The Splan Clan

Grammy came to town!

2012-01-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

The beginning of 2012 started out wonderfully with a visit from Grammy! The last time she was able to come was when JJ was only 6 months old so we had a lot of catching up to do. Normally, our families always get together for Christmas, but this is the first year that we were not able to make it home to MI. So we decided to bring the family to us! We all had a blast. I am so blessed to have a wonderful mother in law. She and I get along very well and can enjoy each others company quite easily. I am so grateful for a wonderful relationship. She will never add up to my own wonderful mother, but she takes a close second for sure!

The kids had the most fun!

My husband has a very close relationship with his mom.

Cliffy even managed to enjoy some of Grammy's visit!

It was really hard to see her go! Good byes are so hard. We know that this is where God wants us to be right now, but being away from our parents can be extremely difficult. We praise the Lord for every time we are able to make it to MI to see them. My husbands current job does not allow very many vacation days whether they be paid or unpaid. We are praying fervently that God either changes his bosses heart or that Josh can find a better position once things settle down in our lives. There are a lot of things we can deal with but taking away our chance to see family is not one of them!

I, on the other hand, am enjoying a part time position for a middle school. I love working with middle school kids and am enjoying this opportunity immensely! My family is so blessed already this year. God is so good to us!

Miracle and JJ are loving life as always. Miracle is flying through second grade with ease. She enjoys academics and is starting to mature enough to save her social times for recess and after school! We still get an occasional 'T' for talking, but we are seeing a major improvement this year. JJ is growing like a weed. I get asked why he is not in school all the time. He is really big for his age, and I find myself explaining his late birth date quite often! I want to put bricks on both of their heads and hold onto these young years! We are enjoying that they can do more for themselves, but mommy says its going way to fast!

I hope you all are having a wonderful January! Tax season is upon us, and we are crossing our fingers for a decent return. With all the crazy events of last year, we just aren't sure how it will turn out! I will update again soon...PROMISE:)

Blog Stealer strikes again!

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000-06:00

Well, dear friends, my dear sister has been a bit busy. (Too busy to blog) During the holidays she was busy enjoying family as she should be. Since the holidays, she has been enjoying her wonderful mother-in-law. I was such a sweet sister to agree to bring Sue back from the wonderful state of Michigan so she could enjoy some time with her son and daughter-in-law. Sue and I decided to leave Michigan a little later than I normally would on my dad's advisement, because of weather. So, we get on the slightly still icy roads to head south. Smooth sailing through Michigan. Then we hit Ohio. Snow was blowing like crazy limiting visibility so we had to slow way down. We could not wait to reach Kentucky a state that was more south therefore less snow right? Um NOT. We hit Kentucky boarder and had smooth sailing for the first twenty miles. Then we hit snow and ice. We went from 70 mph to 10 mph. Our two hour trip through Ky turned into seven, and we were not even through the state. On all of my family's advisement we got off to find a hotel, just like all the other people in the traffic jams. Thankfully I am a northern driver and know how to drive in this stuff, but I was so scared of the crazy drivers around me who were flooring it on the ice. SCARY. After five hotels, I was ready to give up and continue. My wonderful sister Holly, got up to get online and reserve me a room at the hotel where I was waiting in line. After she did that, the twenty people in line seemed to speed up. We got our room slept and started again. Taking an alternate route home, we finally and safely made it to the state of SC. Holly was so worried bout us, but also so thankful to see us when we arrived here. Needless to say after all that rambling, Holly has been busy having a blast with her mother-in-law. Tomorrow will be the day that Sue heads back to the snowy state of Michigan, and Holly and I are going to be staying in abnormally warm SC. She will be busy still, hopefully able to blog on her own soon.
If you have made it through this long ramble from me, I am amazed. I was just telling you some of the stress and things Holly has been up to. Hope that you all enjoyed the Holiday season. Remember to treasure every moment with your family that God grants you. Don't forget to support our country this weekend. VOTE!

Christmas Eve in SC 2011

2011-12-24T07:34:00.000-06:00

Crazy that Christmas Eve is here:) Our family has had to do some major psyching ourselves up for a Christmas in SC. The kids are not effected as much as Josh and I, but its still weird. We have always been in snow filled MI for Christmas. I have never missed Christmas morning with my mom and dad. I guess its a miracle that I have managed to miss that part of being a grown up. The part where you are supposed to start your own Christmas traditions at your own house. I have always childishly held on to the magic of Christmas morning at my mom and dad's house. God has apparently decided that it's time for me to grow up. This year it's Christmas in SC unlike any other. No snow and not even cold weather. It was 70 degrees yesterday. It is supposed to be colder today, but it will still be vastly different from the weather we would be bundling up for in MI. I am very thankful to have family here in SC that we can get together and celebrate with. Not having mom and dad with us will definitely be hard, but we are determined to make everything fun and magical in our own way. Christmas is still Christmas. We still celebrate our Lord's birth the same as always. Josh and I are prepared to fill the Christmas tree with gifts from santa while the kids sleep tonight. I have baked goodies and planned fun stuff and attempted to make this our own magical Christmas. It will be magical and memorable, though different. I keep reminding myself that our kids will look back on this one day and wish they were here instead of where they are. Its crazy to imagine really. They will see being at our house for the holidays as special as we see being in MI. I have a huge responsibility to make this memorable!! With all these crazy thoughts written down, I feel it may be a jumbled mass. Thanks for reading and I will keep you posted as to the firsts of our OWN Christmas day:)

Christmas cleaning?!?!

2011-12-13T14:45:00.000-06:00

Well today started out quite interestingly. JJ started complaining of a stomach ache, and I could not figure out if he was faking or not. Unfortunately, he has learned to fake, and I am still hoping that is all it is for today. I HATE stomach bugs and poor JJ seems to catch them all. I always end up coming down with it soon after he gets it, so as soon as I hear 'my tummy hurts' the anxiety of a long week sets in. Hopefully today's anxiety is all for nothing! So after this announcement this morning, I decided that the best way to make it through the day without worrying or hovering over him was to keep myself very busy. I did a few things throughout the house and then got really brave. Our guest bathroom is also the kids' bathroom. The caulking around the tub was not done very neatly before we moved in, and it has bothered me since. Sadly, we have lived in this house for 5 years, and I just got around to working on it:) It had one of those nice white sticky rings around it to hide the actual caulking but the white ring was starting to detach and needed replaced too so...I got really brave and decided to tear it all apart and do it over. Mind you, I am not a handyman at all so I am very happy for Google at times like these. A few hours after the start of my project, my arms desperately needed a rest so JJ and I took of for Lowe's to get some supplies. (I brought the bucket just in case!) We got home, and I continued working on taking the old caulk off. It was some stubborn stuff and my forearms are now killing me from all of the chipping away! I got it off though and after thoroughly cleaning the area I bravely applied the new caulk. It is drying now, and I think it looks pretty good! I hope my husband agrees when he gets home. Silly me did not realize that it takes a good 24-36 hours for the caulk to fully dry. OOPS! We will all be bathing for a few nights in order to make sure its good and dry. I'm pretty proud of myself. After years of seeing that nasty stuff, I finally got brave enough to do something about it! I guess our Christmas guests will appreciate it too:)

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas:)

2011-12-08T18:46:00.000-06:00

I tried to get cute pictures of the kids for a Christmas picture but they just weren't cooperating. This one is pretty cute and is still in the running:) We had so much fun with putting up all of our decorations and listening to Christmas music! I love this time of year. If you ask me, Christmas just brings a certain amount of magic with it. It's almost like the pulling out of winter coats and sweaters and the decoration of an evergreen tree just magically brings an extra ounce of happiness to everyone's step.

We got all bundled up on Friday night to see the big tree lighting at our local university and then again on Saturday to go to the Christmas parade. The kids enjoyed every minute, and it was a great way to kick off the Christmas season! I have been wrapping presents and buying gifts like crazy and cannot wait for Christmas morning!

Finally...an update:)

2011-11-26T17:15:00.000-06:00

Well, blog friends, it has been a long while since a good update. I must admit...I have had writers block. I just could not put together a good 'blog' post for the life of me! However, after this most wonderful Thanksgiving, I have lots to be thankful for which provides much to write about. First and foremost, I am so thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has brought this family through a lot this year and is continuing to do so. He is my ever present Comforter when things seem overwhelming. I am also very thankful for my family. I have been under serious stress lately, and they have stuck by me through thick and thin. My gracious husband deserves a 'husband of the year' award for sure! I just love that we all work together to make each day special! I am also VERY thankful for my house and for two running cars. God is AWESOME!

Despite the stresses of life, my family is gearing up for a fantastic Christmas. Thanksgiving was a great kickoff to our fun filled holidays! Black Friday shopping was great, and I got a whole bunch of stuff crossed of my list. Just a few more things, and the Splan Clan will be ready for the big day! I keep getting 'oh yes...I forgot', 'oh, they need that too', 'oooooh, she needs this for Christmas','oooooooooh he needs that too', 'Im done..no I'm not...yes I am' thoughts that are causing me to come up with a million more ways to spend money this Christmas:) I love spoiling my loved ones and really cannot wait to see their smiling faces when they open gifts. We are very careful to keep the real meaning of Christmas at the forefront of out minds and hearts, but I love the tradition of gift giving. I really don't want to buy for myself...just for EVERYONE I love! It is definitely keeping me busy! Don't get me wrong, I don't spend a lot of money...I just put a lot of thought into each thing and try to spend a few dollars on everyone.

I'm loving the new look of my blog and hope you do too! Enjoy your pre-Christmas days and don't forget the real reason for the season!

Its official....:(

2011-11-14T19:06:00.000-06:00

So the final word came today. Josh's newest employer will NOT give us any time to go home and see our families for Christmas. We have been down her for 5 years and have managed to get home every year. Somehow, this company's policy of only allowing 1 unpaid vacation a year managed to slip past us until after our 4th of July trip home. As fun as that was.....I would have traded it for Christmas:( I keep getting little thought bubbles of Scrooge yelling at my husband that he cannot take more than half a day on Christmas....What has happened to the world? I am still praying for a miracle but am also trying to prepare my heart for a MUCH different Christmas this year. The fact still remains that God is good all the time. I will have to remember this as the big day approaches.

The Time Has Once Again Come!

2011-11-13T15:14:00.000-06:00

Well the blog stealer is at work again. What can I say, it has become my tradition to do this. :) Today the Splan Clan is decorating their Christmas tree. I do have to say that their tree has been up for a week, but do to a hectic schedule they are just getting the time to decorate it. I am enjoying sitting here listening to Christmas music watching the tree become beautiful. There are two little munchkins here who are so very excited about the changes taking place. I do have to say that for once I am also excited to see this taking place. I am usually so against it before thanksgiving, but this year since our parents cannot come, because of our mom's hip replacement surgery I am so ready for the whole holiday season to get started. :) I know that this year may be different, but I am praying that we all still get to go to Michigan for the wonderful Christmas Holiday.
The lights are on, and Josh is putting up the garland. JJ is jumping up and down with all the energy that he has. Miracle and Holly are sitting watching, waiting for him to finish so they can join in on the fun. Miracle is really hoping for snow, but I think she will have to wait for snow in the great SC for a while. Although I know that she is not the only one hoping that SC will have a BIG snow this year. :) The ornaments are starting their trek to their home on the tree. The kids have great excitement as they help take ornaments to the tree. I do have to say that I love the magic of this year. Yes, I understand the whole meaning of Christmas is Christ coming for our sins, but it is also that time of the year when everyone seems kinder and happier. I love the anticipation and joy that all can share no matter where you are. Yes, the stores will be crazier, but that is all part of the experience. I hope that you all take time this year to enjoy what Christ has done and the special time with your family. Take time to be thankful for all those wonderful memories that you are getting to make this year. Have a happy Thanksgiving and A VERY Merry Christmas!

Sick Day and Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-23T18:33:00.000-05:00

My baby girl woke up with Strep throat this morning. She started complaining of a headache yesterday, and I heard the swelling of glands in her voice but hoped for the best anyway. Sure enough...this morning around 3am she came in my room complaining of a bad throat ache. I checked her temp and grimaced...probably Strep for sure. Being that it was Sunday and our pediatrician is only open from 1-3 pm for emergency appointments, I decided to take her to the ER because we could go earlier and it would be faster. Believe it or not we were in and out in 30 minutes with a positive strep diagnosis and some bubble gum medicine. This little girl is RARELY sick so she felt pretty special being the center of attention this morning. I was not feeling the greatest either with a terrible sinus headache so we came home and laid low the rest of the day....lots of cartoons and lots of liquids with a few naps in between. Hopefully, we will be feeling better in the morning!

Feeling pretty special in her spot on the 'sick' couch:)

While mom and sissy were feeling yucky, Daddy and JJ were carving pumpkins. Actually, daddy was carving the pumpkins because JJ would not touch the slimy stuff inside. He was all excited until he saw what he had to do....and he graciously decided to watch and let daddy do the work:)

Still in PJ's and carving pumpkins!

This is how they all turned out! My hubby is quite the artist when it comes to pumpkin carving!

Mommy's Favorite One

Happy Haunting

Our Happy Witch

Casper the Ghost in his friendly Pumpkin

All lit up on our front porch!

The kids love the end result and will definitely enjoy seeing them as we come and go over the next few days! Halloween is such a fun time of year! My kids enjoy the picking out costumes and the fun pumpkins! We totally ignore all of the bad connotations that come with the holiday and just enjoy a good old 'scary-fun' time!

Happy 4th Birthday, JJ!

2011-10-15T07:21:00.000-05:00

I'm this many!

Happy Birthday, JJ! We love you!

Today is a big day. Four years ago on this day, I was laying in a hospital bed and wondering if I would ever get to eat again...and I had NO idea what kind of changes were about to take place in our lives. This little man finally came by emergency c-section at 4pm. He has been such a blessing to us!

This morning, I decided to put a little birthday tablecloth on his little table for when he ate breakfast. As soon as he saw it, he said "Thank you for making my table beautiful for me!" He has a big heart and his sister is his best friend. I hope that they continue to remain close as they grow! I think his sister is just as excited about his party today as he is!

I leave you with a picture of a monumental moment in our kids' lives.

As I child, my mother was determined to make us be a close family. She wanted us to value our relationships with our siblings. Now that I am an adult, I do love my siblings. They are very important to me. I want the same for JJ and Miracle. The other day they were picking at each other and I had to pull out an old punishment that my mom use to use on me and my sister quite a lot. They had to hold hands and look at each other. After a few minutes of this absolute torture they had to hug and tell each other they loved them. It was so cute, and it really does work. While they were holding hands, I gave the 'Your sister is your friend...Your brother is your friend. We are family and you two should love and respect each other' lecture. They were both laughing and giggling together again after it was over. I'm saving this picture for blackmailing purposes in the future!

Check it out...Miracle's new fall style

2011-10-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

I new that adopting this little girl would give me some challenges as far as her hair was concerned. It did not matter though. I loved her from the moment I first saw her. God is so good to have allowed me to be her mother! I am proud to post yet another beautiful hair do! I hate to make her sit this long (with lots of breaks of course) but every minute is worth the smile on her face when she looks in the mirror!

