him. He's a great cleaner-upper and does good at following directions to go and get things (when he's in a good mood). There was one day that I felt I had been inducted into a new stage in mommyhood when he decided to sit down in the middle of the parking lot at Books-A-Million. I was so mad at that boy that when I finally got to tell Mom the story she just laughed. She said that she remembered those days, but that she just couldn't believe that her grandson would have pulled all of those stunts in a row. I informed her that he is in fact, not an angel and she informed me that all of my grandparents think I'm an angel. She said that's the job of being a grandparent. Okay....so if my grandparents think I'm an angel, then how can I deny that?! I mean, I am, right? Yeah, yeah....if they could see me on that day, they would whole-heartedly agree with a NO! But that's okay. I did a lot of talking to God that day and asking Him to change my attitude and to help my son who refused to obey----including REFUSING to take a nap. He never does that. And hasn't since, thank goodness.

Anyway, back to the wonderful things my little boy has learned. He has learned "uh oh" and likes to say it as he throws things down. We are quick to inform him that it is NOT an "uh oh" when you intentionally throw things down. He doesn't quite get that, but like I said, consistency is the key! He says "hot" when we first give him his food, because it is usually hot since the kid has absolutely no patience. He still is polite, signing "please" before everything. We're working on "thank you." He runs, kicks, and throws balls now. He loves to slide and sit at tables. He's so much fun when he's not asserting his independence! I love him, though. My mom keeps me in check by assuring me that my brother and I carried out the same stunts with her. She helps me put it all into perspective and to actually like these lessons because I know I'll miss them one day.

Good news on the Christmas tree front....I haven't had to rewrap ANY presents, yet. He likes to pick them up and then very quickly put them down before we see them. He decorated some cookies at Mom's Morning Out. He loved it and thought it was so much fun. He wasn't afraid to get both hands into the different colored icing.

Well, I'm not posting all of our Christmas pictures because some of you who read this are getting them for Christmas. I will give you a small taste of them, though. He did so good and laughed and smiled the entire time. Amazing!




I just finished an incredibly powerful and challenging book, so I'll be posting about that book over the next few days, hopefully. It's about the Chinese House Church movements and the Back to Jerusalem movements by Brother Yun. Incredible. To end this post, check out this funny video.

O Christmas Tree

I will admit that I was kinda nervous about this Christmas season. I kept imagining endless hours of wrapping and rewrapping presents and was just praying that B wouldn't repeat what my Uncle Ray did by eating a glass bulb ornament when he was a baby. However, the day after Thanksgiving, Daddy T drug out the decorations and we faced our worries head on. I had read in a Parents magazine to only decorate your tree on the top 2/3 and leave the lower 1/3 open. I put about 5 ornaments on it that he can play with and move around since they don't break. He likes to go and look at the lights and point at the tree and lights. He DOESN'T touch the tree, though. We don't even have a gate around it and he doesn't mess with it. I'm so glad! I worried for nothing!

He loves the dog crate....still. I think he stays in it more than the dogs!

Putting up the ornaments:

Trying to figure out what Daddy is doing:

Lights!

Recipe Sunday

This is my FAVORITE recipe! It's a hit with the family, too! I've shared it once before on my recipe blog, but here it is on this one in case you didn't read the recipe one.

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine

Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 25 minutes

• 8 oz. uncooked fettuccine

• 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced

• 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips

• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips (I didn’t use this because of how expensive they were)

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken

• 4 tsp. Cajun seasoning

• 1 tsp. minced garlic

• 1 jar (17 oz) Alfredo sauce

• 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (I used 1/2 jar)

• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and pepperes in oil until tender. Add the chicken, Cajun seasoning and garlic; heat through. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain fettuccine; add to chicken mixture. Stir in Alfredo and spaghetti sauces.

2. Transfer to a greased 13-in x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 15 miutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Yield: 8 servings

Taken from: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious February 2009 by Rebecca Reece of Henderson, Nevada

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

First time touching the snow:

He can't put his cracker down:

First time walking on the snow:

First time seeing the snow:



The woods were beautiful and the view of the mountain was gorgeous. I absolutely love the mountains!


Suzzy and Ellie liked the snow too. My battery died before I could take pictures of them. Ellie had it frozen onto her fur and Daddy T had to take a blow dryer after her to help her thaw out. They would chase each other and put their entire face in it. This was Suzzy's second or third snow but it was Ellie's first. They were definitely ready to come back in, though!

B didn't know what to think. He liked walking on the snow and hearing it crunch and watching his footprints. However, he would only hold it if I helped him throw snowballs at Daddy T. I think it was too cold for his liking. So afterwards, we filled up the jacuzzi tub and he got to thaw out in mommy's tub. Wasn't I nice to share?!

