Prayer's Needed

Heavy on my heart today and for the past few weeks for some have been the need of prayer for others. If you believe please pray, if you dont or dont know what you believe, please think a happy thought. I do believe in the power of pray and the power of God so today I lift up: Grandpa Clarkson (Tim) and his family - Janet, Kristi, her brothers and the Pharaons. I ask that God's hand be on the doctors as they help remove the cancer from his body. That his family will have peace and strengthen through the whole process. Lift their Faith and eyes towards you dear Lord. Today I pray for Little Lily and her whole family. Lily is the daughter of Christle and Brandon and the niece of Christina. Lord I ask you to ease the swelling in little Lily's joints and make the rash go away. I ask that you are with the team of doctors as they try to figure out the best way to heal her little heart. We know that you can do amazing things God. Wither it be by allowing them to place a pacemaker into her little body or by correcting the beating patterns Yourself. We ask for hope and understanding for Lily's family Lord. I cant help but think maybe the rash and swelling was your way of saying look deeper! So thank you for that discovery. We lift her up to you today. We also bring to you George : ) George and Barbara are dear friends Father God. Life in Crosby was forever changed with them in my life. I ask you to heal his body of cancer Lord. I ask that you renew their Faith in you. I pray that you give strength and willingness to continue to fight this ugly battle. I lift sweet Barbara up to you - hold her in your arms and encourage her today. Walk the steps for her and with her when she grows tired. Bless them Lord. I also lift up my family to you for encouragement in difficult times, healing in bodies, restoration, faith, understanding and the desire to know you more. Heal Nannie, Uncle Danny and Aunt Peggy. Only you can work the wonders Lord. Heal hearts like no other can. I pray for Drake : 0 ) Newest addition to the Wright Clan. May he continue to grow in his mommy's tummy until his due date where he will be the 11th "grand" blessing to our wonderful family. Thank you for our answered prayers and for the prayers yet to be answered in your will and your timing. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

And so it goes....

Mind you I knew having a boy would be full of bumps and scraps and tears - you get the idea. But to be honest come on if you know Grace.... yea not too far off with her either. Well it happened today - our first ER trip for Alex. He's FINE!!! Here's what happened, he and I went to get Grace from school. Grace gets in and sits next to him. Alex LOVES his Bubba aka Grace and is so excited when she gets home from school. Well today he was extra excited cause she was sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HIM instead of in her seat in the back. So he put his hand out to her to hold - he does this - very cute and so sweet. Well by the time we left school grounds he was trying to bite and then she was trying to pull away and then that turned into a game and then she squeezed his hands and he yelled and then he pulled away and she pulled back.....POP. She pulled his elbow out of joint.
I pulled the car over in Luby's parking lot cause he's crying pretty good and Grace has a look on her face like.. I think he might be hurt. I love on him a bit try to figure out what happened and figure he's fine. Yes yes again with the MOTY (mother of the year). SO we go to Kindercare to pick up last years tax info. He's very fussy - I take it as a sign that he's afraid I'm dropping him off - not so much. We leave there and head to get Shane something at krogers - something didnt seem right so I call Shane to see how easy it is to break your hand???? Not so much - k so by the time we leave Kroger's I figure out it's the arm not the hand and there is something wrong! Thank God Shane's a paramedic - we go to the station and yep they think it's the shoulder. By now we are all crying - Alex in pain, Grace out of guilt and lets face it a little fear and me cause I cant fix it and make it all better with a hug and a kiss. So we take Grace over Uncle Chris and Aunt Sheri's house (thank you guys so much! ) and we head to the ER. Shane took off to go with us - his crew was awesome to take up his slack they're the best! We were lucky he did go with us cause the ER was PACKED!!! But Shane had his uniform on and we got to go in the side door and straight in : ) All in all his elbow was dislocated for about 3 hours until the doc popped it back in place. Now he's all better. Little Motrin to help with swelling and he's good to go : )

Choices

I was sent this u tube clip and thought it was worth sharing. It's about choices.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHSi_uiz9T4

Girls Night Out ROCKS!!!

