Storms and a 3 1/2 year old

Last night we had some storms again. Haven did great at first and told Micah she liked to watch the storm. (espeically the lightning) Once it got really bad, she came running into the living room and was crying, saying 'Mommy, daddy, I don't like the storm anymore'. We held her as we watched Charles Salser tell us the weather....once it was pretty well over, we laid her back in her bed and she was asking about the lightning that was still going on, and I said 'Well, God makes it do that'. And she said 'Is God outside?' And I said 'Yes, He is, and He's with you too, even though you can't see him'. I told her how we can always go to God when we are afraid or need Him, or even when we are happy, we can pray and talk to Him'. I think she was okay, but you could tell her little mind was thinking about God being in the room with her even though she couldn't see Him or the angels that were protecting us. We prayed again and when I checked on her 5 minutes later, she was asleep.
I love her.

My new favorite food

So, this is weird, but I just got through eating a cup of fresh cut strawberries. I usually put a tad bit of sweet n low on them instead of sugar, but we didn't have any here at the office, so I used sugar. YUMMY! I especially like them when they've been in the refrigerator for a bit and they are cold. I have been eating a cup of them at least once a day for the past week. Just thought I'd share, plus it's a lot better for my snack time than a brownie with cream cheese icing topped with m and m's from Rick's. Speaking of Rick's, I've never been there for lunch, but I heard that you can get cake with your meal, or have it for lunch. That's the kind of lunch I would like one of these days on my splurge!:)
Okay, so this was pretty much what my snack just now looked like. 'Tis the season.........

An Ephiphany

Yesterday, while doing some research regarding APS, I had an ephiphany. Due to that, I have been watching what I eat to lose some weight, and just realized I don't want to just 'lose weight', I want to eat healthier for ME, for my long term health. I know that seems silly and very common sense-ish, but for some reason, it didn't hit me until yesterday. So, I am praying and asking the Lord to help me be a better steward of the body He gave me. I will be taking baby aspirin it seems for the rest of my life, unless God chooses to heal me before then, so I want to be fit and in shape. I am really excited b.c they are going to have a Pulse Fitness gym literally a minute from our house in Farmington. I am planning to join--it will be very convienient to be consistent with it.
So, there you have it, my ephiphany, or maybe the Lord, showing me how much I need to take care of this 27 year old body.
Oh, and on a totally different note. Micah and I watched Tuesday night's A.I. last night, and I was so proud of Mandisa. No matter what those judges said, she knew what she was supposed to sing and I think America will respect her for that. I think the reason why they were so hard on her last night (Tuesday) is b.c she is a Christian and they know that, and Simon's comment 'That was too indulgent'?????...they all literally don't get it. They are so lost. So, I said a prayer last night for all those that Mandisa is able to come in contact with, that others would come to know Him as a result of her radiance that reflects Him.

Have a great Thursday.
Kara

Tuesdays with Mommy

Now that our Bible Study is over for the summer, Haven and I are getting to spend time together all day on Tuesdays. Yesterday, we slept in (until 7:45) and then got up and went to Target to find her some sandals. We were successful, so we came home to eat some lunch and play out in the back yard with the dogs. While we were outside, I painted a little side table that was in our kitchen-painted it black, and then distressed our kitchen chairs that have been painted since last summer. Haven took a nap, so I watched 'The Notebook' and chilled for a bit, then pulled some weeds outside until Haven woke up.
We then went to Sonic to get a drink and went to the park. We walked with my aunt and then let Haven play for a bit. It is always so fun to watch her interact with other kids, especially in a setting like the play ground. She had a blast!
And then to end the day, we went to our local Chinese joint with Kelley and Cambron for some Chinese food overload. It was good. A bath, some time with her daddy, and then to bed. It was a good, long, enjoyable day.

Haven

We had a great time this week/weekend with my mom and Haven. Some cute things that she did/said this weekend that I didn't want to forget:

'Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy?'
'No Haven, I don't.'
'Why?'.
'Well, because it isn't God's time yet.'
'Well, when I get married, I am going to have a baby in MY tummy.'

