Super No Fun

Evangeline had a little oral surgery of her own today.

While we were getting ready for church this morning my poor baby fell down and bit all the way through her bottom lip. She was very brave, even though it bled non-stop for a long time.

At the emergency room our Chatty Cathy was a total doll saying, "Hi! Ha you?" to everyone we passed and telling the nurse exactly what happened "Oh noooo! Fall down! Boke mouth! Super no fun!"

When the doctor examined her while attempting to explain what he was going to be doing, he mentioned her mouth and teeth, so she interjected with a long discussion while pointing out her other body parts.

"Feet! Bo-bo! (elbow) Finnahs! (fingers) Cheek! Belly Bubbon! (belly button)"

I think that he'd forgotten what conversations with 20-month-old babies are like!

And, when she had to be restrained while she was getting stitched she pitched an admirable fit and yelled at the doctor, "No no! Let go! Don't touch! Now, just settle down!"

6 stitches later we were ready to go and we left with her calling out "Thank you!" and "Have a happy day!" I think she brightened everyone's morning.


Not bad after a whole lot of "super no fun"!

Evangeline & Mama at the ER

Earth Day: He's Got The Whole World in His Hands

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

(Gen 1.1)

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." (Ps 24:1)

"Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool." (part of Isa 66.1)

Well, happy Earth Day to you! It's not easy being GREEN, but today's a great day to start!

Yes, we're still breathing! Thankyouthankyouthankyou to the sweet friends who've been checking in on us. I'm so grateful for you dear ones.

Woah daddy, we've been so busy these last few weeks! I was complaining to the Lord last week that I've been so tired and He reminded me that just before this cuckoo season He refueled and refreshed me on my Mama Weekend Away. God is so GOOD! The day after I got home the babies got sick with high fevers and then we spent the next weeks passing it around and around. Between sickness and insomnia over the tremendous amount on our plate right now, I realized that I've not had one solid night's sleep since!

So, now we're finally coming up for air. Whew!

What have we been up to? Well, for starters, we are starting another GREEN business so we've been doing lots of research, lots of planning, and lots of talking out the details. More on that later.

We visited the Redmans (who travelled with us to Ethiopia -- love them!) out in the desert which was such a fantastic time, and then enjoyed having them as houseguests, too! Except for the tragic moment when I dropped their camera in the pool (yep, I did -- Darn it!), it was really great.

We stayed out at La Quinta Resort and baked in the sun.

We have been (and currently are still) fighting off homeschool spring fever. I've been searching for a new helper and researching new materials for next year which is fun, but a little daunting too. All you homeschooling mamas, what are you teaching?

And I have been scrubbing my house from top to bottom, getting rid of everything that's not nailed down or running away shreiking in terror. (My sister, Becky, psychoanalyzed me and said that I'm trying to have a sense of control over the chaos over the last few months... Hmmm, she might have something there.) Anyway I've been cleaning everything in sight, and preparing for a garage sale at said sister's house because our community is too snooty to let us have one here (Isn't that dumb?!).

We also had a delightful OCEAN (Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network) family supper at our home last weekend. Such a great time. We can hardly wait to get together with you all again, and meet the new babies who will be home by then! Yahoo!!!

We took a field trip to the Long Beach Aquarium, and then another one to the San Juan Capistrano Mission and Zoomars which is a really cool, huge, exotic petting zoo. And we took a boat ride out in the Newport Harbor which we haven't done in so long. That is always a treat.

*pictures are coming. I'm months behind in editing and downloading photos. (Suzi, I promise to send you a memory card of our desert pics as soon as possible. Thanks for forgiving me my butterfingers!)

See what I mean? Busy! It's all good, but it's been a LOT! I've had to be reminded by the Lord that He's is charge. He's in control even when times are crazy, or worrisome, or I'm anxious about what we're supposed to do, or what He has planned, or just exhausted from too much too much! He's got the whole world in His hands.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of His glory." (part of Isa 6.3)

Just for fun I'm adding on this little bit sunshine from the great Ray Charles...

The Church of Oprah

I don't watch Oprah (except for having seen Tom Cruise jumping on her couch on YouTube), so I don't know if this is a shock to her viewers. It is to me!

"Jesus answered,

"I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14.6

Owen's Mommy & Daddy

Here's another case for very happy tears! This beautiful guy is Owen who is waiting in China for his Forever Family to come and bring him home. The photo he is holding is his first glimpse of his new mommy and daddy, Rebecca & Andy!

April OCEAN Dinner!

Please come!

Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network

Family Potluck Supper
Saturday, April 19th, 6:00

At the Hausams in Orange

RSVP with a comment in this post or in the guestbook & sign up to bring a dish to share!

Oral Surgery Bites!

I have to have surgery again, and I'm a major baby about it. Can you hear my boohooing?

Due to the hyperemesis I had during my pregnancies, I developed pretty serious loss of gum tissue on all four canines. Years ago I had the first surgery done, and let me just say that I would rather deliver a 15 lb. baby than do that ever again!

The periodontist didn't sedate me during the surgery, and it was only then in his chair that I learned that the tissue needed for the "grafting material" was going to be "harvested" from the roof of my mouth. Seriously. I nearly barfed in my mouth just now thinking about it!

So needless to say, pretty fast I was asking him for large quantities of intravenous drugs, or a baseball bat, or a couple of good swigs of moonshine, or absolutely anything to knock me out cold. He didn't go for it.

After he was done, and I'd sweated the dental chair completely soaking wet and clawed through the armrests, I didn't even have the energy to curse him and all his relations. I just left and swore to the heavens never, ever to return.

