Asthma and a Clean House...

So a recent trip to the pulmonologist this week provided mommy with (another) lecture about ensuring Emma's environment is clean, dust and mold free. The problem is that my favorite cleaner...409....sets Emma off with an asthma attack.
So I have been researching various "green" ways to clean. I can't stand the smell of Vinegar so that's out. But I've found this line of products by Clorox called "Green Works" that are natural and have friendly scents. The wipes are my favorite...like Clorox disinfecting wipes, but asthma friendly. :)
My biggest problem has come since I moved to Savannah. No one felt the need to tell me that if you let a DROP of water from the sink touch anything it will leave a buildup. And I've yet to remove this crap...even with the harsh chemicals. Enter another favorite...BAKING SODA. Call me crazy, but I dare you to prove me wrong. You know that old orange box in your fridge that has baking soda from like 5 years ago? Well, it's smell absorbing properties are gone, but it's still okay for cleaning. Pour it into a small bowl, add water to make a soupy, messy paste. Then smearm onto surface. Let sit 5-10 mins, scrub lightly (this is usually not even required on glass) and rinse. Yes, it's messy, but it's work free. No scrubing required.I cleaned my whole tub, toilet and sink with this today while Emma and Kai serenaded me from the bathroom floor and not even a cough from Emma!
Thanks Arm and Hammer...so far you make my fridge smell good, my laundry softer and my bathroom clean while keeping my girl healthy and wheeze free!!

How to We love our Papa...Let us count the ways...

1) He takes us to the pumpkin patch and lets us buy as many as we can fit into the wagon.
2) He has a super wagon...it's an all terrain thing.
3) He plays his guitar so we can dance.
4) He takes us to McDonalds.
5) He plays wild with us, like momma won't.
Oh yeah and this....
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Growing Big...Bigger...

So yesterday in the car I over hear Kailyn talking to her sister about a picture Emma made at school. It's a bear card that Emma made for her daddy for Father's day. And Kailyn says "So, your teacher drew this bear and you colored it or what?" Emma tells her she did it all herself. And Kailyn replies, "WOW! Good going girlfriend! This is like such a good job girl!" and gives her baby sister, who she has dubbed "Missy Poo" a high five.
And I can't decide who has made the most dramatic change in getting big lately, Kai-girl or "missy Poo." All I know is my babies are growing up and I just can't stop kissing them. At least they still let me do that. But those days are numbered. The other day at summer camp, Kailyn's class was having a "fashion show" and as she walked the runway for her peers she caught me smiling through the window.She got red and ducked her head. Then all her peers looked at me as one little boy yelled, "Look Kailyn! It's your mom!" Oh, no, my baby is embarrassed of me already!

SleepWalkers....

So it's 10:34 pm and Jason and I hear a noise in the hallway bathroom. We'd just checked on girls and they were both asleep. I open our door and this is what I see.....


Sigh. Emma's sleepwaling again. It's a new trick...the last few weeks or so. It's hilarious, but it's sure creepy! Apparently, she'd wanted a drink. So she'd found this unused IN THE BOX oil filter (for a car) on the couch in the living room piled with other random items and decided it'd work better as a cup than the stack of Dixie's on the bathroom counter. Hard to tell in the picture, but when I picked the box up it was soaking wet and falling apart.

I blame it on her Aunt Carolyn and Grandma Carol...apparently they were sleep walkers too!

Still LOL

Grandmas are so Special

I got a phone call this morning that my Grandma Rachel died, my mom's mom. And once the initial waves of tears passed, I began to recall all of these things that she has said or done that have touched my life.
When I was a little girl I LOVED baby dolls; Cabbage Patch dolls were really popular. So my grandma made me a doll, one by hand. She named him David, and to this day I still have him. In the same outfit that she first dressed him in. It's a real baby sleeper, blue and yellow. My girls have heard the story of David a million times, and they've played with him once or twice. Just like I played with, once or twice, the doll she made my mom. Rosie, is her name. And to my knowledge she still has her.
When I hung up that phone I ran into the attic to get that doll. Somehow holding onto that doll, I was holding onto my grandma.
Nothing replaces a grandma's love. Nothing. I was looking through pics today and saw this one of Kailyn and my Mom. I don't know who is holding who tighter, or who looks happier. But one thing is clear, grandmas are special indeed!
I love you Grandma Rachel, and I will see you soon in heaven!

