Children's Book

God Gave us You is a children's book that focuses on telling children they are a special gift to parents from God. The message is sent through a mama polar bear, who constantly reminds her cub that God gave her the wonderful gift of her baby. As the baby cub is curious about where it came from, this story helps children understand a small amount about how they were made with some emphasis on just how much they are cherished, both before they were born as well as now.

While the book had a good message, and it was written in such a way that a small child could understand, there was one main thing I didn't like about the book: The words "God gave us you" seemed to be thrown into many if not all of the pages. It seemed forced and awkward many of the times, as if it did not fit but had to put there anyway.

While the book is cute and helps to explain a tough topic, I would not choose this as my first resource. Because I wouldn't use it as my first choice, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, either.

A Little Bit of Crazy

Sometimes I'll say to myself, "Wow, I feel like I haven't stopped running around for weeks!" And then I'll realize that I have been pretty busy, but most of it has been rewarding and fulfilling.

Like our move to Wesleyan Woods, for instance. We have been slowly moving (I think we started the packing process about two weeks ago), and with the end in sight, I am excited to see how things will work out. As most of you know, Josh has accepted a position working for Wesleyan Woods Campground in Vassar. We will be living in a fifth wheel for the summer, and during the winter months, there is a house right on the campground that we will be able to live in. My favorite thing so far about this whole adventure has been the reactions from people; some think that we are nuts for moving into a fifth wheel with a one year old but try not to show it. Others don't mind that we see their true feelings :P But we have mostly had encouragement from all people. (The people who think we are nuts tell us that they admire our courage. They have the whole "Glad its you and not me" kind of look about them :P). 

I will admit that this is completely crazy, or at least somewhat abnormal. Maybe the best word to describe it is uncomfortable. Living in such a small space would be considered uncomfortable by many, and out of their comfort zone, and I think that's why we get some interesting looks for doing this. But when God calls us to something, can we really tell Him no? While it can be difficult to discern sometimes the will of God, I feel right about this move. Last Saturday, our big moving day, I remember sitting down when we had some of our stuff in the camper in boxes and could hardly move. I thought, "God, what am I thinking!?! I must be crazy to do this." Instead of getting overwhelmed with worry, I felt a peace wash over me. Getting rid of stuff to live in a smaller space is nothing compared to getting to serve Christ and teach people about Him. I am excited to see what God has in store, because I feel like the more stuff I get rid of, the more I must rely on Him, and the more I grow in my faith, and the closer I get to Him. The stuff just got in the way, I'm realizing. 

Also, on another note, our band has been having a good time and enjoying making music for God. I will admit that upon joining/forming the band, I was skeptical to say, "I'm in a band!" It seemed so cliche and meaningless. But Sunday, God opened my eyes to see just how He can use our band. Sunday, at the Florida trip reunion we had, The Following: played some songs. It was so awesome to see how people could connect with Christ through the music we were playing and the talent He has given us. It was a pretty powerful moment, and one that helped me to believe and truly see that God has big plans for us. They may not be to make us famous, but He is using our talents and our music to give Him glory. Its all for His glory!

Aurelia, and the rest of Friday.

If you saw my Facebook status at all yesterday, you learned that Aurelia was going to the doctor. This is the story of how that came to be and what happened after (and during).

The day started by Aurelia waking up wheezing somewhat, but not too badly. I decided to give her a breathing treatment and call the doctor. (The last two times this had happened, we took her to the ER, and she was admitted to the hospital. I wanted to hear what her regular pediatrician had to say.) So at 10AM, we got to the doctor's office, and after an hour, finally got called back to see the doctor. They weighed Aurelia and took her temperature, and then told us that the doctor still had another patient to see before us. Aurelia seemed to be doing alright, and there were toys to preoccupy her, so I wasn't too worried.

She was pretty tired, and wanted me to hold her, but my back decided that it would be a great time to not work at that moment. So, I didn't drop her, but took her to the ground with me, and sat on the floor in serious pain while Aurelia, already tired and irritable, became confused and scared because Mommy was crying on the floor. Her screaming fit flared up her inability to breathe and she started wheezing even more, which made her cry more. Finally, I made it to a chair, but she wanted me to pick her up and hold her. My back was started to relax a bit to where I could move in small movements, so I managed to pick her up. I opened the door to the room and found a nurse. She saw Aurelia struggling to get enough oxygen and pulled the doc out of her consultation to get Aurelia started on a breathing treatment.

