Dakota is 1

My baby is one today. It is so hard to believe how incredibly fast this year has gone. He is such a happy little guy who is such a blessing to our lives in so many ways. We still only have one word but that is "mama." I didn't hear mama from Jabez until he was over 2. It was a sound that was hard for him, not entirely sure why, but thanks to 1st steps he seems to be where he needs to be now!Anyway back to Dakota. He is a handful, way more than his older brother was at his age. He gets into anything and everything. He is standing but still not walking, but again his brother didn't walk until he was 16 months old. So here are some pictures I thought you all might enjoy. This is Dakota from the day he was born.
This is Dakota with his daddy and brother at about 3 months old. And this is my little man at about 6 months.So now we have come to the day, actually the day after, (his birthday party was actually about a week early), where my baby has hit the 1 year milestone. I can't believe it.
My handsome little man before he got his hair cut. I love this picture. His little smash cake. These two are what was left after he smashed his cake. I have never seen a baby so eager to grab at their cake like Dakota did. It was so fun to watch. I have a video of it but haven't been able to get it to load right, so for now pictures will have to do.

What kind of soil are you?

Over the last month I have been teaching Sunday school for the 6-12 year old class in church. I started my month by looking online for what I wanted to teach. I came across a 4 week lesson on The Parable of the Sower found in
Matthew 13:3-9,18-23
He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. ⁴ As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. ⁸ Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! ⁹ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. ²⁰ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ²¹ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. ²² The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. ²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

It has been an interesting journey going through a four week lesson on this parable. Each week we talked about the different types of soil and what that meant for people hearing about God. I mean it has been good to hear but today just kicked my butt. We talked about the seeds that fell among the good, fertile soil today and that the seed that falls here represents those who really hear and understand the word and produce a harvest.
This is where God hit me. I was talking to the kids about what it means to have fertile soil. I started talking about the fact that we need to really be choosing to spend time with God if we were really wanting to be this good, fertile soil that God can really move and work in. The only way we as his people are gonna be good soil is if we really seek after God and become more like him.
This was the conviction for me. I personally haven't been taking that time to seek out being more like God. I haven't been reading God's Word on a daily basis let alone applying it in my life. How then is my life suppose to be an example to others if I am not even doing what God asks of me to get to really know him. Here I am teaching these little people about how we as Christians should be doing this and I am not doing it myself.
I used an illustration with flowers. I had a fake rose and a real rose. We did comparisons and differences between them and then we applied it to our lives as Christians. If we are true believers we need to live our lives seeking after God and the way that he lived. I feel like a fake believer sometimes because I don't apply the things that I learn to my every day life. I don't give God the time he deserves. I lack in a huge way with this. It hit me in a huge way. HUGE!!
I want to make a change and not just say I want to make a change but I really truly want to change. I want to make a choice of spending time with God everyday. More than just reading his scripture but also applying it to my life.
Another area that really hit me was the verse that they were learning for the month. It was out of Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
For this area of the scripture I used an illustration with blueberries today. I used blueberries to show how if we apply ourselves to telling others about Christ. If I tell one person about Jesus and what he has done and can do for your life and that person goes and tells someone else about Jesus how it can spread. It was unbelievable the impact it had on the students and myself. I think telling others about Christ is one of the most difficult things to do in life. God is really calling us to reach out and tell others about Jesus. To live our lives worthy of the call God has placed on it.
As for this week I am hoping that I really take some time with God and really seek what he is trying to teach me through this time in my life. I am praying that God would continue to show me how to have an impact on others lives and how to show them Christ. But most importantly I want to seek how God wants to use me in teaching my own little boys about Christ and what he has done for them. That is my highest responsibility right now outside of making sure that I am seeking God and making him be known.

You are Worth It

I have a friend who is really being challenged in life right now. Her husband has recently lost his job do to an injury that he has that doesn't allow him to continue in the position he had. Its an injury that could be in his way for work for the rest of his life. I can't imagine being told that I may have an injury that will keep from doing what I have known for my entire life. As a result of him losing his job, they have absolutely no income right now. The only thing that they have right now are food stamps. Everything else is just going by faith. They have had their bills come up due and so far it has been taken care of by people who love them. The other evening I was talking to my friend about this and she just broke down with how she was feeling about others taking care of them completely, that they can't do anything for themselves. She told me she feels worthless. I can't imagine feeling like you don't know where your next penny is coming from to get something you really need.
So last night I took some time to see what the Bible says about "worth in the Bible and shared several verses with her. So that is what I would like to do here.
And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
Matthew 10:31 Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
1Pe 1:6-7 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

I don't get or understand what God is doing in their lives. He keeps showing that he is faithful to them in crazy ways. I find it awesome and amazing how faithful he has been to them. I always want to ask why He is allowing them to go through this really hard time in their life, something that has been ongoing for at least 3 years now. How can any one family continuously be hit over and over again. What are you trying to say God. What is the lesson you have in it, not only for them, but for us?
I am going to continue to lift this very precious family to God's heavenly throne that he would continue to supply all their needs.
Phil 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
I am claiming this verse, along with others, over their lives tonight.

