trials...

Some days, months, and years can be hard.  God never promised us that life would never have trials though.  So, we push through and do our best and try to honor Him as best we can.   =)

Yesterday was one if those days for us and suprisingly enough, we laughed and joked the whole way through it.  I mean, lets face it, regardless of what happens, we are blessed.  Clynt has a good job, we have amazing kids, we have family that loves us, and we are all healthy (well as far as major health is concerned!).  

So here goes by crazy, but laughable day..  We wake up to our cleaning company being here, which means I rush to get the kids dressed, Corbin was still sleeping so getting him up and dressed was a chore to say the least.  We get out of the house, go get some bread and head to feed the ducks.  We feed the ducks, play at park and things are going fabulous. We decide to go to the galleria area and pick Clynt up to go to have lunch. We get there way to early, so I get the kids out and we feed some more ducks that are standing next to my car because there is a lake in front of Clynt's building.   I then let the kids sit in the front seat with me while we wait a little while on Clynt.  All of a sudden my car felt like it was going to shut of for a couple seconds and then it seemed normal, so we continued sitting there.  About 2 minutes later, smoke starts bellowing out of my car.  I was convinced that my car was going to blow up, so I turn it off, and get the kids out of it and walk away from it.  I really had no idea what was going on.  Clynt comes out of the building and there is antifreeze ALL over the ground so he looks at it, and decides to drive it to Chick-Fil-A and then we called a tow truck.  The tow truck comes out and tows my car to a little shop near my house.  My wonderful husband took the rest of the day off so that I didnt have to take his truck and then go back up there to pick him up. =)  That was amazing and so worth the whole day.

A few minutes after we get home, I had to take Garrett for a follow up on his ears.  I REALLY thought that they were cleared up bc he seemed to be acting great.  Wrong.  2 weeks ago, it was only one ear and now it was both, and he got it while on antibiotics.  So now we are a second round for this infection and we have to see an ENT for tubes.  We semi-expected him needing tubes becasue the infections are constant, but we REALLY thought we had another month or two.  But no, she wants them done ASAP.

We come home,  and I have to turn around a few minutes later to go to a photo session.  It was super cloudy and dark, so I was using my flash.  The batteries die on it, and I go to get more and realize Corbin had taken them all out of my camera bag.  sigh.  They all worked out, my flash just regenerated VERY slow and it was irritating.  At least I got to see Garrett's little girlfriend. =)

Anyway, we get a call on my car and it was something we totally weren't expecting.  They wanted a fortune to fix it, and clynt could the part for just a few hundred dollars, so we picked the car up and he is fixing it (ideally).  Clynt always works on our cars, so this was no surprise.  We dont know yet what the surgery will cost us but Im sure it wont be too bad bc we have already met Garrett's deductible. So, I dont think it is going to all turn out as crazy as originally expected.  But as you all know, we are doing a million things to our house right now, so none of this was added to our budget currently, so it was a bit unexpected and really unwelcome but it came anyways, so we deal.

We really laughed about my car bc I really thought it was going to blow up all day.   and we are still making jokes about it today.  It was funny.  I love my life and wouldn't change anything.  Sometimes trials are necessary to put us back into perspective. =)

Garrett sick... again!

Poor Garrett has yet another ear infection.  This is the last one he is able to have without getting tubes. If it doesnt go away in a timely manner or if it comes back, we have to go for tubes...  I hate having him on antibiotics, and I really dread the thought of him getting tubes.  I am a very natural thinker (and so is clynt)... Our bodies are designed to handle problems and when allow our body to do that, it makes our bodies stronger.  I dont rush my kids to the doctor at the first sign of a fever or anything.  Just not me.  I try to let things run their course.  However, in this situation, the course is kind of, for a lack of a better word, bumpy. When Garrett gets ear infections, they are severe.  This time he was running 103 fever and vomiting after meals for several days. Its crazy.  He is miserable and I dont want to see him like that.  So, should it happen again, its tubes for the little guy.

The other sad part of Garrett being sick is that I am stuck inside the house with Corbin. Corbin gets bored and starts misbehaving as he struggles to get attention.  Garrett is so clingy that I cant get in just a little time to spend only with Corbin.  So, its hard.  Im praying that as Garrett wakes up today, he is fever free and we can get out of the house.  We all have cabin fever.

Though!  Last night we left the house for Corbin's first 'real' tball game!!  It was the cutest thing ever!!!  We really thought that it was going to be terrible, but it was absolutely one of the cutest things I have ever seen.  Corbin can hit the ball really well for his age and he never swings and misses.  It is so cute!! And then he runs to each of the bases (with a little guidance on which way to go).  Then when he is playing second, he (and the whole team) run after every single ball thats hit in an effort to be the one who gets to throw hit.  As he runs, he has the hugest grin on his face.  OMG, my heart could melt!!  It was absolutely the most enjoyable time that I have had in a long time.  He only has 2 games (the other 6 weeks were learning the basics), so if you want to come and watch next Tuesday, let me know.  You wont be disappointed you came.  SO.  MUCH.. FUN!!

Anyways.  My boys are amazing.  The. end. =)

Pretty sure I married a rock star...

So, Clynt gets embarrassed when I brag on him, so I share no details, however I will say that I think I married a rock star!  My husband is an amazingly talented engineer and is one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life.  I can pretty much ask him ANYTHING and he will have an answer for me (even if its totally wrong, generally I believe him!)..

Our marriage is every day getting better and more fun.  Clynt is funny and fun, witty and smart, and loving and loved.  He may have a temper at times but he loves the kids and I more than anything. His desire to provide the best life possible for the kids and I is incredible and is drive for greater education and accomplishments is to be admired.  He doesnt stop and has no intentions on it until retirement.  He doesnt get too content in one spot because he knows (and is) completely capable of the next thing coming for him.  I love this man and how great he is at what is does.  And I love that our life is forever getting better and more exciting!

