My growing little man!

Last Tuesday, January 19, my little man celebrated his 4th birthday! It seems unreal to me that he is growing so fast. Everyday he gets a little smarter and everyday he gets a little more independent. I know that he is nowhere near the stage of not needing me, but it still seems like he is growing too fast for me to keep up!

The past few weeks have been a struggle with him because he is so strong willed - he gets it honest from both sides of the family. I find myself at a loss some days because his attitude is so bad and he simply will not listen. The day it all came down was last Monday - the day before his birthday. I received a call from daycare saying he was acting out and would not listen to anyone. I spoke with him on the phone and told him that he needed to put his listening ears on and be a big boy the remainder of the day; he said he would and I told them if they needed me again to call - hoping of course they wouldn't. Well, a couple of hours went by and, sure enough, they are calling me back :/ He is still not listening and it is now time for nap but he will not nap and he will not leave his friends alone! I promptly went to the daycare to pick him up.

That was the turning point for me - I knew something had to be done, and I couldn't do it myself. I called the doctor and made an appointment for the following week. Monday was the day; we saw Dr. Ramsey and got some very good insight on what is going on.

Now, if you know anything about me, you know I am off the wall. Most people think that is just who I am but truly it is because I am ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. My suspicion about Lawson was pretty much confirmed at this appointment but we are taking further steps to confirm this - he truly is his Mother's child.

The doctor kept an eye on him as we were talking to see how he acted. The entire time I was speaking with the doctor, Lawson was in motion - he never stopped! I told the Dr. Ramsey that is a constant with him; from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed, he is in motion - he physically cannot sit still.

Dr. Ramsey feels our best option at this point is to see a behavior doctor at Cherokee; this decision comes with no interference from me. I feel it is in everyone's best interest, especially Lawson, if we begin the process of helping his behavior now as opposed to later. I expressed my opinion about a couple of things but Dr. Ramsey told me to keep an open mind and things will work out - I trust him.

He told me pick up a book - Drive to Distraction - and read it. It is about living and dealing with ADD/ADHD. He thinks the book will give me a better insight to Lawson and myself. I have struggles everyday and know that this will be as much work for me as for him.

Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this journey; it will truly be a journey for both of us. I don't feel that Charlie is fully on board yet, but I hope he will come around as time goes on. I just want what is best for our boy.

Exciting news for Blessings Booktique

Blessings Booktique has been my baby since April 2009. We purchased an existing Christian bookstore and decided to, at first, keep the original name. As time went on, we decided we needed to get away from that name and make this store our own. So, Blessings Booktique was born and now we are operating solely under that name!

We got off to a slow start with the business. Times are hard so it wasn't the best time to begin, but we felt like God had His hand in the decision for us to purchase this business. So, we listened to God and decided to step out on faith. We did ok through the summer and then the fall - especially November - began bringing us new things. November was our official name change so we hosted an open house to celebrate our new name and look. This also being the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, we thought it would be a great time to get our name out there.

Christmas went well - since it was our first we were not sure what to expect. We did well with our sales and met some great people along the way. Then, January hit us. So far, we are on a day by day basis. Some days we have only two or three customers - most days we have none. It is a hard thing for us to look at but we know God will supply what we need.

I am a firm believer in prayer and have been praying hard for God to send me the resources I need to keep this store alive. Monday afternoon a resource walked through my door - I met Rebecca Hunley. Rebecca is a teacher at Jefferson County High School and is now and author of her very first book - Imperfect People, Imperfect Marriage, Perfect Redeemer.

When she came in I wasn't quite sure what to expect - she was carrying and envelope and book so I was sure she was going to try to sell me something...I was right and she was just the person I had been praying for. We talked for a few minutes and she discussed her book and the reason behind it with me. She was just published on January 5, 2010 and is looking to begin releasing the book to stores. She said it was only available on Amazon and she wondered if we would be interested in carrying it in our store - I, of course, said yes!

While she was discussing her book with me, I was thinking about something else that could benefit us both. Monika, a great friend and co-worker, and I had been talking about a book signing the week before. We wanted to get a relatively new release so people would be interested in meeting the author and purchasing the book. So far, we had come to a wall and we were not sure where to go next. I had been praying for God to help me with this decision and, in His perfect way, he did! Before I could even ask her if she was interested, she asked me...and I said ABSOLUTELY!

Today, I got my first stock of books for the store and posters to help spread the word about the book signing. I am excited to say that on Saturday, February 6 from 10-2 Rebecca, and her husband DJ, will be at the store - Blessings Booktique - to sign her book and to fellowship with those who come out to support her. It is always exciting to help promote a new author and even more exciting that she is local. I look forward to seeing you here to help make her new book a success!

Happy New Year...two weeks later!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Ok, so I am late...sorry! The last couple of months have been great and crazy busy! From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day I barely have time to sleep so I definitely don't have time to blog!

Christmas at our house was wonderful! It always is and even more now that Lawson is getting to an age to really enjoy the day. Christmas Eve night is the beginning of our celebration. We always go to church at Grant's Chapel UMC - my church since I was a child - and Lawson now participates in the program. Seeing the children tell us the story of Jesus' birth is always such a blessing.

I can never sleep on Christmas Eve now because I am always so excited for Lawson to wake up and find what Santa has brought for him. This year he asked Santa for a Polar Express and, even though I didn't think it would happen, Santa came through (thanks to Wal-Mart and Lionel Trains) :) Seeing his face light up when he saw the train sitting in the living room was wonderful...that feeling is indescribable. He also received a Leapster2 and many other gifts that he is very much enjoying.

While we do teach Lawson the true meaning of Christmas, we also allow him to enjoy the gift part of the day. He very much enjoys receiving gifts, but we are teaching him how important it is to give as well. He loves to "shop" for his family and get them special gifts so we use this as an opportunity to teach him why we give gifts.

Christmas Day is always jammed packed but it is such a wonderful feeling to know you have that much family. I love that we begin our Christmas Day at 7 am and don't end until around 12 pm...and the whole day is a giant blessing!

While life is beginning to settle, I am now planning Lawson's 4th birthday party. It seems like no time between Christmas and his birthday.

I hope you were truly blessed this past Christmas season and that you remember throughout the year the wonderful gift God gave us all so long ago!

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas events...I hope yours was just as wonderful!