Ya Gotta Read This One! - It's a Vivas Thing!

Sep 22 2009

About that Reality TV Show

I debated whether I should blog about this or not. I really did. The best I could do was wait until today, because it was just too…movie like…not to blog about!

So yesterday B-boo had to have oral surgery. Not fun. The one and only time I had oral surgery was to have my wisdom teeth pulled. All four at once. I had just met hubby when I had it done.

I told B-boo, "Daddy stuck with me through that and I knew he'd stay with me through anything!"

I was so sick. Miserable, for a week! I vaguely remember lying on the floor on a bean bag and him walking in to hand me a stuffed animal before I conked out again. I wasn't just swollen sick, but I got physically sick as well. It was a total week of semi-consciousness!

Now it was B-boo's turn. Not for wisdom teeth, but because some of my children are blessed to have baby teeth that refuse to fall out. This makes it hard for the permanent teeth to come in. The Smart One had to have two teeth pulled last week because of this problem. Oy…laughing gas on the poor boy wasn't so funny after we started to drive home. At any rate, because the teeth can't move forward, they move backward into the jaw bone instead. This means that the surgeon has to go find them and help them come out. Ouch!

We She did fine during surgery and even managed to walk out to the van when I pulled up to the door. I didn't realize how out of it she really was until I started to drive home. I guess the first clue should have been the fact that she needed help buckling her seat belt. As I pulled out around the corner, she slid my way. I gently put my arm out and pushed her back into her seat. Then I called Dad to let him know we'd made it through and were on our way home. He was supposed to be heading out of town, but was still home. And a good thing, too!

As I went around the next corner, she came flying towards me once again. This time I was prepared and held my arm against her so she'd stay in her seat. Until the next corner, when she slid the other way, into the window. I immediately thought of "Father of the Bride Two" when Steve Martin takes the sleeping pill and his face slams into the window. Ok, her face didn't slam into the window, but she certainly went sliding into the window. I did a quick double check to make sure the doors were locked and drove slowly all the way home.

And then I called hubby. "You're still home right, cause I'm thinking I won't be able to get her upstairs." I glance at her as I am speaking to hubby and notice her left hand has flopped down in her unconsciousness. "Yeah, I'm definitely not going to be able to get her into the house."

As always, nothing happens in our house without it being a family event. That happens when you have large families. Grandma had come over to help get Chicken Noodle Butt to school and watch the Drama Queen because we didn't expect hubby to be home. In addition, we had two of the boy cousins over because the third one had an appointment.

So I drive up to hubby waiting in the driveway, cause he's just good like that. I tell him to be careful opening the door because I don't want her to fall out of the van. He quickly sees what I am talking about and realizes he's going to have to carry her up the stairs. I run ahead to clear a path, kind of like in the Princess Bride when the Andre the Giant clears the path before storming the castle. The cousins want to see what is going on, of course, and so wont' get off the stairs and out of the way…until my charming, sweet voice convinces them to do otherwise. I'm just nice like that.

I won't go into details of the rest of the day, let's just leave it at a mouth full of stitches and nausea don't go well together. Needless to say, she gets to stay home from school for an extra day. If she ever regains consciousness, I might even be enticed to watch a Reality TV Show movie with her!

Sep 16 2009

Hobo Ministry

I wrote about the beginning of this ministry here if you scroll down under the pictures. The ministry was started out of B-boo's heart for the homeless. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's because we have a family member who had been homeless for a long time, or if it's because she just can't take seeing a homeless person on the corner and not being able to help them somehow. Regardless, God has place these people on her heart. She lovingly refers to them as hobos. She doesn't mean this in a derogatory way at all, so please don't take offense.

The beginning of the ministry started out with us searching for a water bottle in the van anytime we came upon a person on the corner. Then, she started having me keep water bottles in the van so that she could be prepared to give them something. Sometimes, if we had a snack type item in the van, we'd give that to them, too. If we happened to be at a fast food place, it meant we'd be getting them a meal. Still, it wasn't enough for B-boo.

We started talking and came up with the following idea. What if we had bags, prepared in advance, for them? They would be paper bags, filled with a drink, snack, hygiene items, and a personal note with a scripture attached.

