Sing and Make Music

Praise the Lord!

How good it is to sing praises to our God;

for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

He heals the brokenhearted, 

and binds up their wounds.

Joshua trying out Daddy's electric guitar

Ever since Emily died, Joshua has complained of stomach aches. Until last fall. 

The summer of 2012 the Lord did miraculous healing in my own grief and thus in the grief journeys of my children. Ever since then, Joshua has not complained of stomach pain.

Josh has been ITP free for over one year now.

Joshua's blood sugar levels are steadily (and very slowly) improving. (We are giving him Prickly Pear Extract- a natural source of insulin).

Madelynn with Davidic harp (lyre)

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; 

make melody to our God on the lyre.

Rachel with harp

Rachel continues to eat gluten, with no side effects. Does she still have Celiac? We don't know, but we do know that she is happy, content, learning, growing and exploring. She is showing no signs of disease.

Hudson tooting on the recorder

Let Israel be glad in its Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

(Psalms 147, 149 & 150)

Uppy-datey

I haven't given an update on the kids in awhile. I know some of you enjoy that, and I enjoy remembering what new things they are up to. So I'll begin...

Dressed for summer.

Hudson with a green bean up his nose.
Don't worry, it's organic.

I'll start with Hudson (2 yrs), or our little "pie" as Rachel calls him. She has all sorts of pet names for him. He and Madelynn weigh the same, their heads are the same size, but he is still shorter than her. He enjoys tackling his siblings by running and then pushing them over with his arms wrapped around their waist. It is quite funny to watch as he barrels them over. He's a sturdy kid, for our family anyway. He's laid back, mostly happy, even when he wears his serious face. Hudson is also our parrot. He will mimic whatever you say, usually the last one-two words of your sentence. Which makes communication difficult, but he is getting better. He calls Mommy "cute" and proclaims Mommy is also "cutest". Hudson admits that Josh, Rachel, Meh-meh and Daddy are also "cute". He loves the Piano Guys and plays the "cello" rocking out in the middle of the living room floor. It's just the toy ukulele we have and it's usually upside down. This morning the first thing Hudson said to me was, "Cello Wars!" Hmm-mm. Yes, I think we have a little groupie.

Meh-meh (as Hudson calls her) with some
of her stuffed animals stuffed in her
nightgown.

Madelynn (3.5 yrs) is our little blue-eyed joy. Full of smiles, hugs, cuddles, jumps and wiggles. She is learning a mile a minute along side her older brother and sister. She hates baths (yes, still), shares a double bed with her sister, loves being read to, and loves pancakes. Right now she is in the transition from taking one nap a day to taking zero naps a day. Sometimes it's a hard balance to figure out what she needs. She can rattle off numbers 1-10 in Thai faster than in English. She also is working on her emotional stability and the ability to use her words rather than her emotions. That said, she is like my (Renee) little shadow if she's not running around with Hudson. Unless of course, Nina (Renee's mom) is in the house, then it's Nina's turn to have a shadow!

Stuffed animals and dolls dressed in doll clothes.
These doll clothes my mom made for
my Patty Pumpkin doll when I was a child.
Now they have been given to R and M
and R has had a great time dressing up her "friends".

Rachel (6 yrs) is our growing artist. She loves to draw, decorate, organize, create and tape. Did I say tape? We go through alot of tape. She enjoys keeping a piece of tape on her chin, just in case. Rachel loves to give gifts (another reason for the use of tape) and often gives Joel and/or I something new. She is full of love and hugs and notes full of hearts and stars. She is also learning to read. Rachel is a wonderful big sister to Madelynn, taking care of her when Mommy can't and taking her by the hand in "shy" situations. Madelynn soaks it in and loves being cared for, most of the time.
Rachel is also, no longer gluten free. 