Speaking of babies, we got to see the ultrasound pictures of my nephew this weekend. They are naming him Ethan Paul. (Paul is my brother's middle name) Mom and I got a bunch of cute boy clothes-it was fun since we have just been getting girl clothes all this time.:):)

Another fun thing that Haven did is on the way to work this morning, she was doing the motions to a song she learned this weekend from her Super Stong God video and it was so fun to watch her in the car and it made me smile! Especially b.c she is worshipping the Lord and having fun at the same time.

We are in the process of doing a Bible Verse every few weeks and talking about it--in the car, ect. I need to be a more organized mommy and have stuff like this planned for her so she doesn't get so bored and into things.:)
Anyway, another new stage of mommyhood.....
Also, she picked the Sesame Street kite over the Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bear one.....not much of a girly girl, as I am slowly finding out, little by little.
Happy Monday.
Kara

Time for an update

It's been a bit since I have last posted. It has been pretty busy lately. I cleaned out our garage this weekend and arranged some things, threw out some things, and cleaned my car out.
My dear friend, Natasha, had her baby early Sunday morning. Israel Christenberry Wood weighed 5 pounds and is perfect. I will have to post a picture on here soon. We saw them Sunday evening and it was so awesome to hold a newborn again......he was so sweet.
I worked Monday with Haven at the office with me--that was interesting and a VERY long day.
Yesterday Haven and I went to lunch with my aunt at McAlister's and had a salad and some tea. It was oh so yummy!! I then came home and cleaned my house from top to bottom in preparation for my Mary Kay party that I was hosting. Not many showed up, okay, no one did but Kelley, but it was fun and we got some good stuff. I am hoping that it will help my complexion on my face......then it was off to work this morning.
My mom, Haven, and I are going to Tulsa/Owasso tomorrow morning through Saturday to house sit for my brother and sister in law. Should be fun and a nice little break.
Okay, update complete.

Oh yeah...

We got this CD along with the DVD for Haven Saturday. She has been dancing along with the video and worshipping Jesus. She's so proud of herself.:) I hav enjoyed listening to it too, and will sing along and worship in the car with her, so much so, that she keeps asking 'Mommy, is this my music, or yours?' She has her 'boys and girls songs' and then my worship songs. So, she gets a bit confused when I feel like I have to sing along with her.:) Max and Melody are the two puppet-like kids on the front of the cover--we have definitely been blessed and ministered to by the ministry from 'down under', no matter if it's a 27 year old or a 3 1/2 year old.

My blog finally finished it's 'maintenance'........never knew it needed such things, but glad it's done so I can actually post.
Just checked in on the Razorbacks-they are losing 23-30 at the start of the second half. Hopefully we can pull out with the win!! We'll see.
In other news, it's been about a month (so it seems) since I have last had a tea at McAlister's, so I was able to quench my craving today for lunch with Kelley. It is oh so good!!
One of my best friends, Natasha, is about to have her third baby, a boy, hopefully anytime. We are praying and believing for a wonderful delivery and protection for both. Her oldest daughter, Trinity, and Haven are 3 months apart, so it's been fun. She also has another daughter, Brayden, and then this third, which they are naming Israel. (one of the names I had picked out for ours, if we have one, unbeknownst to Tasha:)) But that's okay. If we end up keeping that name, we'll just ask Tasha for 'copyright' for our baby.:)
Anyway, that's about all for now, except that Melissa McGhee was voted off AI this week. Agghh, how sad, but I guess it pays to actually remember the lyrics of the song you are singing.
Peace,
Kara

What I miss.....

Man, I could go for some of this.......
Enough said.