A Promising Future...

Things are well in the Waterfield/Keeton household. We left for church excited about the ground breaking ceremony that would take place this morning...we're building new buildings to help reach all the people that God is rounding up on these islands and sending to the church. It was a wonderful service, and the pastor even arranged to have each person given a wooden stake. On the stake we wrote the names of four people we hoped to be able to reach through the church with these new buildings. Then after a prayer, as a congreation together we all drove our stakes into the ground. Even Kailyn and Emma did one, with names of friends from school.
While there the pastor announced the beginning of some new "Dive" classes starting in April...they're our devotional classes that are offered on Sunday nights. The girls both said they wanted to join the kids choir!
And Emma taught us a new song...one she learned in sunday school last week. "The fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace......" on and on she sang. "...Galatians 5:22" I couldn't believe my four year old knew all the fruits and it sparked a fresh flame in me to really start hammering home bible verses with them.
Even Jason seems to enjoy the church, discovering last week he enjoys our pastor's speaking style. And since he's lived on the islands (a fairly small community of it's own) he knows many people at the church, sure to make a smooth transition.

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing went right? When every decision you make seems to be the wrong one? When you just can't seem to please anyone, let alone anyone? When you crawl into bed at the end of the day and wonder why you got up? It's been one of those days, actually it's been one of those weeks.
And while talking with a girlfriend yesterday ( I love you Courtney Joe!) I remembered a passage that I used to turn to when those days came.
Nehemiah 9. In this passage you will find the story of the Israelites. The crew from the old testament in the Bible that seemed to mess up everytime God tried to hand them something good. In this passage they are gathered together and the Levites begin calling out to God. What follows is my FAVORITE passage in the entire Bible. I'll let you read it yourself, for it's powerful. They basically confess that they disobeyed God, blatantly didn't do what He asked. And hardship followed. And in spite of that he continued to pour down his blessings. He continued to provide for them. "You came...you spoike..you gave...you made...you gave...you told...BUT they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff necked and did not obey your commands....But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them...you did not abandon them..." On and on this story goes, it's like hittig copy paste on that section above. They continued to disobey, and He continued to stick by them. He forgave, protect, provide.
The reason I love this passage, the reason I love studying the Israelites is that this is the running theme in their story. The absolute relentless pursuit of us by God.
There isn't a day,or week, no matter how badly we mess up that can make God give up on us. We won't stop loving us, He refuses to. I have those moments when the shame is so bad, making same mistakes over and over where it's almost embarrassing to go to Him AGAIN and ask for forgiveness. Like I'm expecting him to be like "Seriously!? YOu haven't learned this lesson YET?!" But He doesn't. He's always there with open arms, waiting for us.
Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." I love this wording. "Receive" mercy. I read that and it makes me think that we receive it, because at the end of one of those weeks, we ask and receive. But "find grace" - it's like who, at the end of all that, would have the audacity to ask for his grace. Isn't mercy enough? We have the audacity to ask for his forgiveness AND blessings?
The forgiveness He gives...it's merciful! The relentless pursuit of our hearts...it's grace. Sweet amazing grace.

Polka Dots

Thank you for all the prayers this month, it's been a crazy one.
Kailyn had another field trip at school...they went to a local art museum where they got to learn about different mediums used. They also learned to recognize these mediums, and about how artists create are diffent ways- paintings, scupltures, etc. She even got to make a clay bowl at school, which got fired in real kiln, then painted. She brought home and it is proudly displayed on our kitchen counter!
Emma is doing great at school and when I asked her what she wanted me to put on blog for everyone to know about what she's learning she replied " I want them to know that I got polka dots. First they were pink; then they turned purple and went away." The polka dots she refering to started out as what dr thought was rash assiciated with virus. By following day her entire body was covered in hives and she was diagnosed as having a allergic reaction to a Sulfa antibiotic she'd been taking. A few doses of Benedryl and a steroid later, she was much better. And the hives faded in color "to purple" then slowly went away. She's very proud of her "dots" for some reason, so I put a picture on here so all can see. She's happy now. LOL
Even L.E., the "wonder dog" had some kind of injurt that had us rushing her to Vet er. She's much better now and is back to her frisky self. And we just thought she was a pampered pooch before! She's much more so now!
For now everyone is happy and healthy...knock on wood.