Rachel lifting Hudson up

Yes, you read that correctly. For the last month and a half or more, Rachel has been eating like the rest of the family: wheat toast, cross-contaminated oats, whole wheat noodles, Red River cereal, etc. We haven't gotten her tested again for Celiac Disease, but she is experiencing no symptoms of this disease any longer.
Four years ago Rachel was diagnosed with Celiac and put on a strict gluten free diet. A year ago I came across this article and decided to give it a try after praying about it. What they said in the article made sense and it was how we wanted to eat anyway-more healthy, more whole grains, less processed foods.
Well, all I can say is, I am amazed. It was frightening at first letting Rachel eat a whole slice of wheat bread. But after awhile, I got used to it. And after seeing no ill side effects, it seems natural now for Rachel to eat like us. She loves it by the way. Rachel had her first cinnamon bun and loved unrolling it as she ate it. She also had her first malted milk ball.
Maybe someday down the road we'll get her tested, but right now we are just rejoicing in God's goodness and mercy to us.

Joshua (8 yrs) has really been into building and creating and then taking pictures of what he has created. Whether it's Legos, blocks from wood kindling, Duplos, train and road systems, he enjoys building. (At the moment of this typing he is with his grandpa playing with an old Erector Set) His favorite right now is to create a city and of course add the cars and trucks to his building creations. Here are a few of the photos Joshua took himself:

A recent highlight for Josh was when a long time buddy and his family came to visit. Oliver and Josh have been good pals for their whole lives. This last time they had fun making a way cool robot out of Legos:

Joshua and Oliver with a Robot

After seeing the Piano Guys play music that he likes to listen to, Joshua has expressed interest in learning to play the cello! We were happy to hear that, but in our family, learning piano comes first as it's such a foundational learning instrument. So now Josh is learning piano, and so far, he is motivated to play.

And I will end with a family photo.

Thanks for checking in and reading this far!

May God bless you with His wonderful Presence.

A "hey! everyone's smiling and looking at the camera
and not blinking!" family photo

A New Year's Day Praise

Lots of changes have been happening in our home. Bedrooms and office switched around, Mommy and Daddy moved into the new bedroom downstairs, stuff that used to be in the basement is now upstairs or in the cold room. Cleaning, organizing and setting up. Along with all this change, the kids wanted to switch their places around at the table... 

This morning, breakfast was placed, as usual, on the table, at each place setting. But due to habit and miscommunication, Rachel, (our gluten free girl), ate a wheat muffin for breakfast.

Everyone felt horrible about it. Joel and I held our girl, knowing of the pain and discomfort that would come with having ingested gluten. We prayed for her, asking God to allow the muffin to work its way through with no side effects.

And now is the part I want to shout Hallelujah! Because that was 9:30 this morning. And now it is 3:45 in the afternoon. Nothing. No pain, no tummy aches, no complaining of any kind. 

Isn't this amazing??!! I mean, it was a WHEAT muffin!  

Thank you God for sparing my child and letting us see your miraculous power! Praise the Lord!

Immortality

I have a confession to make.

The Bible says to confess your sins to one another so this is an attempt at that. The Bible also says Do not covet. That means, don't want what other people have, be content with what God has given me, be thankful.

So, here's my confession:

I covet other people's healthy, living children.

There. I said it. It's out there. And as I say this, I have two fully healthy children. Though I am incredibly grateful for them I brace myself for the day that Madelynn will come down with some awful, life threatening disease- like her 3 older siblings. I dread the day that Hudson will end up in the emergency room like his brother. 

I see other people's children. Healthy. Happy. Living. They can eat what they want. And it does not affect them. They can go out for ice cream without a second thought. Restaurants and festivals are not intimidating.

Children laughing and yelling, not silent and dead in the ground.

A friend posted this quote awhile back. And it has changed my view of people, of life and of eternity...

you don't have a soul.

 you ARE a soul.

you have a body.

-c.s.lewis

My children are SOULS. Living souls who yearn for heaven just like I do. We are souls made in the Image of the Eternal God Himself. These bodies we walk around in may be full of disease and death. But that does not change the fact that we are souls full of life. 
Joshua is not a diabetic. He is an immortal, treasured soul whose body has the disease called diabetes.
Rachel is not celiac. She is a precious soul made in the likeness of her Maker but her body cannot handle gluten at this time.
Emily is not dead and silent in the ground. Her body is dead and silent. SHE is alive, because she is a soul, an eternal soul like her Creator.

