Philippians 4:4-14

This is one of our favorite passages. Although Jason had it memorized a long time ago, he patiently worked with us until we got it. :)

The Outback Kangaroo Farm

Yesterday, we went on a wonderful field trip up in Arlington. Click on the title of the post to go to their website. They are also a Christmas Tree u-cut farm.

Chasing the Turkey.

Petting one of the many Wallabies.


Petting the friendly llama.




Holding a baby kangaroo.

Easy Chocolate Cheesecake

I modified this recipe from "Kraft Food & Family" recipe booklet that comes free in the mail.
Click on this link to subscribe to your own :
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/FoodFamilyArchive/FoodAndFamilyArchiveLanding.aspx

Crush 24 oreo cookies.

Combine with 1/4 cup melted butter.

Add some chocolate chips (if you like).

Press into a greased 9/13 dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

Blend 3 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1.5 Tablespoons flour, and 1 tsp vanilla until creamy.

Add 1 package of melted Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares.

Add 3 eggs.

Pour over crust and bake approximately 37 minutes or until the center is almost set.

Cool and then chill for 4 hours.

Serve with an ice cold glass of milk!

Emmett Turns 7!

Emmett and his Wall-E cake at Creation Station.

Getting to add his handprints to the hundreds of other birthday prints at Creation Station.

Waking up to balloons on his bed...an annual tradition.

Birthday morning -- reading his card before opening his presents.

We love you, Emmett!

Seems I Am ALWAYS Speaking TOO Soon!

As soon as I give a good report, the doctor's office calls with something new.... I'm going to have to start putting a 24-hour hold on anything I want to post, just to make sure the information is accurate. :)

My doctor was worried about my heart rate being so high, so I am being put on a different blood pressure medicine. This will be my fourth in the last few months. Hopefully, this one will work the way they want it to.

My main concern: this new medication is a beta-blocker. I've been on a different beta-blocker in the past with poor results. My muscles would scream in protest any time I put out the least bit of exertion. Washing my hair, climbing the stairs, doing the laundry...it was all very difficult. I would appreciate prayers that this new med will work without the side effects.

Another prayer request: My headaches continue to be a major issue. While the doctors have given me some prescriptions to help me cope, I am concerned for the baby.

Thank you.

Praise!

All my labs from yesterday's tests came back looking good. Yeah!!!

A Special Visit.

Uncle Josh and Cousin Oliver visiting all the way from the East Coast this weekend. What a treat!

March 17th has Finally Arrived!

Emmett wants to know why his Dad has to be at work on a "HOLIDAY"! LOL.

Here are the remaining pictures of this year's adventure:

A farewell gift and note.

A tasty potato.

A hat left behind and "Pinch Protection".

Breakfast.

Not So Fast...

Well, hmmm. My doctor was looking over my chart today and decided that she wanted me back for more tests today at 1:30. My blood pressure has been really high the last two visits and they felt the need to investigate.

So, the decision was to change my BP medication, which I'm fine with except for one small detail: the one possible side effect of this new med is headaches! I'm so prone to headaches that this REALLY freaks me out.

Also, they are running a very unpleasant test that I find inappropriate to write about here, but that I'll tell you about, if you ask. :) I'll be going back in for a blood draw on Monday and then back in to have my BP checked again on the 25th.

Summary: I'm tired and my head hurts.

Looking Good...

Today's doctor appointment was smooth and uneventful and I am not scheduled to return until next month. Yahoo!

It is amazing how far technology has come though. Today, I got to see the baby on a tiny, hand-held, portable ultrasound machine. Quite neat! Baby and the baby's heartbeat are still looking good.

Prayer Request:
For my headaches. I was free from headaches for a couple weeks, but it seems I am not immune to them. I got one Monday that lasted for a good 24 hours and it seems to be threatening to return.

Still Trying to Catch a Leprechaun!

Emmett made this incredible trap which entices a Leprechaun to disobey the sign. There WERE gold flecks (of foil) sitting on top of the hat to lure the little fellow even more. Once the Leprechaun gets to the top, if he steps on the hat, he will fall in! Hee Hee!

Well, the Leprechaun was not to be outsmarted this time. He left behind a chocolate version of himself inside the hat trap.

YUMMY Chocolate Cake

For Jason’s birthday yesterday, I made this chocolate cake from "The Cake Doctor" and topped it with a vanilla buttercream. The cake is so moist and perfect!