We are home

We have been home from the hospital since late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, which ever way you consider 1 a.m.
Early Wednesday afternoon the doctor came in and checked on us and found out that Dakota hadn't been drinking anything as of yet. To me it was greatly discouraging because I really had in my mind before we left for the hospital that Dakota would be one of those that would just pick the bottle right back up. I was wrong. Dakota was one of those that chose to be stubborn about it. He was doing well enough otherwise that they moved us from the PICU to the regular PEDS floor. Unfortunately we ended up sharing a room with a very cranky 20 month old who was also recovering from surgery but he was post-op day 1. He was still in a lot of pain. I felt for him but man did it stress me out. I think we got put in a room about half the size and had to share it with someone else. By the time we got Dakota to take a little nap, I was so frazzled I thought I was gonna lose my mind. They actually place children/patients together who have similar problems....i.e. close to the same age, same sex, and both had had oral surgery.
So we took a bit of a break from the floor and went and got some dinner. It was nice to have a bit of a break. I thoroughly needed it. Once we got back into the room Dakota was awake and crying because he was with someone he didn't know. At this point he still completely refused to eat or drink anything except about 2 bites of jello earlier in the day. I also started praying and begging God at this time to allow Dakota to eat so that we could go home. I figured going home that night was no longer even a possibility since it was already so late.I decided to pull out the formula that we use for Dakota since he wasn't digging what ever they had for him. It was about 9:30 p.m. when he started taking his bottle. I was so shocked. He just kept at it until he had finished 3 ounces. I was so excited but I just knew that we would still have to stay because they wouldn't release anyone to go home so late at night. I was wrong. The nurse called the doctor and he said yeah let them go home. Wow! I was astonished!
So began the gathering together of our belongings, signing the beloved discharge papers, and then we were out of there.Since we have returned home, Dakota continues to improve every day in everything he does. Today we have eaten something at every meal. That is huge because that is another thing that he was refusing to do for me. I am thankful that he finally has had his procedure and that we are on the way to full and complete recovery. Below I have included several pictures from the day of/day after surgery.Here is Dakota and his daddy right before they took him back for his surgery.

This is right after we went in to see him for the very first time after surgery. He was pretty agitated until they placed him in my arms and then he calmed right done.


Here he is finally resting comfortably, or as comfortably as you can right after surgery.

This is him playing Wednesday morning with toys after waking up. He is still currently attached to all his wires, which became really hard to keep untangled as he went from one end of the crib to the other trying to play.

And here is my baby with one of his first smiles right before they released us to come home!

Day After Surgery

Well Dakota had his surgery yesterday and came through it really well. It has been kind of a rough road in recovery. He is still in the PICU as of this morning. I think that we will get moved to a different floor later today because all of his vitals seem to be running normal. The only thing that isn't normal is that he is refusing to eat. He hasn't had anything to eat in almost 36 hours and still refuses his bottle. We are just believing that he will soon begin to eat and that we will get to go home in the next day or two. Right now he is doing what he has been doing best, snoring! Once I get home I will be sure to post some pictures.

Dakota is 11 months

Well Saturday marked the day my baby turned 11 months. I always find it crazy how fast time goes. It almost seems like yesterday that I had a new born. I just love his contagious smile that he carries almost all the time when you talk to him, when he plays, or just in general. He is really into climbing into, over, and on all types of things as you can see below.



He has started letting go of a few things and stands for a few seconds. We still don't have many words. Just "mamamamama" pretty much. He is pretty interested in doing things with his hands. He is eating pretty much solid foods when we have a chance to feed it to him. It makes it kind of difficult when we seem to be busy all the time. I love watching his little jaw move up and down as he mushes food.
He still isn't taking a sippy cup, partially due to his cleft I believe. He just doesn't have the suction necessary to do it. That will all change tomorrow as he is scheduled to have surgery in Ft. Wayne at 10:30 am to repair it.
My best friend spent hours on preparing a notebook of verses talking about peace, fear, among other things. I am sad to say I still haven't taken any time today to look at it and dig into all the work she has done for me. I do really appreciate all the effort put forth on her part to prepare for me.I haven't really taken the chance today to think about tomorrow. I am trusting that I have come to the point where I have put my trust in God over the matter of my heart issues I had with my baby having surgery tomorrow. I pray that I can continue to keep a calm heart, mind, and spirit.

