Rest Time

Rest time took on a whole new meaning for our oldest son, Timmy. On Saturday afternoon, we told Timmy that we were going to have rest time. Rest time is a normal occurrence in our house on the weekends. Rest time means that Timmy has to stay in his room. He doesn't have to go to sleep, but he has to either play quietly in his room or read books. Normally, we have to remind him a couple of times to stay in his room. Well, this Saturday, he was really quiet and we thought he went to sleep. My husband had to work on Saturday night, and I was resting on the couch, so Ed went to check on Timmy before he walked out the door. And when he went into Timmy's room...this is what he found....











It's hard to see, but he has green marker and black ink on his forehead, and cheeks. He also is only wearing his underwear and has green marker all over his chest and belly and the word HULK written on his legs. When Ed asked him why he did this, Timmy replied, "I needed a mask to fight the bad guys. I'm HULK". As Ed was walking out the door, he woke me up to say he was leaving AND to tell me Timmy had a surprise for me. Timmy was SOOOO excited to show me his art work on his body. I just HAD to take a picture to document this hilarious turn of events. In my mind I was thinking, "Oh great...church is tomorrow and I may not be able to get that green "mask" off his face." Luckily, the marks came off with soap and a little bit of elbow power.

He's as good as new, although - Rest time will never be the same....

Lockwood Update

It's been over a week since I blogged, and I feel a need to update the world on what's happening in our lives right now.

*PRAISE - Ed FINALLY got a part-time job last week! He got a job working at a movie theatre near our house. If you know my hubby...you know he is a HUGE movie buff. With the job, comes an enormous perk...FREE MOVIES! We are thrilled to have more income coming in, and very thankful for the job.

*PRAISE - Someone put money into our bank account and we have NO idea who it was. We are EXTREMELY thankful to the angel that God sent to help us out. It came at the PERFECT moment, and if you are the one who did this... "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We pray MANY, MANY blessings for you for how you have blessed us"

*Health - I have had some terribly painful headaches for the past week or so. The pain comes and goes...it's not constant, but it was so bad on Sunday, that I had to call Ed at work and ask him to come home. I couldn't even get off the couch. It felt like an elephant was standing on my face. I don't know if it's allergies (the pollen is HORRIBLE here) or sinus' or what...so if you think about it, can you please say a prayer for me? Headaches are not conducive to taking care of the kiddos after a long day at work, especially with Ed working at night now.

*The Boys - I must say that I am so proud of Timmy right now. He and Silas are becoming friends (as much as an almost 6 and almost 2 year old can be friends). Timmy used to be rough with Silas when they were playing, but now it's a normal nightly occasion that we hear Silas squealing with laughter because Timmy is tickling him or playing peek a boo with him...Timmy is REALLY becoming a GREAT big brother. I guess all of those talks about Timmy being Silas' protector have paid off. I have been working with Silas on talking...he still grunts alot to get what he wants. When he grunts, we have been saying the word of what he wants and asking him to say it. I can't believe he will be 2 in May...he's still my baby.

*Easter - Friday, we spent the day with my BFF Jenn and her daughter Gracyn in Newnan. She had planned for Timmy and Gracyn to dye Easter eggs. I used to do this all the time when I was little, but had not remembered to do this with Timmy, so I was excited to be able to start this tradition with him. When I told him we were going to "dye" Easter eggs, he said, "Mommy, I don't want the eggs to die". Jenn and I hid our laughter, and I said, "No honey, we are going to "dye" them, it's like coloring." Once he saw the cups of color...he was hooked. I'll have to post some pics of this on a later post. On Saturday, our church had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. There were 30,000 eggs laid out on a field for the taking. It was AMAZING to see the number of eggs that Timmy and Silas got (120 to be exact) filled with bubble gum, smarties, sweetarts, and gummies. Timmy was a little intimidated by the crowd at first, but as soon as they said "Go" he started grabbing those eggs. Silas didn't quite understand what was going on, but I showed him an egg and how to put it in the basket. Then he started picking up eggs, but would stop and clap his hands after each egg he put in the basket. It was so cute and great memories were had by all.

