Cali-Gal #2

I know that it's April...but I better update the rest of the hospital drama before I forget it forever...

Wednesday night/Thursday morning

Caleigh was born late on a Wednesday night. I am so thankful to Amber for always being willing to be on call when I am in labor. She was willing to head to the hospital at any time to take pictures for me. I had Caleigh at 9:06 pm and was kept in the hospital room for over an hour because the labor and delivery wing was so full there was no where for me to stay. Not that my experience was anything like Mary’s but it was ironic that Caleigh was born around Christmas and there was no room at the Inn for us either…We were kept in the labor and delivery room until they had prepared my previous ante-partum room. I was wheeled back to the room I had originally started in. Amber stayed till around 3 in the morning when I finally passed out from exhaustion.

Thursday December 30, 2010

I told the nurses that Caleigh was exclusively a breastfed baby, so when she woke up they should bring her to me. THEY DIDN’T! So I woke up around 7 am to Cole Wilkins coming to visit us and they still hadn’t brought her in!!! AHHHH!!!! I was soooo mad. Apparently, the magnesium from labor had to be continued until my blood pressure went down and that’s why they didn’t bring her in. They were worried that I wouldn’t be able to care for her with the exhaustion of labor and the magnesium drip. It didn’t matter though; Caleigh was an amazing nurser right from the beginning. I know it sounds silly but I prayed the whole pregnancy that she would nurse better than Hailey and it looks like it paid off!

Around 10 am Donna brought Hailey over to meet Caleigh and see mommy and daddy! It was awesome to see her. She came in the room and was up in my bed in seconds. Who knew she could climb like that? Matt, Courtney and Walker came by too. Walker had fun playing with Hailey. The Kirkseys joined us later in the day and Hailey and Camryn had a blast playing with my bed and all the buttons. They had so much fun that even after they left I was still reminded of them playing…They had set an alarm on my bed that went off if I got out of bed. The first time it went off I freaked out because it was SO LOUD!

After everyone left I kept Caleigh in the room with the rest of the stay. I figured if they couldn’t follow directions the first night, they probably wouldn’t the next. John went to a near by Red Box and brought some movies for us to watch. I actually really enjoyed the film “Easy A”. Weird premise, but good movie.

Caleigh’s nose was already starting to pop back by the end of today. So I was starting to believe that it would in fact get better. We kept joking that we should call the plastic surgeon.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Dr. Benge came in first thing in the morning and told me that my pressure was not lowering so I was going to have to stay another day. Bummer. It’s New Year’s Eve and I am going to be stuck in the hospital. I told John to head home and relieve his mom and spend some time with Hailey. We made plans for the Kirkseys to come hang out and I planned on just catching up on some sleep. Our TV broke while I was on bed rest so we had to order a new one and it had come today, so Jonathan and John were going to put it together so it would be ready when I got home on Saturday. I stayed in bed all day and ordered the famous Willowbrook Club! I seriously ordered it for EVERY meal while I was in the hospital. It was a sandwich with turkey, ham, bacon and cheese. So stinkin’ good! I also enjoyed tomato soup and grape juice. Had to have them with every meal. J The cook staff probably thought I was crazy!

Around noon the pediatrician came in my room and told me that Caleigh was being discharged. WHAT?!?!? I informed her that I was being kept another day and she would have to be allowed one more day. “No.” What do you mean no? “No. She cannot stay. There is nothing wrong with her, so she cannot stay another day.” I started crying and the pediatrician just stared at me. “Sorry, but she cannot stay. You will have to make arrangements for someone to pick her up.” I informed the nurse that she was a breastfed baby and I couldn’t be apart from her. “It says here you gave her a bottle yesterday.” WHAT?!?!? Are you kidding me? The nurses gave her the bottle without my permission and I have to suffer from it? I could have jumped out of bed and strangled that doctor. That is, if I hadn’t been so sore from pushing out the baby.

The pediatrician finally left, after staring at me like I was the crazy one, and I called in a nurse to talk to Dr. Benge about the situation. He came by to visit me again and informed me that if my pressures weren’t down by 4 pm I would have to stay and Caleigh would have to leave…but he pulled some strings and she could stay till midnight. OH GOODY! My newborn baby can stay till midnight on New Year’s Eve. Great. Then my husband and both my daughters can be on the road at midnight during the craziest and drunkest night of the year. No seriously, that’s a great plan. (Lay on the sarcasm here please). I ended up turning off my phone, and laying as still as possible for the whole 4 hours, so I could leave.

It all ended as well as it could I suppose. By being still and reading my bible I was able to bring my pressures down by 4 pm. It was still high, but not high enough for Dr. Benge to want to keep me. The nurse started the discharge papers, but by the time they were done it was 9 pm. John and I drove home with Caleigh in the back seat. Jonathan stayed at the house with Hailey so we didn’t have to bring her as well. When we got home Jonathan had hooked up the TV and it looked so nice! Hailey was super excited to see me and couldn’t stay out of my arms. J I really had hoped to record them meeting for the first time, but I was soooo out of it from the magnesium and everything that I didn’t have my wits about me enough to get out the flip. We watched the ball drop in New York and ended 2010 with a bang! Or really, a crying newborn. J

Thank you Lord for blessing us with 2 beautiful daughters.

