Parents weigh in on this...

Have you heard of Demias Jimerson? I would imagine that if you haven't yet, in the years to come you will! Demias is 11 years old 6th grader who is an amazing athlete. To learn more about him read this article!

Let's pretend that you're too lazy to read the article and even too lazy to watch the news report (wow, that issss lazy) - Here's the Kelly Driscoll paraphrase:


Photo credit



Demias Jimerson is a superstar.  He leads his "league" in touchdowns.  So the schools invoked the "Madre Hill" rule. Which, if I understand correctly, prevents Demias from scoring once his team is ahead by 14 points or he's scored 3 touchdowns. 

The principal reports that it enables the other players a chance to score and develop their skills.  In theory making the game more of a team sport instead of the "Demias Jimerson Show".  I understand this philosophy. They're young and need every opportunity to learn the game and quite honestly if you're on his team and never get to touch the ball how much fun is that? 

Though, I would also think that this is the coaches responsibility to call plays that involve the entire offense and not just one player.  Yes, I'm a little  incredibly, super-duper, completely competitive and fully understand the desire to win, but sooner or later defenses will learn to stop Demias and your whole offense will exploded in your face leaving you with inexperienced players left, literally, holding the ball.

The Madre Hill rule ends in the 7th grade, so Demias can score as often as possible with no limitations placed on him by the officals.  But, in the meantime what are we teaching those on the field?  I know there's an idealogy out there that says that we shouldn't even keep score, because having fun is what really matters in athletics.  To which I think is complete hogwash.  Competition teaches valuable life lessons.  You will win. Great, hard work pays off.  Be humble in your success.  Encourage others. Teach others. Celebrate as a team. Never give up, keep pushing to be even better.  You will lose. Great, remember how it feels and work harder. Be humble in your defeat.  Don't lose heart. Be teachable.  Celebrate for others. Never ever, ever, ever give up... because only then do you truly lose.  Winning is nice, but it's also temporary. Play in such a way that pleases, honors and glorifys God.

I think the real "win" here is the job that Demias's parents are doing.  Yes, he's a 6th grade football super-star, but his attitude is what's truly admirable.  That part I won't give away, you'll have to listen to the news report and hear the words come out of his own mouth!

So what are your thoughts of the "Madre Hill" rule? 

Warning: Shocking Revelations Inside.

I love Facebook.  Perhaps more than I ought to!  I really do find it interesting to see what my friends are up to and to use it to post pictures for family and friends to enjoy from all over the United States.  Sometimes I think if it wasn't for Facebook that Ben wouldn't ever keep up with his siblings and nothing would ever be planned as far as summer vacations.
But, for every benefit of Facebook there are at least a few down sides!  For instance, Facebook has got to be the number one "thief" of my time.  Especially since I use it for my business I can find a hundred reasons to justify my wasting time!
Recently Satan has used it to stir up some emotions in me that I am dwelling on...
A comment was made by a Facebook friend that I felt disrespected my husband.  It wasn't directed at him or me... but at his profession.  And unless you've missed it I pretty much think that my husband is the "bees knees".  I am incredibly proud of him and what he does for a living.  Now I could get into the ins and outs of why this was so hurtful, but the bottom line is it hurt. 
I'm also a bit of a grudge keeper.  I know, shocking revelations are coming out of this blog!  And my nature (my sin nature) is to keep running through the events and count the offense as many times as possible and come up with as many nasty comments as possible.  I'm also a bit of a debater and I know with all my heart that I could destroy this Facebook friend in a debate.  I think perhaps I come by these traits naturally... as I type this I think I sound just like (enter parent's name that rhymes with Barry) ;)
So with all this going on what do we talk about in Sunday School... that dumb little thing called "forgiveness".  Ugh.  It's one of those impossible things that I know that I have to do and yet... why should I forgive when I can win????  Shocking revelation #3... I lurrrve winning.  But, honestly there is no winning in holding onto grudges.  There's no winning in tearing someone to shreds in an argument.  There is no winning in nasty little comments that I say inside my head (or type out on Facebook and then delete later).  Holding onto this offense doesn't hurt anyone... but me.  And not only that it hurts my relationship with Christ.  You see when I'm wounded, I fight back as protection.  I want to hurt back so that my hurt is covered.  But, that's not how Christ operates.  He says that love covers a multitude of sins. 
And so my prayer is that God will give me the grace, the strength, the maturity and the ability to forgive.

So how about you?  Who do you need the grace, the strength, the maturity and the ability to forgive?

My flock overfloweth ...

I have five Turkeys.  Perhaps you've heard that rumor floating around.  They're good kids... and I'm completely biased in that summation of their behavior and character.  The thing about having 5 Turkeys (no matter how good they are) is that I find myself doing the same things one hundred times a day.  I sweep a hundred times a day.  I pick up and throw away a hundred scribbled colored pictures a day.  Yes, even the ones that say "I love you Mommy" on them.  I wash a hundred dishes a day (with help from the dishwasher) and well, you get the point.
I also hear 5 different voices talking at 5 different pitches and volumes using 5 different languages (from Toddler Speak to Chubbanese to Parrot to straight up English) and if one voice seems to be getting more air time than the others well this angers the rest of the flock and they will surely do their best to out squawk their counterparts.  Translation ... it gets loud around here.  Loudness wears me out.  For reals.

And so this week of the picking the same things up over and over and over and over again and the mere volume of having a large family has made me tired.  Weary-what-have-we-done-tired!  Which makes me think about having another 1, or 2, or even 3.  What in the world.  Why? Why do that to myself?  So if we were to adopt I might not be weary-what-have-we-done-tired ... but exhausted-lock-me-up-and-throw-the-key-away-tired-tiredness!

What if I can't do it.

The very thought of doing it makes me exhausted.  The very thought of NOT doing it makes me weep.  So what if I'm tired and drag my old body to bed every night after picking up 60 mis-matched socks?  So what if we carpet the house with coloring book pages.  So what if we never have enough money to do everything I'd like to do with money that we don't have... what if... what if... what if...

And then tonight as I struggle with these feelings I read this on Twitter: 

"A sign you're growing in grace: Because it matters so much to your Father, you care for widows and orphans. James 1:27"

And there it is... it doesn't matter one iota what I want or what I can or can't do.  My Father's heart breaks for the fatherless.  My heart breaks for the fatherless.  The difference is God has called me to action and having a broken heart doesn't achieve anything if it doesn't spur me on to make a difference in the life of a child that He has choosen for our family. 