Just look at my new hair!

a closeup...it took about 4.5 hours to do

She could not be happier! (She is shiny from a recent facial moisturizer:)

She is a beautiful girl...even if I am a bit biased!

JJ learns to write his name

2011-09-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

I wrote my own J's!

Welcome Fall!

2011-09-27T07:11:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends!

Fall has officially begun and boy are we loving it! The cooler air is a welcome friend after the horrible humidity of summer.I admit...it is still getting quite warm in the middle of the day but the need for a sweater in the mornings is fun! Both of my kids are thoroughly enjoying their little lives right now. Miracle is in 2nd grade and working hard. She is having some trouble with her testing because she rushes through stuff without checking her work or really trying to come up with the right answer. We are working on this at home every night. I hope that the extra help I can offer while I am out of work will help to bring her up to snuff. JJ is about to turn FOUR! I cannot beleive my sweet baby boy is getting so big already. He seems to get older and ~~mouthier~~ wiser every day! He is all of a sudden enthralled with his daddy. This definately warms my husbands heart as JJ has been, from day one, a total and complete momma's boy. JJ is getting old enough to know what fun a birthday brings and the countdown to October 15th is on at our house. Mommy is trying to push the brakes and keep him young a little longer, and JJ is accelerating so fast that he is almost driving momma crazy. He has had to adjust to a new way of life with me being out of work. I am subbing off and on but have to keep it to a minimum in order to afford his child care. Weird schedules have thrown us both for a loop. JJ is used to constant companionship, and I am used to a rigorous daily routine. I have definately had to reevaluate my priorities. I am enjoying every minute with my kids for sure. They will only be young once and time is quickly running out for the snuggles and extra loves.
Overall, we are all looking forward to pumpkin patches, apples, halloween, turkey, and Christmas cheer. This time of year is so fun minus the sickness that comes with it! I hope you all are doing well and enjoying your moments too!

It's Been Awhile....

2011-09-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since a good update. Why might this be do you ask? Well...let me explain.

I have been chasing this crazy...

Cheesy, Scraped Nose

Goofy

Wild

Little?!?! (He found this in a drawer today)

Boy all day every day. I have been entertaining and movie watching and teaching this wild child while his sweet sissy is in school! It's been a lot of fun:)

Our Princess, Second Grade!!!

I hope you all have had a wonderful beginning of the school year too!

I think I'm in Love

2011-08-30T17:18:00.000-05:00

No one to leave dirty socks and shoes scattered around the house.

No one to have work clothes washed and ready for.

No one to leave dirty cups out and all over the house.

No one to waste soda by only drinking half the can.

No one to leave their wet towel on the dry bed.

No one to leave their dirty work clothes in the bathroom after showering.

No one to hold dinner for.

No one to mow my lawn.

No one help me care for the dogs.

No one to help me feed the pets.

No one to help me find Patrick...our lost kitty.

No one to cheer me up when I get down.

No one to curl up with on the couch at the end of the day

No one to watch 'Big Brother' with.

No one to play on the computer while I watch my girly shows.

No one to welcome home at the end of the day.

No one to kiss me good night.

No one to sleep beside me.

No one to say, 'Goodnight baby...love you.'

No one to kiss me good bye in the morning.

There are days that some of these things annoy me to no end. There are days I don't appreciate the kiss goodbye or the 'goodnight...love you'. However, when I don't have all of these things I feel lost and alone. I think I'm in love:)

Happy Five Years Anniversary!

2011-08-30T07:17:00.000-05:00

I can't believe its true! FIVE YEARS! I love this man so much. Honey, You are an awesome father and husband. You are my best friend. Thank you for sticking with me during hard times. Thank you for your super support! I hope we celebrate another 5 more in 2016! I love you, Stud!

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T09:59:00.001-05:00

Well, though Hurrican Irene shrunk down to a category 1, our family is still being greatly affected by its presence. My husband left this morning to go to NC with his work crew to help with releif wherever needed. I am hoping and praying that he is safe during this exciting journey as we cherish him more than ever as a husband and daddy. I am not looking forward to taking care of our family on my own. Last time Josh was out of town, JJ came down with a horrible sickness that left me scarred for life:) (Ok...thats a bit dramatic but if you know me---you know its true!) I know that we have God as our number one protector and that He has a plan in all of this. I am trusting that He will keep Josh in His hands as he serves where needed most. I also know that this is a great opportunity for my husband to create a strong relationship with his employer. God knows we can truly us the extra money that he will be earning. I have a million questions in my head as to how the next few weeks will go, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything will be ok. God is on our side. As long as we are running this race, we have the greatest team captain on our side! Praise God for that!

Just a little like momma?

2011-08-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

I know JJ looks just like his daddy. However, I ran across some old pictures today and found hope....don't you think he resembles momma just a little bit?!?!?!

Selfishly missing the moments...

2011-08-05T07:43:00.000-05:00

The reason for this post is obvious from the title...this momma has been way over stressed and missing some of the best moments in life that cannot be redone. Thank goodness the Lord allowed us to get a decent camera so that I can capture those moments on my camera so that at least I can go back in time through memories!

Basically, I have allowed my being unemployed to dim what is most important to me...my family. My husband says I have been crabby for 3+ months...no surprise there. My poor husband. My kids have been troopers....though mommy is stressed to the max, they carry on with happiness. There are so many unanswered questions that I keep aiming at the Lord, but I am determined to step back from my selfishness and remember the two greatest blessings that God has given me. They keep me going. Needing to force myself out of bed to be a mother has kept me from giving into the horrible arms of depression that threaten to overtake me. I realize fully that God has a plan for this family. Once again, my heart and my head are in turmoil against one another. My heart knows the truth, but my head goes on with its negative knowledge of what can really happen to us if I don't get a job soon. Giving it all to God is such a relief...unfortunately my head takes it all back at least 24 times a day....

Ok moving on to my special blessings!

Build a Bear for Miracle's 7th birthday

I had no idea what to get my beautiful girl for her birthday. She wanted 'another doll McDonald's toy and silly bands'. Wow. She is super easy to please, but I wanted to get something a little more meaningful than that. The next morning we saw a build a bear commercial, and I was excited. I knew she would love doing the workshop and wouldn't even mind if her brother had to come along. I knew the bear she would choose as soon as we walked in the door. Hello Kitty is an old time favorite of hers! She named her kitty Maggie...and JJ named his new rabbit ~~Thumper,~~ 'fumper' if you ask him! We had so much fun! I did not have any trouble getting them to leave the store because we were headed to the hospital to see their favorite new cousin that was only one day old!

A few weeks later, we were swimming with my sister in law when JJ got his first bee sting! I almost forgot to even write that down. I know it's silly...but I want to remember that kind of stuff. He got his second bee sting a few days later. Thank goodness we now know that he is NOT allergic to bee stings!

A few weeks later, we enjoyed a great day at the park. My kids love to play even in the 100 degree weather. We took our water bottles and settled in for some fun. The kids had a blast. Mommy had ulterior motives. The next day we had to go to the dentist...I wanted to distract them because they were both a bit worried!

JJ was a champ about the whole ordeal. He was nervous but showed his bravery quite well. Thankfully, he got a great review---Healthy Teeth! Miracle was not so lucky. I did not get a picture because they shooed me out of the room to watch through the window. Poor kid! She is super brave though. She ended up needing some pretty scary dental work. I hate the first few years of her life (starting in the womb) that gave her a definite disadvantage as far as her young teeth are concerned. We brush, brush, brush with no success. Thankfully, she is my super brave girl! She hardly flinched. She had to get a treat afterwards. She was so brave, but mommy had an urge to cry the entire time. When people say kids are just your heart walking around outside your body...they are so correct!

Overall, we have had a great summer...or at least my kids have. They even find a way to have fun when we are stuck at home. They have super enjoyed a week getting to see Nana and Papa alot....I have too! We got our entire family's pictures done last night...I should have some to post soon!

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Don't be like me and almost miss the moments. They are such blessings if you only take the time to notice them!

Where has summer gone?

2011-07-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well it seems that summer is quickly coming to an end. We went to Hobby Lobby today and were disgusted to see Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations are already out! CRAZY! I don't know about you, but I am not wishing away these last few weeks of sunshine and freedom. Neither are my kids. Life being unemployed has definitely been interesting. Funny how after learning how to be a successful working mom, I have had to really work at learning to be a successful stay at home mom. Every day is a new day with new struggles. What do I do to keep myself busy? All of a sudden, I am struggling to figure out my meaning in life. How do I learn to 'not work?' I have been employed in some sort of position since I was 16 years old. I am really working on putting my job as a mother into practice. Trying to work with my kids all that I can now that I am home more and trying to give them some good memories with mommy that I could not have done before. It is eye opening for sure. I long for another teaching position to work out, but God has a plan and has not given me a new job yet. Waiting is hard, but I am learning to choose contentment. Thankfully, I have something I can hope in besides this world. What would I do without the Lord to turn to? I'd be lost (and crazy by now) for sure! Each day is a blessing in itself. I remind myself of that often. This new phase in life is going to take some figuring out...but every moment will be worth it! Helping my kids to turn into responsible adults will be my reward!

The Lord is so good!

2011-07-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

Meet my beautiful new neice...

Proud Uncle Josh, Miracle, and JJ holding Cynthia on the day she was born

Cynthia Anne McClimon, 7/11/2011, 8lbs 6 oz

Our family was blessed in great ways on Monday when Cynthia entered the world at 3:01pm. She was prayed for for several years, and the Lord finally chose to bless my sister Stephanie with a beautiful child! I am so happy for her because I know how badly she longed to be a mother. I cried with her on several occasions over her struggle to conceive. Stephanie and her husband waited 2 years before finally beginning the IVF process. The doctors had basically told her she would not be able to conceive naturally. God had other plans. I remember the phone call that brought immediate tears to my eyes. She had finally gotten the positive sign on one of the several pregnancy tests she had taken. God allowed them to naturally conceive only weeks before they would start the long process of IVF. What an eye opening experience to be a part of. God is in control. He knows the cry of our hearts and provides perfectly above and beyond what we ask. His timing is not our timing, but my sisters story is a perfect example of the blessings He has for us!

I am anxiously awaiting the phone call that will tell me whether or not I will get the job I have been interviewing for. Meeting Cynthia for the first time and remembering how God worked in their lives gives me a wonderful peace that He is working in our lives too! He is in control. The waiting is hard but the end result will be a blessing. Whether or not I get the job, God is working something out! I will keep you all posted!

2011-06-28T07:49:00.000-05:00

LaMiracle's first visit to her new home and new grammy
Nov 2nd, 2007

Adoption Day, June 2nd 2008

This beautiful girl of ours is turning 7 on Sunday, July 3rd. I was introduced to her so long ago and new that I wanted to be her mommy. God granted me this 'Miracle'! She is a wonderful daughter and sister. She has a bigger heart than a little girl should have. She senses someone hurting in an instant and always offers a hug or kind word. She has overcome so many obstacles in life. Hearing her learning to read and watching her write just thrills my heart. She sang "Shout to the Lord" with some friends in church a few weeks ago. This momma cried the whole time. God has done such great things with this little girl and we are SO blessed to be able to call her ours!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Kids

2011-06-26T16:21:00.000-05:00

I love kids. I grew up playing teacher and dreaming of having kids of my own. I have ALWAYS felt led to work with kids. I have ALWAYS felt led to be a leader and a good example to kids because we have no idea what they are dealing with at home. I love being a mother, an aunt, a teacher, and a 'grown up' friend. Most of all, I love getting a chance to help them reach their highest potential. I hope that one day my children will look back and call me blessed. I hope that one day my students will remember their preschool teacher as someone they could trust and have fun with and love. As I apply for new teaching positions, I am considering a lot of things. However, one thing I don't need to consider is whether or not I want to continue working with kids. They are my heart. I think of them, pray for them, love them, and hope that God wills to give me another chance to teach them!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

One HOT momma...and I don't mean sexy!

2011-06-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

My kids had a super fun day today spending some extra time with their cousins while mommy had a meeting. We got up really early in order to get to their house in time for Miracle to go to Bible School at a neighborhood church with them. I knew the church as being one from my Bob Jones University years so I figured she would have fun and learn some good facts about the wonderful God we serve. She did have fun. She had lots of fun aside from one issue that came up in the back seat as we were headed to get slushies.

"They made fun of me mommy!" she said.

"Why honey?".

"Because my skin is brown...it hurt my feelings!"

Her cousin stepped in at this point in the conversation.

"I told them to leave her alone and not be mean to my cousin. I love having Miracle as my cousin. I told them to stop being mean!"

I sat in the front seat driving with a mix of emotions. Horrified---how can Christian kids be so mean to my sweet girl? HOT/MAD----What were those kids thinking? Haven't their parents told them that God made everyone special and that we should not judge based on skin color? Sad---sad that my baby will have to go through 'making fun' like that for the rest of her life. I realized this when we adopted her but it still makes me sad. Determined---to make her bold and un afraid of what people think. I told her to just reply that God made her special and no different than them. I tried to communicate the whole 'heaping coals of fire' thing even though I was mad. Deeply Disturbed---Was I wrong to want to adopt a child of a different race? Am I hurting her by not surrounding her by people of her own color even though it does not matter in our eyes? Will this really affect her for all of her young days? Can I go beat those kids up? Wasn't that a Christan church? Why didn't someone intervene and tell those kids that they were wrong? Should I keep her with me at all times to protect her sweet heart? Should I teach her to fight just in case? Should I....should I...should I???????

Once I thought about the situation, I calmed down a bit. These were probably kids just being kids and kids are mean sometimes. Miracle has already forgotten the situation so no permanent harm is done. She is a strong willed child and will survive her young years as long as I try to be the best parent I can be. I will love her and help her to grow into a good Christian woman as long as God allows me to. I fully understand this to be the rational truth.

All rationality aside---I am upset. I am horrified, hot/mad, sad, determined, and deeply disturbed despite knowing the rational truth. I am mad at those kids and want to teach my girl every good come back there is in the book. I am her God given mother and if I was not horrified, hot/mad, sad....etc....then I would have no right to claim that title.

She is and always will be my baby girl. Born in my heart, not under it. The kid who decides to scorn her color with this momma around better watch out!

Kinda bad day

2011-05-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

Three fourths of the way to work this morning, my car decided to give me a really bad day. Josh had to drive all the way from Anderson to Greenville only to find out the car still had to be towed back to Easley. I ended up not being able to make it to work at all and had to drive Josh all the way back to Anderson. So we are one car down, looking at a 5 hour short paycheck, and wondering what exactly God's plan in all of this is. I realize life could be much worse...but right now it is seeming pretty bad. If one thing is not broken---another thing is. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Some Encouragement

2011-04-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

"Whatever Your Doing" by Sanctus Real is a song a friend had on her blog. I needed to hear this song today and found it to be so encouraging! Go listen and see what you think!