And just for kicks here is my absolutely adorable handsome little man, well older little man who is so absolutely amazing. I enjoy listening to him talk more and more proficiently. He is off spending time with his aunt tonight and for the day tomorrow. I am thankful for family who is willing to help when needed.

Buldging tire, Grumpy Baby, and a Whole Lot of Rain

This weekend we went to Wisconsin to go to a family reunion. On our journey there we decided to stop in Chicago for a couple of hours to walk around and get some lunch. When we were almost there we realized that "Taste of Chicago" festival was happening. So we decided to park near Millennium Park which was relatively close to where the event was happening. We walked around for awhile and then got some food there. To be honest, I wasn't greatly impressed with the festival. I thought it was kind of boring.
Anyway, we crawled back into the car and took off to get out of Chicago. Our "getting out of Chicago" took us 2 hours because the traffic was bumper to bumper the entire way.
When we stopped for gas we checked out our tires to see what kind of pressure they had going on. While the guys were checking them they found that one had a really huge bulge in its sidewall. We were still about an hour away or so from our final destination. At this same time we ran into some torrential rain falls, you know the rains we have been having for weeks it seems like. So we had to take it bit easy because of the tire and also because of the pouring rain. Once we finally reached our destination of where we were staying at we got out and unloaded. Some of our clothing got wet so we had to put it in the dryer so we could have it to wear.
Saturday we started by eating breakfast and then going and getting our tire changed so that we were safe to move about. We then went to the reunion and had a wonderful time. Jabez and Dakota got absolutely filthy. Dakota ate who knows what because I let him crawl anywhere and everywhere he wanted to go. It was easier then trying to keep him contained. By the end of the evening we were totally worn out and ready for showers and bed!
This morning we got up really early and took off for home because we wanted to beat Chicago's horrible traffic. It was amazing how quickly we got through today. I loved it. Today it also poured because we got right in the middle of all the wonderful storms that were passing through.
All throughout our journey Dakota was somewhat fussy. He had a harder time on the way home, then on the way up. He did a lot of screaming and crying. But once we finally got home and I got him out of the van and let him down inside it was like he became a different child.
So now the process of unpacking and washing all of our soaked laundry, due to our bag being on top of the van in one of those travel bags, and repacking to head to the hospital for Dakota's surgery has begun. We also have a few other things that we should look after before we head to
Ft. Wayne on Tuesday.
All in all, we had a really good weekend. I am thankful that we could go see family we haven't seen in 6 years.

Storms the word

It seems like our area has been hit super hard over the last several weeks with rain, thunder, lightening, wind, tornado watches and warnings, which resulted in a few tornadoes around here. The winds have taken down limbs, power lines,trees which have closed streets....you name it. We have also had some flash flooding I am sure.
Around our home we have been lucky enough to only have a few down limbs and leaves which have caused me to have to clean the yard both Monday and yesterday so that I could mow. I don't ever remember a season quite like this one. We have had our friends staying with us over the last 2 storms because each storm has left them without power and water. The first storm hit Friday, the second one Wednesday evening. It was amazing standing at the window and watching how the sky line changed and how the storm blew in. The trees were waving with some definite madness. Its been crazy.
Yesterday I spent some time with a friend driving around and looking at all the damage we had around town. So here are a few pictures of what our area has looked like over the last couple of days. Downed trees on power lines.

Many, many uprooted trees causing some major damage. This is just one of the many.



Part of a barn that ended up in someone else's yard during one of 4 tornado touchdowns in our county.

Here is what remains of the barn and all the debris around it after the tornado struck.

And finally here is a tree that came to rest on what looked like it was a fairly new vehicle.

As this weekend comes, we are heading out of town for a family reunion and they are calling for more storms. Guess we will see what comes.

A Bike Ride in the Rain....