What do you do when you can't sleep??

So we've all had nights when you have to get up early in the morning, but no matter what you do you can't get your brain to shut it down so you can sleep.  Perhaps you count sheep like the rest of the world.  I spend all day counting how long it takes someone to hop on one foot, or how long it takes them to run to their room or back, or how long it takes them to wipe their butt, flush the toilet and wash their hands.  So the thought of counting sheep gives me no hope of coming sleep.

There are times when I quote Scripture and have a little contest to see how many verses I can think of... but I'm so competitive that I actually stay up longer trying to beat my previous record.  No joke.

Another favorite is to think of baby names.  But, that seems futile now and besides Ben has never liked a name that I thought of at 3 AM.  Or 3 PM for that matter...

I've discovered my new favorite game for falling asleep.  I always end up giggling to myself trying desperately not to make a peep so Ben won't wake up... I'd really hate to have to explain why I was laughing to myself at this time of night morning.  I love this "game" so much that I've actually found myself playing it during the day when the kids are going crazy and I'm about to explode... because the end result is almost always a smile for me.


So here's what I do.  You're going to think I'm ca-razy and I probably am, but it's so funny to me!  I pick a bunch of ladies out of my church (or from college, or high school, or whatever... but usually from church) who are on my imaginary street gang.  Why do I have a street gang of church ladies?  Because that makes me giggle.  As a matter-of-fact I just started giggling and Julayne asked me why I was laughing... well, Julayne I have a gang of church ladies that no one knows about... not even the members!


This takes a lot of thought.  At first I went through and picked all of the ladies who I thought were T-U-F-F or even a few that are "girthy"... but my strategy has since changed.  There are a few ladies who are anything but girthy, instead they're completely scrappy.  You know the ones...the girls that pull hair, bite and sink their nails in to your flesh.  Or the one that breaks the beer bottle in half and says, "I will cut you."  Now, I have in mind a particular lady for this role... but sometimes it's fun to throw in a random lady who would NEVER be in a street gang and cut and paste her face into the Beer Bottle Lady.


Ok, next matter of consideration.  Who's packin' heat?  Ahhhhh, yay!  You're on my gang.

Who wears long skirts all the time?  Yep, you can hide a lot of weapons under those things.  You're on my gang.

Who scares me?  Anyone intimidate me?  Yes, you quiet ladies!  I'm not sure what it is about the silent ones, but chances are you're planning something.  I'm not sure if you're on my gang.  I want to be the leader and you might have more skills at this... 'cause I've never actually been in a gang before. 

Anyone with military training or married to someone with military training... or police training ... or martial arts training??  You're in.  

Get the idea?  Church lady street gangs, waaaayyyyy harder than it first appears.  So you have to pick 10 people for your gang and you're one of them.  Good luck and you better pray you NEVER see me in a dark alley! ;) 


Now to think of a name and gang colors... =)

What it really means to me...

So this next line will be absolutely NO surprise to you, assuming that you know me at all. 


I love At Home America.


Please don't stop reading this... there's more to the story here and it means the world to me. 

At Home America is a wonderful compay to work with, I love their mission statement, especially about serving God first, our families second and finally YOU our hostesses and guests.  There is something different about this company and it doesn't hurt that I LOVE almost everything that I sell.

All of that's fine and dandy.  Earning a trip to Cancun and getting an extra $800 at Christmastime sure has its advantages too... but like I said, there's more to the story here, but I have to go way back long before I know of At Home America.

You see there was a time in my life where I said I wanted 10 kids.  I don't think I ever really meant it.  I believe someone asked me once if I wanted to be a mom and I said yes (like most little girls do).  Then they asked me how many kids I thought I'd like to have and I said 10!  They were shocked and I stuck to my story and continued to baffle others with the declaration that I wanted 10 kids.  Honestly I don't think that I ever gave much thought to it.  I can't remember growing up with that many friends who came from BIG families.  There was one boy in my class who, I think, had 13 kids in his family, but I always thought that was an isolated incident. 


So here I am 33 years old and the wife of a wonderful man... and the mother of five wonderful, adorable, cute cuteness, smart smartness Turkey Bottoms.  I am blessed beyond blessed.  If my family was complete at 7 instead of an even dozen I would still consider myself to be blessed among women.  And yet, I find myself searching adoption photolistings.  I find myself dreaming of a family of many colors.  

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right; seek justice. 
  Defend the oppressed. 
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

I want to take up the cause of the fatherless.  I want them to be counted among those who have a father, a mother and a house full of siblings. I want them to know that they are wanted... not just by me or by their daddy or siblings... but there is a God who promises not to leave them as orphans.  That not only will they be in the Driscoll family, but that God has made a way for them to be a part of His family.  

Everytime I look on an adoption website I pray for the children that I "meet" there.  I pray that God will open doors and make a way for us to adopt.  And so we've come back to the beginning of this particular blog.

At Home America.  What a perfect name for a company that will be one piece of the puzzle that will bring our children home!  Whether they will come from Haiti, Ethiopia, Liberia or right here in the US I know that God will make them At Home right here in my arms until He takes them to their real home in heaven.  You see, At Home America isn't something that I'm using to spam your Facebook walls with ... it's not something that I'm peddling to make a buck... no it's much, much, much bigger than that for me.  At Home America is helping me pay off debts that we have... so that we can afford not only adoption costs, but also the many things that Turkey Bottoms need... like a home... with a good roof, clothes, food, heat, water, electricity, food, food, food.  Man my kids can eat! ;)

So have I mentioned lately that I love At Home America?  It's more than great decor, it's a journey to bring the rest of my kids home... kids that might already be alive waiting for us.  Please pray that God will grant me success in this business, but more importantly pray for my Turkey Bottoms and their birth families.  Pray that they will be comforted tonight and that God might make Himself known to them.  Pray our babies (whatever their age) will know that we will not allow them to be orphans forever. 

I have it worse than you...

I woke up this morning... much like the past 7 years... to someone standing in the hallway screaming and crying.  Of course they don't know why they're that upset, never mind the fact that my ears are bleeding and I almost wet the bed at the sound of the first shrill scream.

The "baby" has pooped 4 times in the course of an hour... making it hard to get much done and making it even harder to work up an appetite for breakfast.  You know some people claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?  I've never been much of a breakfast eater, but knowing that I don't really have a chance to eat breakfast makes me grumpy.  I mean it would be nice to sit down and eat breakfast like all the important people.

