Milestones & Mayhem

Lookie what I can do!!

My sweet little rainbow is growing up on my WAY too quickly. At about 12:30am this morning Lily started CRAWLING! The a few minutes later I was cuddling her and she couldn't move. She started pushing at me with tiny hands and demanded, "STOP!!!" Then at about 11:00am this morning she starts holding her bottle on her own. Too much too fast little sweetheart, please slow down!

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Is it really Saturday already? The work week blew by me as usual.
Tomorrow night, my step-daughter, Cheyenne has a solo at church at the cantata (she sings in the choir). My mother in law is coming to pick us up tomorrow at morning service to have lunch with the family and then to go to church for the Independence Day Cantata. I'm so happy that we get to go and be there to support her. I was worried that we would not get to go since the car gave out on us a couple of weeks ago. Gary was actually on the way to the post office for me when the water pump blew. The week before a hose went out and we broke down on the interstate with Lily in the car which was terrifying and made me feel like a loser parent. So, we caved and sent it to a mechanic even though we couldn't afford it and the mechanic said it just isn't worth fixing and that our best bet is to junk it (how's that for an epicly long run on sentence). Anyway, I sobbed like a baby through her last solo because she sung so beautifully and I am so proud of how far she has gone. She may not be my "real" daughter but there is nothing unreal about the motherly love I feel for her. My step-son Michael and my mother in law also sing in the choir. Gary and I had planned on joining as well as soon as Lily was old enough for me to feel comfortable being watched by someone else but now without a vehicle it is impossible. I know if it is in God's plan for us to do it that it will work itself out though.



That spoke to me today. :)

Day 9-16 of 30 Days of Being Thankful

We're had SO much CRAP going on...
that I haven't kept up well with my 30 Days of Being Thankful
BUT I keep telling myself I still need to take time to be thankful.

Day 9 - I'm thankful that our power was turned on.
This is a big part of getting moved into our new house
and something we have been struggling to make happen.
We had to pass a house inspection first which,
contrary to popular belief, is a lot harder than it sounds.
It's never felt so amazing to flip on a light-switch.

Day 10 - Our house was broken into, AGAIN!
I am thankful that we still have our lives
even though they've taken almost everything I have.
They tried kicking in our door and failed...
They tried picking our locks and broke their pick in the door...
So they kicked in our skylight and came in through the bathroom.

Day 11 - I am thankful for this wall post I got on Facebook,
"THANK YOU & Gary from the bottom of my heart....
I checked my p.o. box and had a surprise waiting for me...
I LOVE IT and it will always be a part of me....
I don't know how you two do it....
But I Love You Both Kerin ♥ ♥"
From my friend Kim Harris who I had sent a surprise gift to.
It really made my day that she to receive such a sweet message
showing how thankful she was for something so small.

Day 12 - I am thankful for good praying friends.
I post asking prayers for Gary's job interview on Facebook.
He didn't get the job, but we had an outpouring amount of prayer.
It was amazing to me to have so many people showing support.

Day 13 - I am thankful for good music.
When I'm upset, stressed, depressed, or whatever...
music takes me to another place and helps me through.

Day 14 - I am thankful for kind strangers.
On the 6th a business owner contacted me
and told me that someone "secret"
had contacted her in regards to paying for me to have
a bracelet from her as a Christmas present.
The 14th, she contacted me again to say it had shipped.

Day 15 - I am thankful for good doctors.
When I got home from my 38 week doctor appointment...
I came home to find Mikayla, my 8 yr old stepdaughter,
in bed sobbing unable to move much without assistance.
We rushed her to be seen where she was had a small surgery.
What we thought had been a mosquito bite had turned into
a big huge nasty infected abscess that had to be drained.
After lots of painful shoes to number her up...
they made about a 2 inch long incision in her sweet little hip...
then applied pressure to squeeze out all of the bad stuff.
She sobbed and had to be held down during the entire thing...
BUT luckily she is says it feels much better now.

Day 16 - I am thankful for a nice warm bed.
So most people do not know that Gary and I sleep outside.
We sleep in a small pop-up camper with no power or heat.
This is a temporary thing until we can get moved into our house
and by temporary I mean it's been over a year now.
The inlaws went on a mini vacay to the beach for the weekend...
SO... we get to sleep in the nice warm house in a nice warm bed.
It's amazing how much you take for granted a nice warm bed
until you no longer have one to sleep in each night.