B-boo presented her idea to our youth pastor and we began taking donations. The group came up with the following scripture, to be placed on a note card. One side is left blank so a personal message can be added.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

The first group of bags were assembled a couple of weeks ago. There were several students who participated in putting them together and taking them with them. We will assemble more this coming Sunday evening to take out again. I can tell you that it was great to be able to hand someone a bag of *treats* if you will, when they were not expecting it. The look on their faces as they realized someone had taken the time in advance to prepare for a small portion of their needs was priceless. I pray that they will learn of God's love for them through this ministry. I have no doubt that God will place those who He wants in our paths to serve them.

The ministry may go slow at first, but even if we only serve a few, God is able to use that! If we leave ourselves open to Him, He will use us for His purpose.

Right now, we are trying to come up with a name for the ministry. We can't keep calling it "B-boo's Hobo Ministry." I talked with a former homeless person who said that he liked the name and didn't find it derogatory at all. Hmmmm.

Names we have come up with so far are:

Curbside Caring

Caring for the Curb

Helping Hands

Hobo Ministry

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?

For those of you who live in our city, donations are always welcome. We are looking for snack items such as granola bars, chips, fruit snacks, etc. Juice boxes and water bottles are also needed, as well as paper bags.

Hygiene items such as toothpaste, tooth brushes, small bars of soap, mouthwash, chapstick and gum are also welcome. For those of you who travel, please keep us in mind when you see the little bottles that the hotel leaves in the bathroom for you!

Donations can be brought to my home, or to our church. For an address, please email me at itsavivasthing@gmail.com

Aug 27 2009

The Drama Queen

Or, as we like to say, "And then there was…"

Yup, that's her. Our very on Drama Queen. A brilliant ray of light, full of energy that refuses to be told she can't do anything. Her name, roughly translated, means,

"A beautiful rainbow we don't deserve."

Yes, that about sums her up!

After a complicated pregnancy, the Drama Queen arrived two weeks early, on the only day that week that was not someone else's birthday. Within a couple of weeks, we knew something was wrong with her. For the next five months, we'd travel back and forth to the doctor over and over, trying to get them to figure out what was it was that was making her so sick. Finally, a diagnosis. She was suffering from severe food allergies. Severe enough to land her in the hospital on more than one occasion…and for me to get over my fear of needles since I was the one that was her main care giver.

As we began a whole new lifestyle of eating, I worked hard to educate myself on the in's and out's of food allergies and to try out new recipes. Not easy when you can only cook with a handful of ingredients: chicken, turkey, rice, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, apples, tapioca, salt and pepper. Yes, I'm serious.

When she was finally able to have soy, I was ecstatic! Adding in beef and beans later was awesome. And then, we could finally have melons…oh, how happy we were! Yes, we. Because of the severity of her food allergies, she could not have formula. This meant that I had to follow a strict diet, too. And so it went.

These days, she's allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, apples and dairy. Her brother, the Smart One, is on a gluten free, nut free diet, so sometimes cooking for the two of them together is hard; but we manage to have some pretty decent meals anyway!

So what is it about the Drama Queen anyway? Well, she has a pretty high tolerance for pain, kind of like her momma. Translated into English, this means that:

When she says a penny is stuck in her throat, yet doesn't act like it, you take her to the hospital anyway. And they don't believe you until an x-ray proves it and then they do surgery.

When a VCR lands on her feet and nearly slices off two of her toes, and she has to have them stitched back together, she can still go right outside and run around instead of sitting for the next week.

When she goes into anaphylaxis she will try and go about her play in spite of the swelling and hives.

When 300 pounds of plexi-glass land on her foot and she can walk anyway, you take her to the ER. Odds are, it's broke. And when they send you away anyway and tell you it can't possibly be broke because she's fine, you nod your head and drive away…and then come back again when they call you to tell you that the x-ray showed it was indeed broke, after all. It also means that she'll go through a boot thing once a week for three weeks, destroying them, until you finally give up and tell her to just wear her sneakers and try not to make it worse. Oh, and you beg her not to show people where it's broke by moving it around. That's just gross.