Razorbacks, Tornados, and a Movie

Weird title, but pretty much sums up the weekend. This was Haven at the game yesterday--it was such a beautiful day-79 degrees and sunburn included. The HOGS won and are ranked #10, oh yeah!!
Saturday we went to The Flying Burrito for dinner and had some awesome food!! It was so much better than Moe's mexican last Friday. We then went and rented 'Walk the Line' and it was so good! I was so amazed at how Reese Whitherspoon's character was so faithful in the end to Johnny Cash. It was just really good. So if you haven't seen it yet, you should rent it.
We then had a crazy night/early morning this morning with tornado sirens. They interupted my Grey's Anatomy last night so I couldn't see the end, and we watched the weather up until about 11:00, after I found out my parents were okay. (they live near the worst of the storm/tornados that happened) We went to bed and the sirens woke us up about 1:00. So we got Haven and headed into the kitchen to wait it out for about 45 minutes. Once it was safe, we put Haven back in her bed and watched a bit more of the weather. I did have to say at times, it was a bit scary, especially when it got quiet.......so we got to bed about 2:00. It was a crazy night!!!
Please be praying for Haven. We are in a different stage of her learning and watching others and then doing exactly what they do/say. It has been a long weekend in that aspect, just disrespect, actions, ect. and we are really working with her, but please just also pray for the kids she stays with during the week. I am praying with Katherine (who watches Haven) that we would be able to just speak truth into our children and equip them. So prayers for that would be great!!

Results

First of all, can I just say that I am so thankful for my DR. and nurse at Creekside Center for Women? (I put the clinic name in there in case anyone needs a good, Christian, thorough DR. that doesn't make you feel like a dork or rush you when you have questions) My nurse told me that if I ever have any questions, to give her a call at any time. That so encourages me at this stage of the game. Speaking of that, I got the results of my blood work from Monday. My DR's office called this morning and gave me the results. The lupus 'category' came back positive. That doesn't mean that I actually have lupus, but it's an audio immune deficiency, where blood clots are in my blood and go to the placenta, thus causing me to miscarry. I am instructed to take a baby aspirin once a day for at least a month and then once I find out I am pregnant again, tell them as soon as I find out and then they will run my levels, see where I am at, and I will need to take a shot of heparin once a day to thin out my blood. We are praying about going to see a rheumotologist just to rule out lupus. My doctor said that he doesn't think I'm a 'canidate' for that, but we are praying about it. It would be nice to be able to rule that out completely, but I did have a co worker that was tested for that awhile back, and she said that with lupus, there is usually a symptom along with it. (i.e. joint pain, ect.) So, we'll just see how the Lord directs us. I do have an appointment with a local rhemotologist here for the middle of April, but we might cancel if we feel the Lord leading us in that direction. So, prayers would be great! We know the Lord is in control and are so thankful that we found out the 'why' and it's easily (and inexpensive) to correct. We are praying that He would continue to show us Him throughout this process and that we would continue to bring HIM the glory, as He so deserves, and that it would be HIM, and not us and our desires first.
So, that's where we are at in the Laney world today. We are standing on faith and believing Him for miracles! We believe He will do what He says He will do and will stand on His Word for our strength.
In the meantime, we will probably watch a little Razorback SEC action tonight as well as going to the Razorback baseball game on Sunday. So it will be a Razorback-filled weekend and the weather is going to be nice, so I pray everyone enjoys it! Thanks for the prayers.
Believing Him,
Kara

It's Raining

It's raining. I am so thankful, we needed it and now I don't have to wash my car for awhile.:) So, last night we watched the girls sing on A.I. It was really good, and I found out that Mandisa sings on Travis Cottrell's praise team. The reason I figured that out is that while she was walking out to be introduced she did 'I'm Beleiving God' with her hands. (a hand motion we are doing in our Believing God study by Beth Moore) Travis Cottrell sings at Beth Moore's conferences. Too neat! And then, I found her website today while I was doing some research and it's www.mandisaministries.com. It is not up right now, probably since she's on A.I. and is under a contract of some sort, but I thought it was really neat! A sister in Christ who is believing God right along with me!!:)
In other news, I found out this morning that Haven has a spot in K-3 this coming fall, so we're excited. She really should be in K-4, but she needs to be 4 by September 1st and she won't be 4 until September 4th!:) But we're excited, and we have her potty trained, so that is a huge praise as well.
Enjoy the rain today and keep believing,
Kara
PS-I'm going to be an aunt of a sweet little boy! Jill and my brother just found out this morning. YAY!!