So though this life is not "fair", I am grateful for my God. The God of hope and restoration. Of life and heaven. For Him, I am grateful. And for Him, I will not covet. For Him, I will not compare my children with others. For Him, my heart will be grateful. 

And to Him, I pray that all my children will someday have a heaven day like our Emily.

Some News And Silliness

(The moving van; complete with a road biker)

My (Renee) parents (lovingly referred to as Papa and Nina, respectively) have moved here all the way from Indiana! It's great to see them and spend time with them. Of course, the kids are loving having their grandparents so close. It's a real treat! We are very grateful to have them here. They spent the first two nights at our house and then moved over to a resort in town, where they will be helping clean cabins and do other miscellaneous tasks to help out some dear friends. No, Papa will not be bored here. :)

(Rachel's artistic interpretation of Papa and Nina)

(The excited kids)

~ * ~

Here's a video of the kids being silly a few weeks ago::

~ * ~

We have put Rachel on a new diet starting last April and already have seen marvelous improvements. She has turned into a sparkly, happy young girl full of talkative energy and silliness. We no longer have to be so concerned about cross contamination with gluten and I can make wheat bread with Rachel standing next to me- with no after effects. Praise the Lord!

~ * ~

(Hudson helping with the dishes)

Yes, he really helps. Gotta train them early ya know! He shuts the soap door, the dishwasher door and then I help him with the buttons. It's really cute, I wish you could see it.

~ * ~

I just love summer vacation! No "formal" homeschooling, we all get to play more.

Here are some park pictures:

(Daddy being silly on Joshua's bike)

(The trio)

~ * ~

A first loose tooth for Rachel!

~ * ~

One day a year.

Two families.

Up to eight kids so far.

Josh (7); Boston (6); Rachel (5); Trinity (4); Madelynn (3); Asher (2); Hudson (1); Harper (0/3 mo)

That one day is Trinity's birthday. She turns four. Tomorrow Boston will turn 7.

~ * ~

 (A Mommy Madelynn Moment)

~ * ~

Friends! These friends are like family. We don't get to see them very often- but it sure is fun when we do!

 

(Where's Rachel?)

~ * ~

(Hudson and a picture of Josh: both at about 18 months old)

(Our toddler baby)

Hudson still isn't officially walking yet. He is taking his time, with all cautiousness, and with all expectancy to be served in the transportation department. He is really cute though, how can I deny him?? Especially when he plays peek a boo::

~ * ~    Happy Summer!    ~ * ~

A New Normal...

My New 'Normal'

Normal is having tears waiting behind every smile when you realize someone important is missing from all the important events in your family’s life.

Normal is reliving that day continuously through your eyes and mind.

Normal is every happy event in my life always being backed up with sadness lurking close behind, because of the hole in my heart.

Normal is staring at every baby who looks like she is my baby’s age. And then thinking of the age she would be now and not being able to imagine it. Then wondering why it is even important to imagine it, because it will never happen.


Normal is telling the story of your child’s death as if it were an everyday, commonplace activity, and then seeing the horror in someone’s eyes at how awful it sounds. And yet realizing it has become a part of my “normal”.


Normal is each year coming up with the difficult task of how to honor your child’s memory and her birthday and survive these days.


Normal is my heart warming and yet sinking at the sight of something special that my daughter would have loved, but how she is not here to enjoy it.


Normal is having some people afraid to mention my child.


Normal is making sure that others remember her.


Normal is after the funeral is over everyone else goes on with their lives, but we continue to grieve our loss forever.


Normal is weeks, months, and years after the initial shock, the grieving gets worse sometimes, not better.


Normal is not listening to people compare anything in their life to this loss, unless they too have lost a child. NOTHING. Even if your child is in the remotest part of the earth away from you – it doesn’t compare. Losing a parent is horrible, but having to bury your own child is unbelievable.


Normal is trying not to cry all day, because I know my mental health depends on it.


Normal is realizing I do cry everyday.


Normal is being impatient with everything and everyone, but someone stricken with grief over the loss of  their child.


Normal is a new friendship with another grieving mother, talking and crying together over our children and our new lives.