When she flies off of a swing that she wasn't supposed to be on anyway and lands on a two-by-four in an anthill, you take her to the ER. And even though the nurse says it can't possibly be that bad, you scream for a doctor anyway, because you've seen it, and you know. And then you take her home with 17, yes SEVENTEEN staples in the back of her head, and you're told to keep her down for the next 48 hours. Sure, OK.

And all she wants to know is when can she please go outside and play…and climb her favorite tree, the big Mulberry tree that she's been climbing since she was about a year old. The same one that her older brother had to climb up into and get her out over and over….until we finally got smart and taught her how to get down, too.

The Drama Queen is just that. She wants to try everything. She is all about living life to the fullest. The righter of wrongs. The sheriff of the house. The let's just have some fun child.

She loves to sing…and sing….and sing, especially if it's about her Lord.

She loves music…all of it. Celtic Women, Bocelli, Selah, Barlow Girl, Newsboys, Celine Dion, and Journey (cause Mom really likes Journey.)

She loves to dance. She started a new dance class this week, so I've had the pleasure of listening to her tap away on the kitchen floor…over and over and over again. Because it annoys her siblings, so she waits until it's just the two of us. Yup.

She's all about fashion. It has to be shiny, or glittery, and of course, noticeable…because she's also all about that. And honest. Sometimes too much. She's had to learn a thing or two about humbleness and just because it's true does not mean you should say it.

She loves babies and can't wait until she can babysit all by herself.

She can make friends with just about anyone…and usually does.

She loves to talk on the phone and can't possibly understand why we won't let her have a cell phone…because, well, she needs it.

She wants to live life!

This is our Drama Queen. The wannabe pop star, actress, and doctor. Because, yes, she can do it all!

If you'd like to listen to some of her singing, click here.

Aug 23 2009

The Smart One

Our youngest son is the one we call the Smart One. He is number four of our children and probably the most interesting one. Or interested one. When I was pregnant with him, his kidneys were full of more than the normal fluid, so we had quite a few ultrasounds to monitor him. For a time, they thought he may have Down's Syndrome, so we prayed our way through that, too. Born two weeks early, he was just fine! Or so we thought.

By the time he was a year old, he'd pretty much stopped eating. He'd never been a fan of baby food and just seemed to have no interest in table food either. He was in failure to thrive and losing weight, so they sent us off to a gastroenterologist and nutritionist, both of whom felt that he just didn't have normal taste buds. Yes, I am serious. He was a smart one though!

At six months, the boy could work a remote control! By the time he was one, he was chatting up a storm. He was so tiny, yet could speak so clearly people were amazed. He had amazing fine motor skills and a fascination for taking things apart and putting them back together.

Throughout the next several years, he'd continue to see different specialists because of his digestive issues, failure to thrive and extreme leg cramps. Finally, when nothing could be found wrong with him, we gave up, and he just learned to live with it. Until a little over a year ago, when we just couldn't take it anymore! So, off to Loma Linda we went in search of some answers! Turns out he has food allergies and cannot have any gluten. Once they were removed, he started to grow and gain weight. Lots of it! (Ok, he's still thin, but 15 pounds in a year is pretty good in my book!)

So what's so different about the boy? Well, he loves tools. Seriously! A few years ago we got him his own set of tools. Yes, real ones. The boy loves to change light bulbs and fix things for us. If Dad is fixing something, he's there. If he can do it on his own before Dad gets home, he will. I call him my toolman!

He also likes to talk. A lot. In detail. Sometimes hubby will call me and ask what I'm doing. I'll tell him I'm listening to the Smart One. He'll reply that he'll call me back in an hour!

He's a funny kid!

He has every "Free-Credit-Report.com" song memorized.

He still loves to take things apart; and then put them back together.

He loves his mom; a plus in my book!

He loves Karate and he's pretty good at it, too. Just got his red belt in August!

He loves to teach others.

He loves his dog; which is so much like him.

He knows how to drive a Bobcat!

He started in the youth group today. He loved it! I'm glad! He's growing up.

And tomorrow he starts middle school. No more homeschooling for him; he'll go into a school of over 1500 middle schoolers. I'm not sure I'm ready. I hope he is. I think he'll like it. I know he's nervous, so I've put up a good front, pretending I'm not.