I never go to the bathroom by myself... at least not before 8:30 or 9 PM.  And I never get through a shower without at least 2 people coming in to put their dirty clothes in the laundry room.  It's as if the sound of running water has a mystical ability to make everyone want clean clothes.  It also never fails that whoever is the last one leaving the bathroom as I'm showering will ALWAYS forget to shut the bathroom door.  Cold air is the perfect ending to a interrupted shower.

Is there a rule that all children hate onions?  Or peas?  Or green peppers?  Is there also a rule that all children must remind their mama of this every time it hits their plate... burst into tears and accidentally spill their milk at the same time.  Of course the milk has now run off the table onto the child who cannot stand to be wet, or dirty, or looked at cross eyed and now she too is crying and glaring at me like it was my doing?  Without a doubt I'm thinking, "Great more laundry, looking forward to that cold air shower tomorrow."

To my recently potty trained child... we are all very excited for you, but no, I don't want to go with you into the bathroom.  No, I don't want to see your poop.  No, I don't want to see your penis.  Please stop asking me 300 times a day minute.

Who taught these children to apologize to each other by screaming, "I'M SORRY.  I'M SORRY.  I SAID, I'M SORRY!"  
Translated, "DON'T TELL MOMMY.  DON'T TELL MOMMY.  I SAID, I TOTALLY MEANT TO HURT YOU AND YOUR FEELINGS, BUT IF YOU TELL MOMMY I'M GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE!"

And then at nap time why is it that no matter how many times I say, "No talking."  That gets translated into, "It's totally OK to whisper, giggle, get wound up, jump, dance, and try out new Kung Fu moves... get hurt and cry for Mommy to make you feel better.  When Mommy refuses to console you it is perfectly acceptable to cry harder and harder and harder until your lips turn blue, your face turns red and for some unexplainable reason YOU NEVER PASS OUT!  How is that fair?  Oh.my.word.  Is that a bump on your head?  Is it a concussion?  Does this mean that I have to actually keep you awake now?  Oh, and that little tissy fit has really worn you out and you're tired and mad at me because I won't let you sleep.....

...Ok, stay at home mamas, you know you've had a day like this.  I didn't even get into barfing, sibling fighting, neighbor kids that don't want to play with the kiddos, home schooling horrors, asthma attacks, stitches, broken bones... So here's your chance...

Fill in the blank, "I have it worse than you because _________________________"  


And let us laugh at how bad it gets and yet we know that we have the best jobs in the whole world!

My Life With My Turkey Bottoms: Kelly's At Home America Giveaway!!!

My Life With My Turkey Bottoms: Kelly's At Home America Giveaway!!!: "So I know that you're all huge HUGE fans of Kelly's At Home America page on Facebook! You are right? You follow me here rig..."

Kelly's At Home America Giveaway!!!

So I know that you're all huge HUGE fans of Kelly's At Home America page on Facebook!  You are right?  You follow me here right?  I knew it!

I also know that you're dying to be the winner of my biggest giveaway ever!!  Ok, it's only my second giveaway ever, but the point is it's a big deal!  What could you win?  Well, you'll have to wait a little bit to find out, but here's what you'll need to know:

HOW DO I WIN?

1. You must be a fan of Kelly's At Home America page... here it is again!
2. Every friend that you refer to Kelly's At Home America (who gives you a shout out on my wall) will give you an extra entry... so tell your friends to come here and say hi!  Be sure to "share" my page with all your friends on your Facebook page!
3.  Host an At Home America show between April 8th and April 30th and receive 5 extra entries.  For every $100 in sales that your show has you'll get an extra entry!  Remember the average At Home America show has $500 in sales so you could have 10 entries for hosting a show!
4.  Attend a show between now and April 30th and  receive one entry per $10 you spend!  Fill out a courtesy card for another entry!
5.  Stop by my table at the Oelwein Spring Stop and Shop on April 16th from 8am to 3pm fill out a courtesy card and receive an extra entry.  Place an order and receive one entry per $10 you spend!
6.  Stop by and say "hi" to Ben in Aurora at the Comet Center on April 16th from 9am to 3pm, fill out a courtesy card and receive an extra entry.   Place an order and receive one entry per $10 you spend!  Don't I have the best husband ever?? ;)
7. Here's the guaranteed way to win... At Home America is a second family to me.  And I would love to have you a part of that family.  For anyone who signs up to start their own business (and becomes a qualified Home Style Specialist in their first month of business) will receive one of the giveaway prizes of your choice!  Woot woot... love it!
8.  Already a part of my At Home America team?  If you have $1,000 in sales for the month of April you'll also receive one of the giveaway prizes of your choice!

WHAT CAN I WIN??? 

Oh.My.Word.  I am so excited for this! 

If you're the winner you will receive your choice of one of the following items valued at $69.99 each!!  Can I get a woot woot!?!?

French Market 5 Quart Beverage Dispenser

Inspired by the timeless elegance of 18th century France, our handcrafted dispenser makes it easy to add a bit of luxury to your home. 8"dia. x 14-1/4"h; Stand: 8-1/4"dia. x 4-3/4"h

New England Timepiece

Keep a close watch on time with this wrought iron clock that swivels. Requires one "AA" battery (not included). 10"l x 6"w x 20"h

Large Liberty Pocket Star

Large, handcrafted, distressed red metal star features a deep pocket, giving it a multitude of decorating options for the holidays and everyday! Fill with our Natural Bundles and display over a mantel, hang in a guest bathroom with hand towels, or place on each child's door to fill with a special gift. Keyhole hook for convenient hanging. Large, handcrafted, distressed red metal star features a deep pocket. 23"L X 23"W X 4"D ...**Will be filled with BranWright Marketplace Wildfire Flowers, Crimson Red and South Carolina Hanging Dill**

 So there you go... which would you pick if you're the winner?  Are you sooooo excited?  You better be! =)

Drawing will be choosen on April 30th and announced on Kelly's At Home America's page... which of course you can find  right here!

*US and Canada only
*At Home America employees and HSS cannot win giveaway!

<a href="http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Giveaway-Day-Button-copy.png" width="150" height="150" alt="Giveaway Day" /></a>  

Cops are such jerks...

Really.  Ask anyone and they'll tell you.  Cops are jerks.  And I'm really, really, really G-rated when I say "jerks"... if you really want to know how people feel about cops get on Twitter and in the search engine enter the word "cops" and man, oh man, will you ever find out how people feel about the police.  Actually don't do it... I'll just give you a taste...

