Grace: The Unmerited Gift From God

http://busscherfamily.blogspot.com/2008/08/grace-unmerited-gift-from-god.html

Kathy updated her family's blog with a post that brought me to tears. It's obvious that they are still struggling, and we all know that they will struggle for a long time to come. It's also obvious that their faith is strong, and I know they are allowing God to work in them & through them. If you haven't seen this yet, please click the link above to read how you can pray for Brian & Kathy's family. Thanks.

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When my sister & I attended the visitation for Grace, they were all out of cards. My mom brought one to me a few weeks later. I've read it many times, and I still can't read it without crying. It's hanging on our refrigerator, and it will stay there for a long time to come. Grace's picture is my daily reminder to pray for Brian & Kathy's family, and the words inside are my reminder to cherish every moment with Alex.

Everone who reads my blog knows the frustrating moments of parenthood far better than I do.

• when Alex decides he wants to be clingy all day, and I can't accomplish anything...


• when he's up multiple times during the night for no apparent reason, and all I want is to get three consecutive hours of sleep...
  
• when I'd just like to finish a chore or a project without interruption...

...all I need to do is remember that Alex is an amazing and precious gift from God. We prayed and waited for him for what seemed like a very long time. We are priveleged and blessed to be the parents of this sweet, happy little boy.

As he gets bigger and more challenging in many ways, I'll need the reminder even more: Alex is a gift to be cherished and treasured.

I hope I never forget that, and in those frustrating moments with your own kids, I hope you'll remember it, too.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

(It's a bit late, but I finally have a chance to get the pictures on the blog.)

Jessica celebrated her 12th birthday last weekend. In just one more year, she will be a teenager! It's evident that she is no longer a little girl - she chose to have a spa party this year. No more of that little kid party stuff! :) After the food, cake, and presents, Jessica and her cousins/friends gave foot massages, manicures, and pedicures to the ladies...and even to a few of the boys. Aaaah, that felt so nice! (But don't ask about Kyles fingernails & toenails...you don't want to know!)

Here are some pictures from the occasion:

Grandma Purdy made this amazing waterslide cake.
Jessica & her cousins/friends watched as she opened her presents.
The Spa
Playing together
Uncle Kevin & Alex

Fisher Price House Party!

I won a Fisher Price House Party!

I'll leave out all the details, but I signed up to win a chance to host a Fisher Price Toy party for babies & their moms. I won one of the Indiana spots! That means I get to invite 10 moms with children 2 & under. They come to my house & get free toys.

No one has to buy anything. They just get to try out the toys with their kids. It's basically a free in-home advertisement for Fisher Price.

I get $200 worth of new Fisher Price toys. I get 4 pretty fancy toys! I feel guilty about that, so I'll probably do a drawing for one or two of the toys. Everyone who comes can enter, and one of them can go home with a bigger toy.

Here are the toys I'll receive:
1 Laugh & Learn™ Smart Bounce & Spin Pony™
1 Laugh & Learn™ Fun with Friends™ Musical Table
1 Amazing Animals™ Spinnin’Around Musical Zoo
1 Go Baby Go Crawl & Cruise Musical Jungle™

Here is what guests will recieve:
10 Fisher-Price toys to share with your guests, including Poppity Pop™, Rock-A-Stack®, and Friendly Flip Phone™
10 Infant Product Guides
10 coupons for the Fisher-Price®


We have a Bounce & Spin Zebra that I picked up on clearance. The new one - Bounce & Spin Pony - actually is interactive for older children. At 12 months, you can use it just as is - a fun pony that makes noise as you bounce & spin. As they get bigger, you can hook it up to your TV with a wireless setup, and your little one can interact with what's on the screen to play & to learn colors, numbers, shapes, etc. Wow!!!!! I think someone else can have the zebra as a baby gift.
The musical jungle looks really fun. Balls go through the elephants ears/trunk, down the monkeys hands & through the slide, and somehow they pop out of the hippo. Alex would love this toy now, I think!
Either this zoo or the table below will be my party drawing give-away. I'll have to see what I think when they arrive.
The table can be used with or without legs, depending on your baby's age.
I just think this is SOOOOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suppose that happy parents make loyal customers? Whatever the case, THANK YOU Fisher Price!!!

August So Far...

Okay, I lied. These start on our anniversary - July 31st. I haven't updated for a while, so it's another picture day.

See? Keith IS wonderful! Happy Fourth Anniversary, Keith! Wer celebrated at home with grilled ribeye, baked potatoes, green beans, corn, & rolls. Keith said it's better than a restaurant.


The picture above is supposed to show Alex's 2 teeth. He didn't cooperate.

The picture below shows Alex "helping" me with the laundry by unfolding all the wipes.

This is one of his favorite seats.


I volunteered to test a new fabric softener. I just had to be able to complete 5 loads of laundry in a week. (Ha! I can handle that!) You get free softener (obviously) and now that I've completed the survey, they're supposed to send me another free product. Here are a few pics I took during the survey:

Comparing my regular fabric softener (yes, I'm cheap...) with the survey softener.
Odd looking, isn't it? You might have guessed it's an all-natural product made from recycled papers. It's the newest 7th Generation product. That company hasn't let me down yet. These do the job of softening & removing static, but they're unscented. I look forward to them introducing a scented variety. I'm waiting on my other free "green" product to arrive in the mail. I'm so curious to know what the thank-you gift will be!!!!

Do you think he's helping with the laundry? At least he's not bored or crying while I fold clothes!
Thanks for the corn, Angie! Alex held an ear very happily while I shucked the rest.

Look what happens when you give Alex a teething biscuit...

Most of you know that I don't let Alex watch TV. I think TV for babies is absolutely ridiculous. After 7.5 months of parenting, I still feel that way. Ask me again when he's a year old. Until then, no TV.

However...

...THIS is what happens when Jon & Kate Plus Eight is on. I usually watch it in the afternoon for a little humor while I'm making dinner, folding laundry, nursing Alex, etc. If he's not in my arms, Alex is on the floor with his toys facing the OPPOSITE direction so he can't see the TV. On this day, I was making dinner. I peeked in on Alex to find he had turned himself around to watch Jon & Kate. He loves to hear/see all the little kids on this show!

Uh-oh...We're in trouble, people...somebody discovered that the toilet paper roll looks very entertaining. At least he's not mobile yet! Look out, Mama...

This is my little guy today. He has a cold, and he feels miserable. He's all stuffy, has a cough, and I think he has a sore throat because he keeps making funny throat-clearing sounds & whimpering. He really doesn't feel well. Poor kiddo! He just about fell asleep with his head back while I dried my hair today. Every time he falls asleep, though, he wakes up screaming a short time later. I feel for him. If only I could make it all better :(
That's all so far. Just a bunch of pictures for those of you who have asked when I might update the blog again. There you have it - an update *Ü*

Grace

My cousin's little girl passed away over the weekend. Grace was 18 months old, and this was a tragic accident. Please pray for comfort for the Busscher family as they deal with this awful tragedy.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/08/family_blog_shows_toddler_who.html

http://www.funeralquestions.com/obits/NVLY/memorial.asp?listing_id=112798

Hug your little ones just a little harder today...and every day.

Thank God for blessing you with such precious little ones to love!