We’ve been to the doctor a lot in the past 3 years.  Prenatal visits, well baby visits, sick visits, you know how it goes.  Waiting usually isn’t a big deal, UNLESS you have a hungry, sick, sleepy, fed up baby or 2 year old.  (So basically waiting stinks unless we’re kidless.  ha!)

When we lived in Central Texas, we went to Scott & White clinics and hospitals.  Most S&W clinics have a sign that says “If you’ve waited 15 minutes past your appointment time, please let someone at the front desk know.” (or something like that)  Most of the time we didn’t wait the 15 minutes past our appointment time, but a couple of times we did.  We NEVER waited an hour or longer.  EVER. 

Then we moved and the wait time got longer.  And longer.  And longer.  Then we moved again and the other day, we waited two hours past our appointment time to see the doctor.  The nurse said that wasn’t normal, but I talked to another patient and she said that she had waited THREE AND A HALF HOURS before.  At a pediatrician’s office…with a CHILD.  Are you kidding me?  And it seems like in this area, the wait times are longer, for all kinds of doctors. 

So what was it about Scott & White that they were able to stay on schedule?  These doctors probably aren’t paid any differently…  Is the cost of renting a building more expensive?  Maybe that’s it.  Doctors around here have to pay for their own space and thus, have to jam patients in and get to them when they can.  I don’t know….but either way, it’s ridiculous to expect a sick kid to wait longer than 30 minutes.  Just ridiculous. 

I know my family members are probably rolling their eyes as they read this (ha! you are, aren’t you??), because we had this discussion the other day.  It’s just the way things are and always have been.

But, to my friends in other areas of the country, how long do YOU typically have to wait to be seen by the doctor?

First up, Mommy here.  My dear husband wrote this blog a few days ago.  He told me what he was doing and spent a lot of time preparing his thoughts and clicking away on the laptop.  I told him….that this wasn’t the place for this.  Our blog had a different purpose than this.  Now, a few days later, I stand corrected.  God is a huge part of our lives.  He has blessed us immensely and our purpose in LIFE is to talk about Him and things concerning Him and share the good news.  Shame on me for saying what I did.  If it causes people not to be happy with our blog, then so be it.  All we should care about is what God thinks. 

Our header says “our life, the stuff we love, and the deals to make life easier.”  Okay, God is a part of our life.  God is the stuff we love, so yeah, this DOES fit here.  We can have fun giveaways and reviews and talk about cute stuff our son says, but God can be a part of that, too.  And he is.  So here you go!  Read what my husband has to say, and take it to heart!  Hopefully he’ll contribute more in the future, too. 

Mommy out!

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Daddy here,

  What a blessing I’ve had this weekend.  I got to see most of my family from both sides!  We had such a great time.  In the midst of the insane weather we’ve been having here in west, Texas, God gave us two days of perfect weather.  The toddler cousins (4 in all), as well as baby D, soaked up being outside. The adults did, too.  I pray that your weekend has been a blessing, and if it wasn’t, I pray your week will get better.  Just remember, no matter how bad this life is, we are just here a short time, and we can choose to have an eternal life in paradise. Interested in knowing how? Just ask.

The title of this blog is “4 months in.” The idea behind it is, we are only 4 months into 2011, and I’ve already experienced what seems like a decades worth of unexpected events.  I’ve never been one to believe in present day curses, especially a cursed year.  I want to share, simply because this year seems to be cursed in some ways. Let me explain.  Jan. 17, my wife and I lost our boss, a father-like figure, Danny, in a freak basketball accident that I was just feet away from.  This rocked my world.  Then on Feb. 2nd, we quit our job at the childrens’ home in an effort to do some family recuperation.  Then, I was planning to go back into youth ministry immediately and had some great, seemingly-promising, interviews that ended in disappointment. As everyone knows, the huge earthquakes in Japan that caused tsunamis, really caught everyone off guard.  Then the month of March and April brought some very dry and windy weather that led to over a million acres of land in Texas being burned up by wildfires. Some of these fires were just 10 miles away from our home here.  Then, at the beginning of April, another influencial man in my life died suddenly due to a heart attack.  He and I weren’t close, but his work in the Christian acappella industry has played a huge role in my life, and my extended family’s life.  Now, this past week we’ve been seeing some relief from the dry weather, but are experiencing the crazy storms that bring hail and tornados with them.  Then I got the news from my old church and workplace that one of the long-time members, and volunteers died after a very short-known battle with cancer.  It took all of us by surprise.  Maybe this type of life is normalcy for many of you. And I realize that the more places I live, and the older I am, the better chance I have at grief and unexpected events.  But, I think more than anything, I have learned in just four short months that I should be more God-fearing.