Cops muder (murder) niggas at night.

I shouldn't say that, I'm biased. I hate cops no matter what they do.

HATE the COPS.

I hate State cops but whatever., I also can hold my own.


Its funny how I hate cops, but yet I can sit n watch da show...(won't type the rest of the tweet).

Do cops really make you feel safer? When I see a cop I usually get an upset stomach even if I didn't do anything.

...dirty cops... na filthy cops

And those are the ones that I could post on my blog and still not get phone calls... and I know that first one is a little over the line... forgive me, it is important to get my point made.

Well, "call me biased" but I'm not buying it.  I happen to know a few cops, some better than others, and I for one am a HUGE FAN of the Thin Blue Line.  I know it's important to let everyone else know that you're yor strait thuggin' it and the cops can (insert explicit), but I think it's time you take some of your own advice.

5 days a week I hear my husband load his gun for work.  And 5 days a week my prayer stays the same... "Father, I pray that he won't have to use his weapon today, but if he does, I pray he is faster and more accurate than the other guy."

I know Hubs is not only well trained, but he is skilled at what he does and he's smarter than the average bear.  I know that he has 6 reasons to come home every night and I know that we serve a Mighty God who is on the side of law and order.

Today I have been beyond touched by Shawn Brams posting on Facebook about Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, Officer Craig Birkholz who was shot in the line of duty.  I'm posting a few of his photos here and hoping that he won't mind.

What I've been especially touched by, is reading that Officer Birkholz has a young wife... a young widow now.  I've wept for her today, especially while watching a YouTube video of the funeral procession with Jeremy Camp's song, "There Will Be A Day"... the outpouring of love and support from the police community is overwhelming.  Yet, she buried her husband today and as she lays in bed tonight she'll be acutely aware of the place beside her that's empty... assuming she has the courage to sleep in their bed at all.

I don't know anything about Mrs. Birkholz.  But, I do know that she's a woman in need of prayers, tonight, tomorrow and for years to come.  Would you please take a moment to pray for her?

Do me one more favor... the next time you're pulled over by a cop, ask yourself if he's being a jerk, or if he's just doing his job.  And here's a little tip... try telling the truth without expecting to "get out of it."  I know a certain cop that would really love it if one person he came in contact with during the day didn't lie to him.  And it wouldn't hurt if you said, "Thank you".

True Confessions of the Broken Baby Maker

For our first 2 children we were really excited to tell people that we were expecting.  We knew that the people that we loved most would rejoice with us.
When Turkey Bottom #3 came along ... well, shock reigned.  TB#2 was only 4 months old when we found out that I was expecting again.  In my mind when Ben announced that I was pregnant AGAIN at church the whole congregation let out a collective gasp.  That's really how I remember it.
Then came TB#4.  I don't remember thinking that our family was going to throw a party when we announced that we were having ANOTHER baby. 
We had the longest break between #3 and #4.  Hannah and Emma are 18 months apart.  Emma and Benjamin are 12 months, 9 days apart (those 9 days are very important to me).  So between Benjamin and Gabriel there was a gap of 2 years and 2 months!  It was a huge milestone, especially since my uterus was so thin when Benjamin was born that the surgeon claimed he could see through my uterian wall (at the incision).  We had prayed earnestly that God would allow 2 years between TB#3 and TB#4.  I needed that break.
 There was some discussion during pregnancy #4 of having my tubes tied.  There was no pressure from the doctors though I could tell the nurses thought I was crazy.  4 c-sections in 4 years seems to be a big deal... or maybe already having 4 kids and thinking about having more is a big deal??
19 months after the incredibly collicy TB#4 came the incredibly joyful TB#5.  So for those of you trying to keep up... I had 5 Turkey Bottoms in 75 months via c-section.  Again, I don't remember thinking that our parents and friends were going to be excited to hear the news that we were expecting #5.  I think they were all holding their breath and praying that I would finally get my tubes tied.

And so it was.  I had my tubes tied.  Hubs and I were confident that we were making the right decision... the best decision based on the condition of my baby maker.  I was tired of c-sections and the large number of complications that I have following them.  I'm allergic to surgeries.  Really.  When they read my allergies to me they have to take a deep breath in the middle of the list.  I'm allergic to latex.  I'm allergic to adhesive tapes.  I'm allergic to Benzoine... the surgecial glue that they use in place of stitches or staples.  I'm allergic to Codiene (sp?) which means that most of the pain meds that they would normally give me I can't take.  Spinals make me vomit.  On top of all of that I'm an incredibly hard person to find a vein to put an IV into... which has always been weird to me since my skin is practically translucent... anywho, because I'm a "hard poke" I always have to have more than one nurse attempt to get more than one needle into my hand or inside of my wrist.  I could really go on and on about all the things I HATE about c-sections.  Not the least being women who deliver vaginally and tell me how easy I've had it... I could smack them.  I still might actually.

And while I was tired of c-sections Hubs was tired of having a wife who was tired of c-sections.  Not to mention a wife with serious baby blues.  We should just call the "baby blues" the emotional rollercoaster of a seriously psycho woman.  Hubs was also tired of getting up in the night with a baby... which he did at least once a night for me... he's my hero!

So here's the thing.  I had my tubes tied.  It was the right choice.  But, there was always the hope that maybe God might open my womb one last time.  Because if anyone could defy the odds and have another one (or maybe even twins) it would totally be me!

Monday's surgery ended any hope of that.  There will be no more Driscoll babies. At least not naturally born... through the miracle of adoption my prayer is that we will add more turkies someday.

Having babies is more than adding to my collection of children.  Having babies is really truly adding life to our home and to our world.  Life.  The beautiful miracle of life.  It brings tears to my eyes.  God has used my body as an instrument to bring life into this world.  Every stretch mark is a road on the map of my life's journey.  I am a mama.  And in that reality I am beyond blessed.

Every moment of morning sickness, every moment of being exhausted and moody, every ache and pain and side effect of having those 5 c-sections... every moment worth it.

My baby maker is broken.  But, I will continue to rejoice in the life that fills my home and praise God for my Turkey Bottoms and the journey He has given me.

Something B-I-G is about to happen... are you in?

Have you heard?

Something B-I-G... something really H.U.G.E. and pretty much FAN.TAB.U.LOUS is going to rock your world.  I'm so excited!  No, I'm so very very very excited that I can't sleep!