Princess Presto Cake

Here is the play by play (since I made her on Super Bowl Sunday) of Princess Presto!
Cake: chocolate fudge
Frosting: caramel

To get Princess' fabulous "bump" I took 2 paper plates and cut out the general shape. Then I hot glued them together with 2 1/2 skewers glued inside. Make sure to keep the waxie side of the plates are facing out so the frosting won't soak into the plate. Coat the bump in frosting on both sides and stick into the cake as far as you can without damaging the bump. Then continue freezing till both are frozen. Freezing the bump made it a whole lot easier to insert all the way into the cake.

Then I just added more hair to give her bangs. I used the same circular objects as I did on Whyatt so their eyes would be the same size and I free handed the lips. Oh the lips...by far the hardest thing I have done so far. Lips are not easy to get just right. I am still not sure I am thrilled with them. To get the color though, I first made a pink mixture, but when held up next to Princess wasn't quite right. So I ultimately added red and brown until I got the color pictured here.

Waaaaaaa-Laaaaaa Princess Presto to the rescue!

She needs some smoothing out, but that works so much better when they're frozen.

Super Why Cake

Before I could make Hailey's birthday cake I googled "Super Why Cake". I only found one site worth looking at, http://www.5dollardinners.com/ and she was kind enough to give some instructions on how she made her Super Why cake. So I thought I would return the kindness. Here is my version of Hailey's Super Why birthday cake!!

I started with a 6" x 4" round cake pan. I cut the cake into thirds and frosted the center with fudge frosting.

Then I used white frosting, a dollup of fudge frosting, 3 drops of red and 6 drops of yellow food coloring to achieve the "Super Why" skin coloring.

To smooth out the frosting I used my finger and a little bit of water.

I outlined each element with a toothpick and then filled in the outline using the same toothpick!

Waaaaaaaa-Laaaaaaaa! Super Why and the Super Readers, yeah!!!

Caleigh Michele Anderson

I know that I am bad about making/returning/initiating phone calls. I recognize that. So in an effort to share our labor and delivery story with everyone I am going to blog it, then when we get a chance to catch up on the phone we can talk about other things, like how cute my new little baby is! ;-) Here is our story...

Monday 12/27/2010

I went in to the doctors for my regular 37 week appointment. I knew my blood pressure was rising a little because my feet had started to swell, but I didn't think much of it. I borrowed a blood pressure machine from Molly's mom and had been checking it the night before, it wasn't good. 155/106 was the highest I experienced while at home. By the time I reached the doctors things weren't any better. My doctor checked my pressure 6 times; it was, at its lowest, 148/106. Needless to say, I was sent STRAIGHT to the hospital. Dr. Benge wouldn't even let me go home to pick up John.


I was admitted to the triage unit for testing and monitoring, but within an hour I was checked into the hospital. I began a 24 hour pee test that would be looking for protein my urine, which would indicate pre-eclampsia. At this point, there was no thought in my head that we would be induced because I didn't think it was a big deal that I was swelling. Little did I know that blood pressure is one of the only things that my doctor will DEFINITELY induce you for! So, about 10 hours into my pee test my container tipped over and all my pee was contaminated by the ice water in the bucket!! You have no idea how much it sucks to cry over spilled pee! ;-)


Tuesday 12/28/2010

8 o'clock in the morning

After starting my pee test over, I was really trying to stay positive because I wasn't sure what was going on. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to wait long to find out what God had planned for our little Cali-gal! Dr. Benge came in at 8 in the morning and told me they were inducing me because throughout the night my blood pressures never came down. It took 2 hours for them to check me into labor and delivery. We were moved from an ante-partum room to a SUITE in labor and delivery. Seriously, we could have fit a football field in our room. It was awesome.


10 o'clock in the morning

Because of my blood pressure, not only did I have to be induced, but I needed to be treated for blood pressure problems. I was started on an IV drip called Magnesium, which is a natural muscle relaxer. I was not allowed to do anything but lay in bed because of my pressures rising every time I stood. With the blood pressure taken care of I was given Cervadil at 10 am...and then the games began! Cervadil is inserted behind the cervix and it is supposed to soften the cervix so the contractions can help it dilate. The bummer is that cervadil takes 12 hours to work, and at the time of insertion I was only 1 1/2 centimeters.


10 o'clock in the evening

After the 12 hours of "softening", I was a whopping 2 centimeters!! They began pitocin at 10 pm to help my contractions start up, which sounds ironic since we have been trying to stop my contractions for the last 7 weeks! Remember that magnesium though? It's a muscle relaxer, so all of my contractions that I had been having for weeks were now being stopped by my blood pressure medicine. BAH HUM BUG!!