I love that Clynt loves Christ and is willing to share our lives with Him.  I love that he wants to learn to be a better husband and a better dad.  This past weekend at church was about being a better husband and Garrett was sick and I was volunteering so we thought that Clynt would stay at home with Garrett.  At about 11:00pm, he went WAIT tomorrow is the service for men to be better husbands, let's think of a different way to do this so that I  can go!".. I love that!  Its incredible that he WANTS to go to church and he WANTS to learn about being a better husbands.  I can honestly say the past two weeks have been amazing in our marriage and its because we were woken up by our new Pastor on some realities on today's marriages and unfortunately we fell into a couple of the categories.  But we both have come out of it and have given it 100% and are making things better for our family daily!  Don't get me wrong, things weren't bad before, we just didn't have that 'newlywed spark' anymore and we both desire for that!

Anyways!!!!  This is about my husband!  I love him and love all the things he does for us.  And am so proud of the many accomplishments that he has had. He is an amazing husband, and father and he also is on fire for the LORD and I could not ask for anything more!

I Love you babe!!

growing

Its unbelievable how fast children grow! I do not believe for a second that Corbin is 3.5 and Garrett will be one in just over a month!!  It's crazy.  I just wanted to share a few pictures of the past few months with these crazy boys of mine!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures....

So, most of you know that I dabble in photography and co-own a little business.  Its been over 2 years now that I've been playing with this.  It has been tons of fun and I have learned SO SO much since then.  It started when corbin was just about a year old.  I had just gotten my first 'fancy camera' and we were having our Christmas pictures/ Corbin's bday pictures done by the amazing Sabrina K Photography.  I was asking Sabrina all kinds of questions about picture taking and so on and so forth.  A few days later, Sabrina sent me the sweetest email in the world (Sabrina- no I will never forget it!!) about how I reminder her of herself when she first started.  So, I started dabbling.  Not making much but dabbling.  I got a wedding almost right away and my business partner in Austin came in to help.  Now, before you start thinking I do weddings, I DONT!  I have NO intentions of EVER doing a wedding because it makes me a nervous wreck.  however if you do need a wedding done, my partner does them and would love to work with you!.  


Anyways, I started getting people to ask if I would take there pictures.  And there it went.  Our business was growing a little.  But really at that point, I was lucky to have 1 session a month.  Then about six months ago before the holidays this year, I had my first rush!  I was having to schedule people during the week because I didnt have any openings on the weekends and so on.  And it continued.  In the past week, I have had 3 sessions.  Now not every week is like that but it does happen often enough.  Its been crazy, but good!  Im loving having something to do to keep my brain moving a little while I stay at home with my kids and the ability to schedule when its convenient for me and my kids is so nice.  Here is a little of my recent work.  I look forward to continuing to grow and continuing to produce better and better pictures.  This has been one of the funnest adventures in my life. =)  If you need any work done, please feel free to email me at deana@picturemechic.com

A special thanks to Sabrina Koogler for all the advice and everything given to me to start a business.  I can only pray that one day I will be half as talented as she is!

change!

Changes in life are so hard!!  Lately a few changed have happened and it has been very emotionally tolling on me and I  praise God for a husband who is strong and, even though I know it makes him sad, he doesnt show it so that I dont worry as much.

Recently we switched churches.  I had been there 10 years or more.  Clynt was baptized there and so was I, the boys were both dedicated there and we really started our life as Christians there with our little family.  It was definitely not in the plans for our little family to take a big jump BUT things happen for a reason and we felt it was in our best interest to do so.  This meant leaving behind a small group that was the basis of most of prayer team, conveying in, and many more things in our life.  We led this amazing group of friends in small group discussion for 4 years now and the change was not the easiest thing in the world for me (or us)... Not that these people are no longer our friends, but we will no longer be seeing them on a regular basis or having a central spot where we go to and talk about all our problems.  We were comfortable with these people and they were with us.  We praise God for giving us these amazing friends and their ability to take a bad day and make it good.

Now we are at our new church home.  We are involved in a new small group, which is nice.  Its hard to go from a group where we'd hang out and do things and that knew everything about us to a group of strangers though.  They are all very nice and we really hope that we will be able to get to know them like we knew our other group members. To me, having a core group of accountability and prayer partners is critical in a journey with Christ.  Thankfully God know what we need and when we need it! =)  We are also getting involved in volunteering.  Since, at our previous church, I did a lot of work in the bookstore, I decided that that would be an excellent place for me to volunteer at our new church.  I appreciate this opportunity because by doing this, I have met so many new and amazing people.  It hasnt been an easy change but its happening and its getting better every day =)

There have been more changes in our life and I will share them also soon =)

Easter

Easter was so much fun this year with 2 little ones to play with and entertain. We had several Easter egg hunts, 1 with each of our moms groups, 1 with Clynt's mom and step-dad, and 1 with my mom and dad.  Corbin would ONLY pick up blue eggs until the last 2 hunts.  It was hilarious.  Garrett would pick up and play with it the whole time, which was perfect! =)    We died eggs twice, and we did lots of playing.  We also read some stories on the meaning of Easter, and we went to our new (yes, new, I told you lots of changes.... right??) church.  It was a great service and then we spent the afternoon at my parents house.  I love how every year, as the kids get bigger, each holiday entails more fun, love and excitement.  Corbin is actually so into doing stuff now and gets excited for the year to come around.  Its amazing! Here are some pictures of our week and all it entailed!  *WARNING~ VERY PIC HEAVY! =)