So there are a few things that I really love.  I mean LOVE!
Here's a list of a few:
 #1 My God and Savior - nothing in the world compares to this kind of love
#2 My Hubs and my Turkey Bottoms - ahhhhh, what would my world be like without them?  I hope I never have to know.
#3 My extended family - some of my biggest fans and I am who I am because of their influence in my life.
#4 My church family - we all need prayer warriors, accountability and like-minded friends
#5 Adoption - I'm not sure that #5 is the right place for this... but I love, love, love adoption!  Someday Hubs and I will add to the Turkey Bottoms via adoption.
#6 My At Home America family - I love this company, these products and these ladies that share my passion!

So ... have you heard... it's going to be B-I-G!  And there's lots of hints in this blog already.

SAVE THE DATE - APRIL 8TH!

Stop, drop and THINK!

Recently Ben and I started a Bible Study with 4 other couples in the church.  We missed the first 2 lessons because of babysitting conflicts, but made it to the third lesson.  The thrust of the lesson was teaching people how to start thinking Biblically.  Which for me translates how do I get my kids to think biblically... how do I get them to think by using the Bible as their filter.

Which lead me to this next critical question.  How do we teach people to think?

Take a look around and it will become quickly obvious that people no longer spend much time thinking.  I can think of a million examples of this... but I'm sure my readers can THINK of a few of your own.

This question was brought up again today while reading over a couple of Facebook status updates.  Honestly, Facebook is a breeding ground for people who simply don't think, which is a whole other discussion!  Today, one of my younger friends posted that he's "Wondering if I should gauge my ears"...

.

He wants to look like this!

Now, personally my immediate answer to this question is... "No.  Yuck.  Who would do that?"  But, I don't believe this is a moral issue, per se, and it's between him and his parents.



So here's the part that really made me want to slam my head repeatedly against the wall (good thing I'm a thinker and was able to resist...) one of the young man's friend was very supportive of this idea and had this to say to the nay-sayers, "You can't say its stupid or gross untill u try it."   I decided to copy and paste his response from Facebook, so that I wouldn't misquote him.  Let's see how many holes we can find in his logic...





"You can't say its stupid or gross untill u try it "



Anyone coming up with anything that refutes this line of reasoning?  I know it's pretty solid.  I apologize for this, but I really don't have to try drinking my own pee to know that it would be both stupid and gross to do.  What do you have in mind that you wouldn't have to do to know that it's both stupid and gross?  Think about it and hit me up with your answers! :)

Team Hoyt and Team Driscoll

I posted a video off of Youtube before this post.  Please take time to watch it and then return here for my amazing insights!

I have heard of The Iron Man before, but have never watched it... let alone participated.  I believe it is the hardest triathlon in the world.  It consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike and a marathon (26.2 miles 42.195 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. (Um, seriously, without a break?  How about a few months in between?).  The swim begins at 7 AM and to complete the race you must finish by midnight... the same day.  Forget completing it by midnight, I would drown in the first 100 yards.

Rick Hoyt could never participate in the Iron Man without help.  It was a physical impossibility.  Doctors told Rick's parents that he should be institutionalized.  And today he's an Iron Man.  His father, Dick Hoyt, has a heart condition and still he competes because his son asked him to.  They started off running a charity race for a paralyzed athlete, next came marathons and finally the Iron Man.
As I watch the video I wonder if Ben would do that for our boys.  I think he would.  I know I couldn't.  At least I don't think I could.

Perhaps the most inspirational part of the video is the ending ... the gates of heaven... where those in the stands are cheering and undoubtedly some are crying and the pure joy on the faces of Dick and Rick as they finish the race hard.

And so it is with us.  Apart from our Father we can't even be in the race... let alone have any hope of reaching the gates of heaven.  And because the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world we have faith that though we have sinned and couldn't finish the race set out for us that our God will run on our behalf.  Moreover, he has given His Son to die on our behalf.  What cheers will rise up when we at last arrive at heaven's gates, knowing that we arrived because of the efforts of our loving Father.

 Team Driscoll also has reason to cheer and to celebrate in the love of our heavenly Father.  Many of you have been praying for me and for the biopsy that I had done yesterday.  The test itself was very painful, but the end results are worth celebrating as there is no reason to believe that I have cancer!!!  There are still some issues that need to be dealt with and they will hopefully all be resolved with an outpatient surgery (really 3 surgeries at once) on the 21st of March.  While I don't look forward to surgery ... this will be my 8th in 9 years... it's absolutely better than having cancer!!  Our God is a mighty God and I'm very thankful to my prayer warriors!!

inspiring video team hoyt (read info before playing video)

Random Things That I Love!

There are a few things that have caught my attention lately that I believe some of my huge following would love to check out!  So I'm just going to post a few things here and if you do decide to take my advice and check them out let me know.  I'm thinking about doing this once a month or so... don't be surprised if you see a shameless AtHome America plug!  :)

I'm going to start off in the kitchen because this one has caught me off guard with how much I LURRRVVVEEE it!  It's called Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Seasoning.

Tonight I replaced my usual "shakey cheese" and used Jane's Krazy good Mixed-Up Salt on my homemade pizza.  Delish!  I use this in almost every thing that season!

Next item that I love I discovered at Grandma Nana's house.  We rarely buy ice cream, but going to Nana's house almost always means that we will have a Schwan's Sundae Cone... but recently she purchased something special...

This beauty is Schwan's Raspberry Rumble ... oh.my.word.  Listen this description:
Triple count perfection in this raspberry bonanza. SCHWAN'S® famous vanilla ice cream is marbled with rivers of deep red raspberry puree swirl and kicked-up with raspberry coated crunchy-clusters. The wild extravagance of raspberry-filled chocolate truffles will put you over the top. Get ready to rumble.
You can buy some yumminess here. 

Ok, leaving the kitchen for a bit.  Some of my favorite blogs...

My girl Sarah and I are tight... even though she has no idea who I am... she's my go to girl for ideas and inspiration when it comes to decorating.  I believe that she's one of the most well known decor bloggers around and my favorite part is that she's thrifty!  Perhaps that's why her blog is called Thrifty Decor Chick.  You can find her here!  Tell her Mama D from Turkey Bottom Haven sent you... if nothing else we'll confuse her! :)

Another new favorite is Funky Junk Interiors they're a little more... well "funky" and one of those one person's trash is another person's treasure type of sites.