Wednesday 12/29/2010

9 o'clock in the morning

After contracting all night long and feeling the effects of the magnesium (which includes, but is not limited to headache, flushing, dizziness, nausea) I was barely, barely, barely 3 centimeters. To help get things going, Dr. Benge broke my water around 9 o'clock in the morning. I am actually surprised at how getting your water broke feels. It really didn't hurt at all; it was actually a HUGE relief to let all that water out. They inserted an internal monitor to help monitor my contractions and a catheter so I wouldn't get up to go to the bathroom anymore.


1 o'clock in the afternoon

It took me about 4 hours to dilate another centimeter, which is really unfortunate considering I was a second time laborer and I should have dilated 1 centimeter/half hour. But because of the magnesium it was slowing all of my contractions to 2-5 minutes apart, so instead of increasing my progress I was slowing my progress. What a sad sad predicament, my health or a fast delivery. On hind sight a fast delivery may have helped my health, but I'm not a doctor!


3 o'clock in the afternoon

First epidural inserted. I wanted to try this delivery naturally, but with the conflicting medicines being used on me I couldn't handle the overwhelming contractions and the overwhelming SUCKY feeling from the magnesium. Sadly, the first epidural didn't take. My whole right side was numb, but my left side was not. I could feel everything on the left and the worst part was that Caleigh was on my left. So each contraction squeezed her and I felt each one.


5 o'clock in the evening

Second epidural inserted. The anesthesiologist must have seriously upped my epidural meds because when it did take my legs were so numb that I couldn't feel a thing. BUT only my legs and stomach were numb, the only thing NOT NUMB was the center of my body (including my who-ha!) Again it took me another 4 hours to dilate another centimeter. SAD SAD! It was at this point that the nurses informed me that if I wasn't 8 centimeters by 8 o'clock they were going to take me for a c-section. Yikes, at my current rate I wouldn't be 8 centimeters for another 12 hours because it was taking me 4 hours per centimeter.


7 o'clock in the evening

Yay, I was 7 centimeters! Getting what little relief I got from the epidural was apparently enough for the nurses to turn the pitocin all the way up and get me going. And I must say that I was praising God at this point because I really didn't want a c-section; not because I was afraid of surgery, but because I knew I could do it if I was just given enough time. I told every nurse that came in my room, "Tell Dr. Benge, I can do it!" They must have thought I was crazy, but it was very important to me that I be given the chance to try.

8 o'clock in the evening

8 centimeters…9 centimeters…9 ¼ centimeters…9 ½ centimeters…9 and just a little at the top centimeters. At one point I told the nurse I needed to push, but was shot down because just a few minutes earlier I was still on 9 centimeters. The nurse actually walked out of the room and told me I needed more time. That’s when I looked at John and said, NO REALLY I NEED TO PUSH! That’s when the nausea hit…Let’s just say that when you can’t move and you’re flat on your back, throwing up isn’t pretty! I literally threw up the worst bile I have ever seen/smelled/heard in my life! It was in my hair, in my ear, down my back, on my blood pressure cuff, and pretty much EVERYWHERE on the right side of my bed. The nurse the n walks in and says, “Oh she must be ready to push; vomiting is a sign of delivery!” REALLY?

I started pushing with every contraction, but because of the magnesium each contraction was about 2-3 minutes apart, which sounds lovely because then I could “rest” in between each contraction, but when the baby is in your birth canal you don’t really WANT to extend the time in between each push. You just want them OUT! It took me about 20 minutes to get her head to crown (which sadly is ALL the time it took me to get Hailey out; 19 minutes flat!) And that’s when they asked me to stop pushing. I know it’s for my own good to wait, but that’s probably one of the most uncomfortable and painful things to do when they baby is crowing, stop pushing!! I tried to wait, but ultimately I couldn’t. I pushed her out before the doctor and my body were ready. It was such a relief though to have her out!

9:06 in the evening

Caleigh Michele Anderson was born!! She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. She scored a 9/9 on her apgar, which means she was very healthy from the moment she came out. Her head was misshaped and her nose was broken, but we were assured that all of that would go back to normal overtime.

I plan to update our blog with all the hospital and health drama tomorrow. Thank you for all of your prayers, support and love. At this time I am still on bed rest, so please feel free to stop by. We would love to show off our newest addition!

Love you long time,
JME

Doctor Check Up

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I am going to the doctor this morning (11/15/10) to find out what Dr. Benge wants me to do. I have 9 more weeks before Caleigh is due, so please pray for Dr. Benge to have the wisdom to make the right decision for both me and Caleigh. A part of me wants to go back to work so there isn't a financial burden on our family, and the other part of me wants to stay on bed rest so we can do what we think is best for Caleigh. I don't know which is right, but I am praying that the doctor will give me an exact and confident answer based on all the information; the medicine is working at slowing the contractions, but they have not stopped.
Thank you for all of the prayers,
JME

Shaky Mc Shakerton

That's my new nickname. Shaky Mc Shakerton. The medicine they put me on to stop the contractions has made me EXTREMELY shaky. Not like full body, arms flailing kind of shaking, just constant tremors in my hands and arms, feet and legs, and most annoying my jaw. It makes my heart beat a little faster too, but that's not nearly as disturbing as the tremors. I know that in the end this is all worth it, to have Caleigh come later, so I am trying to keep a positive attitude. Although, when I spill the milk because of the shaking, I do want to cry a little.