Meanwhile, I had given Josh a call telling him that he needed to come because I couldn't drive home. The nurse giving Aurelia the treatment gave me the number to her chiropractor, and I gave them a call. The chiropractor was leaving at noon, but said I could come in (It was about 11:40, and Josh wasn't there yet). Finally, Josh arrived, and to my relief, brought along Brady to help me get to the chiropractor. So while Josh stayed with Aurelia at the doctor's office, Brady and I went to the chiropractor.

That was just the morning...

After that, we took Aurelia's prescriptions to the pharmacy, ate some lunch, and while I headed home with Aurelia, the guys did some shopping for the 30 Hour Famine, that was starting that night. I got home, and Aurelia was exhausted, so I laid her down for a nap, and went to lay down myself. Not long after this, however, Aurelia woke up crying like she was scared, so I went in there, and she was having difficulty breathing yet again. I gave her another breathing treatment, and called the doctor, who told us that she should be taken to the ER.

So, having been experienced in ER trips by now, I packed us some overnight stuff and found myself traveling to Cass City again to the ER. I think we caught sooner than last time this stuff happened because after the first treatment, Aurelia's oxygen levels were much much better and she was wheezing slightly less. About 20 minutes after we arrived at the hospital, Josh's parents showed up. Aurelia was really happy to see them and it was a nice relief for me: my back was still really sore from pulling muscles, and I was taking some strong pain meds to help it ( I still had to play the drums that night at our Debut Concert!)

Aurelia was taken to get chest xrays, and while we were waiting for the dr. to tell us if she would be admitted or not, I had to leave to get ready for my concert. I was pretty reluctant to leave my little girl, but I knew that she was in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa, so I headed home to try and focus on the concert.

Through lots of prayer and God watching over her, Aurelia was not admitted to the hospital.

While this was not how I had planned my day, I know that God must have a reason for the craziness and for the things that happened. I was once again humbled and put in my place by a God who loves me more than I can fully understand. I got to witness Him at work, taking care of both myself and my daughter, all the while reminding me that everything else we had going on (benefit concert, 30 Hour Famine) would still go well because He had control. I also got to witness once again the wonderful friendship and love from the people that God has placed in our lives here in Kingston (and also everyone everywhere else that called or prayed). The love and prayer from people really made me realize what we have been blessed with, and I am glad that God is still allowing us to have these wonderful people as a part of our everyday lives.

Aurelia's diagnosis: Brittle Asthma. This means that the smallest virus or the smallest allergy can set off her asthma, causing her to go into these fits of wheezing. The doctor told us that we did everything right, and didn't cause it to happen from waiting too long. She said that at the smallest sign of sickness or allergy, like a runny nose, we have to start Aurelia on her breathing treatments. We have learned a lot about asthma and how to deal with it in small children, but I am continually praying that this is just a phase and she will grow out of it instead of dealing with it throughout her life.

Going through all of this with a limited range of motion has humbled me further, and I am thankful for all that God does for us. He is truly in control, and I have been reminded yet again that when I give Him the control, everything works out in the end :D

A Bit of My Week

I am supposed to be cleaning and organizing, but I decided that it is time to take a break. We've been going at it since before 9am this morning. But we have been making progress, which is a good feeling. This is probably the first time we have been this proactive for a move... every other time it was just throwing things in boxes and organizing when we got to our new home! In a way, though, we have to do the organizing now: We wont have room in our trailer to put all of our stuff, so we have to know what we are taking.

Not only is our week full of cleaning and getting rid of stuff, but is also involves getting ready for the 30 Hour Famine, which our youth is hosting this weekend. We are pretty excited about it, and have been raising money for Burundi, Africa. Plus, we have a benefit concert on Friday at 6PM, featuring our band, The Following:. It is our debut concert, and will also feature 2 other bands (Friends Of Jesus & The Sellouts). Its free to get in and there will be offering taken during the concert, with all money going to Burundi. We will also have some raffles for some cool items and a merch table for The Following:!

Along with all that, we have a candidate for the youth leader position coming from out of state today. He and his family will be here until Thursday doing some interviews and checking out what the job is really like. Wednesday night at youth he will be speaking to the kids, so we are pretty excited to have them visiting!

I should probably get some lunch going and finish organizing... I think its time for a Goodwill trip :) I love getting rid of stuff!

Summer And Such

If you read Josh's post, you have probably gathered some idea of how our life has been keeping us busy lately. With moving to a new location, a new job, and a walking toddler, we are always going.

Some other things that are keeping us busy:

We have been working on raising money for the 30 Hour Famine, and we are holding the event on April 27 -28. We are pretty excited for it, but it is taking a lot of planning and organizing. We are also keeping busy with our band, The Following:. Our first concert is a benefit concert to raise money for the Famine, and we are pumped to get to play with two other bands (also debuting), Friends of Jesus and The Sellouts. While preparing for that has been exhausting, it has also been a LOT of fun getting to know the guys in our band and also learning more about the talent I never knew I had (playing drums). While it is hard work, it is also something that brings joy to our life!