1 package chocolate fudge cake mix
1 small (3 oz) package of chocolate instant pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Mix it all together. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. I baked mine in a greased 9x13 for 40 minutes. The recipe calls for a greased/floured bundt pan for 45-50 minutes. Test cake by touching it with your finger…if it bounces back and it is beginning to pull away from the pan, it is done.

Franz Family Bakery Tour

On Friday, March 6, our homeschool group took a wonderful tour of the Franz Bakery in Seattle. What a treat!

Good News, Good News, and More Good News

The first good news is that the doctor has finally decided that nothing out of the ordinary is going on in my ovary. What they were seeing on the ultrasound and what is causing me pain is just the corpus luteum...which is now diminishing in size. I am so grateful to God for His mercy in this situation.

The second bit of good news is that baby is doing very well. Measuring at 9.4mm and with the heart beating 140bpm, things are progressing right along. The current estimate is that I am at 7 weeks today. Today's picture of the baby is very cute and the arm buds are clearly visible. This baby is going to have a full album of photos before s/he is even born.

And, finally, the doctor has moved my original "initial" appointment up to next Wednesday, the 11th. With all my health issues and history, I was concerned about it being scheduled as late as March 24th, and apparently, so was my doctor. :) They ran a full blood panel today and we are rolling right along!

Thank you for all the encouragement and prayers and checking in on me. This "near-crisis" has shown me how many friends I truly have.

Leprechaun Mischief

All sorts of mischief have been taking place around our home the last couple of days.

Emmett's first Leprechaun trap was to put double-sided, non-drying adhesive on a piece of paper with a penny in the middle as bait.

The next morning, the penny was gone and in its place was written "Nice Try!" in green ink. The unfortunate Leprechaun tore his clothes on the adhesive though, leaving a swatch behind.

Emmett added additional adhesive to the trap and tried it again the next night. Again, the penny was gone, and a swatch of clothing was left behind.

Here is a picture of the pieces of Leprechaun cloth that were caught in Emmett's trap!

Here is a picture of a coin that Emmett discovered on the floor in our family room. He soon received a note in green ink that said "Little Human, Give me back my coin!" Emmett has decided to use this coin as bait in one of his other traps, perhaps on the night of March 16th, when there should be plenty of mischief going on.

In the meantime, there have been other strange happenings going on around our home. Our milk has turned green and a green ribbon bow was tied around Emmett's stuffed dog.

Stay tuned to see a photo of Emmett's latest trap. He is still building it and we have high hopes that we'll be getting a pot of gold out of the deal!

St. Patrick's Day Fun

This was posted on our front door yesterday.

Here is the full text:

WARNING!

This memo is being sent to all Bothell community postal customers.

There have been numerous sightings of leprechaun mischief across our area in the past several weeks.

Government officials expect the pranks to increase as we get closer to St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th.

Please be on the lookout for signs that the leprechauns have targeted you or your home. We urge everyone to prepare for such attacks in advance.

Protect yourselves and your home by setting traps. As it is well known in legend, if you catch a leprechaun, he must give you a pot of gold. But, beware! They are sneaky tricksters and will most likely outsmart you at every turn.

Be on the lookout for these common signs that you have been targeted and that you need to take precautions: green in unusual places, things of beauty or interest going missing, and pranks being played on you.

You’ve been warned! Be prepared!

As you can see, the Leprechauns had already seen it and vandalized it.

Emmett has been designing and setting traps ever since.

We'll keep you posted on what happens next.

And The Process Continues...

Today's ultrasound was really exciting. Baby is doing so well! The heart was beating 115 times per minute and the crown-to-rump length is 8 mm. The picture of baby actually shows some shape instead of just a little dot.

BUT...they aren't letting me off the hook to join the ranks of "normal pregnancies" yet. Whatever is going on in my left ovary is still there and they want to continue to monitor it closely. I had another blood draw today and I'm scheduled for a FOURTH ultrasound (and blood draw) on Thursday afternoon.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying. I feel so covered in prayer. The baby is looking so great and I am feeling really good. I've been headache free and [other than some slight discomfort on my side] things are fairly uneventful.

The main prayer request is that whatever it is in my ovary (the twin, as they are currently assuming) will go away on its own so that I don't have to have surgery, which would be risky for the baby. And, that if it doesn't go away on its own, that they will get to it before it ruptures, which would be extra risky for the baby (and for me).

I'll try to post again on Thursday after my appointment.