Normal is wondering this time whether you are going to say you have four children or three, because you will never see this person again and it is not worth explaining that my baby is in heaven. And yet when you say you have three children to avoid that problem, you feel horrible as if you have betrayed your baby.


Normal is knowing I will never get over this loss, in a day or a million years.


And last of all, Normal is hiding all the things that have become “normal” for you to feel, so that everyone around you will think that you are “normal”.


-Author Unknown   




A friend posted this on her blog. A lot of what the Unknown Author writes about I can relate to, but not all do I necessarily agree with. I know Emily is in heaven, and I know all things will be restored, made new, tears wiped away when Jesus returns- hence I will get over the loss someday. 




Joel and I are learning and relearning that "normal" is very relative. So much happens that everyone is constantly adjusting. It doesn't take a big event (ie: loss, diagnosis, new child) to throw our old normal out the window. Usually it's just the mundane things- like a child eating 3-4 times more than usual because of a growth spurt, or a wave of sickness hits the house, or getting to bed late too many days in a row, I could go on and on. And all these things happen one after the other. That's the part I can't get over: Our family is in the middle of dealing with one episode of Something and then Another Thing comes along and we need to deal with that and then look out! Here come Something Unexpected and then Not That Again in the same week. It's a whirlwind. And through all of it there are the daily chores we all need to keep up on. Whew!  It's so very easy to get caught up in this whirlwind. And then get irritable about it. It doesn't take much for me these days. Last weekend I pretty much had a permanent look of exasperation on my face. 



Doesn't God say, 'Children do not exasperate your parents or they will become discouraged?'


Um, no. It doesn't. I think what God says is, "Rejoice always, pray continually, in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


Seems impossible, Lord.


"With God, nothing is impossible."
"The fruit of the Spirit (italics mine) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."


Oh, humility. Where art thou? Thou art shy and fleeting, yet without you, I cannot walk in the Spirit.
May we all find this humility that Christ spoke of.

"Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

who, existing in the form of God, 

counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 

but emptied himself, 

taking the form of a servant, 

being made in the likeness of men; 

and being found in fashion as a man, 

he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, 

yea, the death of the cross. 

Wherefore also God highly exalted him, 

and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 

that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 

and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father." 

He Heals All Our Diseases...

  What do you do with a verse (see title) like that?

Why does our seven year old boy need to live with this consuming, painful, expensive, wasteful disease?

Why should our little boy need a man-made pancreas? 

(The box above contains Joshua's new insulin pump.)

Or why does our little girl need to deal with a disease that separates her from everyone else? 

(Yes that photo above has two toasters. One's Gluten Free, the other is gluten.)

How do you explain to your baby that she will never go outside, why she has tubes down her throat 24/7, needs a machine to breathe for her and is constantly being poked and beeped at? 

And then she leaves before we say goodbye.

And yet through all of this darkness

there is love...

And spring times...

The Lord is my strength.

And the Lord shines through Joel like a beacon, like a lighthouse.

I am so thankful for them both.

Rambles

Hi I just thought I'd type and see what happens.

To start off I'll begin by saying Hudson has five teeth now. Two bottom and three top. He's crawling too. Yes, I forgot to tell you. He crawls kinda funny though. How do I explain it? He crawls like, well, like a girl. You know, girls who crawl and wear dresses? Well, he crawls like he's wearing a dress, sticking one leg out and folding the other in. Maybe I should just take a picture sometime. It really is quite entertaining.

He claps. He babbles. He's cute. He eats pizza.

let's see, onto Rachel. Rachel is five, I think you know that already. She is a great big sister. Great as in wonderful. Just tonight, she was teaching Madelynn some simple arithmetic lessons, on the chalkboard of course. 1 plus 1 is 2, 2 plus 2 is four, 3 plus 3 is six. The funny thing about it though, was that Madelynn was actually getting it. Maybe I'll just have Rachel teach Preschool and I'll teach the First Grade.

Recently I found a whole grain gluten free flour mix recipe. Why is this so great? Gluten free flour is usually made up of starches and calorie rich, low vitamin flours. In other words, not so healthy. There are lots of different grains out there that are naturally gluten free, are processed gluten free (see Bobs Red Mill), and are very nutritious. So if you are interested in what I found click here.