Please pray family, that things will go as God has planned. I believe that this was known by Him before it even became a problem, so I know He has us in His hands. I also believe that this is the reason I felt so strongly about going back to work when I found out I was pregnant. If I had stayed home to watch my friends' kids I would be really struggling to find someone else to watch them right now, and it would NOT be good. As God would have it though, I now have paid disability and great insurance, so all of the testing that had to be done Tuesday was free and we can rest easy knowing that I will eventually be paid by disability for this bed rest.

I love you all long time and thank you for all of the prayers. Now that I have some free time I will do better about updating you on our family's progress, especially Caleigh's.

Love you long time,
JME

Bedrest

I figured I owed it to several people to let them know I have been put on bedrest, but didn't know how to contact them all at the same time so I am writing a blog about it. At least this way I can answer as many questions as possible all at the same time.


I have been having mild contractions since 22 weeks with this pregnancy, but up until the last couple of weeks they have been just mildly annoying, not anything to worry about. At the start of my 28th week (10/26) however they began to become more than annoying. As of Monday (11/8), when I finally started writing down the times of each contraction, I realized how many I was actually having. From 6 am - 9 am I was only having 1-2 an hour, but after that things got a lot worse. I started having anywhere from 4-6 an hour and that is NO GOOD at 30 weeks. Yesterday (11/9) I was consistently having 6 an hour and that prompted me to finally call the OB. The nurse told me that this was not ok, and that I needed to come in immediately. I called John, and was prepared to go to the OB alone because he has been carpooling to work and didn't have a ride home. I didn't want to pressure him because I knew there was nothing he could do, but I really wanted him there.


I was so blessed when I got to the doctor's though, because both John and Amber came walking towards me from her car! When Amber overheard John at work talking about what was going on she told her boss she had to leave and drove John to the hospital. Thank you so much for ALWAYS being there for me Amber. You would think it would be awkward for her to be there, given the private nature of the visit, but she was there when I delivered Hailey. And you don't really ever see more than that, ever! ;-)


Fortunately for me, while Dr. Benge was running very late, I was rushed into the office and put on the fetal monitors. I was indeed having contractions (glad to know it's not all in my mind) and was seen immediately upon his arrival from labor and delivery. There were a lot of angry pregnant women in the waiting room when I was rushed back, who had been waiting to be seen a lot longer than me! And trust me when I say, that's a scary sight when you're 7 1/2 months pregnant and couldn't run to save your life!! Fortunately, they were all pregnant too so the fact that they couldn't run either, kept me safe!


I'm not going to lie, I have been very scared the last couple of weeks, but, I have learned a lot in the last year meeting with my mentor Candy and I just keep reminding myself that God is in control and there really isn't much I can do about the situation.

I was given a shot of Terbutaline to stop the contractions and a prescription for management control. Dr. Benge has put me on bed rest from this point forward. My appointments are now every week (that's not supposed to start until you are closer to 36 weeks), and he will evaluate me each week to see whether I can go back or not. I truly plan to use this week off to take it easy. Since mid September I have either had a photo shoot, family party or huge event that I have needed to be at every weekend, so this is finally time for me to relax. John is taking Wednesday and Friday off to help me, so that will be nice.

Please keep our sweet Caleigh in your prayers. We can wait to meet her.

Love you all long time,
JME

Radical or Responsible?

I did the same thing with this post as I did with the "Caleigh-fornia" post....I'm a dork. :)

Today's lesson at church was about living the radical life Jesus called us to, and I have really been struggling with this idea lately because a lot of my friends are reading the book Radical. Radical is about living radically in the biblical sense, leaving all you have and following after Christ. And I couldn't agree more. We should live a totally radical life that brings glory to God. But, I have also been doing a lot of research about paying off debt and how that relates (if at all) to biblical principles. As I have posted before, there are many scriptures about our responsibility to pay off our debt and once paid off to live debt free. So I have been feeling very torn about what we are supposed to do and how we are supposed to do it.

After today's lesson I found Paston David and just asked him, "Where do you find balance between living radically and living responsibly?" I expected him to tell me that radical living comes first, period. But he didn't. He said the answer to that question is TIME. He continued by saying, "At this time you are living biblically by paying off your debt and not being a slave to your past and debt. At this time you are living responsibly by paying off the debt you owe, and in time you will be able to live radically." It made me feel good about what John and I have been doing lately, because I haven't felt a call to live radically...yet. I have though, felt a HUGE call to pay off our debt. He ended by saying the most important thing we can do when trying to decide whether to live radically or responsibly is to examine our heart. If we are living responsibly out of selfishness or fear then we should reexamine our priorities. But if we are living responsibly because we want to follow all that the Lord has said then we are in good shape.