(Just click on the name of the song:)

The end is too near...

2011-04-22T15:09:00.000-05:00

Well, spring break is coming to an end already. It definitely flew by! Every year, as spring break approaches, I look forward to a week off and at the same time dread having no extra money to spend. I basically had the same outlook going into it this year. God is just trying to teach me that money is not everything. It can't be everything because there is never enough! I just wish my head would stop trying to tell my heart that 'it needs more money!" My heart is ok with our current situation....it is my head that is not ok with it. In my heart, I know what is really important. My head just spends way too much time seeing what everyone else has...and what I don't have. Well, head---GIVE IT UP!

Aside from this particular personal battle, we have had a blast together as a family over this spring break. Sleeping in every morning, having a leisurely bowl of cereal in front of cartoons, and just relaxing our days away! I'm also competing in a personal race within myself. So far, I am winning. Praise God for the small stuff!

Enjoying Spring Break

2011-04-20T07:47:00.001-05:00

Spring Break is going well so far! I cannot believe this is already the third day! The kids and I have been enjoying our time together for sure! JJ's day care is still open...but how often do I get to spend time with him when he is not sick? Umm...NEVER. So he gets to stay home with me and sissy this week! We haven't really done anything special, we are just being lazy and enjoying our days at home. We will probably venture out today to do some much needed grocery shopping. I still have a bunch of cleaning to do before our Easter dinner on Sunday. I also have eggs to boil, cupcakes to make and decorate, and food to prepare. Ohhhh....its been kinda busy busy but having all of this to do during a week off is so much easier than during a work week!

Lovin' the Sun!

2011-04-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

Hello again! Sadly, I had to come home from work early today for JJ. His tummy was/is hurting really bad:/ Is my 'not so favorite' virus striking again? I am still hoping that maybe he just has a slight touch of something....and that it won't lead to any vomits. The poor child has had more than his fair share of that stuff, and his daddy and I were both hoping that he was over all that for the season. All is well though, I am armed and ready with a bucket, Clorox wipes, disinfectant spray, and towels. I figure the more prepared I get---maybe it won't happen?!?! Fat chance, Murphy's law never really works unless you don't want it to. I will keep you all posted:/ Despite the current sickness (?) we are all looking forward to spring break. What a way to kick it off huh? Well, we are going to choose to ignore the kick off and try to enjoy the moments anyway. We don't have much planned. I just want to spend time with my kids and get some peace and quiet. We will also be cleaning the house and preparing for the Easter celebration being held at our house this year...Should be lots of fun! Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Finally....an April Update!

2011-04-08T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hello everybody! It has been awhile since an update from the Splan Clan. This is not because I have lost my love for blogging...but because my mom always told me that if you cant say anything nice-don't say anything at all. Lately, it seems the 'negatives' have taken over our life. Lots of downs and very few ups--- We are all determined, however, to make the best of this life that God has given us! This post is going to be dedicated to all the things that I am thankful for despite our current 'downs':) 1. I am thankful for all of our good health. God knows that this momma hates having sick kids. Amidst all of our recent stresses, sickness would be even harder for me. God has seen fit to keep us all relatively healthy for the time being. Thank God for small blessings! 2. I am thankful that my husband and I both have a job. Life is hard as it is but would be much harder if one of use was unemployed. I have a job that I love and works well with me when kids are sick or when life gets stressful. Josh has a job that may not be the best but is a job nonetheless. I remember quite clearly the 2 weeks of misery last October when Josh had to quit his job of 4.5 years. It was unexpected and scared us all half to death. God is good though. He provided a job less than a week later! In this economy, that was a HUGE blessing! The job was not a perfect one...but has helped us get back on our feet for the most part. We are working on being content with his job for now but praying that God sends us something better when He sees fit to do so! 3. I am thankful for my siblings that live close and encourage me often. My sisters especially are always wonderful to me. I really could not ask for a better outside support system. 4. I am thankful that even though gas is super high, bills are overwhelming, and childcare is expensive---we have the money to pay for everything that is important. God knows what those things are and always makes sure that we survive every month. 5. I am thankful for Ms. Dana. She is our childcare lady, and she is sent to us from God for sure. JJ and Miracle love her. She loves them, and she loves the Lord. I could not be comfortable with just anyone watching my kids....and I am beyond comfortable with the care she offers! Praise God for her! 6. I am thankful for a house to live in, a car to drive, a heating/cooling system that works, a washer and dryer that work, a bed to sleep in, and everything else that makes our life comfortable and live able. God has given us more than we deserve for sure! 7. I am thankful for my pets. They are dirty, hairy, smelly, and often super annoying. They bark and meow, and they eat us out of house and home. However, they love us unconditionally. When I yell at them, they still love me. I look forward to seeing them every day! These are some of the many things I can be thankful for that I often take for granted. I can complain about gas being high all that I want...but what if I did not have a car to put gas into? I can wish for a bigger house, but what would I do if I could not pay my mortgage and not have a place to call home anymore? I can complain about everything I have, but what if I had NOTHING to call my own? What if I did not have my kids and my husband and my family? I am blessed beyond words in reality. Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side. Thankfully, we have grass even if its not perfect!

My Michigan Fans

2011-03-23T18:10:00.001-05:00

These are a few of my favorite fans!

They keep us smiling!

2011-03-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a week it has been! Gas prices are through the roof and my husband and I both driving to opposite ends of the world for work. The kids and I are stilling seeing the chiropractor twice a week, and my husband is waiting for some test results concerning some weird health issues. We are all tired and worn out after several weekends of babysitting twelve hours a day....the list of complaints could go on. However, these two happy faces keep us going!

Life may be hectic, but it's our life and we love it!

some cute pictures of my babies

2011-03-06T19:12:00.000-06:00

I finally got a new camera today after mine broke at Christmas. At first we thought it was only half broken...and then realized it was totally gone:/ It took awhile, but we finally found one we liked...that was not sold out! The first thing I had to do was take a few pics of my kids....I have missed way to many moments already!

I think this is a super sweet one...these two really are best pals!

These two pics should be reversed...The bottom one is from 2008 when JJ was about 3 months old and Miracle was 3. I wanted a similar pose and could only get this 'sort of'' replica....the kids were way done posing by this time!

Valentines 2011

2011-02-15T16:24:00.000-06:00

We have gotten lots of suprises in our life lately....but nothing beats this suprise:)

No, you saw it right. These are not roses. They are Gerber daisies....my absolute favorite! I love roses too, but my husband is awesome. He likes to think outside of the box and new that these daisies would make my Valentines day super special this year! He also gave me a really soft new blanket and a pillow that I wanted. He is such a wonderful husband and dad!

I have started a new babysitting job on weekends. This last weekend was the first of many, and I am so excited for the kids I am watching. They are the same ages as my two, and everyone had a blast. These two kids are in great need of some TLC. They have been through a horrible lot in the last year so I am more than happy to let them get some of that TLC at my house! I had to get up way to early on both Saturday and Sunday but it ended up being totally worth it. I am actually looking forward to next weekend with them. Getting a chance to see other kids that are from horrible situations gives me a huge reminder of all that God is doing for my family. I hope that I can share some of our blessings with them! Unfortunately my house got twice as dirty with all of the playing that went on. I think I swept up 2 pounds of extra dirt! Oh well...;)

Life has been interesting around here to say the least. We are running here and there and everywhere everyday it seems. I guess God wants me to be more flexible....I'm trying to stay optimistic about it all but its hard. I am a person that likes consistency. Appointments and meetings every afternoon tend to overwhelm me. Well...consistency has kind of 'flew the coop' in our lives lately. Oh well....this mommy is determined to remain sane! Honestly...having two kids and only two kids is looking better all the time:)

Despite the added stress, Valentine's Day was a nice detour from life. Getting a little bit spoiled by my favorite Valentine really helped to cheer me up a bit! He came home from work and asked where I wanted to go to dinner. I suggested driving though Jack in the Box. He was absolutely flabbergasted, but I wanted a big unhealthy burger....and that's what I got! (I'm sure you other mothers understand that sometimes driving through is so much easier....after all, it was a Monday!) I took a rain check for a more extravagant meal next weekend!

I hope you all had a wonderful LOVE day too!

My Husband's New Toy

2011-01-30T17:40:00.000-06:00

Well, here is the new vehicle we got after our car was totalled in an accident. My husband finally feels like a real man! Thank God we were able to work something out!

Our Adoption Story

2011-01-28T16:42:00.000-06:00

Kelly's Korner is doing a show us your adoption day, and I had to share our story. These pictures are a few of our beautiful girl. They are in the wrong order but you get the drift!

Our family in 2010

My beautiful Miracle

She has always loved her brother. They are best friends.

Her first visit to our house. She was a daddy's girl right away!

Josh and I were married in August of 2006. I had already informed him that I wanted to adopt when we were older, and he agreed. I started my job at The Meyer Center for Special Children soon after our marriage and loved everything about it. The buses would load through my room at the end of the day and I always noticed this cute, skinny, little bit of nothing who had the most precious smile in the world. One day, I finally asked about her. "What is her diagnosis? She is so cute." Her teacher quickly replied that she had a small developmental delay due to drug exposure at birth. "Do you want to adopt her?" she asked me flippantly.

I rushed home from school that day with a thought in my head. I called Josh and told him that we had to adopt this little girl. He only half believed me but agreed anyway. He loves kids too and what was the harm in making the wife happy? He thought it would never happen.

I called the local DSS office right away. I asked around and got lots of information about LaMiracle and how the adoption process would work. I was in love and knew that that little girl would be coming to live with us someday. Josh and I sat down and talked about it very seriously. We knew we were young and recently married, but we could go through the process and see how far we made it. Neither of us felt we would get approved, but we knew we wanted to try. Before anything, Josh wanted to come by and at least meet her.

He was waiting for me in the lobby when a therapist came in from outside with a little girl she had been doing physical therapy with. The little girl saw Josh and ran to give him the biggest hug. The little girl was Miracle. Josh was a goner! He remembers that hug to this day!

We were about half way through the process, and everything was looking pretty positive. We had a few last inspections to get through, but we started to get pretty excited. I found out I was pregnant in Feb. of 2007. We were excited but worried that this might effect DSS' decision of whether or not to let us adopt our girl? We were not worried though. It was looking like we would get Miracle (if approved) around June or July and the baby was not due until the end of October.

In May we found out that the bedroom windows in our rental house were too small. We put the adoption process on a "quick" hold so that we could buy a house. We knew it might not be the smartest thing to do financially at the time, but we needed a place if we wanted LaMiracle.

At this point the adoption process really started to drag on. We had to get all new inspections for the new house. Some of our home study had to be redone. I was getting more and more pregnant.

I went into labor with our son on October 14th 2007. He was born on the 15th. We were instantly in love but continued our plan to get LaMiracle.

She was placed with us on November 2, 2007. She was scared to death of our pets, but she loved her new room. She adjusted so well. I think she new we loved her. We ended up taking a trip to MI for a funeral only 2 wks after her placement. I was so worried for her little heart. She would be meeting a ton of family and would be so overwhelmed. NOPE. "Hi, I'm Miracle." she proudly introduced herself. She was already a part of our family and could not be shaken.

The actually adoption day was in June of 2008. I had the worst case of strep throat ever. Aunt Melanie and Aunt Christy ended up having to keep the kids the night before and meet us at the courthouse. I was on pins and needles but everything went fine. We went home that day knowing that she would be our little girl forever.

The memories with her will already last forever. I will never forget the day she realized that her skin was brown and ours was white or the day she asked in older lady in McDonald's what color she was... I love her attitude toward life and the sweet way she looks at things. She is our girl!

Bad Day

2011-01-22T17:39:00.000-06:00

The result of someone not paying attention...

Friday, January 21st ended up being quite a day. It went fine until we were on our way home from school/daycare. I was stopped on highway 135 waiting to take a left hand turn when we were rear ended by a car going 55mph. My car is in rough shape and had to be towed away. It could have been much worse but the damage underneath is pretty severe. The frame is definitely bent so it will be interesting to see what the insurance adjuster says. The boy who hit me was only 19, and I my heart went out to him as he expressed regret over not paying attention. I would not wish that on any mom's heart...and I can't ever imagine having to get that kind of call from my son once he starts driving. My worst nightmare is having my kids get in a car accident. This worst nightmare happened yesterday. They were both scared and holding the backs of their heads once I got out of the car and to them. I called 911 and my husband immediately and comforted them as much as possible. Thank God for the sweet ladies who stopped to comfort me and wait with me until the police arrived. Most of all, Thank God that my children are OK. I'm pretty sore. I have never been this sore from an accident so I'm sure my kids are hurting too. They both deny any pain which is good, but I will be contacting the chiropractor on Monday morning to get them checked out for any whip lash. Hopefully we can get a rental car!

On a brighter note, my husband had an interview this morning with a restoration company in Greenville. It would be a much closer commute and would be a MUCH better company for him to work for. He thinks the interview went really well so we are crossing our fingers and waiting to hear back about it sometime this week.

With both of these situations, we just have to wait for answers. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't wait well. This should be an interesting week for sure! Nothing beats my family being safe though...so I have no complaints!

SNOW SNOW SNOW

2011-01-14T17:46:00.000-06:00

We have been a little busy here at the Splan household....can you guess what we have been doing?:) The pictures below may give you a little hint...

My husband has enjoyed getting to snowboard in our front yard!

The kids enjoyed getting all bundled up to play in the snow!

We all had fun 'sledding' down the driveway on daddy's snowboard!

The kids smiled for lots of 'fun in the snow' pictures!

Daddy made the kids a fun snow igloo to play in! It is still standing in our mostly melted backyard and the kids have had a blast playing in it!

Yes, that right. Our wonderful surprise of the week was lots of snow! In the south, this can only mean....SNOW DAYS! or a SNOW WEEK is more like it!

It's been a lot of fun until yesterday when JJ started coughing. He has been miserable with a cold of some sort. Hopefully he gets feeling better soon! The snow days came at a perfect time for us because one of our cars is currently out of order. This was going to make my getting to work this week very tricky. My 'pretty good at playing mechanic' husband is out getting a part that will hopefully fix the problem before Monday! If not...well, we will have to cross that bridge when we get to it:/

I hope you all had a wonderful week too! There is really nothing better than some extra family time...we had a lot of fun but are ready to get back to our regular routine on Monday hopefully!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T12:36:00.001-06:00

Wow! Christmas flew by and so did the welcoming of the new year! Looking back through last year, I cannot believe some of the stuff we made it through. I assure you that it was only by God's grace, but we made it through and that is what counts. We are hoping for a good 2011. I'm sure it will have its ups and downs and I am glad that we cannot see the future to know what they will be. God is good. I need to remember to take things one day at a time. It is so hard to do that when your a 'grown up'. We are supposed to plan ahead and be prepared and all that jazz....and yet we are supposed see every day as its own day without worrying about the others. Those concepts are hard to put into practice. The planning and preparing often turn into worrying and anxiety which makes trying to take one day at a time nearly impossible. As a Christan, however, I am determined that God can help me do this. I choose this to be my new years resolution. I think this is close to the same resolution I made last year but that's OK. It's a perfect resolution for the start of every new year!

