Inch by Inch

For those of you that care...I am still doing Weight Watchers. Since my birthday (May 6) I have not been as strict and therefore am not losing as much weight as I was before. But I have not quit. So I am still losing weight but just a little here and there. But at least I have not gained! I hope now with being back in school and having more of a schedule I will get back to being more strict with myself. I have really loved losing the weight and the way it makes me feel. So I press on...

**Update**
I went to my WW meeting this morning and I could not believe that I had actually lost almost 2.5 lbs!!! I have no idea how that happened! I am about a half a pound away from 20 lbs.!!!! Hopefully, I'll have good news to report next week!

Catchin' Up!!!

I have learned something very valuable about myself. If I am not pressured for time and have better things to do, I don't blog. I have had plenty to blog about and plenty of time to do it, but just haven't felt like it... I have been out of school since May 1 and am headed back tomorrow. So instead of getting my house in order, folding and putting away laundry, etc. etc., but no I thought THIS would be a perfect time to blog!!!

So it's been a great month! Zack finished Kindergarten and Carter finished 3 year old preschool. (That was our last time at our preschool and I don't think it has registered yet!) We went camping, to the lake and we got new floors put in!!

So I think I will start from the beginning when we went camping. Michael's mom and her husband bought a nice RV last year and have been anxious for us to join them in a camping adventure. We went once last year during the HEAT WAVE and I was miserable. But because I have two boys I thought I should persevere and give it another shot. Well, the weather cooperated and we had a great time. What I loved most about camping was not having to tell my boys "No" all of the time. I had no agenda, no chores, no to-do lists, so it was truly about them. They rode their bikes, scooters, played on the playground, went to the beach on the lake. It was a great weekend, bugs and all.

But I have to say my favorite part of the weekend was this...

I have posted before about my mother-in-laws health problems. Since the Fall of 2005 she has had two back surgeries and both of her knees replaced. Carter was not even two when she had her first back surgery and probably does not remember being held by his Nana. Although she is still in a considerable amount of pain, she works very hard at getting better. We had been making S'mores and enjoying time around the campfire when Carter asked to sit with his Nana. I asked her if it was okay if he sat in her lap. So I put him in her lap and he was so happy and content. They both sat their looking up at the stars. I just couldn't help but get a picture. I think that is the first time she has held a grandchild in her lap in a longtime. That right there was worth all of the bugs in the world!

Heartbroken

I received an email last night from a childhood friend last night about someone that I have respected most of my life. Steven Curtis Chapman's music is the soundtrack of my Spirtual teenage years. I have always loved his music and I have such a deep respect for what he has done for the adoption community. I am so completely saddened for this family and my heart breaks for them. Will you please join me in prayer for this sweet family.

Here is the article from the Tennessean:
Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday evening after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said. No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names. He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria was the youngest.The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt. With his latest music tour, which came through Nashville in November, Chapman started a campaign called “Change for Orphans”. He asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted and given to a local family to aid in their adoption process.“I don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension,” said John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association.“He talks about his kids all the time. That’s his life. His kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure.”The tragedy was announced during Wednesday-night services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. Maria had just graduated from the church preschool.And word spread throughout the tight-knit Christian music community on Wednesday evening.Styll got the news not long after Maria’s death.“I’m confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this,” he said.Most of the Chapman family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be contacted. The long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of Franklin was blocked off by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies.

Compassion International

Well, even though I am out of school I seem to stay pretty busy!!! For Mother's Day Michael asked me what I wanted and I told him I wanted another child. He gulped thinking back to the day that he had the big snip snip. But then I calmed him down when I told him about Compassion International. So on Mother's Day morning we sat down as a family and sponsored a little boy by the name of Max Ferson. He lives in Haiti and is the same age as Zack. All of my information came in today and I am very excited!!!
I had heard about Compassion before but through one of the blogs I read (Boomama) I learned much more about it!!! All of these bloggers took a trip to Uganda and blogged about their experience in African visiting Compassion projects. It was amazing to see what they were experiencing. Go check out her story. It will make you laugh, cry and give you a better understading of what Compassion is all about.

p.s. I have some camping pictures coming soon...

Happy Mother's Day!!

To all of the Mothers out there...Happy Mother's Day!!!
I am enjoying mine!! Little of this, little of that, equals a great day!!!

I promise I am still here, I have been done with school since May 1st, and you would think I would have all of this time to post, but I just haven't!!! I have lots of fun stuff to blog about, so hopefully this week!!!

Enjoy the day!