A week ago Saturday our neighbors and our family took a bike ride on the pumpkin vine trail in Goshen. It started out nice, sunny, and beautiful. We biked from Goshen to Middlebury. We took the developed trail as far as it went and then hit the country roads on into Middlebury. We went and got ice cream at Mancino's/Ice Cream joint. It was a good break. By the time we got there it had started to cloud over a bit. We thought we would just wait out the storm, until it became clear to us that if were going to make it home in time we were gonna have to ride it out in the rain.
We packed the kids away in their bike cart that is equipped with a nice rain cover thankfully and set out for the ride home. I was wearing shorts and a tank top cause it was a hot sticky day. Let me tell you it was freezing ride on the way home with the rain coming down on us and the wind blowing around us. We took all the same country roads back to the developed trail and road the rest of the way back into Goshen. By the time we got home we were completely drenched, muddy, and my teeth were chattering because I was so cold. We had mud all the up the back of our shirts and into our hair. I thought it was quite disgusting but I didn't want to lose the look we had up our backs. So we stayed outdoors after we got home for a bit while Edwin came in and grabbed the camera for some quick shots.











All the while, the boys had fallen asleep in the cart on the way home and were crying their little eyes out. So we quickly took the shots, came inside and took showers and put the boys to bed. We finished our evening with a movie, "The Incredible's." I actually fell asleep in the middle of the movie and went to bed before it was over.
All in all it was a great time. I don't know that I would ever be willing to bike in the rain again like we did and get so nasty muddy and wet but it was fun while it lasted. I would bike to Middlebury again no problem though. That was a blast. Our round trip ended up being somewhere around 22.6 miles. It was a good ride and the next day I felt amazing.

A Matter Of The Heart

This year I have been working on reading through the Bible with a group of ladies holding each other accountable on Facebook. One of the challenges we were given during this time by one of the ladies was to not just read but to really let the words we are reading penetrate our heart. I know that are still many times I just read for the sake of getting caught up and getting my reading done but every once in a while I kind of get smacked up side the head. Several weeks ago was one of those times.
I was reading in 1 Chronicles 21 where it is talking about how David took the census and how this was a sin. At first I didn't really understand why taking a census was such a big deal. I even asked my husband about it cause it was really on my heart. Why would God get so angry at a man for counting his people. What was wrong with that.
So went back and reread the section and then talked about it. It says "Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. " 1 Chron 21:1. I still wasn't understanding why a census in this situation was such a bad thing. Then my husband talked to me about David's heart behind the matter. He was taking a census cause he was wanting to know how great his numbers were so that he could brag about how great his army was. David's heart was taking pride in his numbers and starting to trust in numbers instead of Christ. Taking the census in itself wasn't the sin but it was the motivation of his heart behind it. It was his motivation for greed, arrogance, and selfishness that caused the census to be a sin.
How often are we moved my greed and selfishness to get what we want? I was just reminded here how important it is for us to check our heart motive behind what we are doing. A super huge challenge for me. I hope this also is a challenge to you.

A 10 Month old, a 4 year old, a 29 year old and a surgery...

Every now and again I get away from posting on my blog just because I feel like I really don't have anything to blog about or simply don't take the time required to blog! I get so caught up in the craziness of life and forget to stop and think. I sometimes think about the past when I first had Jabez and how much "time" I had to do the things I wanted to do even though I had a baby. It was because I was home all the time and had more time to get things done around the house. Now I think I have just gotten so use to being home that I fill my time with so many things! I hate how busy I am sometimes and really just wished I knew how to say no more often.
So what's new you might ask....
My baby is 10 months old. Where or where has the time gone.
1. He is moving and cruising everywhere.2.He is getting in to everything.
3.In the last month and a half he has pushed through 6 teeth and I think he has more coming through. Needless to say our nights have been a little more than crazy at times.
4. He says "mama" all the time. I absolutely love it.
5. He is a very brave little boy by climbing up onto everything in the last couple of days. Talk about giving a mama a heart attack as I watch him do these crazy things.
6. I gave him his first official haircut last week because his hair was down into his eyes and beyond his ears. It was a hard thing to do because I always think haircuts make them look so different and so much older.
7. He absolutely loves to crawl through the grass and be outside in the beautiful weather.
My best friend's daughter turned 4 on Saturday. Crazy!
I remember the day she told me she was pregnant. I was astonished because she was told she would never be able to get pregnant because of a health issue called poly-cystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS). The fact that she got pregnant was an absolute miracle. Her pregnancy going pretty much normal was also amazing. So we celebrated her little girl's 4th birthday with a party in her back yard and a pink Walle cake. It was fun to do yet another cake.
My husband turned 29. Yup that is right we will both be 30 next year. Enough said. We celebrated by going out to lunch with friends. He really seemed to enjoy his lunch.

And finally we are inching every close to surgery day for Dakota. I think the closer we are getting the more I have been feeling a little apprehension. I know that he will be taken care of. I just don't like the thought of my baby going through something like this. I want to and am trying to come to a place where I have fully placed my baby in God's arms. Please pray with me my friends that I do this. It is a very scary thing for me as his mommy to think about a surgery for my baby. I know some of you have been here and maybe you can give me some insight on how to remain calm, cool, and collected. That is my prayer.