Enjoy the moments before they become the past and you look back wishing that you had enjoyed them more!

I have a BUNCH of pictures to post from our wonderful Christmas. These will be coming soon! In the meantime, I really need to get cleaning my house and preparing to head back to work tomorrow! I hope you all had wonderful holidays and are looking forward to the start of a fresh new year as much as I am! The count down is already on for spring break! Only about 16 more weeks....ha ha!

It's Almost Merry Christmas:)

2010-12-11T07:05:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe that Christmas is almost here! As a teacher and mom, I count down the days until Christmas break just like the kids do. Guess what? Only 5 more days left! We have had quite a busy December so far. Last weekend, we took the kids to the annual lighting ceremony at Bob Jones University and then to Krispy Kreme for a snowman doughnut. This has become somewhat of a yearly family tradition with all of the cousins attending as well. Then the kids were in their first parade! My husbands new job does a float for the Anderson Christmas parade so the kids got to have their first debut! They loved it! Poor JJ ended the day with a rather nasty stomach bug which he passed to mommy....Oh well. It's still almost Christmas:)

Yesterday we had our annual family (my sisters and brothers) Christmas at Aunt Christy's house. I'm so glad that we were all back to good health so that we could go! We have started doing this little get together every year because we are all in different places on the actual day of Christmas. It was so fun! JJ has talked all week about going to Aunt Christy's house. He absolutely adores that place. We exchanged gifts and ate way too much. I love getting to spend time with my siblings and catching up on their lives!

This last week before break is packed as well! We have Christmas programs and work dinners to attend. We have friends to see and lots of Christmas movies to fit in. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year! I'm loving it!

Merry Christmas just a little bit early!

starlight snowflake

2010-12-02T07:39:00.001-06:00

Starlight Snowflakes Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

I think it's going to be a Shutterfly Christmas!

2010-11-29T16:50:00.000-06:00

Wow, another year is almost gone! Can you believe it? I love the Christmas season and the best way to complete the year is with a cute family Christmas card. Shutterfly.com has the best choices I have seen so far. If you have not already, you should definitely go check out their site. They are offering fifty free Christmas cards to all blogger customers this year! I plan to do a photo of just the kids or maybe one of all four of us depending on the design. There are so many cute designs to choose from, that I need your help picking one out:

First choice:

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/holiday-cards

Second choice:

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-cards

Third choice:

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-photo-cards

I cannot wait to see what the final product will look like. I plan to send a card to all of my family and friends to let them know I love them and see how much our kids have grown. Go check out the Shutterfly holiday collection yourself and share the excitement with me!

Holiday Drama

2010-11-18T17:51:00.000-06:00

*Warning-serious venting ahead...

Wow. My students love 'Llama, Llama' books, and I recently ordered a new one for my classroom. It's called "Llama, Llama Holiday Drama". BOY OH BOY can I relate with that title! It's funny how very exciting the holidays can be, and yet how very stressful they are at the same time! I love the excitement of putting the tree up and decorating, seeing family, baking lots of extra goodies, digging out the warm clothes, etc. I hate the stress of making sure everyone gets a meaningful gift, running here and there and everywhere, whiny kids, late nights, and money, money, money. There is just never enough is there? I mean, I can remember a few years back. We had VERY LITTLE then due to the recent addition of two kids to our family. It has been four years now...and it seems we are in the same exact boat as then as far as finances are concerned. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Will it ever get better? I could go on and on and stress and stress but then I remember that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. WOW! Funny how this holiday drama can quickly make us forget the real reason for the season. I have been wavering in between sanity and craziness for a couple of days now. I guess learning to be thankful is a process one must struggle through on a daily basis. I am thankful though. SO VERY THANKFUL. God has been good to my little family. God IS good to my family. Life and stress may cloud my judgement, but I am thankful! I'm starting my new years resolution early this year....Be thankful for every moment and stop stressing over things in life that you cannot change!

Fall Updates for Melanie

2010-11-11T15:30:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! It's been awhile since my last blog update because I have been too busy enjoying life...or at least trying to! My husbands new job has taken some adjusting but is going well. God continues to provide our needs on a daily basis! Overall, compared to all that I see everyone around us going through...we have much to be thankful for! We are all in good health, we have a close knit family and lots of support, and we have everything that we need for now. God has been good to us! Of course, I am thinking of things I am thankful for as Thanksgiving Day gets closer and closer....

The two pictures below are of Miracle and JJ on their first Thanksgiving as part of the Splan clan in 2007. Can you believe how much they have grown? Miracle is with Nanna and JJ is with Papa. We are counting down the days until we get to spend another Thanksgiving with them!

We had a great Halloween. JJ was a skeleton this year and Miracle was a fairy. They loved knocking on doors. It was so cute...JJ would knock and if no one answered he would say: "Daddy, its not working." in a frustrated voice. Miracle was a bit shy with the adults, but JJ led the way each time with a "Trick or Treat!" It was a great night!

I know this is a silly picture, but I love it! My sister and I decided to dress up with the kids (we were trying to be young again), and I wore my trusty poodle skirt. I made Josh pose for a good fifties kiss with the foot kicked up and all...aren't I pathetic? Good memories though!

Last but not least, I want to wish this handsome man of mine a happy birthday! He is a wonderful husband! I am so glad to have spent another wonderful year with him and am looking forward to the years to come! I really could not have asked for a better best friend or help mate! I love you baby!
Happy Thankgiving to everyone! I love, love this time of year and have convinced my husband to let me put up the Christmas tree already! Holiday cheer can never start to early if you ask me;)

A Day at Denver Downs and Birthday wishes

2010-10-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

We decided to take the kids to a pumpkin patch yesterday. It has been way too long since we could do something fun as a family. It was kind of expensive but all too often life gets in the way of enjoying every moment so we went for it anyway!

Here are my three favorite people getting ready to try the rope swing!

This sweet boy turns 3 on Friday. I want to remember this sweet little face forever and ever. I cannot believe how much he has grown already!

Can you tell that daddy and son are two peas in a pod? and both lefties?

Happy Fall 2010!

2010-10-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

So this is the new look for fall 2010. What do you think? The picture is of JJ and Miracle last Halloween. I think its such a sweet picture of her helping him cross the street safely! Its been awhile since a good update, but life at the Splan clan has taken a few unexpected turns. My husband had to quit his job for reasons that I fully support him for, but it threw our little family for a loop and a half. Thankfully, God provided him with another, better job less than a week after being unemployed. We are having to make some minor adjustments and learning that God is in control no matter what the case may be.

The kids are doing very well. JJ is about to turn 3! I cannot believe how fast he has grown. He took a lot of big boy steps this week. No more paci at bedtime (the only time he got it before) and big boy underwear all the time now. GO JJ! Miracle is working hard and enjoying first grade. Her love for the social life has had to be squeltered somewhat in order to prioritize school work...but she is loving it nonetheless. She is my beautiful dreamer, and I would never squash that...but she is having to mature and learn when it is OK to talk and laugh and when it is not OK.

I am thoroughly enjoying the feeling of fall in the air and looking forward to the upcoming holidays. I tried to get my husband to let me put the Christmas tree up already. He said NO! I guess he thinks its too early or something;)

Somebody has a BIRTHDAY!

2010-10-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I am going to capture my sister's blog once again. I have to do this as tomorrow is her BIRTHDAY. I have to say that growing up I was usually wanting to do everything she got to do. She was three years older and always got to do cooler things. Well this has changed (We get to do the cool things together), but I still say that my life would not be the same with out my amazing, fun loving, sweet, sensitive sister. Growing up she was always the plan maker from making me sit for hours on end so she could teach me to getting in trouble becaues the plan had issues, she always had a plan to do something fun. :) Today life has changed, and we are no longer the carefree little girls we once used to be. She is now married with two kids, but we are as close as ever.

Here is my dedication to my sweet, sassy, fun loving, big, little :) sister. I hope that she has a FUN and AMAZING birthday. May God continue to bless you as you continue to grow in Him this year. Thanks for always being there when I need you. You are the best. I Love you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I will not tell all how old you are as that would be unkind:)

puppies

2010-09-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

These puppies were thrown into the cudzoo(sp?) across the street from our house. I hate the horrible man who did it, but I am so glad that my husband was able to find them. We will be taking them to the humane society tomorrow unless we can find homes for them first....

Any takers?

Back to School....

2010-08-29T17:19:00.000-05:00

The school year has gotten off to a good start around here. Miracle was ever so excited to go back, and she is loving first grade more than ever!

Here she is on her first day with her little brother. (His heart was broken that he could not go to school too!)

Here she is with mommy.

They both wore blue for church this morning, and I snapped the cutest picture....aren't they adorable?

It kinda stinks that summer days are over, but we are anxiously awaiting the coolness of fall! Mommy is already planning trips to apple orchards and pumpkin patches for some fun fall celebrations. As the kids get older, it gets more and more fun to plan exciting things for them to do! I hope you all are having a good month too!

Facebook (1)

2010-08-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

"Happy Anniversary to my AWESOME Husband! The last four years have been the best roller coaster ever! Lots of ups and downs, lots of anxiety, tons of fun, and worth every minute! I'd wait in line for EVER if I had the chance to re-do it all...as long as it was with you! I love you!"

Happy Anniversary to my husband and best friend

2010-08-27T17:57:00.000-05:00

Dating...

Our Wedding...

After four years of loving, laughing, and making perfect memories!

I love you baby...happy anniversary!

Just havin' fun!

2010-08-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

So this week has been our last free week before the school year starts (for mommy at least)! Miracle has one more week off before she starts first grade....she is super excited. I keep telling her that she shouldn't wish summer break away because there will come a day when she wishes she had it again;) However, in her little girl mind, nothing is cooler than going to school every day. I used to love school when I was little too....my how times change once you grow up a little! Nanna and Papa were here last week and helped us out by buying her some school stuff. She chose a blue book bag last year and it was the worst mistake ever. She asked me every day if she could get a pink one instead:) When we ventured out for the new bag this year, she almost decided on purple. I had to gently remind her how much she regretted not getting pink last year...she quickly remembered the pain of a blue bag last year...and went for a cute pink one instead. Little girls are so much fun! Every day since then, she has asked how many days until school starts...bless her little heart! It's scary how grown up she is. We had to pick her up some deodorant today at Walmart. She is still pretty young but with this hot summer it has become a must. She feels so grown up, and when I asked her when she was supposed to put deodorant on she quickly replied (with a very big girl voice) 'When I get dressed in the morning and after a bath'! She so looks forward to being a big girl...we have our work cut out for us with this one!

Despite the school excitement, we have just enjoyed being home with each other this week. Monday and Tuesday were spent cleaning and being lazy. The kids have played together so well and seem to truly enjoy each others company. I love the relationship that they share and hope that it ends up being as special as the relationships I share with my siblings! We ventured out today and helped my sister with her classroom a bit. It was super hot, but we enjoyed being out and about anyway. We are still working diligently on the potty training thing and am sad to say we are stuck at 75% of the way there....We keep working though and are hoping to be diaper free by time the holidays are here!

I should go. It's almost time for the beloved "Big Brother", and I need to get a house full of kids calmed down and headed towards bed. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

New blog design...

2010-07-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

So I am trying out this new blog design. I can't decide if I like it or not...don't be surprised if it changes again tomorrow:) If you like it...you gotta let me know!

Fun in the 100 degree sun...

2010-07-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

My parents came up from MI to visit their kids this week. I new the week would fly by but had no idea how truly fast it would go:( We kicked off their week in SC by introducing them to the HOT HOT SC sun. We went to this beautiful park in Westminster called the Chau Ram County Park. It was almost an hour away but well worth the drive! Also, it felt like it was a thousand degrees outside...but we all had a blast anyway! The reason we chose this park so far away was for the beautiful waterfalls and the cool river to swim in. Being that we are all from MI, we are all used to having a good lake or river to swim in within 15 minutes any direction you go in the good old Northern country. It's a little different here in the South, however, so we had to go searching for the comforts of 'home':)

Here is the only half way decent shot I got of Miracle. She doesn't stay in the same place for long!

This is my niece Meredith enjoying the little stream near where we ate our lunch.

Jack and JJ enjoyed the stream as well...It was SO SO hot and the water was so COOL!

JJ taking a rest with daddy in the gazebo.

A self portrait of me and my favorite husband:)

The kids loved the juice boxes.

The two youngest cousins in their matching swim trunks.

This is my mom and dad in front of the waterfall.

Me and the kids with my mom

My husband being a kid again and enjoying the waterfall up close and personal:)

Last but not least, my favorite shot of the day....my two favorite munchkins!

Is it really almost over?

2010-07-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

Well friends, its been a long while since a good update from the Splan Clan. We have just been so busy with enjoying summer and working. Miracle spent two weeks in Michigan during which we painted her room as a birthday surprise. It turned out super cute!

She absolutely loves it! JJ and I spent our two weeks off with sissy gone just havin' fun! We played at the park, played with the cousins, celebrated fourth of July, and JJ even helped do some painting. We also spent a lot of our time missing sissy....she has never been away from home that long so it was really hard.

Summer is just flying by. Only 3 more weeks of summer fun before school actually starts back up again. CRAZY! I spent a lot of time today looking for Christmas gift ideas online. After wasting way too much time doing this...I realized just how fast Christmas will be here already! I'm not wishing any time away though so onto more 'summer' talk:)

The kids are spending their days at Ms Dana's house. They love her and have a lot of fun over there most days. They do prefer Aunt Christy's house though...and JJ has been very adamantly reminding me of that on a daily basis. The other day, Miracle was crying because she had just gotten scolded for feeding her dinner to the dog. JJ pointed at her and said, "ha ha you trouble!" He got scolded for this comment of course....but it was so funny! His little sense of humor is really starting to come out!

Miracle has grown about 3 inches this summer. Her shoes are too small and her pants are too short....she is going to shoot way past me before she even reaches high school! We are preparing to buy lots of new jeans throughout the year if she keeps growing at this pace! We are also preparing to ward the boys off pretty soon...as she grows, she gets more and more beautiful!

Overall, we have much to be thankful for this year. It's going by WAY to fast...but its been a good one!

I forgot to mention that we got a new little addition at our house. His name is Patrick Murphy and he an adorable little tabby cat! He is a perfect little friend for JJ and Miracle (he has managed all of the 'loving' very well), and he is turning out to be a good little kitty! He plays a lot, cuddles a lot, and has mastered the litter box quite nicely! I let him sleep with me most nights and have really enjoyed him!

Hope you all have a wonderful end of summer!

My Beautiful Sister

2010-07-16T18:46:00.001-05:00

Kelly at kellyscorner is doing a fun matchmaking attempt. It is really hard these days to meet good fellow Christians so I had to enter my little sister. She will probably kill me later, but she deserves a good man and this could be a chance for her...so here goes nothing!

