catching up

it has been so long since my last blog post. i am not really sure where to begin to catch up. we have just been playing and living and relaxing and working. very busy at all those things.
back in january our church hosted its 10th annual EU, or evangilism university. teens from all over the country come for the weekend. its more like a training convention than a youth rally. training them to share Gods word. we had 6 girls stay in our home friday night, 4 on saturday as 2 of them went back to freed that night. it was a wonderful weekend, and a big step for mark to let complete strangers stay in our home.
january also brought marks 39th birthday, my 31st, and his mothers. i am embarrassed to admit i am not sure which birthday she celebrated. she is still in the nursing home, which she now calls her home. we brought her to our house for thanksgiving and christmas. she seemed to enjoy it, but wasnt much on hanging around long.
february has brought valentines day, with mark anthony telling me, "mommy, you make my heart happy". it doesnt get any better than that! lacee and sam, are still calling each other boy and girl friend, and they exchanged gifts. she got him an under armour hat and a huge chocolate covered apple, he got her a heart shaped box of chocolates and a huge stuffed puppy dog which tommy tries to steal from her but she has somehow managed to sleep with it every night.
mark anthony isnt near as sick as he was last year. tommy is taking his turn at being the sick one. he has an appt in april and an appt in june at vanderbilt. one is with an ent and one is with an allergist. i am not sure which appt is which, lol. so long as we go to the right one on the right day i will be proud.
lacee is preparing to try out for a newly forming competative cheer squad at a local gymnastics facility. she is extrememly excited about that.
i have signed up to be a consultant for chezami childrens wear. www.chezami.com. i will have a busy 2 weeks in march conducting home shows. i wanted a way to earn a little extra income, and i enjoy the rush of direct sales companies. yet our busy schedule doesnt allow for much of that. chez ami only has 2 selling seasons, spring and fall. so i will have a wild 2 weeks in those 2 seasons, but i am looking forward to it.
tball is only available to 4 yr olds in savannah, but in neighboring crump, 3yr olds can play. mark anthony doesnt know it yet, but will be so thrilled to be able to play this summer!
mark anthony stayed the night a couple weeks ago with a friend, just down the road, his first ever sleep over. he has spent the night with his grandmother before, and with the smothermans last summer when lacee had surgery, but this was his first time spending the night with a friend just for the fun of it.
i have tons of pictures to go with these events, but i am at hchs subbing today. therefore my pictures are not with me. (its my break class...i'm not ignoring any students right now..haha)
i am subbing alot. as much as possible. i enjoy it, and we need the income.
mark has hurt his back. he has 4 buldging discs. 2 are above and 2 are below the place he had surgery on back in the early 90's. medication, shots, rest, heating pad.....nothing is providing much relief at all for him. he goes to see his back surgeon, but not until march 17. he is off work indefinately. he does have a small disability insurance policy at work, we arent sure yet what it pays. bless his heart, he is not one to stay at home, not one to sit around. i would be lieing if i said that i am not enjoying him doing the cooking and cleaning while i am at work...but i do hate that he is in pain. and no, i dont ask him to do the cooking and cleaning, but those are about the only things he is able to do. it keeps him busy and as much as i tell him he doesnt have to, he doesnt listen.
we are praying for a speedy recovery. for him to heal quickly. for his pain to be gone. for our finances to be ok. for us to still be able to take our children on the first beach trip in 6 years as we have planned. for mark to be able to play ball with the kids this summer. for him to be able to sleep in the bed and not in the recliner.
God is good. We know that he is in control. what a peace that brings. while i am scared and worried and concerned, i can honestly say that i do not have that huge weight on my shoulders i would have had previously. i am not going to let myself stress over this. i am gonna, as they say, "let go and let God". He will take care of us.