 I love it, because my heart starts thumping and bumping when I see a piece of "junk" and turn it into something wonderful.  Even Ben caught the fever when last Spring I started pulling old windows out of the ditches off gravel roads... he laughed at first, but before the end of the summer he was looking for old chairs and talked a friend out of sending some to the dump.  Our neighbors even got a kick out of it when they were throwing things into the dumpster after the floods and Ben and I both made them stop a few times so we could use it!!  Love that.

Perhas that's why I have fallen head over heals for American Pickers!!!!!  Love this show!  

 Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz star in this show on the History Channel... though at our house we watch it on Netflix for the Wii.  "Pickers" go on the road and find what we would call "junk yards" or even hoarders and they pick through rusty gold until they find things for their shop.  Their shop just happens to be in Leclair, Iowa!  Shout out for Iowa!!  Mike has a thing for bicycles, while Frank is obsessed with oil cans... they find them and resell them for a profit.  Some day Ben and I will be pickers!  It's the American Dream after all!  :)

Ok, you've been warned about this last one.  I love, love, love some a few pretty much all of AtHome America's Limited Time only Easter Seasonal items... you can find them here!!!  Of course you could always host your own show and earn them FREE!!  Or starting in March you can order them on my website http://www.athome.com/kellydriscoll.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cheers!

One of my great petpeeves in life is when people make comments about the size of my family... at least in the negative.  One of my great joys in life is when people make comments about  the size of my family... in the positive of course.  :)
How many times have I heard people say that having as many kids as I do would drive them nuts.  Or they can't "handle" the ones they have and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Honestly.  I don't care if you have 2 kids or 14 kids. Leave us alone.

Rant done.

For now.

But, one thing that I do know is that sometimes I think having 5 kids is far more fun than having less than 5 kids.  There I said it.  Want a great example?  Here's one of the best that I can think of... Yesterday was my anniversary.  Ben was working 2nd shift.  We had Awana and life is always rushed.  I had zero motivation to cook.  After spending 20 minutes standing in the pantry looking for something that would spark my cooking interest I gave up.

I decided to make peanut butter toast.  I even texted Bethany to get another mom's approval. :)

When I announced that we were having peanut butter toast for supper ... ALL FIVE KIDS ERRUPTED IN APPLAUSE!!!  Granted, Jack Henry was being a bit of a crowd follower, perhaps Gabriel too.  But, they were genuinely excited!

Think about it... when was the last time that you were completely lazy and five of the most adorable faces shone with glee and admiration for you.

Yep, mother of the year award right here.  Probably because I get more votes than most people, but that's not the point! :)

The Four Friends

In Mark chapter 2 we read about a man who was paralyzed.  We don't know why or how... but we do know that this same man had 4 friends.  These 4 friends cared enough about this man that they carried him on his mat to Jesus.  I imagine that they must have really loved their friend.  We also know that the house where Jesus was teaching at was full... so full that there wasn't room in the doorway of the house so that the four friends could budge their way in.  It was literally a full house.
In my mind's eye, I imagine that there were people shoulder to shoulder each one inching their way closer to Jesus and hanging on every word.  I see people at the door and windows leaning in to catch a look at Jesus... to pick up on even one word, one phrase, one tidbit of hope.  I also believe that each man there had a need something that they wanted from or of Jesus.
The four men each had a corner of their friend's mat.  They had walked an undetermined distance.  They were probably tired, hot and thirsty when they got to the house.  And arriving late they see that there is no way to get their friend to Jesus.  They could have looked apologetically at their friend and turned to go home.  They could have made a plan to wait where they were in hopes that Jesus might see them when He was done teaching.  They might have thrown up their arms in defeat and cried with their friend and accepted their friend's lot in life.
But, these men were quality men... quality friends. They were determined.  And they started cutting a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching.  Can you imagine?  As debris started falling down and people started getting ansy as to what was happening.  Perhaps the owner of the house tried to work his way out of the tight crowd so as to put in end to the vandelism of his home!  Perhaps those on the outside stopped what they were doing to look at these men to see what they were up to...
And finally when the hole was cut the men found a way to get their friend on the roof and then lowered him down to be touched by Jesus.  They had faith that Jesus could heal him.

 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Mark 2:5

When he saw the faith of the friends.

The end result was that the scribes... men who were teachers of the law... questioned Jesus' authority and so that Jesus could prove that He indeed had the authority to forgive sins, Jesus healed the man and he ended up walking out of the house.

Can you imagine?  Here are four friends that were driven by love for their friend, who by faith knew that if only they could get Jesus to see them that He would heal their friend.  Yet, those educated men who were Jewish teachers of the law had no desire to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior of men and the Healer of both sins and physical afflictions.

How blessed would each of us be to have four friends to carry us to Jesus in the time of our affliction and in the times of our trials?  Friends who by the world's standard may not be educated or reasonable... but who are driven by love and faith to hold us up to Jesus in prayer?

How blessed am I?  More than words can say.

Please read about the four friends here. 

High Noon...

Have you ever heard a song that sang to your heart... no it sang the song of your heart?  Ever since I heard Andrew Peterson's "High Noon" I knew that it was my heart's song.  It's the one song that makes me want to find a cure for tone deafness and pitchless-ness  (trust me it's a word, at least in this blog!).  I have visions of singing it for special music on Easter morning.  It would be a truly inspiring duet with my uber talented hubs.  The kind of performance that would have people crying out to Jesus!

Ok, maybe it would just bless the hearts of those in attendance like it does mine.

I've tried multiple times to convince Ben that he should sing it solo at church, but he's not exactly on board.

I assume that most of you have never heard this song and I tried to find a link to it on youtube.com and didn't have any success... at least not sung by Andrew Peterson.

So I will have to leave the lyrics here and leave it up to the rest of you to encourage hubs to sing it at church:

High Noon by Andrew Peterson

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the deep of the valley was bright
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the victor of the battle
At high noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

Now the demons, they danced in the darkness
When that last ragged breath left his lungs
And they reveled and howled
At the war that they thought they had won
But then, in the dark of the grave
The stone rolled away
In the still of the dawn on the greatest of days

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When Jesus took in that breath
And shattered all Death with his life
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the victor of the battle
High noon in the valley of the shadow

Let the people rejoice
Let the heavens resound
Let the name of Jesus, who sought us
And freed us forever ring out
All praise to the fighter of the night
Who rides on the light
Whose gun is the grace of the God of the sky

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
I said go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
All praise to the king
The victor of the battle
High noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

Copyright 2003 New Spring Publishing, Inc.