Meet Melanie Kay Cuddie (on the right) my beautiful little sister. She is 24 and is a Christian school teacher. She earned her BS in elementary education with a minor in Spanish from Pensacola Christian College. She will be starting her second year of teaching first grade this coming fall. As you can tell from the picture below...she loves to have fun with her friends! She enjoys reading, playing with her nieces and nephews, and spending lots of time with family. She was raised in a great Christian home and has a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.

She is originally from a small town in Michigan but is currently residing in the Upstate of South Carolina. She considers her job a ministry and works wonders in the lives of the small children she teaches. She is kind of shy but as soon as you get to know her....FUN! In the picture below she is with our mom whom she is very close with.

She would never do something like this for herself. She is just waiting on God's timing. She is a ton of fun, and I really can't say enough good things about her!

I don't want to give out her email address so please just leave a note in the comments below and we can go from there! Thanks for taking to the time to read a big sisters matchmaking attempt:)

Here it is...

2010-06-06T12:54:00.001-05:00

Our new TV Armoire in all its glory...We just got this yesterday for an AWESOME deal off craigslist....I LOVE IT! What do you think?

Little Miss Princess and her new do:)

2010-05-22T18:59:00.000-05:00

My first try at twists and they turned out pretty good! Sorry about the mess in the background...hair fixing can be messy! Also, sorry for the lack of order...I can never figure out how to re arrange the pictures after uploading them...

My Pets

2010-05-08T18:19:00.002-05:00

I have four cats and two dogs. Before we had kids, we had 3 dogs and 5 cats that all lived inside. It was crazy but helped me prepare for having kids to take care of! After the kids arrived, the cats got kicked out (no good place for a smelly liter box with small kids around) and the dogs were banished from spending a lot of time inside accept for nights of course. Even though we had to kick them outside and spend less time with them, I love them all so much! Its such a joy to come home every day to my wonderful cat, Otis. He is a home body. The others enjoy going out for week long hunting trips or scavenges, but good old Otis likes to be nearby. For months he wouldn't even come in the house if we begged him, but he was always around the porch. He slowly started to enjoy coming in for small amounts of time and is now our favorite little inside/outside cat! He greets us every morning and meets me every day after work for a quick pet. There was one day when Otis wasn't around. I was a bit worried but thought maybe he had just went hunting or something. He was gone the next day too and the next. I started to get really worried that he had been stolen or something. I called the humane society and called for him on and off for hours. Nothing. Finally, the humane society suggested I check any outbuildings that he could have gotten stuck in after the recent downpour. I checked our shed that is always ALWAYS closed....and there was Otis. He had been stuck in there for four days! I was beside myself and Otis was very happy to be rescued. We are so lucky he didn't die in there! Our dogs, Kahlua and Jezzi, are also faithful friends. Kahlua has been with us since shortly after we were married and Jezzi was a later edition. (I can never turn away an animal in need of a home!) They are both relatively large dogs but think they are lap dogs anyway. Kahlua is MY dog, and she is very strong willed about making that point clear every evening. If Josh is sitting too close to me and she has no room to lay near me on the couch, she does a little yippee dance until Josh moves over a bit. Josh will have half a couch on his other side but she won't calm down unless nearest to me. Its really good for my ego;) Jezzi is the hairy one....I have vowed to never get another long haired dog, but Jezzi will have to stay until she is on her last leg. After all, I have a hard time getting rid of animals that I have promised a good home for reasons as little as shedding, though its really not a little reason at all. I have blond dog hair everywhere these days! Its so annoying. Don't sit down on our couch with black pants on before work...you'll end up taking half of Jezzi to work with you! She isn't even aloud on the furniture most of the time but the stuff find its way everywhere. She is super loving though and the shedding is usually forgivable. These two dogs are faithful friends...I'm really not sure one could make it without the other. Tom and Jerry are two of my other cats. They really aren't that friendly and only come around once in awhile. Cliffy, on the other hand, is our favorite grandpa cat. We got Cliffy and Macy (who has since passed after gracing us with MANY kittens) when we first married. We lived in a one bedroom apartment. We have so many good memories with him. There was one time that we were getting ready to leave SC for MI. At the last minute, I couldn't find Cliffy. I was sure he had escaped out the door as he often tried to do. We searched the perimeter of the apartments for almost an hour. I was crying and very upset. I was sure he had been lost forever when he finally decided to come out from under the box springs on our bed. He was way up in there and even our best attempts had failed to get him out! Cliffy and Macy have been with us through 3 moves, so Cliffy you see is somewhat of a family member now. He likes to hunt for weeks at a time, and I have thought he was gone forever on several occasions. He comes around once in awhile though and comes inside for some cuddles.

I'm writing all of this down because I want to remember these faithful friends forever. They do make life interesting and at times very stressful. Any vacations can be quite a bear because we have to find willing animal watchers. The dogs are wild and annoy company. Jezzi's hair is EVERYWHERE! Kahlua jumps on the kids sometimes, and Jezzi chases the cats. They are all messy and big eaters. However, despite all of the hard times, the little eyes that look up at us with love every day are our faithful friends! We have decided to be animal free for awhile after these guys pass but that will be years from now so I still enjoy every minute! I can't help it...I love animals!

2010-04-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

Here is the sister that likes to kidnap the blog! I am once again sitting at my sister's house waiting to go to church, and she trustingly signed me into her blog. I guess it is good that I am not a mean sister, or I would have something mean to write. I am sitting here typing listening to JJ scream "sissy SISSY!" across the house. He is so cute and growing up so fast. I am now watching Miricale stand for a picture of her new hair do. The new do is so cute. Well the sister sitting beside me is starting to feel sick and that is not cool at all.
Well on to another topic. I have been thinking lately about life. Life has stages all around. You start out as a baby, and pass through the stages of life to become an adult. Along those stages you also have stages of impacting people that enter your life. They come in your life unexpected and either leave it unexpected or are there for longer than you expected. I am not sure what most people would say, but I do know that no matter how short the time is each new impact is special. Each of those people should be counted as special for leaving such a special spot in your heart. God has a plan for everyone's life, and He alone knows how people can affect us and do. I can remember so many people through my short life that I do not know what I would have done without them. Some have come and gone through the passage of time, and some are still with me today making an imprint on my life. There have been tears for those that have come and gone, but I am thankful for the time that I have had. I guess this long rambly thing from me is to remind you to treasure the moments you have with the people in your life today. Do not take for granted what God blesses you with each and every time.
Well I am being told not to post, but I want to. I guess the stolen blog will have to be returned. Hope you enjoyed this long ramble from the sister that likes to steal the blog. :)

Happy Monday:)

2010-04-26T18:13:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning and was VERY tired. I had taken Benedryl before bed in order to prevent the allergy sickness that is spreading through my house. I had to leave earlier than normal for work in order to take my kids to my sister's house for the day. They were so excited so it was entirely worth it. I had a long day at work and was prepared for a long night. However, on my long ride to get my kids, I determined within myself that we were going to have a good night. When we got home, the daunting task of dinner preparation threatened to steal away my determination. Thankfully, I had gotten chicken out and just had to figure out how I wanted to prepare it. I found a good casserole recipe online and started cookin'! Along the way, I decided to try making some home made french bread with my bread maker. Along that way, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookie bars to accent my wonderful chicken casserole and home made bread. All in all, dinner turned out great and the night was enjoyable. God is good. After a long day at work, He somehow sparked my heart and enabled me to still have a good night with my family. There are so many days when I feel the best parts of me are used up at work. I get home and want to sit and do nothing. Again, God is so gracious for giving me the strength needed to be a decent mom and wife after a hard day at work!

new outlooks...

2010-04-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

OK. I usually find myself updating this blog when times are toughest. It seems there is always something to complain about. Well, of course, there is always something to complain about. Life is just that way. The bumps and curves are not fun but what would life be without them? And besides that, I need to start focusing on how good we have it and not on how bad life can seem on some days. I had a not so fun day today. I actually was wishing I could skip this day last night...and yet, here I am today at the end of my horrible day wondering why I ever worried at all. Everything worked out just fine. Yes, I had a huge evaluation at school and a not so pleasant annual doctors appointment, but it all worked out just fine. The Dr. only had to ask me a few questions about how the kids are doing to make me realize how much we have been through since seeing her last. Those few questions also made me really thankful for all the progress we have made in those moments. This life is flying by, and I am worrying it away on days that really shouldn't be worried about at all! God is good to us. He always makes sure the bills are paid when mommy's best budgets cant fit them all in. He makes bad days go better or He gives us the strength to deal with them. He is God after all. I just wish I could remember to trust Him as such.

I keep up with a lot of blogs--a lot of others' stories and lives written down for memories sake. I read their hopes and dreams and follow their heartaches. It's fun and entertaining to keep up with these families through their blogs. A lot of times it is their heartaches that make me realize how good I have it, or their words that encourage me to improve certain areas of my own life. I hope if you read this blog it can do the same for you.

Who knows where my family will be in 3 or 4 years. I can't see that far ahead, and I really don't want to. I want to enjoy every moment that we have here and now. I want to keep blogging and reading blogs and figuring out how to truly 'live' this life as I should!

pictures

2010-04-10T09:43:00.001-05:00

Here are a bunch of pictures of my sweet family just havin fun:) Easter photos included as well....sorry they are all mixed up....blogger is not my friend:(

Above you see JJ's throwing stance...just like his daddy!

The Splan Clan on Easter Sunday

Best Buds

Pretty as a Princess

Coloring eggs with dad

"Quiet! Man at work!"

What ya doing Babe? and Spring Break

2010-04-01T07:38:00.001-05:00

The kids in their new flip flops

One day a few weeks ago, Josh was outside grilling chicken and I was working inside on the rest of dinner. The kids were running in and out between me and dad. I called Josh and didn't answer. I called again...Finally I said, "Whatcha doing babe?" The kids, especially JJ, thought this was hilarious. Ever since that day, JJ has enjoyed using that phrase when addressing his daddy. While in Walmart, I was looking for Josh and JJ was saying..."What you doin, babe?" It is too cute!

Our Spring Break started out a bit rough with mommy having the worst case of strep ever. Overall, I was feeling pretty better by Wednesday so we ventured out for a few hours to get some much needed groceries and Easter clothes. JJ made the shopping trip bearable by being Mr. Cutie. When I put fruit snacks into the cart..."Ohhh, my fav-it!". When I picked up an egg coloring kit..."Ohhh, my fav-it"! Literally, everything he thought he liked was his fav-it. It was so cute. I don't know where he picked up the phrase, but its adorable. When I picked up his little Easter outfit, he didn't pay much attention. Miracle loved hers and had to try it on. Once we got home, I asked JJ if I could try his new shorts on him. (we went with a cute, casual plaid short/polo outfit for Easter this year...we wanted something that would work for other occasions too!) He agreed to trying the shorts on (AMAZINGLY!) so I grabbed them out of the bag. When he saw the brown plaid shorts he smiled so big, "Just like daddy?" It was priceless. He sure does love his daddy.

We took the plunge and let Miracle get her first hair relaxer done. It worked out great and her hair is so cute. She is so grown up!

The kids are really enjoying the new summer air. JJ wanted a pair of flip flops like sissy so I picked him up a pair at the dollar store thinking he wouldn't wear them. He LOVES them. He even wanted to wear them to bed last night. He is pretty good with them too. It's so easy to please them right now...if only a $1 pair of flip flops would continue to please them when they are teenagers?!?!? (The kids are pictured in their new flops at the beginning of this post...I couldn't figure out how to get the silly picture down here!)

la di da

2010-03-23T18:08:00.000-05:00

OK. I haven't had much to blog about lately because the 'sickies' seem to be following us everywhere we go....or at least following JJ. The stomach virus made its rounds very slowly this year. JJ's turn, JJ's turn, MOMMIES TURN...BLAH! In between JJ's two bouts of this dreaded virus...he also has had a cold, another cold, and now pink eye in both eyes. Somehow, Miracle seems to be dodging each and every bullet...at least so far! I am praying so fervently for JJ's little body to get healthy so that his immune system can catch up. It seems that before he is able to get back to normal after one horrible virus...he is struck with another! Thankfully, spring break is speeding upon us, and we will have a full week of recuperation....and potty training! Everyone say a prayer and cross your fingers with me. The time has come! I will let you know how that one goes!

Overall, life has had its ups and downs around here, and I am only sure of a few things these days: God is in control. God is merciful. God is gracious....oh, and the most important one of all, God is holding my hand through each and every moment of this wave filled life!

I will keep you posted as far as our spring break adventures and potty training go. It should be fun, and we are all looking forward to the rest!

Its not by 'luck' but by God's mercy

2010-03-06T13:24:00.000-06:00

We are learning to never take good health for granted at our house. JJ came down with another stomach bug less than 3 weeks after getting over the worst one ever. Poor kid! I guess I find that we take for granted the good health God sends our way on most days. I woke up feeling pretty yucky myself this morning. Runny nose, sore throat, and the wonderful sick feeling in my head is not making this the best Saturday ever. I am thankful that JJ is feeling better though, and that no one else is showing symptoms of a stomach bug. I know it could still hit us, but I am remaining hopeful. One lesson I am learning though is that I should stop counting on our luck to keep us healthy. I used a coffee cup this morning that really got through to me. It has a verse on it from James that says, 'The prayer of a righteous man is fervent and effective." I immediately began kicking myself. God is in control. He would be even more in control if I just let Him be. I tend to try and deal with everything on my own. I worry, fret and make myself sick over the anxiety. Sickness can do that to me. Who will get it next? How many days off work will this cost me? How will I clean up yet another throw up? (It is my LEAST favorite activity as a mom). I am going to give this one to God and let Him decide the answers to all those questions. He will surely give me the strength to deal with it all if I just let Him.

Lord...take me away until only You remain.

Snow days and Naps= Perfect!

2010-03-02T18:16:00.000-06:00

Today was an awesome day. Snow was in the forecast but no one really believed it would come. We have had several of these 'snow' forecasts and had not yet been blessed with snow on a school day. I was really hoping for it though! It turns out that snow started to fall around 9:30am...we all anxiously awaited the announcement of early dismissal...and it came about an hour later! It was so fun! I picked up the kids, and we all went home to enjoy a much needed nap time. The poor kids had a fun filled weekend that left them both over tired and crabby. I too needed some extra Z's so off we went to dream land...for a good 2.5 hours!! I highly doubt I will be able to sleep tonight but it was worth it. Of course, a half day off is never enough so we are hoping for a cancellation again tomorrow. High expectations I know...but snow days are so fun!

Overall, we are all doing well. Miracle is doing well in school and really starting to understand the reading process. She still has a lot to learn but is doing very well considering the disadvantages she has had in life. She is really starting to figure out that girls are supposed to like boys and vice versa. She commented the other day that the boys at school probably thought she was cute in her new black pants and pink shirt. ADORABLE..yes. SCARY...yes!! JJ is finally starting to get back to his normal self. Aside from being sick and coughing excessively, his little cheeks were all red and chapped from the cold weather and playing outside. After several nights of lotion on the cheeks, cough medicine, and allergy medicine...he is finally starting to look like my cute little man again!