Pay off your debt so you can finally live free of the burden of being slave to your money. Why do you think the Lord's prayer includes a line about forgiving our debts? Because it's a big deal to be debt free. I can't wait for the day that we can say, "WE ARE DEBT FREE!"

Caleigh-fornia

So...apparently I have more blogs than I know what to do with! I can't see my blogs from school because the actual blog is blocked by the district. I can however post things. So I wrote the following post from school two weeks ago and then I posted it to the WRONG blog! Sorry you didn't receive the update when I originally posted it, but here it is now. Enjoy! :)

Yay! I have hit the 27th week in this pregnancy! At the end of this week I will be entering the third trimester, which is both exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I have been drinking my gallon of water (dehydration is one of the causes of contractions) everyday, at this time I am wearing my Camelbak (a backpack made to hold water) and I look like a huge dork doing it! But do I care? Heck no! My students already know that I am crazy, now they have proof! ;-)

I am taking magnesium and folate supplements, which are supposed to help reduce the amount of contractions I have. And I am trying to take it easy as much as possible. The contractions seem to be more intense at the end of the day, I had 5 in one hour yesterday evening, and when I am exerting ANY physical activity, IE walking up the stairs, bending over, lifting Hailey. It's been a real bummer not being able to pick up Hailey any time I want, but maybe that's God's way of helping her become a little more independent.

John has been a huge help during all of this. He has really stepped up to the plate. I still try to give Hailey her baths and we cuddle at night before bed, but John has mostly taken over doing the dishes, playing with Hailey after work, drying her and dressing her after her bath. It has been really nice. Maybe this is God's way of preparing John for after Caleigh is born! ;-) He is still doing his schooling, but has decided to go at it full speed and is trying to be finished with 8 more weeks of school in the next 4 weeks. I know he wants to be done before Caleigh is born and I am sure would love to be done before the holidays hit.

The last update we have is about Dave Ramsey and our financial peace. We just recently paid off another credit card! Yay! We are now up to $15,547 of paid off debt! Again, it's hard to see that number and not get annoyed that in the last 10 months we have paid that much money into "nothing", but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only 2 more loans, 1 car loan, and 1 credit card to go and we'll be screaming from the rooftops, "We are DEBT FREE!"

I know times are tough for everyone right now, but I recently heard someone describing what true worship of God looked like. It's not necessarily singing in a church, but it is finding God in everything you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. Find Him in the little things and thank Him for them. Thank Him for these struggles, for you don't know what purpose they serve. Find Him in it all and then you will truly be worshipping the God of the universe.

Blessed

Life around here has been pretty blessed. John and I have been getting along great! Hailey is learning how to share with her new friend Kadence Lorelei (Mommy's friend Nydia brings her over everyday to be watched at our house by our new sitter Laci) and Hailey can even say Caleigh (pronounced cali). It may sound a bit like Daleigh, but at least she is trying. We tell her everyday that she has a little sister coming soon and she points to my belly and says, "Baby!" She likes to go in Caleigh's room and put her dolly in the baby swing. She points to the bed and says, "Shh, ni night." I think she is going to be a great helper. She helps mommy fold laundry and loves to do the dishes, so I am super excited about how she can help when Caleigh does get here. :)

On a little bit more serious note, the biggest concern for our family right now is that I have been having braxton hicks contractions (the doc says they are not "real" contractions, but tell that to my uterus when I am walking down the hall and have to double over because of the tightness and pain) for several weeks now. The doctors have recommended I drink LOTS of fluid (a gallon of water a day) and take limited duty at work. What all that means is, I have to pee a lot, which doesn't sound like limited duty to me, and I can't walk around like teachers do. I am stuck sitting in a student desk for the remainder of the pregnancy, or for as long as I will fit in one! I am currently 27 weeks, which is exciting because at the end of this week we will be in the third trimester, and due January 18, 2011. Our prayer for the moment is that Caleigh will remain comfy and safe until at the very least January 15, so she can be born on the same day at Hailey. As you may know, John and Matt were both born on the 14th and Michael and I were both born on the 28th, so it would be super cool if Hailey and Caleigh could be born on the 15th. :)

The last bit of news is that John is currently back in school getting his Master's Certificate in Lean Six Sigma. He has already received his green belt (bring on the karate jokes) and will be receiving his black belt in December (remember those karate jokes? who's laughing now? ;-). I just want him to know how proud I am of him. There is no way my brain could have any more room for schooling at this point, so I don't know how he does it! A Bachelor's degree and now a Master's Cert, all in the last 2 years! You go boy! ;-)

We love you all long time,
The Andersons

Paying off debt...stop giving?

Dave Ramsey:
The Great Misunderstanding, Stop Giving?

"Be generous! Give to those you love. Give to those who love you. Give to the fortunate. Give to the unfortunate - yes, give especially to those you don't want to give. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give, the more you will have!" - W. Clement Stone

Nearly every day callers to "The Dave Ramsey Show" ask Dave, "If I’m still in debt, should I stop giving to my church or charitable organizations?"