Another new and exciting part of life is me rejoining Weight Watchers. I had my first meeting today, and I am excited to have some help with eating healthier. As many of you know, I have blogged in the past about wanting to lose weight, and while I have done pretty well about staying active, I just can't seem to lose the weight. So Josh and I decided that it was time to go a step further. When I participated in Weight Watchers last time in 2009, I lost 16 pounds. Since we knew it worked last time, I was excited to choose to try it again. I am hoping that keeping track of what I eat as well as exercising/running will finally help me to lose the weight that I have gained from having a baby (plus the extra that was there before I got pregnant ;p)

Even in all the craziness, we have been enjoying life and learning a lot... From God, from the people He has placed in our lives, and especially from Aurelia!

Let's Talk Romance

Every married couple can use some romance in their relationship, and mine is
no different. It's easy to get caught up in the everyday things that must be
done and come home exhausted, just wanting to relax. Everything Romance
is a book that gives the reader ideas on how to romance their significant other.
It is a compilation of short stories, recipes, gift ideas, quotes, and even a
list of pet names for your sweetie pie.
This book was entertaining and full of helpful ideas for dates, recipes, and
gifts. While some of the stories were not to my liking, the book as a whole was
put together well. This book would be a great gift idea for a newly married
couple, or a good buy for if you were looking for some ideas to add some romance
to your own marriage!

Hospital Fun or An Update on Aurelia

As many of you know by now, Aurelia was admitted to the hospital for the second time this year on Thursday. She has been sick with some colds on and off since she had pneumonia the first time in November, so when she started to get those symptoms again, we just thought we were in for another cold. To our surprise [not necessarily the kind that makes you all giddy inside], she woke up Thursday struggling to breathe easily. Noticing that this is how she was acting when we took her in the first time, I told Josh we should probably head to the hospital.

So our adventure starts at the Marlette Hospital at about 9am, if I remember correctly. Aurelia gets some xrays done and gets a breathing treatment, but is still wheezing pretty heavily. The doctor first told us it was croupe, and while I wasn't convinced, I thought he could be right. But they kept us for observation, and when the wheezing wasn't going away, the doctor gave us a choice: We can give her a steroid to help and send her home keeping a close eye on her, or transfer her to Saginaw, where they have a Pediatric Unit. He left after that, made some calls, and must have gotten conformation that she needed to be transferred, so sleepy little Aurelia was taken to Saginaw**.

When we made it to Saginaw, they put in an IV (Dad stayed strong while Mom left the room... I can only take that so much in a year!) and some blood samples, and the doctor came back (almost three hours later) to let us know that it was pneumonia and that she would be admitted (We already knew she would be admitted).

And that is pretty much the whole story. Now, the update... We saw the pediatrician today, and he said that she might be able to go home today because she was doing well. Then he remembered that she was still on oxygen, and said that she had to be weened off of that and must be off of it for 24 hours before she could leave. She hasn't had to use oxygen since 4:30 this afternoon, and her oxygen levels are really good. (They want it higher than 92% at the least, and hers is up at about 96-98%) She is also off of her IV, and is taking oral steroids, which means that we don't have to worry about pesky cords getting all tangled up all over her!

We have overall had a really great experience, and have met some of the NICEST nurses, doctors, and EMT's. And this time, we were ready for the long stay: I made sure to pack all of us an overnight bag, just in case this happened! Also, the food here is really good!!! Also, they have a play area that Aurelia has been able to enjoy some since she was taken off the oxygen machine, and that helps with the restless state she has been in.

A really fun side note: Our RA tonight is a wonderful nurse named... Aurelia! She is the first person I have met with the same name as our little girl, and everyone was excited for Nurse Aurelia to be taking care of baby Aurelia tonight :) It's the little things I am thankful for, and the little things that help get us through the frustrating times that seem to never end. So, even though I find myself writing to you from a hospital room where my daughter lay full of medicine and covered in band-aids, I can thank God for bringing us here, and only hope that He can use us in some way :) Praise God!!!

PS: Also, Pastor Len brought us some really fun toys to play with while we passed the time... I will put pictures up when we get home. He may have just started a new collectible item for the Hill household :P

**We even got to ride in the ambulance -- They strapped her car seat to the gurney, and loaded her up! It was pretty cool, and made for a nice easy ride. Aurelia slept the whole way and I met some nice EMT's!