We are all counting down the 3.5 weeks until spring break and looking forward to the summer fun that is soon to follow. It is so nice to know that the along with the warmth will come less sickness...and more time to sleep!

Can we pull off perfect?

2010-02-26T16:04:00.001-06:00

OK...the last few weekends have been pretty hectic at our house. It seems that sickness, work, cleaning, sickness, and more cleaning have been filling our agendas like crazy. I am just hoping for somewhat of a perfect and restful weekend this time around. We have an outing planned for tonight and the kids are so pumped to see their cousins, Jack and Riley. JJ was so convinced that we had went to their house without him this morning that Josh ended up having to go and get him from daycare because he was inconsolable. Poor kid. You would think we never see the cousins he loves so much! Saturday is our planned 'rest' day aside from a quick trip to Wal-mart to get a gift for the birthday party we are going to on Sunday afternoon. All in all, it is looking to be fun and hopefully sun filled:) Hope you all have a wonderful weekend to. Just remember--when all else fails--- being with the ones you love automatically makes every day perfect!

Are we done yet?

2010-02-20T08:05:00.000-06:00

OK. JJ has gone 24 hours plus some without vomiting. He still isn't eating that well, but he is keeping small stuff down. He still looks weak and pale....but seems to be on the tail end of this junk. It has been quite the week I tell you. My hubby was out of town when all of this started...and I swear that I have NEVER missed him so much. He came home on Thursday afternoon. I hugged him with a forever long hug and told him he is NEVER going to work out of town again....and he nicely informed me that he has to go back in a few weeks. AHHHHHHHHH!! I'm already cringing at the thought of what horrible ailment is going to hit us next time he is unavailable to help me out....I guess I never realized how very valuable he really is around here:) Thats a plus though. Two is better than one on any day...especially when there is vomit involved!

update

2010-02-17T21:07:00.000-06:00

JJ is finally sleeping. He woke up this morning acting as close to normal as possible...after all he had spent the day before vomiting. His fever was gone and, he was fine all day until after nap. On our way to get Miracle from school, poor JJ started throwing up again. He continued to do so every ten minutes for an hour afterwards. During this time, mommy was freaking out. He had thrown up on his car seat so I could not drive him to the ER until it was dry...my husband is still out of town so I was stuck with one child stuck at school and one vomiting every ten minutes for no apparent reason. I called for backup. My wonderful sisters rushed to my aid. One picked up Miracle and took her away from the drama, and the other stayed with me to take JJ to an emergency pediatrician appointment. He threw up continuously until he got a shot to stop the nasuea. The Dr. says its just a relapse...I have my doubts. Thankfully, he is now sleeping soundly, and I have a perscription to stop the vomiting if it starts again. I have strict orders to take him to the ER if he starts vomiting uncontrollably again in the night....so keep us in your prayers! Its now been two days....how long can a kid vomit and still survive??? poor baby.....

A very sick boy

2010-02-16T13:46:00.000-06:00

My little man has a nasty virus. He has not been able to keep anything down all morning. This is the sickest I have ever seen him. He slept for 4.5 hours, and then I had to wake him up just to make sure he was ok. He stayed up for about 3o minutes and then asked to go back to bed. He is now sleeping soundly again...I hope he gets back to himself again soon. Everyone say a prayer for his sissy. She definitely is at a disadvantage for getting this junk as well as I am. We are in for an interesting week for sure.... I will keep you all posted....I HATE SICKNESS!

PS: the picture above is him trying to be happy....he is so pale and feverish. I hate this for him!

Ta-Da!

2010-02-05T20:02:00.000-06:00

My new floor is mostly done! My living room is done and my hallway is almost there. Don't you love it??

In case you forgot how it looked before...look behind the princess at the yucky carpet!

I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I have to re arrange everything and unpack everything that was packed up to make the floor accessible. Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday. Not only do I get to enjoy my new floor, but I also get to enjoy my wonderful family and a good, productive day at home!

2010-01-19T19:15:00.000-06:00

Ok, this post is way late in coming...but I love this picture so I wanted to share it!

New Year Revelations

2010-01-04T18:40:00.000-06:00

Ok. We all started back to work, school, and daycare today. I told myself that if the kids were OK when I dropped them off (ie: no crying, no "I don't wanna go", no pouty faces) that I would be OK too. I decided that I WOULD be in a good mood despite the fact that I did not sleep well at all last night. I think it was just anxiety over starting back at the daily grind. Not necessarily for myself, but for the kids. Well, I made it through the day without seeing the glass half empty...at least for the most part. The kids were both pretty crabby tonight at which point I started to lose sight of my "I will be happy today" goal. However, we pulled through OK. I made a good dinner and managed to complete a happy bed time routine for both kids. I am now sitting down to relax as much as possible before doing it all again tomorrow. At times, it seems that the daily grind can really get me down. I always find something to worry about during the day whether it be bills, the waiting household chores, or some other needless worry. I am determined, however, to see the up side of my life for the remainder of this new year. I will focus on the fact that my kids do wake up in the morning and not on how crabby they can be about getting ready to go. I will focus on how my long drive to work gives me plenty of time to think and pray instead of how it gives me time to conjure up needless worries for the day. I will focus on the fact that God has provided a wonderful day care for my son to spend time at while I work instead of how very depressing it is that I cannot be a stay at home mom right now. I will focus on appreciating the good public school that my daughter is at instead of on how I wish we had the money for a private education. I will appreciate my job. I will love the kids I work with instead of finding their every fault throughout the day. I will remember my purpose for choosing this line of work instead of longing for bigger, better things. I will be glad that I have dinner to cook instead of complaining over having to cook it. I will cherish the minutes I have with my over tired babies instead of wishing bed time would come faster. I will be a good wife instead of taking my frustrations out on my sweet hubby. I will put my trust in God to provide for my sweet children instead of trying to do it all by myself. Last but not least, I will enjoy, savor every moment of this wonderful time in my life when my babies are young and love mommy more than anything in the world. I will be a good example for them and an encouragement to them as they figure life out...and how bad it can hurt.

One of my favorite plays is "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder. It has an amazing theme of appreciating your life while you can. One of my favorite quotes from that play is: "Do human beings ever really realize life while they live it? --every, every minute?" My promise to myself, and to my husband, and to my kids for this year is that I WILL. I will realize it and try my very hardest to quit taking it for granted!

Had a Merry Christmas and looking forward to the new year!

2009-12-28T17:52:00.000-06:00

Hey all, We are home safe and sound. My last post indicated the anxiety over this years trip to MI, and, as it turns out, it was not for nothing. We took off on Friday afternoon around 2pm. I had been hearing about bad weather all day and school had let out early because of the threat of coming snow. We all figured that since we were from MI and used to driving in snow, we could push through it. Also, the weather updates seemed to indicate that we could beat the worst of it if we left when we did. However, we learned different. About a half an hour into the drive, we started to see snow covered cars coming from the southbound lane. We were headed north, straight into this snow, and began to get slightly concerned. It was hard to believe though because all that was happening above us was endless rain....how could it be snowing so hard just a few miles ahead? Well...it was. It was actually snowing so hard that we went from moving at 65 mph to 25mph in a matter of seconds. The roads that were covered in gallons of rain water soon became pure slush because of the falling snow. At this point, we were already an hour into our trip and did not want to turn back. We continued on, slow but sure, not knowing that 3 miles ahead we would end up stopped in a terrible traffic jam. We figured this out rather quickly but still were not deterred. A small accident up ahead...no big deal. It would be cleaned up in no time and we would be on our way again. NOT QUITE! The minutes turned into hours. We were stuck on I26 amidst falling sleet/snow and miles and miles of stopped traffic. We could not turn around or go forward. We were stuck. After about an hour of waiting, several cars tried to pull through the median and turn back. The bigger vehicles made it though, but every car got stuck in the deepening snow. We knew our cars would end up stuck so we had to stay put. An hour turned into two hours. The kids were amazingly good. They were hungry, but we had some snacks and activities to keep them occupied. Mommy needed to use the bathroom...but the wait continued. Two hours turned into three and three into four. I personally was getting very scared for the safety of my kids. By this time, the radio had been broadcasting about the storm and the accident up ahead that had put both sides of I26 at a complete standstill. Two semi trucks had jack knifed across all lanes, and the roads were too icy for wrecker crews to get in. They began to mention shutting down the interstate for the night and finding a shelter for all stranded motorists. YIKES! By this time, I was terrified. We had plenty of stuff and two cars full of gas, but home was less than and hour and a half back and we were going to end up either sleeping in our cars or in a shelter for the night. After 5 1/2 hours of worried waiting, the DOT managed to clear a path for the miles of motorists to at least exit the interstate. They ordered us to either find an open hotel or go to the nearby shelters for the night. The interstate would be closed, and we could go no where else. Ironically, we were at the Asheville airport exit. The airport had cancelled all flights for the night and 7 out of 7 of the available hotels had absolutely no vacancies. Mind you, the roads were covered in over a foot of snow, and we got stuck in every driveway while searching for an available place to stay. There were a bunch of cops manning the exit ramps so we stopped and asked them for directions to one of the shelters that had been set up. They had no idea that there even were shelters available and sent us on a treacherous goose chase to find nothing. We ended up driving and driving down some road that was taking us the back way to Asheville. It was the only way we could even travel so we just started praying for an open hotel. We stopped at every one we saw and all were full. We were starving and nothing was open. Finally after about an hour and a half of driving, we found an available room. It was crazy expensive and the last one available. It was 11 o'clock at night, and we were tired and hungry. Also, completely overwhelmed! Thank God we did not end up having to sleep in the car. Believe me, in the middle of all this I was thinking of all of the worst possible outcomes. I prayed and prayed and am sure that God saved us that one room. Anyway....I'm sure you figured out that it was a long night. We raided the vending machine and tried to calm our nerves enough to sleep so that we could hopefully continue the drive in the morning. We managed to leave about 9 o'clock the next morning and made it to MI around midnight. Needless to say....it was a long trip. I think it snowed the entire way up! So that's how out trip up went...our holiday was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed the time with our families. I'm sorry this is such a long post...but it is definitely a memory for the scrap books! I'll try to post some fun pictures from our trip within the next few days! Good night everyone!

Is it really finally here?

2009-12-17T19:44:00.001-06:00

We have made it to the day before Christmas break starts. I say this with apprehension because every day of this week has brought new surprises for us that seem to be deterring us from heading out tomorrow afternoon. First, JJ came down with a stomach bug on Saturday night. Then, of course, I got it on Monday night and my husband got it on Tuesday night. (Miracle has been lucky so far!) Then the money bug started to gnaw at my heart...and I got really overwhelmed on Wednesday:) We thought Thursday was going great until I got this not so great call at school. JJ was sick---again---with what looked like another tummy virus or a possible sinus infection. I have to say, I am very nervous about what tomorrow has to bring. I am thankful for today because it allowed me to get a lot of our packing done that would have had to wait until this evening, but I am worried about JJ. The pediatrician would not give us an appointment until tomorrow. She said to wait it out. Now, normally I do this. I wait until I am absolutely sure they are sick before making an appointment. I learned the hard way that the doctor most always says..."Its probably a virus...just wait it out!" So of course...I wait until I am sure its not just a virus. Today is different though. We are leaving tomorrow and need to make sure JJ wont be miserable to entire time we are gone. So of course, I called...and, of course, they say to wait it out anyway. "If it gets worse you can take him to an outpatient clinic in MI," they told me. Well, Ms. Doctor, I just want someone to tell me he doesn't need an antibiotic so that I don't have to pay to see an out of state doctor. I could go on and on....but to sum it all up we have an appointment for tomorrow morning. He seemed a lot better tonight so we are hoping for a miracle in the morning! So this is my hodge-podge post for now...sorry this is so jumbled....so are the thoughts in my head!!! More updates to come....after the Merry days are over:)

oh the weather outside is....too warm!!!

2009-12-01T18:54:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Its gotten a little colder around here in SC but not cold enough. It's December...I want sweaters, hot chocolate, winter coats, mittens, and scarves. I have yet to come to terms with the fact that we are no longer in MI this time of year...Yes, I must admit it is kind of nice to have less frost, less shivering in our beds, less need for thermal underwear....but the fact remains...it doesn't feel like the Christmas season without the prospect of snow! For this very reason, I am anxiously awaiting our Christmas break. We will be traveling to MI where we will spend our holiday with friends and family...and SNOW!!! Don't get me wrong, I love my life here. It's just that when I was young we would wake up looking for snow. Most days we were outside with all of our winter wear on sledding or even ice skating on our little country dirt road. Yes, I'm from the sticks...but its so cozy there. I don't regret it for a minute! We had ton of snow days in December too. So you see, I have other reasons for missing the snow as well. It's so nice to wake up in the morning, turn on the news, and see that school is cancelled for the day. We made a lot of memories on those wonderful snow days! We usually get a few here in SC but not until January...and that is if we are lucky! I'd almost venture to say that those memories are what made me so close to my brothers and sisters. Snow forts, snow men, snow angels, warm treats...and lots of fun pretending. When school was out, it was PARTY time! I guess those are the memories that will get me through these next few weeks until we get to venture on home to MI. Until then...here are some pictures of the snow last year:) There was a TON!

This is the view outside my mom's back door...PERFECT!

Some lonely birds stick around for the good stuff.

All bundled up at Grammies. Ready to play in the snow!

He had to borrow a scarf that was way too big for him...He endured though. The snow was so enticing!

The kids went sledding on a huge snow pile.

Hope you all enjoy the taste of Michigan's wonderful snow. I am so excited and will be updating about the rest of our Christmas plans soon!

New Hair and Holiday Excitement

2009-11-20T18:15:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I know it has been a long while since a good update. I have no excuses...just an "I'm so sorry":) Overall, life is going well on our end. My family is coming into town tomorrow, and I am so excited to see them and get to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. I will get to see my uncle and his new wife. I have never met his new wife, and I have not seen him in ages. Also, I have never met my mom's sister's daughter, Emily. She is coming to SC with my parents so I will get to meet her for the first time. She lives in California but is in college in Indiana. It works out great for my parents to pick her up on their way down here. It will be a fun week for sure! In preparation for the holidays and upcoming family pictures, I re-did Miracle's hair tonight. It is starting to get cold outside, and she has been begging for curly hair like mommy's so I went ahead and put some extensions in. They are a lot of work...and way too hot for summer days outside...so she has had to wait for awhile:) It looks really cute....and she loves it. I think she has already flicked it over her shoulder like girls with long hair do about fifty times since we finished around seven. She is too cute!! Anyway...pictures of the new do are below, and I will try to update on how Thanksgiving goes. I have so very much to be thankful for and always enjoy this very special holiday that kicks off the Christmas season. We will be going home to MI for Christmas, and we are already counting down the days!!

Isn't she beautiful?? We are already preparing ourselves for the teen years...and the boys that will surely be drooling over this one! They better drool very respectfully or they wont even get a chance!

Randomness from the sister who visits too much!