Girl's Trip

My college roomies and I like to take several days to spend together (we try for every year), whether it's at the beach or at a cabin. We need our girl time and have wonderful conversations. This year, we chose the cabins in the mountains. Jen and I took our little bundles of joy along, which made for even more memories. Poor Nessa! I think we just ensured that she won't be having kids for a while. So much for sleeping in; although thankfully, both boys still slept through the night. Jen and I were up early (well, not for me since I was still on ET, but Jen and Nessa are normally on CT). I think Nessa felt bad about sleeping in, so she got up with us. How sweet, huh? Apparently the brand new cabin we stayed at had unfiltered water. So for you who go to the mountains, don't drink the tap water. Apparently they aren't always filtered and can be hooked up to who knows where. Jen had brought a bunch of bottled water, but because I'm pregnant and drink 24/7 I feel like, I was constantly filling up the Nalgene bottle from the tap AND drinking the bottled water. Thankfully, no one else drank the tap water and we didn't give any to the boys, except in the form of bath water. All of that to say, I spent the week of Thanksgiving with parasites....again. I mean, really? Who gets parasites TWICE in their lifetime when they have never been out of the country? Morning sickness has nothing compared to parasites. Heather, one of my wonderful friends and future doctor, has claimed that I have the worst GI luck! She then likes to look at what I have and describe it to me. I think sometimes, I'd rather not know! But she'll be a great doctor. Anyway, that's beside the point! We shopped and hung out at the cabin since we were at the VERY top of the mountain. We were too scared to go up and down it at night, so we made sure we picked up dinner on the way home. Can you believe we've been such good friends since our freshman year in college....and I've been friends with Jen since 2 years before that and Nessa since 1 year before. So that makes it around 10 years. And that's after living with them both for all of college. Amazing! Nessa picked out a beautiful cabin.

We let little E and B get into the bath together and turned on the jets. Of course, we were right there so nothing would happen. They LOVED it! B thought it was a big swimming pool.



B liked to sit in E's lap. He also liked to sit in E's Bumbo, which he has found his at home and carries it everywhere. Shhh...don't tell him, but he's getting a table and chair set for Christmas, so hopefully the Bumbo can be stored for the next baby!



Can you tell that we had fun? We determined that we need to stay longer next year because the time just flies by way too fast! Thank you girls for a wonderful trip. Can't wait to see you again soon!

Growing Family

This is how B chose to tell both of our families the good news about him becoming a big brother soon! Everyone was very happy for us. It was hard to keep it a secret for 2 months, but we wanted to tell everyone at once and no one was in the same place at once until Thanksgiving weekend. I am 10 weeks pregnant and am due around July 5. However, I'm going to have everything I hope to have completed done by June, just in case this baby decides to come a month early like his/her big brother. We are very excited about our new addition!

Uncle J and Aunt M came to our house to give us our Christmas present from last year. They gave us a wonderful present. They gave us money to go out to eat and to the movies while they babysat B for us. We had a lot of fun on our date. From what I hear, the homebodies had a fun time, too. I was so glad that B got to spend some time with them since he doesn't get to see them too often. They had just gotten a new addition to their family....a puppy named Murphy. I call him Mr. Murphs since Uncle J calls our dogs Susan and Ellen so that it sounds more formal. Their puppy is adorable! It is supposed to be mostly schnauzer, but we think it has a lot of Jack Russell because it looks and acts like Suzzy. They will have their hands full with that little boy. Gotta get Ellie fixed, otherwise we're gonna end up with lots of pups.

More bumps and bruises

We take care of our precious baby, I promise. I've determined that he is the true definition of a boy and I love the fact that he is curious and tries to make things work. For example, the other day, he was in the dog crate (and no, we don't put him in there...he takes his food in there and eats at times...or sets the dogs free) and decided that the roll of wrapping paper should go in there with him. He couldn't make it fit with the door closed and it made him really frustrated. Daddy T kept trying to explain to him that it just wouldn't work and he finally gave up. Another example is when he was trying to fit several circle boxes in a bookholder. He really thought that all of them should fit inside. They didn't and he was frustrated that he couldn't make them fit, no matter how hard he tried. I look at this as a positive thing in his personality. Of course, on a bad day, it can be quite annoying with him dragging things out and messing up everything, but at least he's learning to clean up at an early age! I am choosing to think of it as a blessing because at least he likes to figure out how things work and how things fit together. It is a good thing, despite the messes it makes. Messes are temporary, right? Right?! I am in the stage of messes. Anyway, this post is not about messes, but about his latest bruise, which is in the form of a black eye. Daddy T went to pick him up from the nursery on Sunday and saw this little face.

They said that he was playing with the toy box and somehow he fell on it and it gave him the nice shiner in time for Christmas pictures! We weren't mad. We were grateful that at least it happened with someone else for a change! You can watch this boy 24/7 and you still couldn't prevent his bruises or scars. He's just too fast and too curious for his own good! But that's why I love him! So when you get your Christmas card this year and you see this little bruise and the scar on his right eye, you'll know why.