Tonight I had the pleasure of going to Girls Night Out with 2 of my sister in laws. We went to see Kate from Jon and Kate plus Eight and the ladies from Proverbs 31 - awesome!! We left La Porte at 5:00 and we got back at 12:30 am - thank you Uncle Chris for watching the kids - I owe you big time!!! We carried 2 sleeping kids out to the van and as soon as we got home they were counting sheep in their own beds.
We drove out to the other side of Houston - an hour away - stopped and ate a gourmet meal of Sonic : ) and then got to the church just in time. Ayliha Woods performed - it was neat to see someone sing a song we JUST heard on the radio - very cool. Then we got some great lessons from the ladies from Proverbs 31 and then Kate - it was like we were at her house - minus the 8 kids running around and her yelling at Jon : ) jk - She too had life lessons to share and hope to give.
What I came away with tonight -
1. I need to spend more time with my sister in laws. I've always known them to be sweet and fun to be with and tonight they just proved me right - thanks ladies I had so much fun tonight!
2. We all have a story - some good parts, some bad, some worse than other, some not fulling told, little bit of humor mixed with a few tears and they all come to an end at some point. What we have to remember as we "tell" our story is that if we allow Him to be the story teller, there will be a happy ending. Sometimes we get so stuck in the valley that we miss the chance to go up the mountain. Let God be the teller of your story. He does not promise rainbows and puppies all the days of your life - but He does offer unconditional love - like NO other can give!
3. We have to let go of the past. People who should not hurt us sometimes do. We are all just people - we all make mistakes. Forgive and accept forgiveness.
4. Control is not in our hands. Someone once said If you want to make God laugh show Him your plans.
5. Pray and listen.

Why God Made Moms

I got this adorable email a few days ago from my friend Jamie and I thought I wondered how Grace would answer these questions - so I asked. I deleted some of the original email just to save on time and space and all but I think you'll get the idea behind it. I had a few moments when asking the question that really made me hold my breath for a sec wondering what she would say. All in all my little girl thinks I'm okay and that's wonderful!! Sometimes we're harder on ourselves than we need to be and for the time being I think I'm doing ok at this whole Mommy thing : )

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions: ( Grace's answers are in ( ) )

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape
(so they could have kids)

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
(with His powers)

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
(blood and brain oh and heart too)

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
(cause He thought I'd like her... and I do : ) )

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
(a good little girl)

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
(she needed to know who he was before she married him so she didn't marry the wrong husband)

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world And my Mom eats a lot.
(caused they loved each other)

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
(both cause they are the grown ups)

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
(dad uses a stool to give use a bath but mom doesn't)

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
(works out)

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Out side, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
( GOD ) * that's my fave answer

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
(how long she sleeps when I nap - sometimes she sleeps until Bubba wakes up - I'd change that)

Little things

It's the little things that mean the most....
a call from a great friend just to "catch up"
a dollar spot "happy"
a dad and brother going out of their way to help
a little baby rubbing your back when you hug
a little "thank you" from your daughter
a movie night with friends and fellowship
a family all sleeping in the same house
I LOVE the little things in my life!!!

What???

Here's a little story to make you laugh. I said I was not going to post this on the blog but really it's just part of our day and life and if I'm to be judge by anyone - bring it on!! The other day we were all sitting around the table after another fine meal by your's truly was made ( ie McD's for dinner) stop stop it is tough being mother of the year but what can I say??? jk - ok - so Grace got a toy pony in her happy meal and I was just kinda holding it and then for some reason I smelt it's hair - dont ask - and I said to Shane - spelled rather - this pony's hair smells like P - O - T. He smelled disagreed we went on with our other conversations. The next day it was just the kids and I and Grace picked up the pony and smelled her hair - she was paying more attention then I thought and she said or spelled rather - Mom, this pony's hair smells like P-I-S-S.
WHAT?????? So here's the explanation now that you've wiped the tears from your eyes from laughing so hard.... she learned a few weeks ago to spell KISS but she remembered I started my spelling to Shane with the letter P so she was just trying to agree with me and spelt PISS. So lesson learned.... no more spelling in front of Grace! ah it's the little things in life right???