Did you know that chlorine is a gas? You probably do; I did not. And did you know that the chlorine in water will evaporate out in about 30 minutes? You probably do; I didn't. I thought about this gold nugget of information. I thought about why we bought Brita filters for our fridge water pitcher. I thought about how expensive these filters are. I thought about how clean our water already is without the Brita filters. I thought about how wasteful it is to throw those filters out every 1-2 months.  I decided to test my theory. I filled up a jug of city tap water and set it on the table. I came back about 45 minutes later. I poured myself a glass. I tasted it. I tasted..water. No chlorine taste. None. Now, we have no Brita filters in our fridge water pitcher.

Joshua's doing well. He's accepted the fact that he has Diabetes. Madelynn said one day, very seriously: "when I have Diabetes, I will become a boy."  His blood sugar levels have been steady, for which we are grateful- we've been told this phase won't last.  Joshua loves music and dancing. He also likes racing; racing his sisters in various things (like getting dressed); racing his toy cars; racing invisible "enemies". He pretends he is fast: he is Lightning McJoshua!

Purple Shooting Star, er, I mean, Madelynn is our other serious, tell-it-like-it-is child. Though goofiness is her other side. She hardly ever sits still (she's getting better...). Earth's gravitational pull seems to be slightly stronger where Madelynn is. Perhaps it is due to the fact that in order to keep up with Lightning McJosh and Pink Shooting Star, she must go so much faster than her little legs can handle. Perhaps one day she will become that purple shooting star and not need legs anymore. But in the meantime we have many kisses and tears, bruises and thumps. At least she's cute.

Joel and I are doing great. Recently we went to a marriage retreat about 20 minutes from home and had a blast together and with the many friends who also attended. My parents were visiting and did a wonderful job watching the kids. I am so grateful that we were able to get away for a few days yet still be close to home. I wasn't sure how it was going to go with Joshua's Diabetes. God gave us all a great peace and I didn't worry, but it was still good to be close.

How am I doing? Each day is different. Some days are hard, some days are a little easier. Some days I am overwhelmed by everything. Some days I feel like I can conquer anything.  Everyday I think of Emily..And wonder what she is doing, how she is doing, how old she is now, what she looks like.

One of the hardest things in meeting new people is one of the first questions that arise: "how many kids do you have?" I would always hesitate before answering. Sometimes I would say five, sometimes I would say four. Then, Joel and I decided we'd just say 'five kids' right away. No hesitation. Well, today I met someone new, and I told her I had four kids. I guess it's harder than I thought. I'm not condemning myself, I'm realizing how much I need Jesus to speak through me and not be afraid of the outcome.

This is a hyacinth bulb in a jar of water. Can you see the white roots coming down from the bulb? I have it sitting in a kitchen window by the sink. It's been exciting the last week or so watching the purple bloom coming up out of the green. And before that seeing the green point come up out of the dry looking bulb. What a beautiful science experiment for winter!

This is also a hope picture. After Emily died, it was extremely hard to picture us having children again. I wasn't sure what to expect or hope for after she died. I look at this picture to remind myself that there is always hope. Even when the future is uncertain, even if the bulb looks dry and dead, even if Hudson is out of focus, there is hope.

And hope is beautiful.

You Raise me Up

Selah - You Raise Me Up Lyrics

When I am down, and oh my soul, so weary.

When troubles come, and my heart burdened be.

Then I am still and wait here in the silence.

Until You come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains.

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders.

You raise me up to more than I can be.

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains.

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders.

You raise me up to more than I can be.

There is no life no life without its hunger.

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly.

But when you come and I am filled with wonder.

Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains.

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders.

You raise me up to more than I can be.

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains.

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders.

You raise me up to more than I can be.

***

He has risen me up.

It's been a long month, a long season of depending on Him for every bit of energy I need. I have teetered on the ridge of exhaustion, physically and emotionally. It is a fight to keep my thoughts from wandering to "And then what? Who's next to come down with some terrible disease?" 