Tomorrow's a new day for both of us, and I can't wait to hear all about it when he gets home!

Aug 21 2009

B-Boo

B-Boo is our oldest daughter, the exact middle child. And a middle child she is! Only eighteen months younger than the Talented-One, they were often mistaken as twins during the toddler years, although she is more like her oldest brother.

Ever the curious and stubborn child, B-Boo was not an easy baby at all. Well, I take that back. She was a wonderful baby, one who slept all night from the very night she was brought home, up until she turned 10 months old. And learned how to climb out of her crib. At three o'clock in the morning. Upstairs in her bedroom. The master bedroom was downstairs.

So, a friend gave us this crib tent to keep her safe at night. It worked; as long as we remembered to zip it! B-Boo continued to climb. She climbed up the handles on the cabinets to stand on the counters…and then moved onto the top of the refrigerator. When she wasn't finding something in the kitchen to climb, she would climb the stairs to climb on top of the entertainment center. Safety gates didn't work. She'd climb them! We even tried doubling them up one on top of the other. Nope! She'd climb those, too. The higher the climb, the more determined she became! Unbelievably, the only time she ever got hurt was when she climbed up onto the fireplace, not long after it had been turned off. She received a pretty bad burn on her hand, but it left no permanent physical, or mental, scars. On her, at least.

By the time she was three, we realized that she not only was a dare devil, but she also had an amazing flexibility. The Good-Looking One had taken a gymnastics class and she want in! So we enrolled her in a little class, which led to several years of gymnastics, including four years of heavy competition and three years of State Champion medals.

By the time she decided she needed a break, she was 12 years old. Not much later, she began to have health issues that would continue over the next year and a half. In retrospect, we were so glad that she made the decision to quit competing on her own, rather than to have been forced to quit! As her health continued to worsen, we began the lengthy process of doctors, waiting rooms, tests, and surgeries. It took us from Los Angeles clear to Kansas City, Missouri, but this past fall, we were finally given a diagnosis; endometriosis.

Ever the stubborn, competitive, hard-working girl who becomes more like her mother every day, nothing stops her. She can plan a party, organize anything, play soccer, fall on her face and keep her mom on track! She is very much my right-hand girl, and I'm not sure what I'd do without her. She has the heart of a servant, always putting others first. (Unless you're playing a game, then you'd better watch out because she shows no mercy!) And she loves her family…and can usually talk them into her way of thinking!

B-Boo & the Good-Looking One B-Boo & the Talented One

B-Boo & the Smart One B-Boo & the Drama queen

Recently, B-Boo has started a new ministry in our youth group. It started out from a simple concern for others. She fondly calls them "hobos." She doesn't mean this in a derogatory way at all, but out of a love for those who have so much less than she does. It seems that every time we go somewhere, we encounter one on the corner. She'd quickly start searching the van for a bottle of water and a possible snack. As a mom of many, there's usually something in our van!

From there it led to her wanting me to keep water bottles in the van for when we stop at a corner; just in case someone needs it. We've encountered teen moms, older men hard on their luck, younger men hard on their luck, etc. All kinds. And it got her thinking; what if we were prepared, ahead of time, for all of these people who just need a little kindness?

Her idea? To fill paper bags with snacks, a drink, little hygiene items, and a personal note of encouragement and keep them in the van. Then, each time we encounter someone on the curb/corner, we'll be able to give them a bag. And they will know that God has placed them on someone's heart. And that He cares.

But what if? What if others did the same thing? Kept a few bags in their car, so while they travel through the week and encounter someone on the corner, they, too, can help!

This Sunday, our youth will be filling up bags and taking 3-5 of them home with them. They will pass these bags out as they go around town this week. We're not sure what we're going to call this ministry yet; "Curbside Caring" "Caring for the Corner" "H & M"…but we're sure it needs to be.

This is B-Boo's heart. So much so, that it hurts her when she sees someone digging through the trash for food. She'll gladly give up her meal for someone else.

When I first decided to write about my family, I really didn't know what I'd say. Tonight, I thought I'd let B-Boo's heart say it for me. There's so much more to her now. She's starting high school, she's growing in her faith; she's growing into a beautiful young lady. That's what I'd like to share about her.