2009-11-15T13:01:00.000-06:00

So I am here visiting my sister and her family today, and on November 15 they are listening to Christmas music and Decorating their tree. I am all for this except for how we have not even Celebrated Thanksgiving yet. They say they will celebrate both, but I wil have to see if this is true. I would also like to wish my brother-in-law a Happy Birthday! I am thankful that I was included on your celebration even if it did include me watching you decorate for Christmas. :)

On to my other random topics. I have been going through pictures on my computer and found many of the Splan Clan so here they are in no specific order. Hope you enjoy the random pics of

the fun times I have had with all of them! These are not in any order since I do not usually blog and I had a lot of trouble figuring it all out. These pictures are from our day out to the splash park, the birthday celebration we had at Monkey Joes, our family get together, and them decorating the tree. Holly is helping but did not make it into the pictures from today. By the way Holly loves pictures of their feet. The pic was taken on JJ's birthday for her to always remember what small feet they were when he turned two. :) I hope you enjoy! From the blog Stealer :)

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-11-02T14:21:00.000-06:00

We had a great Halloween with our kids. It can be such a fun holiday if you just have fun with it....Last year, Miracle had to be a cheerleader and JJ was a little pumpkin. As you can see....last year was too cute!

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2009--- JJ wore his same pumpkin sweatsuit from last year....hasn't he grown up a lot? Miracle was a barbie princess....she loved it:)

Halloween 2009- I had to post this cute picture. These two are the best of friends and Miracle was helping JJ to cross the street safely. This is a memory that will last a lifetime....sisters and brothers have such awesome relationships!

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Boy!

2009-10-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy! Today JJ turns 2. He has been such a blessing to our family. I have very mixed emotions about this day....my baby is growing up too fast, and yet it is so exciting to see him grow!

We love you so much big boy!

Some Sunday afternooon pictures

2009-10-11T16:04:00.000-05:00

What up, dudes?

JJ stole the cookie from the cookie jar? "Who me?"

Another Family Update...

2009-10-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! We are all doing pretty well in the Splan household. It seems that the sickness has finally decided to end for awhile....at least for now. Today my family and I headed over to my sisters house for some much needed family time. My mom is down from Michigan, and we were all antsy to see her. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing day! My husband is preparing for a little business trip to Charleston next week, and Miracle and JJ are both looking forward to JJ's birthday party next weekend. With Nanna visiting, the party is sure to be more fun!

Last week was a sad one for the Meyer Center, the school I work at. Our school was started in 1954 by an orthopedic surgeon named Leslie C. Meyer. He had a burden to offer therapy services to physically disabled children at as young of an age as possible. He passed away over last weekend and his funeral was on Thursday. I did not know this man very well but have a very great understanding of what his vision has done for hundreds of children. His funeral was awesome. I only wish he could have been there to hear everyone speak so highly of him. He sure did make an imprint on many lives!

Aside from lots of business, we have all been enjoying the arrival of fall. I did make it quite clear a few posts ago that we could do without fall. This, however, is only because of the awful spiders! I still enjoy the crisp smell of the air in the morning and evenings. I love to watch the leaves change colors, and I love that the fall time change is getting closer:) I hate how dark it is when we get up in the morning--- it makes me feel so much more tired! I am especially looking forward to the holidays this year. I have a lot of family coming to SC for Thanksgiving, and hopefully we will be traveling to Michigan for Christmas. We will still be crazy busy but getting to see family always makes life look a bit brighter!

Well the children are calling. I need to get off the computer and get some household needs taken care of. Have a wonderful weekend and especially enjoy the Lord's day!

So happy together

2009-09-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

I was out sick last week with strep throat and this is how JJ spent his day...reclining and being lazy:) I was lazy too although I had to do a lot of disinfecting so that the rest of the house would not get sick. My best attempts failed, however, because Miracle woke up this morning with a sore throat, cough, and fever. Ahhh...the joys of fall!

This is just a cute picture of the kids playing dress up...and sharing a soda which is inevitably why we are passing this sickness around so quickly:(

One day last week, it was a really cool evening and Josh decided to mow the lawn. JJ would not let momma rest until he got to go out and help daddy. Yes, he is already in his PJ's, but I could not resist letting him play 'big boy'!

Just a random picture of my happy Miracle!

And my not so happy JJ....isn't he cute though?!?!?

Overall, it has been an interesting few weeks. I am hoping to get Miracle into the doctor this morning to get her better for tomorrow. School and jobs are calling...no time for being sick! I will enjoy this day at home with my kids though. It is raining and dreary and cold outside. Her little body could not have chosen a better day to be sick!

Signs of fall...

2009-09-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

I can always tell when fall is on its way in good old SC. Its not the cool air at night or the every other day rain...though these things are definitely clues as well. It's the spiders. Spiders start to come out everywhere. I can definitely remember my first August in SC. I was quite pregnant with JJ. I came home from work one day to find a giant spider hanging in a web right outside my front door. By giant, I mean GIANT. In Michigan, spiders tend to die over the winter so they never get too big over the summer. What I thought was a big spider growing up is actually quite small compared to the big spiders here in SC. Well this big spider was blocking me from going through my front door. At this time, James was living with us. James was a teenager that we brought back with us from Michigan. He was going through a hard time and needed a summer away. Well, upon meeting this wonderfully giant spider at my front door, I backtracked to the back door. On the way there, I began noticing the many spiders that had emerged around the eaves of my house. There were several of these giant spiders, and I immediately new that we had to make a trip to Walmart. After all, GIANT SPIDERS are not allowed at the Splan house...or outside it. I was about to have a baby and my pregnant hormones said the spiders had to go NOW! James and I made an immediate trip to Walmart where we picked up the best spider killer spray we could find and a broom. We rushed home and got out the ladder. I then directed James to every spider that I could find outside of the house. I made him kill every spider I could find...and I made him sweep around the outside of the eaves to find any lurkers. He was very sweet to let me boss him around knowing full well that he was not willing to deny a pregnant hormonal woman. It was actually quite funny looking back. After this, I was content. The spray apparently worked through last summer too. I kept watch and never found GIANT spiders hanging around the eaves. However, this year they are back. I still check the top of my door every day when I get home. I will never forget that giant fella! The top of the door remains safe...but the spiders are everywhere else. I have had Josh kill a most of them, but there are still plenty out there. Also, I have killed several that I have found inside my supposed "Spider Free" house. YIKES! The other day, we were watching TV before bed. All of a sudden this little spider descended down from the ceiling right in front of the TV. I freaked, like I always do, and Josh took care of the little intruder very quickly. Some of you may find this entire post useless...but you have to understand how very badly this is effecting me right now. I HATE SPIDERS! They come out in hoards as fall approaches and cool weather starts coming. For this reason, I say...lets skip fall and start winter early!

A glimpse...

2009-09-19T19:15:00.000-05:00

Cool Dude with his soapy mohawk!

Just an update...

2009-09-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are still alive! I am so sorry its been so long since my last blog. I have been ultra tired and not in the mood to type....or think for that matter! It seems this new school year is kicking this mommas butt! Hopefully, I am more adjusted by next week. Anyway, we are all doing pretty well aside from the sleepiness. Miracle loves school. She has several of her friends from K4 in her class this year and that really makes her happy. She even gets to see her beloved friend Gavin on the playground most days. She informed me at the end of last school year that she was going to marry Gavin. I have heard several prospective marriages from this girl...her daddy, her brother JJ, Papa...but we always go back to Gavin. The other day she told me that her and Gavin had talked...they still want to get married. She wanted to know if I wanted to meet him before they get married or not?!?!?! HOLD ON A MINUTE! My baby girl is getting way to smart for her own good:) I'm glad she is enjoying life though. Scarily she seems to be becoming boy crazy like her mama...do you think that if she starts this early, her boy craziness may fade before she becomes a teenager??? Lets cross our fingers for that one!

Aside from Miracles overall success with K5, it has been determined that JJ has entered his "terrible twos" a little early. We have had quite the time the last few evenings. JJ inherited the high maintenance parts of both his daddy's and my personalities. You know how your mother told you that she hopes you have one just like yourself when you grow up?? Well, my mother told me that a few times...and it happened. I was not an easy child...and it looks like JJ is going to spend his little life pushing the limits whenever possible. We are working hard with him though and hope to end up with a nice young man nonetheless:) Don't get me wrong, he is still as cute as a button but he is starting to show his desire for independence very early in life. I have two very hard headed children....how in the world did that happen??? J/K I love them both to pieces no matter what!

We were able to enjoy a fun cookout for labor day. It was at my husbands bosses house. The boss part made it kind of stressful...but we still had a good day. I hate that I have no pictures. I took the camera and forgot it in the car! Both JJ and Miracle got to wear life jackets for the first time. JJ still wanted nothing to do with the water. Miracle was a bit apprehensive at first. She did not trust the life jacket to hold her up and she could not touch past the rocky shore line....Daddy helped her get used to it though, and she ended up having a blast!

Well, I need to get dinner started for two hungry little munchkins. Enjoy the weekend!

Morning suprises and first day of school

2009-09-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

This week has definitely gone a little smoother for the Splan clan. Josh is still working late hours, but we are all getting adjusted. A few nights ago he brought home a surprise for the kids who were already in bed. When they woke up, they found this...

A GIANT LOBSTER! They loved this thing. It is so funny how easily kids are entertained. Daddy was happy that he had made two little hearts so happy!

Tuesday morning was Miracles first day of kindergarten. Mommy was worried, but Miracle was pumped! She must have asked me fifty thousand times when school would start...and when the day finally came she had to keep asking if she could really go to school. She did great:)

Miracle and Daddy

Before we walked out the door.

Are we done taking pictures yet, mommy? (the eyes say it all!)

For her first day, I actually walked her in and made sure she was OK. Today was her first day being dropped off in car line. Last year she rode the bus in the morning. I was very nervous about dropping my little girl off at the door to go find her classroom all by herself. She told me she could do it though, so I trusted her. I worried the whole way to school. When I dropped her off she jumped out and with only a slight, hesitant look back at me...marched into school like a big girl. She is so grown up all of a sudden!

A Mothers heart...

2009-08-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

Babies cry. That is a statement of the obvious...I know. However, I have NEVER been good at handling a crying baby or child of any age. When my first niece was born, I was still in college. She was quite a fussy baby, and I remember very clearly how very badly her crying hurt me. I would go visit her often. Every time she would cry I would end up leaving the house to get away from the crying. I would stand in my sisters driveway and cry myself....I always feel so helpless when a baby cries. This intensified when JJ was born. He has always been a little bit spoiled because I cannot ignore his cries. Yes, I know that babies cry when they are mad. They cry to get what they want. They cry for no reason at all. However, despite my motherly instinct of knowing why my boy was crying...I could NEVER ignore it. I always have to pick him up and cuddle him once he reaches the point of crocodile tears whether they are forced or not. Of course, I am the same way with my Miracle girl. When she first came to live with us, she hated bathing. By saying she hated bathing is actually putting it quite lightly. She would scream before she even stepped a foot into the tub. A high, heart wrenching plea. "Please daddy...NO! Please daddy...." I tried to give her the baths at first but had to let daddy take over. I could not handle the anguish of those tears, and yet I knew she needed to get used to bathing. She did of course...and she now begs for a bath every night. Don't get me wrong---I can completely ignore a fake cry. Really, I can. Once a child starts to really cry though...with tears and all...it all goes downhill. This made the newborn months really hard for me. Dropping off my crying baby before work never did get easier....and still kills me every time.

I say all this to explain to you the newest hardship of my week. JJ has been crying, crying, crying. It might be because he is teething or because he is just over tired. It might be because daddy is working crazy hours and our routine is a little different. It could be because he doesn't feel well. I cannot figure it out. I have tried everything. He cried when I dropped him off at daycare this morning,which he rarely does anymore, and he cried for the pettiest things all evening. He is sleeping now, but my poor heart is still hurting for him. I wish I could read his little mind and know whats wrong with my baby. Poor Miracle is feeling quite neglected because JJ is hogging all of my attention...but really...its the crying!

Its funny how children never fully realize the love of their parents until they become one themselves. If only I had known how very much my mother hurt when I made bad choices. If only I had understood how deeply her heart was connected to my happiness. I might have been a better child....but I guess we would all say that. I can say this though...My children will always have my heart. They both have me wrapped around their little fingers as it is...and both JJ and Miracle's pitiful crying will always get my attention and leave me crying right along with them.

as time flies by...

2009-08-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

I have not felt much like blogging lately. I learned a lot from Thumper on Bambi...'If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all!"...and that is just how I have been feeling lately. Totally and completely overwhelmed by life. Don't worry...I see in myself this huge weakness of worrying, and I realize it will hardly get me anywhere in life. Most days I can sum up the strength to over come it, my worrying, but lately it has been tough. August has been a rough month for the Splans. Money is so tight...even the dogs are feeling the repercussions! (They still get plenty of food....but table scraps are few and far between;) You all know how it goes....when something goes bad---it seems that everything starts to fall apart around you. Oh well...things are starting to look up around here, and we are all happy for that. My husband is working lots of extra hours to get us caught up and it has not been very fun. I cannot complain though....God has provided like He promised He would. Also, my wonderful mother is always a huge encouragement. She sent me the sweetest card yesterday....how is it that mothers know just what to say? The stress is not just due to tight finances either. Starting a new school year is always a bit overwhelming. I do not like change, and it always takes me a few weeks to adjust.

After saying all this...let me tell you that I am determined to have a good week this week. My class is starting to get used to their new routine, my Miracle starts k-5 next week, and JJ is growing up more and more every day. I have plenty of things to be excited about and thankful for....I just need to quit focusing on myself! Miracle is so excited to start school that she can hardly stand it. She has asked me at least four or five times a day if tomorrow is school:) As for JJ, Miss Dana decided it was time to get rid of pacies at daycare. (She has several 2 year olds that take a pacy, and she is trying to wean them before her new infant nephew starts coming.) I, of course, was a bit apprehensive. I know JJ needs to get over his pacy, but it keeps him a baby that much longer. Despite my reservations, Miss Dana planned a "Throw the Pacies away party" The kids all threw their own pacies into the garbage and were then rewarded with ice cream. It went so well. JJ no longer takes a pacy at daycare at all! He still gets it for bed time at home...I am not quite ready to give that part up! Also, JJ is getting really close to the potty training stage. I had bought him a plane jane little potty to start practicing on, but he hated it. Yesterday, a friend gave us a spider man seat that sits inside of the big potty seat. JJ LOVED IT:) Unfortunately, he wanted to take it in the bath and everywhere else with him yesterday. It was cute. (Don't worry. I did not approve the playing with the potty seat, but JJ definitely tried for his 'two cents' worth on this issue;)

So you see from earlier in my post why I have not been posting. Thumper was really quite intelligent if you think about it:) However, my children are doing great, and I am dedicated to returning to the blogging world. I promise to keep you updated more often....:)

life is hard...but worth it!