For Christians and practicing Jews, this is a slightly more complicated situation because the Bible and the Torah instruct believers to give at least 10% of their income to the church. There are many people who simply want to be able to give whether they attend church or not, but they don’t feel they can afford it while they’re working the debt snowball.

In this situation, Dave offers some very sound and simple advice: give.

While it may be tough during the rice-and-beans, debt-dumping days of Baby Step 2, Dave says that even if it’s not much, don’t worry. It’s not about the amount or what it does for the organization to which you give. It’s about what it does to you, deep down inside.

You’ll be happier, healthier, and you’ll get so much more out of life when you intentionally and regularly give. Plus, continuing to give during the financially dry spells will solidify in you a spirit of generosity that will carry over when you’re cup is overflowing!

Whether you give to your church, your synagogue, or a charitable organization, just give. And even if you’re working the debt snowball, just stick to your budget and you’ll be in good shape.
There are three things to do with money: spend, save and give. You have to spend in order to have the things you need to live and should save in order to secure your family’s future. But there’s something special about giving, something about the way it refreshes your heart and helps you see what is most important. No matter the amount or the recipient, just give.

Debt

Many of you know that John and I have been doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University since January 2010. We are happy to announce that since January we have paid off $3000 in credit card debt, $4000 on the red car (we now OWN it!), and $7000 on our loan! It's incredible to think that in the last 9 months we have paid $14000 on stuff that was OLD! We got nothing out of the $14000, but what an incredible lesson to have learned about NOT GETTING INTO DEBT in the first place. I know that there are differing views on how one should live biblically when it comes to money, but paying off debt is show clearly in Proverbs to be something of extreme importance. Please take a minute to look over these scriptures:

Proverbs 11:1 (Honest money practices)
The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.

Proverbs 11:24-25 (Tithing & giving)

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 17:18 (Loaning money)
A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.

Proverbs 19:15 (Laziness)

Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.

Proverbs 22:7 (Debt)
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Over the course of the last 9 months, I have not only studied how to pay off debt, but the importance of doing it. I hope that this encourages you to pay off your debt, or at least to start looking at it in a different light (like more important than new furniture). Lastly, I do want to add that in all the talk about debt, King David thought it important to remind us that giving is extremely important too. Keep that in mind as you write your budget.

Here is a great website with free Dave Ramsey information and LOTS of biblical references to debt. www.christiancommoncents.com

Good luck and God bless,
The Andersons (JME)

updates...

So I last left off in March, it has been 6 months since my last blog, and for that I apologize. Let me update you now...

End of March
Shortly after winning the award for Rocket's teacher of the game, John and I decided that I should stay home to watch Hailey. It would require a lot of sacrifice, and I would have to watch several other kids, 5 to be exact, but we thought we could do it...

Fast forward to May 15...
I quit my job April 16 and felt great about it! That is until we found out WE ARE PREGNANT AGAIN!!!! Yay! God is so good to us! After finding out, we started to reevaluate our finances and realized that with the cost of insurance and the cost of no maternity leave that going back to work was the best bet for us.

Summer Time
Summer was great. The nausea wasn't nearly as bad as with Hailey, but the heat was WAY worse! Everytime I stepped outside it was excruciating! LOL John is going back to school to get his certificate in Six Sigma Black Belt. He already earned his Green Belt, so now he is off to the bigger and better certificate, Black Belt. He will complete his courses in Dec/Jan, just in time for baby! ;-)

August 2010
School started August 11 and was very tough to start. Mostly because I had resigned and had to be rehired. I had the pleasure of going to all the new hire orientations and even got to sign my contract with a bunch of first year teachers. Oh and the best part was, I had to go 1 1/2 months without pay because, as a new hire, I was on a new payment plan than when I was originally hired! It was ironic, I went back to work for the money and now I wasn't going to be paid.

We had a struggle finding a sitter for Hailey, but ended up with an amazing girl named Laci. Hailey gets to stay home and hang with Laci while I am away at work. The other baby that hangs out with Hailey is named Kadence (she's 10 months) and her mommy, Nydia, works with me at Springs. It couldn't have worked out better!

September 2010
CALEIGH MICHELE ANDERSON!! Hailey is going to be a big sister to another little girl! What a blessing that has been! We have so many clothes from Hailey's closet that we were very excited to get to share them with our next daughter.

We love you all long time. More updates to come!!

Long time overdue!

So I haven't written in awhile...but the best part about that is that we have been sooooo busy with the photography that I haven't had time! Yeah!! So here is our family update!

February 5, 2010
I decided it was High time for me to dedicate JME Portraits to God. I spent a whole day praying about it and asking God to take the business for his Glory. In all things I want to give glory to the God that created all things! Our slogan is, "Capturing the moments that matter." But I would like to think of it as capturing the moments that matter, the moments given to us by God. I think once I run through the business cards I have now I will reprint them with the new slogan, giving glory to Him.

