John David Pate-3years old

James Daniel Pate-3years old

Thursday, March 31, 2011

WHAT A WEEK....WHEW!!


John David waiting in the doctor's office for Dr. Darby to figure out what was wrong with him....





John David diagnosed with pneumonia. High fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargic, no appetite, cough and congestion....HE WAS PITIFUL! Blood work, chest xray and a big ole antibiotic shot left him feeling like CRAP!




The first of several blowouts my little buddy had during the week of sickness....horrible...this one was in the Subway parking lot. He kept saying, "Ow Momma, boo boo, ow Momma!"


Going to bed after taking another bath and changing pj's AGAIN...he was pathetic. No smiles, no eating, no drinking, no laughing, no play...just laying around like a sick dog:(


YAY...48 hours post antibiotic....FEELING SO MUCH BETTER...lots of smiles and laughter...


Here I am after my weekend race in Prattville. I absolutely love how God showed up and spoke to me through a church marquee....I spent the entire week post injury trying to figure it all out...what to do, what I had done, why this had happened, what I needed to change to 'fix' myself..etc. And of course I GOOGLED everything...more than a few time...I am a little bit OCD on Google looking for answers to questions. Anyway, after the race I walked back to our van and looked up to find this sign...seriously a sign but also a "sign"...God had my answers, Google did not. I ran the Prattvill half with no pain, my slowest finishing time ever (1hr 46min.) and placed third in my division....:-) Thankful is not a bold enough word to use to explain how I felt afterwards. Completely overwhelmed with gratitude for the grace that was shown to me from my Heavenly Father...In case you can't see it clearly, the sign above me says, "THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT CAN'T BE ANSWERED BY GOOGLE"....




My precious, sweet running friends Tammy and Ellie. So grateful God crossed our paths.



Third Place....could have won the entire women's division with my normal pace/time had I not been injured...but that is okay, God is teaching me through this valuable trial....


Now it is James Daniel's turn to be pitiful. Here we are at Children's South (after hours clinic) waiting on blood work and xray...the nurse didn't believe me that he was going to have pneumonia too. She said, "I understand that his brother has it, but really I think James will just have a virus...." WHATEVER, I knew he would have it. SAME symptoms to an exactness. Oh yeah, one difference...James had spots in his left lung and John David had the bacterial spots in his right lung....hahaha


Waiting on results. Listening to T-Wills "Tiger Walk"...James calls the song the "Man Song"...he loves it, dances and sways back and forth when hearing it on my ipod.




And lastly, here is John David on his Children's Hospital visit to diagnose his hydrocele (originally thought he might have emergency hernia surgery) but thankfully it turned out that he had a hydrocele. Fluid leaked from his abdomen throughout the tiny opening that would be considered the hernia spot and it drained into his boy parts....ewwww...he says, "Ow Momma, I boo boo, ow Momma"....and of course me being the Mom of three girls and never seeing these 'boy parts', I assumed he was "growing"....I had no idea he had a collection of fluid building up down there....


He was super happy about riding the wagon to ultrasound....



WHEW...WHAT A WEEK....I am hoping for a much milder week mentally. I am purely exhausted from the last two weeks my running injury, double kid pneumonia, stomach virus(I forgot to mention I had a stomach bug after I ran 13 miles Saturday) and the hernia scare middle of the week....

Sunday, March 27, 2011

MRI for Mommy ...postponed!

I just really love how I am pretty sure I have everything all figured out, and then God surprises me with HIS WAY instead of MY WAY......

Here is the injury update:
I met with Dr. Carr last week and discussed the symptoms I was having from the previous weeks' running injury. I assured him (since MD is somewhere next to my name??) that Google had all the answers I needed. And basically I had every symptom of a pelvic stress fracture. He assured me that it could very well be that, but for now, the course of treatment would be REST (UGH...UGH...UGH...I hate that word), cross training on the bike and in the pool, anti-inflammatory for 30 days, and 11 days off from running. He suggested I run (slow and easy..bummer, I like fast and faster..haha), and if the pain started at any point for me to stop and call him first thing Monday morning for an MRI. Well....a few hundred healing prayers later, I actually ran in a race yesterday, the Prattville Centerpoint Half Marathon....I forced myself to stay very conservative and not push my pace too hard. I really needed to see if the mileage was hurting me or the faster pace. So I made it through the 13.1 miles and only felt a few little moments of 'tightness', which then I slowed down even more, and was fine. Of course a slower pace is NOT MY WAY, but I am okay with slowing down if that will protect my body.