That's just kinda me

Okay so several times in the past few weeks I've tried or wanted to get on here and blog - about this or that.... but I just stopped myself. Either I didnt have the right photo I wanted to share or I didnt have the right story worked out or I just didnt have enough time. And the truth is I still dont have the right photo ( new camera for Christmas and dont know how to work it all just yet ) and time wise - need or should be doing other things and story wise - well I'm just rambling but then again - that's just me. So bear with me as I just tell what it is Im going to tell.
Back track a bit - Christmas was wonderful! The kids had a wonderful Christmas! The less is more approach was a hit - even with Grace which we were not too sure about. When she opened her one santa gift - my heart was proud! We all know most kids have a mile long santa list with the best items on top of course. The top of her's was the singing Barbie and My Little Pony Scooter (both of which were given to her by her cousins wink wink) - well came time to open "the gift" and she's just ripping that paper left and right - bows flying and then it's revealed.... "It's what I've always wanted!!!!" huge excitement and joy in her voice - LONG PAUSE - "What is it?" Haha - Santa brought her a CD player of her very own! Oh wow - That is what I really wanted!! Alex was happy with unwrapping - his, hers, mine, theres it didnt matter. Shane went overboard as always and I was showered with goodies : ) Gifts and things wise - we were blessed. Memories and love wise - even more so!!
New Years - I'm not one to make resolutions. If you are great - I just have way too many areas in my life that need work to try to just pick a few - just to fail or give up in a few months. So I do have goals I am working towards and dreams of goals to come. Some of the things....

lose more weight -
I started this before the holidays hit and lost 15 lbs - which I was very pleased with - during the sweet feast that is the holiday season, I managed to keep off the 15 and not gain any back - didnt lose but I'm happy with even steven ( you should have seen some of the junk I ate ; ) SO now I'm back on tract - doing Weight Watchers and walking. This week I walked 12 miles. I know right!! I cant remember the last time I walked 12 minutes and now it's 3 miles a day! I bought a CD and walk in the house as Alex naps. Sounds boring but it leaves me with no excuse! And trust me I can come up with some good ones to not work out!! 45 minutes and 3 miles later - I feel better. And I fit into my size 12 again : ) not all 5 pair that I still owned but one at a time I'll be able to squeeze back into them. When I got started on this I was in 18 - 16 so I am happy and proud! And have the prize in sight.

build my christian walk -
this one is big for me. kind of a struggle to be honest. I want to be the person God wants me to be but I dont really know who that is - so... one day at a time I am just trying to be better. Better about not judging, better about not talking without thinking, better about forgiving ( that's a hard one for me at the moment) better at being the mom I know I can be, better at being the wife Shane needs me to be, better at being a friend, better at listening to the voice of God, better at my time alone with God and in the Word. I grew up in church we moved and got away from church. Then got back into it again in HS - got back out of it in the middle of college - back into it during my divorce - back out of it after the divorce - back into it once married with my family. I've had ( as most of us have ) some "different" situations happen either in a church or because of church or more so with the people in church. But for the most part if you see past those people ( cause they are only people) church is good. I dont know all the answers. I dont have the "only way" mapped out for me and everyone I know. But I do believe in the awesomeness of God. I believe prayers are answered - maybe not the way or in the timing we need or want them to be - but they are answered according to His will. A friend sent me an email last week that said God answers prayers 3 ways. Yes, not yet, and I have something better in mind. Love that!!! I have my beliefs - as we all do - and I will not get into the theological reasons for mine - or argue with you about yours. Have faith, pray and believe!! and LOVE : )

children's book writing / publishing -
talked about that on the last blog I think. I contacted a publisher - pitched my book - they wanted to read it and talk about publishing - wow why I didnt I do this before??? and then the packet came in the mail. Dream is not gone - just not with this company. They want to publish - for a full price paid by me and then they keep 55% of all the money made for each book for the next 2 years - wow. So I will try again and see what comes of it.

enjoy life -
I love my life, my kids, my husband! period.
Sometimes I get so busy with the events or things that need to happen I dont enjoy them like I want to. I am going to work harder at just being happy and living each day and not looking forward to the next things so much. There will always be something or 10 on the TO DO list - fact of life. So I will cross them off as I come to them but will live and laugh and love along the way : )

go back to school -
as in get my masters. I have always wanted to continue my education and still do. so this is one of my distant goals I will being working on to figure out which way to go.

So I guess that's my goals and where I'm headed in 2009. Pretty much same place I was going - I'm just now able to take a step back a break and look back where I was - not with regret just with a self evaluation stand point - and see where I want to be. When I look back into 2008 I do not have a SINGLE REGRET - NOT ONE! Every decision I made, every choice, every leaf turned was where I needed to be. Not to say the outcomes of some of those choices were ideal or painfree or easy. Several of them have changed my life as I knew it and others lives forever. But it was right and true and real. No more living my life the way others need for it to be, no more just going with the flow for the sake of the pack. No more "happy face" living for me.
If life is anything it should be real! I will kiss my kids goodnight before bed, I will tell my husband I love him multiple times a day, I will forgive my short coming and I will love with my whole heart - not resolutions just goals - just Mandy Leigh