These bodies are temporary. This life is fleeting. I cannot stake anything upon this world. Only in Christ, only in Him is it worth giving everything for.

Eucharisteo

I (Renee) remember a day this past summer where the kids and I were sitting at the beach, throwing rocks in the water. We happened to be sitting next to a mother and her preschool daughter. This little girl was eating some pretzels and decided to share them with her new friends. As she offered them to Rachel, my heart sank. Rachel shook her head and said bluntly, "I can't have gluten," and sat down facing me and started building something with the rocks. The little friend then offered them to Josh and Madelynn who accepted the pretzels. I had nothing with me to give to Rachel and, as I watched her, I felt helpless. J, M, and Little Friend proceeded to play and as they did, Rachel looks up at me suddenly. I'll never forget what she said to me- "Why did Jesus make me not to have gluten?" I swallowed hard and whispered "I don't know, Rachel." She looked down and kept playing. But I knew that her heart hurt just like mine.

This day, this moment of remembrance was brought to me because recently a similar moment happened with Joshua just a few days ago. We were home from the hospital and I was sitting in the living room. I don't remember where the other three kids were but I remember the living room being quiet. Joshua walks by and stops. I look up and he's looking at me. My heart hurts as I see him standing there, so small, so skinny from having lost weight, so helpless. He asks me a question- "Mommy, why did God give me diabetes?" There's pain in his voice and in his face. So much pain that I look away and shake my head. "I don't know Josh," is all I can whisper. He walks away and my heart cries out to God.

I don't know the answer to the question 'why', or even 'how'. But when my heart turns to God I find peace. He comforts me, and He tells me to thank Him. Thank Him in everything. So that is what I am doing. And that is what I can tell Rachel and Joshua. I may not know the answers but I know what we can do.

Happy Thanksgiving to you dear reader.

Herbs?

My friend, B, has been making tinctures. I had no idea what a tincture was, until a few weeks ago.

This website explained what a tincture was. Basically, it's a concentrate of herbs soaked in vodka or rum. You use this concentrate to cure whatever the herb is good for.

My friend had tried a cough tincture. She said it worked for her and her family. I was amazed so I started exploring the vast world of herbs. I'd only gotten as far as The Bulk Herb Store and became so overwhelmed, I quit.

But then a few days later, I tried again. This time I slowly explored with a few minutes here and a few minutes there. I gathered enough information from the website to start a few tincture ideas of my own, running the ideas past a more experienced friend. She gave me several tips and suggestions. I wrote down my shopping list and asked permission from my husband to buy some vodka from the liquor store.

I went shopping. I bought the herbs first at our local co-op. I found most of what I was looking for. I glanced quickly, out of habit, at their "free jars" section. Guess what I found? Praise God, I found three tincture bottles with droppers! For me, that was from God. I was making three different tinctures and there were the bottles for them. Thank you Jesus!

Next stop. The liquor store. This was awkward for me. I walked in and asked the two ladies at the front where the vodka was. They pointed me in the right direction, a wall of vodka. I found the cheapest bottle I could find and noticed all the labels saying, "made from grain." My heart skipped a beat. I realized Rachel might not be able to ingest even one drop of the medicine I was making if it had wheat or rye in it!! But I asked the ladies who worked there what vodka was made from. They were pretty sure it was from corn. But, somehow I had mentioned to the workers that my four year old daughter could not have wheat. One just looked at me and said, "You shouldn't feed your daughter wheat...or vodka!"

I explained my situation, which surprisingly she was interested in and wished me luck with it.

Later, I did a google search for vodka and gluten. I found that any distilled product does not contain gluten. So even though I found that vodka can be made from a variety of grains, including rye and barley, Rachel can safely ingest the tincture.

So to shorten this story, I have now four tinctures in the making. One for coughs, one immune booster, and two pain relievers: one for the children and one for adults. (Some herbs are more powerful than others and should not be given to children).

The leftover vodka I am making into vanilla extract.

So I'll let you know the results! If this works, I'm excited to never buy cough syrup again!