February 13, 2010 & February 15, 2010
Hailey had her first birthday! And my mom and brother flew out from California for this special day. What a treasure to have time with them after all they have been through. Michael is a special miracle for us, his accident reminded me of how much I love him, and every chance I get to spend with him is precious. So what was Hailey up to by her first birthday? Hailey's stats at her one year appointment included her being in the bottom 25% in weight, 35% in height and 90% in the big ol' head category!! She could crawl by her birthday, but not walk. She had her 2 bottom teeth and the top 2 were breaking through. Her favorite foods are carrots, celery, CHEESE, and apple cinnamon nutri-grain bars. She loves to take baths and she sleeps like a champ.

February 28, 2010
I turned 27 this year!! AHHHHH I have only 10% left of my years before I turn 30! Whoa!! Who knew you would feel so young when you turned the age that once felt sooooo OLD!! When I was 18 I thought 30 was OLD!! I got to get pedicures with all me best girl friends, Amber Fusca, Jana Kirksey, Molly Milillo, and Tori Parsons. It was so much fun, we had spa pedicures and manicures and then went and ate at Target! I know, nasty nachos!!! Yummy!! On Sunday we went to Huskies and had delicious hamburgers (or turkey burgers if you're ready this and you really know me!) ;-) It was so much fun to watch all of the babies sitting around eating like big people! They grow up so fast!!

March 9, 2010
I was driving to work and was listening to KSBJ radio station. KSBJ is a Christian radio station in Houston and I love to listen when I get the chance. On this particular morning they were asking if small business in Houston offered people deals for their birthday...well I started wracking my brain (AFTER I CALLED THE STATION) about what I would offer clients from my photography business on their birthdays. I got on air and we talked about my photoshopping skills, my business being dedicated to God, and how I offer clients a 30 minute birthday shoot for free! I got to work about 10 minutes later and sat in my car listening intently...but they never played the sound bite. BUMMER! So I got out of my car and went on to teach first period. At 7:50 am Nina Campbell text me to tell me she HEARD ME ON THE RADIO!!! What a blessing!! Apparently they kept the clip and edited it! They played the whole conversation on the radio! How amazing is that? Free air time on a popular radio station for JME Portraits!!!! Thank you Jehovah-jireh, the Provider!!

Here is the email I sent to John:
Praise!!!
So this morning as I was driving to work, KSBJ asked small business owners to call in and share what they do, for free, for people on their birthdays. So in my GENIUS I quickly thought about what I could do for people....and then I called in!!!!!!!! They answered and we talked about photography and how, if you are my client and it's your birthday I will do a FREE 30 minute photo shoot!! They asked me if I could do what they do for Oprah, and I said, "Oh yes!" I told them I was a woman and I know what it's like to get photos back, and so that makes me a master poser! ;-) I then waited in the car for 20 minutes listening, but they never played it. :( So I was kind of disappointed....UNTIL Nina Campbell text me to tell me she was listening to ME on KSBJ!!!!! They played my "ad" at 8:00 on the morning show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is good!!!!!!!!! Free advertising with the kind of people I want to work with, CHRISTIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am still shaking from the excitement!! I am going to email Nina to find out exactly what they played because I can't believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you all and thank you for your prayers, the business is growing and I believe it's because I dedicated the business to God on February 5. In all things we give glory to the God that created it all! We capture the moments that matter, the moments given to us by God.
Love you long time,
JME

March 14, 2010
Hailey WALKED!! John has been practicing with her for weeks, but on Sunday we sat in the hallway about 5 feet apart and she took 4 steps!! I then backed up and she took 8 steps!! She consistently took 8 steps that whole night!! I was soooo proud of our little angel!

March 14-21, 2010
I got to take Spring Break this week. It was a great week we played outside every day! Hailey can ride the rocking frog at the park next door, and she is VERY proficient in doing it all by herself! She walked to and from the house each time, it was beautiful. Now she can get in her ball pit, stand up, walk, and she even tries to keep up with Cami at Mrs. Beth's house! Now that is fun to watch!!

March 25, 2010
So the day has come!!! On Thursday I will be honored at the Rocket's game for teacher of the game!! The dream is for real!! I have to admit I thought it might not be real, because it's soooo amazing but I am going. The Rockets have contacted me and my PRINCIPAL to inform us that the game is happening this Thursday against the LA Clippers! My dad is flying out! Grandma Macie is flying out! Aunt Cindy, Macie and Jamie are going! Molly and Steve are going! This is just sooooo awesome!! I have 2 tickets on the court and 2 tickets in the suite with Devon Energy! My heart is so full as I type this blog that I almost can't see straight!! Thank you God for all of the blessings you have bestowed upon me and my family!

Photos are coming soon!! We love you all long time!!

THE ROCKETS GET EVEN BETTER!!