Countdown to Cancun... :D

So because I work with the MOST AMAZING COMPANY in the whole world and because I've worked my pretty little bum off I've earned a trip to Moon Bay Palace in Cancun, Mexico!  Woot wooters!  I love it! White sandy beaches.
Sunshine.
No blizzards.
No kids.
No blizzards!
And the knowing that I earned it.  It wasn't given to me, I didn't win a free trip.  I worked hard and did what I needed to do to go!

Did I mention no kids and no blizzards?
What could be better than a week vacation in Cancun???  Um, how about a week's vacation for 2?  That's right, I've only earned the trip for 1 so far.  So, this is my last month to earn a trip so that Ben can come along with me.  If he doesn't go... well, then I won't go either.  I mean how much fun would I really have without my best friend?  So this is it.  February is do or die time.  Well, honestly I won't die if I don't go... but I might throw myself on the floor and stomp my feet and cry like a little baby! :)

I am reminded that what is impossible with man is possible with God.  Of course, God would want me to go to Cancun.  He wouldn't want me to throw a fit like a spoiled 2 year old.  He wants me to get a nice tan... errrr, well, that's another miracle altogether!

I am also reminded that AtHome America's new motto is "Better Together"... think of all the things that are better together... peanut butter and... chocolate (you better not have said jelly).  Um, Spring and Cadbury Cream Eggs.  Pizza and Mt. Dew.  Ben and Kelly.  You and me!  So I'm asking my friends, my family, my creepy blog followers (if there are any) and my not so creepy blog followers to help a girl out!  Book a party... a homeshow, a book show or even an E-Show (online show) and help me meet my sales miracle!

This could be Ben and I with your help... well, if I would be caught dead in a bikini... if Ben had a six-pack hair... if I had a tan... if I didn't have 5 kids... and the list could go on and on and on.

Let me know if you'd be willing to book a show by the end of the month ... and as a reward you'll earn double hostess benefits and your name will be put into a drawing to be my best friend.

No towing means...

Blizzards and cars = stupidity.

The other night at dinner Ben grumbles about the coming snow storm that promised to turn into a blizzard.  I'm not a big fan of his job when it's snowing... at all other times I love it almost as much as he does... anywhoo, he starts telling us that his day will go something like this:
Driver found in ditch: "I'm ok, I'm going to call for a tow truck."
Officer Hubs: "I'm sorry, but because of the weather there's a Tow Ban.  You'll have to come with me."
Driver: "Well, I'd rather get my car out so I'm going to call for a tow truck."
Officer Hubs: "You can call for a tow truck, but they can't come and get you because there's a Tow Ban."
Driver Idiot: "Well, that's ok I can have my buddy come tow me out."
O.H.: "No.  You'll have to come with me.  Your buddy can't come get you.  There's no towing because of the weather."
Idiot: "I have a lot of stuff with me.  So, I'll just wait here."
O.H.: *deep breath, count to ten, pray that I don't punch idiot in the face* "You have to come with me.  I will take you.  I will not take your stuff and you cannot get a tow truck.  Please, get into my car."

And so it goes.  By the end of the story he's pounding on table saying, "NO TOWING MEANS NO TOWING!"
The kids and I were laughing... out and out giggling at the show that Daddy was putting on for us.
When it was done Chubba asks what a tow truck is... I go into a long description about a truck that has a hook on the back that he attaches to cars that have gone into a ditch, had an accident or maybe broke down along the side of the road.  Chubba is confused and finally says... "That kinda sounds like Mater."

Ahhh.  Mater.  If only I would have thought of that.  Would have saved me 5 minutes of my life.  At least I can be sure that he knows what we were talking about when he was laughing like a maniac.

So today at lunch Hannah prays that no one will go in the ditch and ask Daddy to get a tow truck because (the kids say in unison) "NO TOWING MEANS NO TOWING!"  Gabe even slammed his fists on the table like Daddy.  :)

So the blizzard rages on and some of you in real life will drive against wisdom.  Some of you will drive too fast or take your eyes off the road or try to pass someone or will simply hit a patch of ice and find yourself in the ditch.  Let me tell you that if an officer pulls up and stops to take you to safety... you should be exceedingly grateful.  Chances are he has children at home praying that he'll come home and that he'll be safe on the roads.  And so while you may not have made the best choices and find yourself in need of a tow during a Tow Ban... the only reason he's on the road is to help you. 

They blew us away ... and then we blew them away... and then they blew us away...

Oh what a night weekend!
I have to tell you that I am Tired... that's tired with a capital T!  I am also very excited and a bit overwhelmed!  For those of you who are wondering what in the heck I'm typing about well did you ever miss out!  I am returning home from Chicago after spending the weekend at the At Home America Independence Forum!  It was my understanding that I was going to conference to network and to learn how to "grow" my business.  I had been at the home office back in October and had met the co-owners Becky and Lisa and knew that while we were going to be getting some valuable advice I also knew that it wouldn't be short on fun!
Now I know that most of you don't want to hear about the valuable business advice.  You don't care to hear about the 5, that's FIVE, things that I need to remember about bookings or mentoring...
So here's what I will share.  The conference was started with Lisa Brandau praying for God's blessing on the conference and she didn't just pray to anyone she prayed in the name of Christ.  I seriously was in tears.  Mostly because she prayed for those of us with sick ones at home and I of course missed Jack immediately.  But, I was still absolutely blown away about a "secular" business who made it a priority to pray.  Love that.

Some of the fun things that they announced was the opportunity to earn a 2011 Jeep Patriot.  Don't you love that they picked a name like "Patriot" ... perfect for AtHome America!

Not quite big enough for a family of seven... but still would be wonderful to have for HomeShows!  And really who's going to complain about earning a Blackberry Pearl Jeep Patriot?  It's also going to come with a personalized AtHome America logo on it!  So you'll see me coming! :)

You may remember reading on Facebook when I completed Levels 1,2 & 3 of New Kids on the Block which was apparently getting confused with these guys...

and so they switched the name The FasTrack.  Not only did they change the name they included some amazing benefits to it.  Which includes earning a flip video camera!!  Are you kidding me??  How great is that?  I could use one of those so I'm considering quitting and starting up in 6 months just so I can earn it! ;)  I know some of you are thinking ... does that mean that we'll have 6 months of not hearing about how much love you have for AtHome America??  Fat chance!!!