Randomness Part 3

Okay, so if you know me, I'm all about random thoughts, random words, ect. since I am a thinker. Just some things that have happened:
*Went on a date with my husband on Friday night-went to Moe's---it was good, a bit distracting at times when they yelled 'Welcome to Moe's!' every time someone walked in the door. I also had to apologize to the lady b.c I was so short with her and not at all polite. So I went back and told her I was sorry.
*Then went to Barnes and Noble and had a frappuccino and caught up on some good mags.
*Went to Tulsa on Saturday with my aunt and Haven to visit my cousin for a day of shopping. We ate at P.F. Chang's. It was so yummy! I am excited that we are going to be getting one here locally in Rogers pretty soon. And Haven did great eating with her chop sticks.
*We then spent the evening in the emergency room in Siloam Springs. If you have ever done that, I am sorry, but especially the one in Siloam. It was horrible! There was only one doctor and we waited for over 4 hours! But I am glad we did. To back it up, when we were using the restroom at a gas station, we cleaned out the truck a bit, and Haven always enjoys playingin the bed of 'Aunt Wanny's' truck. She fell out of the back of it and was on her back when I got to her. A gentleman said she fell right on her head at an awkward angle. We felt around and didn't feel any bumps. She was screaming so that was good that she wasn't 'in shock' or unconcious. I was definitely calmer than I felt, although I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. A lady that was sweeping the parking lot (we were at the Burger King gas station there right before/after the toll booth) came over and said that she would be okay and that she would be praying for us. The minute she said that, I had a peace. I wish I had that ladies name and number now-she doesn't know how she helped me! She stopped crying and we got in the car and drove to the SS hospital and waited. We then realized Haven was okay--she was pretending the wheel chairs were cars, going to the restroom every 5 minutes, drawing on things and 'taking our orders' and talking with strangers that were waiting. We were so thankful to the Lord and knew that an angel was there with Haven, as neither my aunt or I saw her, and don't really know exactly the extent of her fall. God is so good and she did have some scrapes on her hands, but other than that, she is great. We had to check her every few hours that night, and look for strange behavior when we woke her, but she is fine. He sustained us as we waited, and as we just went through that whole process, working on guilt, ect.
*Helped my sister paint her new house Sunday afternoon with my cherry diet coke.
*Did some blood work on Monday morning to see why I have had the 3 miscarriages. Will know something hopefully on Friday.
*Our last Bible Study was yesterday. I will miss Beth Moore this summer--she has ministered to me so much this season.

That's about it! It's been a crazy week, but God is good....and it's raining!!!

Check this out. Awesome little clip. Made me cry.

McDreamy Indeed.....

Okay, I saw this picture, and I couldn't resist not posting it. He's my new favorite actor....enough said. Actually, this this my real McDreamy..

I am feeling better today. The sinus issue is still there, but I still have a bit of NyQuil in me from lsat night, so I'm good.:) Haven was excited to go to Ms. Katherine's today. I reminded her not to climb up Megan's dresser, which she did on Monday. So hopefully all goes well with her today.
For once, I have nothing really to blog about.....I do have one funny story about Micah. I came home the other day and he was in the kitchen. I noticed soap coming from the dishwasher. He was very thoughtful and put the dishes in for me, but instead of putting dishwashing soap, he put in Palmolive, and thus all the bubbles/soap. He was so frustrated, so I wasn't able to laugh right then. I did later when he felt a bit better, but it was pretty funny! I love him so much!!:)
Kara