So the Rocket's Teacher of the Year just keeps getting better and better!! The company that hosts' the event, Devon Energy, somehow got a hold of my personal blog and read it! Apparently, they were so impressed with what I had to say that they...INVITED US INTO THE DEVON ENERGY SUITE FOR THE GAME!! So not only do I get floor tickets but I get to go into a suite too!! UNBELIEVABLE!! The game is scheduled for March 25 against the LA Clippers!! I know a Cali team!! Unfortunately, none of the Rocket's games are nationally televised so you won't be able to watch it out west.

A bit of Rocket’s history for you too…did you know the Rockets were originally a team out of San Diego?? I know, crazy! When my students say, “Why are you such a Rocket’s fan? You’re not even from here!” I promptly reply, “Ah ha! Bet you didn’t know the Rockets were originally from San Diego (where I am from). They played there from 1967-1971!” Normally they just stare at me like I am crazy! And maybe I am…

Now here is some more trivia for ya…The San Diego franchise nickname became the "Rockets" due to the local development (General Dynamics) of the famed Atlas missile/booster rocket program. The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas, and the team's name kept its relevance even after the move (because of NASA for those of you who don’t know much about Houston!) Thanks to Wikipedia for giving up some of this information!floor tickets, but I get to go into a suite too!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!!!t floor tickets, but I get to go into a suite too!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!!!

Thanks again for all of your prayers! This has really made my year! 2010 has been great so far!!

Hailey

The weather has been sooo beautiful in Houston the last couple of weeks that I thought we should do a baby shoot! After school, I packed our wagon with snacks and blankets. Hailey, Bubba and I went to the bayou by our house...it was all dry and dead, but I thought the colors were pretty anyway. Here are some pictures from our fun day!

How big are you Hailey? So big!!

What you lookin' at Willis?

Come my children!

So I read a scripture today that I have decided to commit to memory. As a general rule of thumb you should memorize scriptures, it's just plain good for the soul. But I want to memorize this one because I want my children (only using the plural so it includes future children) to wake up to this:

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalms 34:11

Thinking God's timing couldn't have been more perfect for me to find this scripture, I went into Hailey's room to wake her up. Feeling quite proud of myself, I said it....Normally she is as happy as a clam in the morning, but due to a horrible night last night she looked miserable! Her hair was going every which way, if you know Hailey and her CRAZY hair you can only imagine the sight I came in on this morning, and she had those squinty sleep eyes...It was hilarious! I thought, 'Great the one time I bounce in her room spouting scriptures she looks at me like I just ruined her day!!' But as soon as I finished my little greeting she looked up, squinty eyes and all, and beamed!! "Mama!" That made my day!

So despite a terrible night's sleep and not feeling very well, the Lord has blessed my day because I am a mom, and mom's teach their children to fear the Lord...even at 5:30 in the morning!!

Random Phone Updates

I normally go NO WHERE without my camera...but in the catastrophic event that I leave it at home, my camera phone always has my back! Here are some super cute/funny/sleepy/all around adorable pictures of my baby girl!

She LOVES to read! This is her at her bookshelf in her room
Smile if you're literate!

I have never seen Hailey take so fast to a toy as she has to this dolly. Hailey LOVES her dolly so much that I think I might have to buy another one for just in case something happens to her. It makes my heart melt watching her love on a baby like she does to her dolly.

This is literally a cloud in the shape of a "j" in the sky! We were at Jonathan and Jana's house which made it even weirder...

John, Jamie, Jonathan, & Jana made a "j" in the sky!

BFFOOEDs are SUPER CUTE!!

Another reading is fun poster!

Hailey is NOT allowed to stand in the tub...so we compromise, she can kneel.

Sorry baby, but that pouty face was WAY too cute not to photograph!

smiley in the tubby!

LOVE it! Hailey's first freeze.

Look at those darling eyes...begging me to take her out of the carseat! ;)

Crazy hair at Mrs. Beth's house!!

With all your thoughts...

With all of the thoughts buzzing around your head, do you think of God? I read something in Psalms today that really made me think about that question. I have LOTS of things to think about, as a matter of fact, that is a HUGE contributor to my dysfunctional sleep habits. I am tired pretty much all day, but the minute I lay down I am WIDE awake thinking about all of the things I need to do/have to do/should do sometime in the near future! While the Psalmist is speaking of his enemies having too many thoughts to think about God, I really took what he said to heart. With everything I am thinking about day to day do I including God in all that? That is the question I will be pondering today...I hope you will join me in asking yourself that very same question!

Psalms 10:4
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Accountability

I would like to bring my family and friends into an accountability contract with me. I would like to start studying the bible in the morning and spending daily alone time with God. Our pastor said yesterday that he will guarantee a closer relationship with God if you will commit to spending time alone with Him. I took that challenge. My goal is to wake up before everyone and study in the dining room. I hope that I can encourage you to do the same, and to really evaluate how much time you do spend with Him. As our 2009 Christmas card stated, we are at war, what are you going to do to protect yourselves?

“Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted. Consider no circumstance too clear to need his direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative; temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme. Who of us has not found the unspeakable ‘peace’ of bringing God matters to minute or individual to be entrusted to the most confidential ear?” - Charles Bridges