2009-08-14T17:54:00.000-05:00

It's been a long week for the Splan clan. We all enjoyed getting back into our regular routine of work and daycare, but we ended up being quite tired every night. It's funny how easily your body forgets routine! JJ and Miracle are none worse for the wear though...in fact, as I sit and type at my computer both kids are running around the house happily. Mommy and Daddy are wiped out...but the kids act like they could go for another 24 hours:)

JJ is starting to come down with a cold so we plan to stay in for the weekend doing absolutely nothing. I had a not so fun trip to the dentist yesterday. It seems that I broke a tooth without realizing it and without proper care it now needs a root canal. Dental work is ridiculously expensive so I will probably just get it pulled. This is NOT my favorite alternative, though it is the cheapest!

This week has really made me think about how thankful I am for my children and their health. I work with special needs children and have to go through yearly training. This year, we had to do an extra training on handling seizures because we have several new kids with different kinds of issues that will be starting this year. I have taught in this area for almost four years now, and I do not go a day with out being reminded of how hard life must be for parents of special needs children. My second year, I had one of my students pass away. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. JJ had just been born, Miracle was four years old, and I was going to a funeral for a five year old. Hugging his mother, I felt so guilty. Guilty because my kids were OK. My kids were healthy. I couldn't even pretend to understand what she was going through, and she was younger than I was. The mother had the pastor read this very special poem about having a child with a disability.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandt's.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

This poem sums it up all by itself. These parents may have quite a load, but they still love their kids and enjoy every moment spent with them. I praise God that my two are healthy, but I know in my heart that if God decides to give me a child with special needs I could handle it. After all, I have spent over 3 and 1/2 years seeing some wonderful examples of parents who would do anything for their kids...and have. Going through all of this training and having a glimpse of what these parents go through...has been enough for me this week! I don't find myself to be better than anyone else just because I teach special kids. In fact, at times I find myself wondering why God chose to put me in this profession at all! I am always thankful, however, that I get to be a special part in the lives of each of my students. They may not be able to experience life the way I do, but they get to experience it and its part of my job to help them experience it to the fullest.

OK getting back to what I started talking about (so sorry about that detour)---I am thankful for my children and their health. Need I say more??

PICTURES!

2009-08-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

I am back with the updates that I promised. Today went well. I had a lot of meetings which was not that fun...but we all made it through. JJ and Miracle had a blast for their first day back...all that worrying for nothing. Aren't mom's silly? Anyway--here are a few pictures from our fun break last week. Hope you enjoy!

This is a picture of Miracle and JJ enjoying their morning routine or dry cereal and cartoons....JJ is so glad that he finally found his belly...can you tell?

On Saturday, we all took a trip to Falls park in Greenville. Miracle wanted to put her feet in the water with her cousins. They had a blast. JJ is still afraid of most water though we are trying to work through that.

After putting the feet into the dirty river....the splash zone was a must. Again, Miracle and her cousins had a blast!

JJ was so tired by the end of our adventure that daddy had to give him a ride. JJ was so so hot but would not touch the water...

The kids also enjoyed playing in at the park. This teeter totter was their favorite adventure. They pretended it was their air plane!

Overall, we all had a great and relaxing time. I am so looking forward to being able to take JJ swimming someday. Miracle used to have a horrible fear of water and is now a little fish...we are hoping JJ will feel the same way someday!

The end has arrived:(

2009-08-09T19:05:00.001-05:00

For all of you who are wondering, we had a wonderful break. I have to admit that I was not the perfect mom. I had to take some time for myself catching up on my favorite Lifetime movies, cleaning, arranging, etc. However, I also spent a lot of good time interacting with my angels. We just had fun doing nothing. We didn't go on vacation. We didn't go out everyday. We didn't get to go on any huge adventures. We just spent time home and together. In JJ and Miracle's little minds...What could be better? I think we all enjoyed it too much and will have a hard time going back to our everyday routine tomorrow. I don't have time to post any of our fun pics from the week today...but stay tuned for some fun pictures to come:) For now, I just need to relax and mentally prepare for tomorrow. My kids love their daycare....however, being the worrier that I am, I am apprehensive about dropping them off tomorrow. I know they don't care that I am a working mom. They enjoy their little friends and enjoy their time at Mrs. Dana's house. However, I have my own self-imposed guilt at being a working mom. After all, it is not the ideal according to how I was raised. Hopefully when my children are grown, they will see that I have spent their entire young life trying to give them a good life. That is why I have to work. I hope they will see this and understand how much I loved them even though I had to drop them off everyday so that I could work. I want them to know that if I ever doubted that they were being well taken care of...I would quit my job in an instant. In my heart, I know they know that I love them more than anything. I know that they are in good hands while I am away, and I know that God is watching out for them too. Hopefully the time we've had together will stick in their minds and "keep them company" when they miss mommy. Because I will miss them...I will think about them all day everyday as I always do. I will do my job and complete my responsibilities and rush home to pick them up like I do everyday. That is all I can say for now...more pics and reports of our exciting first days back are to come:) For all who are reading this....keep my little Miracle and JJ in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as they get back into their routines:)

Saying "Farewell" to our summer vacation

2009-07-30T14:21:00.001-05:00

I am so sorry I have not posted in awhile. I have been pretty anxious about all that is going on in my life, and I have not felt like sharing my worries just yet:) However, this coming week is my last week off and my anxieties are starting to seem small and pointless. I just wish that I could get over my "NEED" to worry and give it to God. That is, after all, the best way to go. I just have a major weakness in this particular area. I was watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition last night, and I had to kick myself for all the little stuff I worry about. There are so many families out there who have less than we do...who have more reason to worry than I do. After this particular episode, I was able to really sit down and see the many things God has given me and my family throughout this year. Surely He will continue to provide!

Moving on to more exciting things...I hope you all like my new blog design. I was so excited about figuring out how to change my background that I had to do it several times before I was happy. Its been fun though...my trying to be artistic and all. I was not blessed with extreme talent in this area;)

Also, I have next week off. I have a kind of sadness/excitement when I look towards this week off. Sad because its my last week off before starting the wonderful August through November stretch with nearly no breaks. Excited because I get to spend another great week with my wonderful kids. They, of course, have no idea that this is our last week off or that summer is almost over. Kids have that advantage of just loving life no matter what! I wish that I could somehow get across to them that being a kid is truly something to be happy about. My Miracle can't wait till she is all grown up. Oh well, I never listened to my mom when she said to enjoy it either! I guess we all did that....wished away our childhood and then want it back when times get tough!

We have nothing but fun things planned for next week aside from my unpleasant appointment to see the dentist. I have a tooth that is really bothering me. I hope it is just a cavity and can be fixed on a low budget:) Aside from the dentist apt, we are just going to have fun. I will be cleaning and getting my house ready for a long stretch of 'quick cleans' as I so fondly call them. You know...the ones where you just hurry up and put stuff away and cannot find the energy to dig deep and scrub down everything? I figure if I get everything scrubbed down now...I wont have to stress too much about my 'quick cleans' knowing that the underneath is not too bad:) One thing I can be so happy about is...I HAVE NO MORE CLASSES TO TAKE!!! This is truly an accomplishment in my book. For the last two years, I have been taking classes, taking care of kids, teaching full time, taking care of kids, taking care of my house, taking care of kids, cooking healthy dinners, and taking care of kids:) Please don't get me wrong...I have loved taking care of my kids and all of the other craziness of the past few years. However, I am plenty ready to be able to enjoy my kids a little more...and enjoy my job a little more!

OK...I have to end this hodge -podge of crazy thoughts so that I can get some much needed 'quick cleaning' done right now! I hope you all are enjoying your days with your loved ones and not worrying them away like I tend to do. I like to remember one of my favorite old hymns that has a line that goes like this: "oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer".

changes

2009-07-26T11:29:00.001-05:00

Ok. As you can see I have been trying to figure out how to remodel my blog. I have tried several different backgrounds and am still not completely satisfied with this one. Keep in touch for the finished product....

2009-07-22T19:20:00.000-05:00

This is a little poem given to me by a fellow adoptive parent. I love my girl so much and this explains most of my thoughts and feeling towards the many thoughts and questions directed my way throughout this entire process.....

Yes, I have adopted from foster care.

"Please...Don't assume that I could not become a parent in any other way- or wanted to become a parent in any other way. This was my choice and I am pleased with it.

Don't ask if I plan to have any "real" children. This one IS real: I have crayon marks on my wall, little muddy footprints on the carpet and lots of hugs and kisses to prove it.

Don't ask about her "real" parents. A real parent is there through thick and thin. I AM her real mother and will be for the rest of her life; she just wasn't born to me.

Don't ask why she was in foster care. Some people do very terrible things to children and Social Services must intervene. These details are private and for my child to share. If you are a medical professional, realize that she CAN hear and let me tell you some things out of ear shot.

Don't ever think she did something wrong to end up in foster care. She was a victim.

Don't ask if her birth parents were punished. If I know, I will only answer "yes, that they lost her".Don't feel sorry for her. SHe does not need your pity. Just treat her like any other kid.

Don't call her birth parents horrible. She may look just like one or have the personality of the other. I love my child and she came from them. I do not like what they did, but I am happy for what I have.

Don't tell me how lucky she is to have been adopted by me. I am the lucky one to have her.

Don't call me noble or kind since I have "taken her in". She is not a stray puppy or a charity case. I became a parent for the same reasons most other people do- I wanted a child.

Don't compare her progress to other children her age at this time. She did not have the best start. She is catching up and working hard. I have only had her a short time.

Don't jokingly ask if she will go home with you. Realize that she is actually afraid that you might take her away. Remember I was a stranger to her a year ago.

Don't ask about her baby pictures or toddler years. I don't have any pictures or memories. The only details I know of those years relate to her arrival in foster care.

Do congratulate me. The happiest day I've had is becoming her mother.

Do realize that we are a "REAL" family. My name is on her birth certificate and she is mine.

Do throw a baby shower if you want to. Yes, she's five, but she's my baby and I would like to celebrate.

Do listen to my stories about her. I am as proud of her progress as you are about your kids.

Do talk to her and treat her like every other kid.

Do talk to me and treat me like every other parent.

Don't tell me that you could never do what I've done.

Have you NEVER truly love ANYONE who was not blood related to you? Remember, a marriage is more important than the wedding and raising a child is more important than how she arrived."

- Jean Williams, proud mother.

My baby boy is growing up!

2009-07-22T18:45:00.000-05:00

This is a super cute picture I took on my phone tonight. My husband would kill me for posting this...but I just couldn't resist. (btw: my hubby does have shorts on...just in case you could not see them:) Josh really likes to get on the computer and enjoy u-tube videos. Well, he decided to do this tonight while dinner was cooking. JJ was stripped down to his diaper because he wanted to take a bath. Let me rephrase that. He was BEGGING to take a bath. With it being stormy outside, his constant begging to play outside never won out so he decided a bath would be fun. He figured that if he stripped for me, I would give in. It was too cute! Anyway...Josh was on the computer, and JJ decided to climb up with his favorite horsey and enjoy computer time with daddy. Cute isn't it?

I am so very 'befuddled' these days. JJ is still my baby, and yet he is getting so grown up. Being around his sister all the time is not helping to keep him a baby! He can now climb out of his crib with the mattress all the way lowered and the bar all the way up. He is starting to sit on his little potty every now and then to get used to the idea of potty training. He is no longer in a high chair. He can drink with almost no spilling out of a big boy cup. He says "love you". Thankfully he still likes to cuddle with mommy now and then. The scary thing is that my cuddle times are getting shorter and shorter. I am so happy to see him growing up...but I want him to slow down a bit!

Tonight we were looking at pictures on the computer to distract JJ from wanting to go outside. He was laughing at every one and excitedly yelling out 'JOSH' every time he saw daddy in a photo. (JJ calls daddy Josh. We have been working on this for awhile now. He does call him daddy most of the time now...but still prefers Josh sometimes:) He loves that man to pieces!

As JJ gets older, his little attitude comes out more and more. It's so hard to discipline every 2 minutes. I have to keep reminding myself of something my co-worker Wendy shared with me when JJ was first born. I was telling her about how sweet he was and how I couldn't imagine ever having to yell at him. She agreed that it would be hard, but she told me to ask myself this: are you raising a little boy or a man? This helps a lot. I have to remember that all of the 'No's' will pay off. Raising this little boy is already overwhelming at times. However, its the best experience ever, and when he is all grown up and on his own...I want to be able to say I raised a nice young man:)

Update on summer fun:)

2009-07-18T13:24:00.000-05:00

We are still alive and enjoying our summer to the fullest! The other night, we had spaghetti for dinner. JJ loves this meal but decided he was way more interested in playing peek a boo with his bib than eating. It was too cute!

After dinner, we decided to spend some time outside with the kids. They enjoyed playing ball together and posing for pictures:) Our dog Jezzi also decided to enter the photo op as you can see in the together picture below:)

This morning we decided to take the kids to a little beach near Clemson. It was really fun. Miracle loves the water and enjoyed swimming with daddy. JJ, on the other hand, isn't too sure about the water these days. He decided he would rather play on the slides. We all had a nice time!

2009-07-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to Michigan.

Here is Miracle trying to sleep during our long trip up, and JJ trying to look like Daddy.

Here is JJ after deciding to drink ice cold water from an outside fountain. He decided he did not like it:)
Happy Birthday Miracle:)

Josh and I with his sister and brother.

Pile Up! All the cousins on Josh's side having some fun with Uncle Bubba a.k.a. my hubby!

God answers prayers...even mine!

2009-07-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

We are home! We have actually been home for a few days now...but I needed some time to catch up before paying any attention to my seldom read blog:) We had a wonderful time with our families, but it was time to come home--or at least the kids thought so! I could have stayed another few weeks, but JJ wouldn't sleep and Miracle was getting super crabby from too much play time with cousins. Our trip to Michigan was a nightmare. JJ started to break out in some sort of rash. He would not eat or sleep. He never ran a fever so I was totally perplexed. I am assuming it was hand, foot, and mouth disease. I probably missed the slight fever earlier in the week. He had some sores on the top of his mouth and a red rash on his body. I wanted to run straight to the ER but held back knowing how expensive an out of town visit could be. I decided to wait a few days until a pediatrician was open. After a few days of EXTREMELY fussy baby...the rash disappeared. After dealing with this for the first part of our vacation, we almost had to return to SC early because of some trouble with our dogs. Thankfully that worked itself out. The weather was pretty chilly (completely out of season even for MI), but we managed to enjoy ourselves anyway. Miracle had a great 5th birday and has decided she wants to move to MI. After our 13 hour trip home on Monday, we stopped at Little Ceasars to get a cheap pizza for dinner. This is when Miracle asked me if we could go back to MI after we went home and ate pizza. It was too cute:)

Though our vacation was a blast, there were two things weighing on my mind the entire time. The rising gas prices and our upcoming car taxes. They were almost $500 dollars last year! Well I decided to just quite worrying about it and let God have the burden. When we got into SC gas had dropped 15 cents and is still dropping. To make things even better, my car taxes are less than half of what they were last year. PRAISE THE LORD! It is so nice to know that God is watching out for my little family!