Freshly Baked

So I (Renee) am on the long adventure of cutting out preservatives and high fructose corn syrup out of my diet and mostly out of my family's diet. It's harder than I thought. But I think we've made some progress.

One of the ways we have accomplished part of this task is by making wheat bread again. Since Rachel was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in January 2009, we have not had a speck of wheat flour in the house. Why? There is a huge risk of cross contamination. Rachel has zero tolerance for gluten, and that means a single crumb of wheat bread could give her a miserable 24-36 hours.

But! Now that I am comfortable with preparing and maintaining a gluten free diet for my daughter, I am now comfortable with the thought of having wheat flour in the house. After a friend gave me a recipe for kneadless bread, I bought wheat flour and tried out the recipe. It was so great and so easy! So now we have homemade bread for everyone! And since it is kneadless, there is a very low risk for flour getting into the air and onto other cooking surfaces!! Yea!

Madelynn News

Here she is! She is scooting backwards, rocking on hands and knees, and very mobile. But not quite crawling yet. She gets stuck frequently as you can see here:


Last week Madelynn was tested for Celiac Disease. Since it is a genetic disease, Joel and I have decided to test all our kids. As you may know, Joshua does not have Celiac. And now, Madelynn does not either!! Hurrah!

Of Stables, Doc Visits, Christmas Trees, oh what else?

I think these are the best kind of blog posts: a little bit of everything. In my opinion they are more interesting, something for everyone. So here we go, but be prepared, some of it might be random...

So what shall I start with first?
How about some Christmas tree shopping?

Our family likes to cut our own tree down. It's cheaper and, (I think) way more fun.

Yes, that is Madelynn in the car seat on the sled. No, she didn't tip over, Joshua did a great job of holding onto her. :)


The Perfect Tree


Since our house is pretty small, we put our tree on the piano.

Since we are talking about Christmas I will go onto the next item of business:
In a previous post I mentioned making a nativity scene. It is coming along and I am enjoying it immensely. Here is the Stable:

And the first king:


Of course once Joshua and Rachel saw this, they wanted to play with it. So I made them a little "doll" for each of them. Joshua got to choose what colors he wanted, hence the blue hair and black arms:


Of Doctor Visits:

Today Madelynn had a doctor's visit. So for Grandparents' sake I thought I would mention everyone's height and weight:

Joshua: 35.2 pounds and 41 inches tall
Rachel: 29 pounds and 36.5 inches tall
Madelynn: 13.4 pounds and 24.5 inches long (tall?)

I want everyone to notice Rachel's weight. Now compare it to one year ago before her Celiac Disease diagnosis: 22 pounds. Yes. Rachel gained SEVEN pounds this past year. Amazing. I don't remember how tall she was last year, but she is now in the 38% instead of in the 10% on the growth charts. Hallelujah!

Madelynn is not gaining weight as much as she should but she did grow a whole inch over two months. She is not rolling but she is sitting with support. We shall see what the Lord has in store for our dear Madelynn...


Of Vicks and Feet

Joshua has had a cough lately. I think every parent knows about 2 am coughs and trying to be patient for that cough syrup or honey to kick in. Well, how about this?:

A friend from long ago emailed us a forward explaining this great benefit of Vicks. (You know, the petroleum jelly/vaseline with menthol and other essential oils?) Apparently if you rub a generous amount of Vicks on the bottom of your child's feet and place socks on, it will stop a cough in a matter of moments and will also prevent the child from coughing for hours and hours. I have to admit I was very skeptical. But Joel wanted to try it, so...

And you know what? It worked. Joshua did not cough at all the whole night. He did start coughing at the breakfast table, but Hey! 12 hours? no coughing? wow. So we tried it the next night on both Joshua and Rachel (Rachel had a stuffed up nose and was starting to come down with a cough also). Same thing, no coughing, and they slept great.

So pay attention Parents! Write that one down. Try it. And get some sleep!


Of Children Books


This book, The Little Blue Truck, has been a favorite ever since a friend gave it to the kids. The book has a fun rhyming rhythm and is about friendship. I highly recommend it.






So I believe that is all. I look forward to sharing with you more of the Nativity as it comes into being and our daily adventures here at home.