Dakota is 9 months........

Well Dakota turned nine months on Monday and life just seems like it stays super busy with two little ones, both now mobile. Dakota has been crawling now for about 3-4 weeks I think. He is also pulling up on everything and getting into everything. So if you see my baby around with bruises its because he is trying to be a big boy.
Yesterday he did something that was really really scary. Jabez left the door open to our stairwell and I didn't know it. Dakota was crawling all over and I was working on laundry in my bedroom. The next thing I heard was a bang, bang, and then a loud scream and cry. I rushed to the kitchen to find my baby at the bottom of the stairs. I just have to say I know that God has his hand on my little guy cause all you can physically see on his little body is a little rug burn on his chin. We had him checked out and we have been told that he is totally ok. I can't thank God enough for watching out for my baby boy.
Today we returned to Ft. Wayne for an appointment with his plastic surgeon. It was a pretty open meeting. We talked about his past medical history and through any questions that we had. I feel pretty confident that this doctor will do an excellent job on our baby boy. We are looking at surgery for around the end of June, or that is what we know as of know. We will know more specifically in a few days I would hope.
On a different note, it is so fun to see Dakota trying all these new things he is doing but it is also hard. It seems like babies just grow up so fast that they are getting into everything before you can blink an eye. A friend of mine mentioned the other day that Dakota has been out as long as he was in. In a way that kind of makes me sad, not because I want another baby right now, but because of how fast time goes.
Then I think of the responsibility God has placed on our lives to nurture these little ones to become like him. So often I am in tears at this because so often I fail to show Christ and his love in the right way. I just keep praying that God would continue to help me grow in mothering my 2 wonderfully precious little souls to become more like him.

A Year Has Come Full Circle

A year ago I set out to do something that I never have done before. It was fun to try and figure out a cake for my son's 2nd birthday just because. So I set out at decorating my first cake by myself. My son was really enjoying turtles at this time last year so I got online and looked up a recipe for making a turtle cake.










So I was talking to a friend about how much I enjoyed making my first cake, since then we have joined forces in making cakes for different things. This was Dora we made for her daughter's 3rd birthday.




Cake # 3 was of a princess cake. We used a little Tinker Bell doll for this little princess cake. This cake was quite the trip. We had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to keep her standing up in the middle. We tried frosting, tin foil, tooth picks, and then I think we finally settled using a baby food jar lid with the doll wrapped in tin foil. The unfortunate part of this process was that every time we had to get her out of the cake it caused the cake to separate. This little lady is held together with a lot of tin foil believe it or not.

We had a creative food contest for a church at the park day last fall. So we decided to take a picture of the man behind the inspiration for the contest and put him on the cake. So my friend's husband took a picture that we printed off and then drew a larger picture on a piece of paper and then he took it and used a tooth pick and sketched it onto the cake. We then just filled it in with frosting. And there you have it, "the Keis" cake.







This cake you are looking at is what we call a
rainbow cake. We took 2 cake mixes and split
it into 6 different cakes for the different colors of the rainbow. In between each layer was frosting. So the picture to the left is what the cake looked like once it was cut open. It was a lot of fun.





So now we have finally come back to my son's birthday. He turned 3 on April 4th but we didn't actually celebrate it with a party until this past Sunday with friends and family. Saturday my friend and I spent the day making a Thomas the train cake for my son. He is completely and totally enthralled with Thomas. It was a lot of fun.













I don't know what it is about cake decorating, but I have really come to enjoy it. It is a place where I can be creative. It is a good thing cause being creative is something I don't feel I am really good at.

Karston Lukas

Last Saturday, (because I have been so busy and not been able to get to writing this) my husband and I took the opportunity to go see our precious new nephew who at that point was still in the hospital trying to recover from the meconium he had aspirated into his lungs before birth. It was a really great time with my husband's sister and husband and their baby, Karston Lukas. When we were there they had just moved from an incubator to a crib. That is huge progress meaning he was being given less oxygen then before. He was still under the oxygen tent and had a nasal cannula.
It was a good time of talking, loving, and sharing. />We also took the time to pray for him and them. I just can't imagine how stressful a time like that would be on your marriage and family life.
This morning I am happy to share that little man Karston is now resting safely at home with his family. They released him from the hospital on Friday afternoon with an oxygen tank at low dose at home for the next 3 weeks. He has come a long way but he still has a distance to go. Please join us as we continue to pray for complete healing in his little body. May God completely and totally restore health to his little body.