*Some of you may know, but I am taking online courses to become certified in Medical Transcription. I am hoping that when I get certified, that I will be able to find a Medical Transcription job working from home so that I can be there for Silas. I have 5 courses left out of 25, so I have been plugging away during my free time. My last 5 courses are all medical courses, so I won't be able to finish as fast as the others, but I am excited to be in the meat of this course. The school that I am taking this course from has a career center that helps their graduates get job placement upon graduation. I will be sure to keep you all updated on the status.

That about sums it all up...hopefully I will get back to blogging on a regular basis. It just depends on how each day presents itself.

Laughter Lives Tuesday

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.

I am glad it is "Laughter Lives Tuesday". After the week I have had, I need some laughter.

Last week, I was helping my 5 year old with his homework. He had a worksheet on reading clocks. It only had 4 problems on the page, and they were pretty simple, 4:00, 2:00, 8:00, and 12:00.

He actually knew the correct answer for each one, and after he had written in the time, he said,

"Mommy, I am so smart. Now I can go to the 5th grade."

I am not sure what made him say "5th grade"...maybe learning to read clocks is difficult for anyone not in the 5th grade, but it got a laugh out of me. He was so serious, so I had to hide my laughter. I told him he was very smart and I was very proud of him.

So...what's made you laugh this week?

For the Love of a Child

If you have read my blog at all, then you already know that I had a miscarriage at the end of January. This was the 2nd time I had a miscarriage. The first time was in March of 2006. I was at a very different place in my life back then, and I have realized that I am handling this miscarriage differently. This time, it has been REALLY hard to handle. Hard to accept the reality, that the baby that was a surprise to us, was not meant to breathe the air in which we live. I was speaking to my husband about this very thing last night. The first time I had miscarried, I had not been to my first OB appt. I was only 7 weeks along, and my OB does not see his patients until they're at least 8 weeks, preferably 10 weeks along. So, I did not have an ultrasound to "see" the baby. This most recent time, I was 8 weeks when I went to my first OB appt. I saw the little, tiny heartbeat...putting a visual picture in my heart and mind of my precious baby. So, when I miscarried, the last picture I have in my mind, is the picture of my baby on that black and white screen, not moving, no heartbeating...just as still as a picture in a frame. I went from seeing the heartbeat, knowing that my baby was alive inside of me, to seeing my baby dead. The first time I did not have tangible evidence of a "baby", I never got to "see" with my own eyes that the baby was real...but this time, it's so much harder. I still cry often when I think about how I should look right now, what plans Ed and I should be making for this new addition, what the future looks like for our family of 5. I wonder if this baby was a baby girl...I've always wanted a little girl. I wonder if this baby would have bright red hair like I did, or would she have beautiful dark hair like her daddy. I have always dreamed about bows, and hairbands...of pigtails and braids.

SIDENOTE: (When I was growing up, I LOVED to fix my cousin Marisa's hair. I was 10 years old when she was born, and my grandma watched her while my aunt worked. Since my grandparents lived in front of us, it was often you would find me standing next to Marisa's cradle watching her sleep. I always LOVED helping Grandma when she watched Marisa. She was like a real live baby doll. I got to change her diaper, feed her, put her to sleep, and often, Marisa would be wearing 2 to 3 different outfits a day because I LOVED going to the closet and picking out clothes for her to wear. It was so much fun getting to act like "mommy" when I was around her. Maybe that's why Marisa is SO special to me. I have watched her grow up...I have been there for the good times and bad times. Marisa, I hope you know how much I love you, and I am SO proud of you!!)

Since the most recent miscarriage, God has given me a passage in Psalms to cling to..this passage has helped me in some of my lowest moments.

Psalms 139: 13-16

13)For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14)I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15)My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16) Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

God knew that when he gave me this baby to carry, after the precious heart started beating...that the baby would be in his arms before I ever got the chance to hold my child. This has given me so much comfort during my darkest moments.

I will forever love the children that God has chosen to receive in heaven before me. When people ask how many children I have, I say 2 on earth, and 2 in Heaven. I am so thankful, and blessed for the 2 precious boys I have here on earth. They bring me SUCH joy that is unspeakable. I am truly blessed to be a mother!