Teenagers...yikes!

My step son is a lucky duck! He is about halfway through his time at the alternative school. He's doing well. It's amazing to see him actually TRY to do well. We received a call from the county juvenile court a couple of days ago. They have asked that he go to a drug rehab counseling a couple days a week for 8 weeks. After completion, all charged will be dropped and nothing will go on his record. God has been watching over this kid that's all I know. We are all learning new things through these struggles. This time so is my step son.

Dub step-son!!

Yesterday my step son, Brody, came home and let me listen to dub step. I've heard some of this type of music before, and I really like it actually. I could totally see me 10-15 years ago breakin it down in a club to this type of rhythm. Pretty cool. After Jerod took them home, he told me that Brody thought it was really cool that his step- mom likes dub step. That makes me feel so good. I love it when I can connect with my step-kids. It doesn't happen very often (especially with autumn), but it makes me so happy when it does happen.

Monday morning madness

Monday morning, up early...coffee, lunch boxes, breakfast, red ribbon week (in two different schools-challenging), Rachael's Challenge meeting, Destination Imagination meeting, grocery shopping. Heading out the door we (Triniti) realize that "we" don't have our shoes for P.E. They are at dad's house. Dad only lives 1.5 miles away, so no big deal. We head by there on our way to school. 

I've seen a car parked there before, but I guess I wasn't really sure why it was there. Triniti has a key and let herself in to get her shoes. What she found was something else entirely. A woman in her dad's bed. Now, looking back, I know I shouldn't have let her go in. I should've called him first. I don't know, but I really didn't think it was a woman in there! Triniti was completely freaked out (as expected). Her dad was completely freaked out as well when he called to apologize. Hopefully she forgets about the whole thing soon. 

I am Jack's pituitary gland. I make Jack grow

The Bible talks about people having spiritual gifts. Like talents for the Kingdom of God. Every person has something they are gifted in. We are the body of Christ. Some are His arms, His legs, His eyes, etc... Kinda reminds me of the movie "Fight Club". I am Jack's colon, I give Jack cancer. I kill Jack. I'm sure if someone took my arm off and surgically placed it where my leg was I would struggle to do things correctly. I may learn to walk on the arm, but it wouldn't be the correct way and eventually my back would give out from over compensating for the bum leg.

A church is much the same. If you have a person serving in the ministry where they aren't gifted, your church will not be functioning properly. Someone who is gifted at teaching shouldn't be serving donuts in the cafe. That would be a waste.

I love this idea because I believe it applies to life in general. I think this idea is great for jobs, families, friends, and on and on... My house doesn't exactly abide by this yet, but now that I am thinking in this direction... change is coming. My pastor at our church cannot be at full potential if he has to stay up cleaning the restroom and making lesson plans for preschool children's Sunday school. We need people who are good at things to take some of the burden or help out.

I am the world's worst about trying to do EVERYTHING in my house. I clean, cook, do laundry, just everything. Don't get me wrong, I do this because it's my job to stay home and do these things. But it never stops! I pick up these kids from school and they do homework and play until it's time to eat and bathe for bed. My husband comes home and helps with some things and sits down. I run around the entire day. We have had times when I 've been tired of it and put my foot down (angrily) and said everyone needs to help. When things are done this way, I feel guilty everytime I see them cleaning. I know they hate it. Perhaps they need to do it in a different mind set. Each of them has a purpose to move our family forward and be at the best potential we can be. When everyone comes together, we can all sit and be a quality family!

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Are we blended or pureed?

I'm not really sure that I know how to "blog". I think I need to back up and explain a little about myself. I hope this is not too long and boring. LOL

My husband and I met and dated in high school. It was the summer before our junior year in a small town south of Fort Worth. It was love. We were the stars of each other's lives. Needless to say, before our junior year was over, we broke up (I broke his heart...he won't let me forget). Our senior year came and by the end of it, he was expecting a child with his current girlfriend. 

I graduated, lived my life, and worked for a living. It was during this time that I met and married a man that seemed different than the rest(and I liked that). In 2001,we had our daughter,  Triniti, and immediately moved to west Texas away from all of our family and friends. These times were really hard on me. I had no job, no friends, and no support group. Triniti and I were alone almost all day because he worked in the car business and that meant sun up to sun down 6 days a week. Most days I would share my thoughts with Triniti (even though she was a baby) and she would listen. She is my "compliant" child. We were so blessed to have her. 

Finally we moved back to the Ft. Worth area and wanted to have another baby. We tried and tried with no luck. I decided to see my ob/gyn (who happened to also be a fertility specialist) for help. We finally did get pregnant! Unfortunately it didn't take long before I miscarried. I was only 5 weeks along. Probably not far enough for most to consider, but for me...it was a big deal. I wanted that baby more than anything. 

After enrolling in some college classes, I found out that I was expecting again. This time I carried to term. We found out that we were having a boy. A boy? A boy! My family is mostly girls. Out of 22 of us cousins, 6 are boys. My mother and I looked at the pictures of the sonogram and my mom said, "A boy? What are we going to do with that?". In 2005 we found out exactly what to "do with that" when our son, Xander, was born. Xander is a "negotiator". He negotiates and argues about everything, but I wouldn't trade him for anything. 

Poor Xander was only 2 when my husband and I divorced. I felt bad that he was so little. So was Triniti, but Xander was really little. Those were dark times and I sill have a lot of guilt and regret over it. 

It was my high school boyfriend that pulled me through. We started talking. He was divorced and by this time had not just one, but two kids. Brody and Autumn. Triniti and Autumn were the same age and would beg to see each other and play. Soon our relationship was growing and we were married in 2009. 

My husband and I began attending church regularly and befriending people on staff at the church. We have found that the closer we walk with the Lord, the better our relationship is with each other and our kids. We are blended. This is a statement that means our lives are busy and our problems are more difficult to figure out. That's a whole other blog. lol

We had our "ours" from the "yours, mine, and ours" in December 2010. Haden is the most beautiful, stubborn child I have ever laid eyes on. He is our "strong-willed" child. I will have to touch on that later too. 

Haden is my challenge. I'm not sure why God picked me and I don't feel like I can do the job most days. I'm not sure if that's the way someone raising a child with down syndrome feels, but I imagine it is much the same. Most of Haden's tantrums occur when he feels that he can't make me understand his needs or when I try to get him to do/ stop doing something that isn't "his" idea. I'm sure he will grow out of it.