Now, when my dentist told me that he was going to have to insist that I go ahead with the other three canines after waiting all these years I told him, "Oh yeah, you and what army are going to make me?!" He assured me that there are now new methods that don't involve the scraping of any tissue from the very sensitive roof of my poor mouth, and promised that his assistant, Veronica, who is also a friend of mine, would call with the info.

The next day, Veronica reached me and started to read me the literature about the new surgery. "Blah blah blah... blah blah blah... provides the missing components needed to restore health to damaged or receding tissue. It is donated human tissue that has been processed..."

*silence*

"Oh my goodness, Laurie, I can't even read the rest of this! I'm getting clammy and lightheaded! I think I'm going to faint! The room is spinning!"

*Veronica takes several deep breaths*

After she recovered and said she'd just send me the information, I joked, "Wow, Veronica, what an endorsement! You should be their spokesperson!"

You know, I don't think I could ever eat again with Dead Joe's gums in my mouth. On the other hand, that would really help me get thin! But, then you have to consider the astronomical cost, too. Yes, dear reader, after the periodontist does this horrible, awful thing to your mouth which takes weeks and weeks to recover from, you get the bill... and need to go to the hospital again because you have a heart attack when you find out what you owe for the pleasure of his services! You could go on a very nice vacation for the cost of this surgery.

Which would I prefer? A week at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, or the scraping of tissue from the roof of my mouth, or surgery to graft Dead Joe's gums onto mine? Hmmm... let me think on that a minute.

The Year of Living Thankfully (Part 3)

(Well, I guess it's better late than never to finally post my March thankful list. I've been up to my eyeballs with life here at home. Bad blogger!)

"Praise the Lord, O my soul;

and all that is within me, praise His Holy Name."

Psalm 103:1

1. Thank You, Lord, for Ricker's 12th birthday trip to Pismo Beach -- visiting Hearst Castle, Michael and Ricker's thrilling loop-de-loop biplane ride, and an elegant birthday dinner.


2. Walking on the otherworldly sand dunes with my boys feeling very Star Wars-ish (Ricker is an epic SW fan), horseback riding on the beach, driving down the coast listening to Third Day, Jars of Clay, Rita Springer, Kutless, and Chris Lizotte


3. Taking an early morning walk in the hills with the kids. Learning (again and again) not to be such a crank with my sweet babies.


4. Finally letting God's timing be God's timing. Cutting off my ridiculous hair! Hitting the beach at the Dana Point Harbor after schoolwork


5. Bumping into a dear old friend and hearing such good news


6. Homeschooling... what an honor it is!


7. My Mama Weekend away starting with a precious call from my friend, Emily, at just the perfect time! The Lord knew I needed it! Thank You, Father, that you RUN to the weary and give them rest.


8. Waking up early, walking on the beach, talking with the Lord, digging into my new Bible, rejoicing in every moment of the day


9. A long, wonderful day at the beach reading, napping, bodysurfing, walking on the shore. God's fantastic sense of humor (my encounter with the supermodels)


10. Worshipping God. It astounds me that the God of all Creation yearns for relationship with His workmanship! Driving home and seeing the beauty that the Lord has caused to spring up out of utter loss in the wildfires just a few months ago.


11. Waking up to my sweet family, hugging and kissing them feeling so grateful for every day we get to spend together!


12. Watching the sunrise with my precious snugglebunny Evangeline nursing a high fever.


13. A long evening with my sweetheart talking and laughing


14. Dinner out with dear friends, the Yateses!


15. Thank You, Lord, that the Clark family is now HOME!


16. Party time! Today we celebrated Mark, Lisa, and Michael's birthdays as a family and had such a fun time. Thank You, Jesus, for our dear family.


17. St. Pat's at the zoo, a wonderful phonecall with Emily, Happy 46th to our brother, Mark


18. Learning that when prayer doesn't seem to be doing very much, I need to ask the Lord HOW to pray and then pray some more. Happy 39th to our sister, Lisa!


19. Happy 39th to Michael!!! (even though he spent his bday dipping feverish babies into a tepid bath and administering Tylenol and Motrin and lots of hugs)


20. A fairly quiet week at home together as a family. Even though we're not well it's been so nice just to lounge around together.


21. The Love of Jesus on this Good Friday


22. That God had a different plan than I did for our Easter break! Your will, Lord, not my own! Focusing this week on communion with Christ.


23. He conquered death! HE IS RISEN! Thank You, Lord, that the fever that has hounded us is gone and we can go to church on Easter Sunday! Leading worship with Rick & Lori Kamrath, Easter brunch with our dear family, egg hunting with Ray Ray for the first time!


24. Precious baby boy Yates! Alexander kids! God, You are so GOOD!


25. Getting to congratulate Karen in person.


26. The Terrific Twos... Yes, I'm going to be thankful and rejoice through the Twos!
27. Hitting the road for our field trip to Santa Barbara, one of our favorite places in the world.


28. Taking a long walk along the waterfront in SB, seeing the Mission, the wharf, the harbor, and our beloved Westmont College


29. Walking, talking, and praying together as a family, enjoying the sunset on Miramar Beach in Montecito (very near where Michael and I got engaged)
    
30. Leading worship with Chris Lizotte, visiting with Papa, Grams, Uncle John, Auntie Marilyn, Uncle Don, Cousins Harry & Susan, lunch with Buddy & Becky. AND, a fabulous date night out on the town in L.A. with Michael to go see Wicked!


31. Learning to trust the Lord more every day!