I also won a fabulous red AtHome America hoodie!!  If you know me then you know how much I love hoodies!!!!  I just had to come up with some creative ideas about how to use a business card!  I had 2 pages of ideas, no one else stood a chance! :)

Is anyone else having a hard time concentrating on what I'm writing because you can't rip your eyes away from The New Kid's hair?  It's like a train wreck... you don't want to look, but you can't take your eyes off of it!  I used to think the one in the red and black coat was so hot!  Ugh...

So now is the time that you've been waiting for!!  How in the world did we (Julayne and I) blow away everyone at the convention?  Well, it all started on a "field trip" to Michigan City, Indiana.  The company took us to the event center for dinner and had a DJ... it was loud and Julayne had a headache.  A large crowd was on the dance floor dancing in a relatively mild manner.  When the music is on I have a really hard time not shaking my groove thang, but I didn't want to ditch Julayne either.  As the night was coming to a close I was egging Julayne on to dance.  She disgustedly replied that if I wanted to dance I could, but she wasn't going to "Because I don't dance..."  That's when a wonderful idea bloomed in my mind and as soon as I whispered it into Julayne's ear she chuckled and couldn't resist...

Much to the surprise of those already on the dance floor we bounded onto the scene in a display unknown to mankind.  In a mad mixture of the "Running Man" the "Sprinkler" and of "Dropping it like it's hot" and to joy of those in attendance we broke out moves never seen before and never to be repeated this side of heaven.  Apparently before either of us knew what was happening half the dance floor belonged to us.  Yes, people were in awe and perhaps for their safety they were forming a half circle around us.  With no time to be embarrassed, the laughter and cheers of the crowd pushed us on to new heights of dancedom.  Soon, Tim Curry, Vice President of AtHome America joined us in the Running Man!  It.was.amazing.  So amazing in fact, that the next morning as we walked past our peers the nicknamed us "The Headbangers" and laughed and shook their heads as we passed by... yes, we indeed took their breath away and left an impression in their heads that they will never forget!  Hopefully, the videos of our dance performance won't make it onto YouTube... but if it does, you'll find the link here... :)

New Kids On The Block should take some lessons from us!

Tim's got moves... how much do I love it?!?!?!?!  I love my face in this picture!

This one should really be towards the beginning because I still have my sweatshirt on... but I love this because you think that Julayne is being timid... when in fact she is doing a major "Push The Cow" move here!  Ali behind me is also a little dismayed at my close closeness to her! :)

Answers at last...

Today was the day!  After 10 months of almost constant wheezing Jack finally got into University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics to see a Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist.
We were told that the University would send us a letter with instructions as to how to get to the clinic.  We already had a pretty good idea that it would be on the 2nd floor (since that's where we would go to visit Neela Waddell when she was hospitalized).  We never did get the letter but a quick phone call to the hospital proved that we were in fact, right.
For the first time in Driscoll history we were actually early.  Very early.  Almost an hour early.  It proved to be a sweet time.  The four oldest Turkey Bottoms were with Miss Beckie which meant that Daddy, Mommy and Jack had close to an hour to ourselves...  well, and the fifty or so other people waiting to be seen.  Jack proved to be quite entertaining... true of his name Jack was Joyful.
A nurse, Jessica, took vitals almost as soon as we arrived.  Jack weighs 24.8 lbs and has perfect blood pressure. He's also 31 inches tall at least we think that's what she said.  And then she gave us a pager like you would get if you were waiting for a table at a restaurant and told us that we could wait in the waiting room.
Having an afternoon appointment at such a busy clinic can mean only one thing... you're not going to see the doctor on time.  Fortunately Jack slept all the way to the hospital so he continued in great spirits while we waited.
At last we meet Dr. Richard Ahrens.

Dr. Ahrens, great dresser, fabulous doctor! :)

Isn't he a nice looking man?  He was also wearing super cool grayish green cords with a silver chain that I assume was attached to a pocket watch.  And he had great slip-on milk chocolate shoes.  You know all the qualifications that you want in a Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist! :)
Beyond that he's nice.  He listened.  It seemed like he trusted our observations.  He also answered our questions.  When I didn't understand what he was trying to explain, he explained it again without making me feel dumb.  Love, love, loved it!!
He's a specialist in Cystic Fibrosis and other lung/pulmonary diseases.  He didn't find it necessary to test Jack for Cystic Fibrosis! Love, love, love that!  Instead he believes that Jack's symptoms are consistent with Asthma.  Most likely Chronic Asthma.  We will spend the next 3 months charting Jack's symptoms to make sure that his symptoms line up with Asthma.  He also gave us a Vortex inhaler which means no more nebulizer treatments!  It will take about a minute to give him relief instead of 30 minutes.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!
Also Dr. Ahrens also gave us a script for steroids.  So when the inhaler isn't working we will have the steroids on hand.  And if the steroids don't work after 5 days we know to have Jack seen by a doctor.  No more guessing games.  We also have a phone number for 24 hour help from a doctor at the clinic!  Seriously, love it.
Oh, the relief of answers.  And a plan.  God be praised!

Praying that friends of ours will also find the answers they are looking for too...join me in praying for Wesley.

Roscoe teaches me a hard lesson in parenting.

Hannah, Benjamin, Emma with Roscoe and Sally

 

We said goodbye to our dog, Roscoe, today.

We know that it will be a good thing for Jack... so that he won't have to deal with allergies on top of his other ailments.

Gabriel and Roscoe

We know that it will save us some money and it will save me some time... see ya dog hair!
We know that it will be nice for Roscoe to be on a farm again.

This is about how much Roscoe cares about your personal bubble!

We're so so so happy that he didn't have to go to the Humane Society.  We're also very thankful that his new family said that we can stop by for visits when we visit Grandma Cyndee and Papa Larry.

Emma and "Fatscoe"

But, it's hard to say goodbye.  Especially for Emma.  She wept.  It brings tears to my eyes even now. While doing what was best for Jack Henry we had to break the heart of our Emmy Lou.  When it was a choice between the dog and our baby boy it wasn't even a choice... Jack wins.  The sacrifice for Jack effects everyone.  Some more than others.
Hannah said that she might be a little sad.
Benjamin and Gabe seemed relatively oblivious.
Ben wasn't exactly emotional.
I cried.
Yet, I cried because behind me in the van a little girl was sobbing.

Emma and Hannah with Roscoe!

I know that Emma will heal from this... I wonder if I will.