God is in control of everything that happens, and that terrifies me because it means that I am not in control. Some people might ask, how do you love a God who strikes fear in his children? Or, you might ask, how does God love us, when he causes so much grief? I usually don’t know what to say to these questions.  Right now, I am more confused than I’ve ever been.  But there’s a peace that I have that I can’t explain.  It’s the peace that no matter what happens to me, my family, or my friends on this earth, there is something so much greater waiting for us.  I know this because I believe it wholeheartedly, and am convinced that it is absolutely true. I will continue to fear God and try to live my life anxiously awaiting the day I get to go home, where we all belong. 

Daddy here,

  I figured it was time for me to put my stamp on this snoop bloggy blog.  I can’t help but be reminded of Winnie the Pooh’s “Blustery Day” as I look out the window this late April morn.  The wind is so blusterous that the trees are bending sideways and the sky is brown (good ole west Texas).  Thus our routine of daily bike w/ baby trailer rides, and family walks, has been interrupted. So, here I am.  On to serious things. 

Being a father…I never knew how important this job is.  It is the most important job I will ever face.  I’m reading a book called “Church + Home” by Mark Holmen, that touches on the importance of parents being the number one spiritual influence in their childrens’ lives.  I 100% agree with this idea.  If you are at all invested in your children’s spirituality, I would suggest picking this book up for about $16 on amazon (including shipping).  Everyday my two sons look at me with desperation.  Their need for love and attention is deeper than any desire I’ve seen.  Even if I get on the phone for 10 minutes, I notice that within the first 5 minutes, my older son gets very jealous and starts acting out.  Now, yes, this jealousy is not always good, because its very important for children to learn how to share their mommies and daddies.  But for now, I am committed to giving these two boys 100% of my attention when I can.  I am so blessed to be in a position where I can give them this attention.  I know it won’t last forever, and they might not even want it once they get olde, but it’s my hope that because of the investment I’m putting into my kids now, then later on, when I call them to a higher standard, they will trust me enough to do it simply because I’ve always been there for them. Someday, when I am old and looking back at my life, if I never became “successful” in my career, or acheive my greatest career goal or dream, but I was a good father, then I will have lived a good life. There is no greater calling for a man than to be a father that is fully devoted to his children.  God has lended these two amazing boys to me for an undisclosed amount of time.  It is my hope that I never look back on my role in my children’s lives and say “man I wish I would have been there.” Sacrifice is a hard thing to do, but I will sacrifice nothing when it comes to the wellbeing of my children.  Thats all I have to say for now. I’ll be back. Unless my kids don’t let me. Maranatha!

So here it is, my new blog with my first post. What is this blog all about?   Well, when I was pregnant with our first baby (after taking longer than expected to GET pregnant,) I read a lot of books and websites and I listened to a lot of advice from smart people who meant well. I was fully ready to take on this thing called parenthood. But guess what? When the 40th week of pregnancy rolled around and I was STILL pregnant (lovely how everyone always uses that phrase “STILL pregnant” when you’re huge and uncomfortable!), I began to realize THEN that not everything the books, websites, and people say is true! This baby was late and my doctor was going to put off inducing as long as possible, despite many people telling me that he needed to induce. Well, of course, he came when the time was right, and I’m thankful for that. But, from that moment on, I realized that every pregnancy is different, every baby is different, and some babies, like mine, have NOT read the books!

We jokingly nicknamed our first son “Captain Fussybuckets.” He was a happy baby, but he went through a bout of tummy troubles and sleep issues. I read to put your baby on a feeding schedule. Well, guess what? NEITHER of my kids like feeding schedules! We’ve tried and they just don’t like being told how much to eat and when! They also don’t like being told when to sleep. People told me that their kids slept through the night from 2 weeks on. I read in the books and on websites that babies are able to sleep through the night at 2-3 months old. That’s great. Our first son, Captain Fussybuckets, did not fully sleep all the way through the night consistently, until he was EIGHTEEN months old. Yup.  (Not without us trying to “help” him, mind you…)  He’s now a lively, sweet spirited two year-old who (usually) sleeps delightfully in his “big boy bed.” People wanted to rock our oldest son to sleep. He hated rocking in the rocking chair, most of the time. “Where’s his pacifier?” they’d ask. He hated pacifiers. Who knew a baby could hate a pacifier or hate to be rocked? Not me, until I had him!

His little brother is a much better sleeper, but a horrible napper. He’s the “45 minutes or less” napper. Again, I’m reading that babies his age should take 2-3 naps a day. Well, clearly, my almost 4 month old cannot read, and he missed that memo, because he takes 4-6 naps a day!  But, he started sleeping through the night at a young age, and now is averaging one or no wake-ups per night, so I’m not complaining. Babies are just different. People who write the books and give me advice have never had experience with MY kids.

What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Well, I just want this blog to be about our experiences as a family. Maybe you can relate, maybe you can’t. I want to talk about the things we like, the things we don’t, the things that have worked for us, deals we’re snagging, and just our every day happenings.

I’d love for you to follow our blog and if you have a blog you’d like us to check out, pass it along!

Thanks for reading and come back again!!  Or better yet, subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss anything!  :o)