Also, After the race, I realized that all the 'upset stomach' I had prior to the race starting wasn't nerves like I had assumed...I am pretty sure I had the STOMACH VIRUS over the last 24 hours....GO FIGURE! You know sometimes you do have to just laugh about it.



Here is a little message from God too....We parked in a church parking lot across the street from the race. Of course it was dark when we arrived so I didn't notice the sign until after the race. As I was walking back to the car after I had run, I was overwhelmed (yet again) with the favor the Lord had graciously shown to me through my run. I spent a moment thanking Him so much and feeling such a gift of peace from all the prayers people had lifted up for me, and then I notice this sign right in front of our car....I laughed and cried:)


I had insisted on searching GOOGLE for all my answers....and I don't doubt that google has great answers for most questions (heck I google search quite a bit)...but sometimes, google isn't the answer...and for me, God left me this little reminder on a church marquee.

I am overcome with joy that My KING would 'speak to me'....


I learned a few things through this most recent trial...

Perspective is key in understanding where to put your emotions when dealing with disappointing news.
I may not have 'my way', but God will have 'HIS way'....
Yet again, more humbled now by His grace and love each time I walk through uncertainty in life.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. I truly appreciate them more than you will ever know.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

MRI for MOMMY!

Well, I am going to try and give a condensed version of my current health status.

Monday morning I am scheduled for an orthopedist visit to diagnose my current 'running injury'. I have been battling some pelvic discomfort for a while now, it comes and goes. I have always used 'pain' as my trigger for needing "new shoes", or just a "day off". My body responds well to new shoes and or a day off here and there. If I run too hard or too fast/long, I end up on a heating pad and popping Advil....something just isn't right. I ran 8 miles Tuesday afternoon like I normally do, but this time I ended with quite a bit of discomfort. Wednesday morning I woke up and was unable to walk. I have researched my symptoms and history of symptoms, and feel certain that I have a pelvic stress fracture. Just for those of you who have no idea about running marathons and or training at the current level I am training at, it takes a toll on your body. Pelvic stress fractures are common in elite women athletes. Too much stress on the pelvis (ummmm four pregnancies in five years), poor nutrition (lack of vitamin D and fat), continuous repetitive pounding (treadmill, uneven pavement)....Bad news, is that it can take up to a year to fully recover and sometimes requires surgery (pins and plates..YUCK)

So where am I right now on feelings about this new road God has currently put me on....

*He knows my heart
*He knows the sacrifices I have made training for Boston
*He knows all about it....

I may be struck down, but I am not destroyed..."The one who lives in me, is greater than the one who lives in the world" 1John 4:4....Satan wants me to be full of anger and bitterness. He wants nothing more than to destroy the happiness God wants for me. This would be a great opportunity for Satan to sneak attack my spirit, but I refuse to allow that to happen. The prayer that people have lifted up for me is surrounding me. I can totally feel it. I sense the Holy Spirit in so many ways during my day.

Am I disappointed? Well of course. But I have a healthy perspective in life.

I had a beautiful opportunity to share my feelings with my girls yesterday. They began asking me all about it. I tried to explain to them that disappointments in life will come (some are mild and some hurt really bad) but at the days end, things will fail us....stuff, status, experiences, friends, family and even marathons!! Just think of anything that made you shrill with excitement...it faded right? Maybe not right away, but eventually the luster was lost. I am constantly preaching to our girls that no matter what happens in their day, happiness and joy come from our King, not from any 'thing' else this world offers....Many folks don't agree with that, but test out anything or anyone that was certain to bring you ever lasting joy and fulfillment, pure happiness forever, and I bet you ended up 'disappointed'....

I had the perfect opportunity to model this for my girls. I began to cry and become upset at the thought of not running in my race (that I have worked so, so very hard for) and then it totally dawned on me, the lesson I continue to want to teach my children is right before me in my own life. I said, "Girls, this is a great example of how an earthly disappointment should not steal the JOY that God wants me to have.

I will not waste this trial. My best friend, Aimee, told me once, "Never waste your trial..there is a reason for it!"

God's promises are eternal and walking through life with Him makes the disappointments of life easier to handle.

Of course I still want to run Boston, but not at the expense of ruining my health long term. Boston is such a dream of mine, it is exciting to think of and thrilling to dream of, but it is NOT MY JOY....


I will update Monday when I know more. But for now, it looks like Boston is not happening, and I am praying that I don't have to have surgery. I would be so appreciative of any prayers of healing you guys would lift up for me.

And if I can't run for 6 months to a year, be on the look out for me to join the USA Olympic swim team:-)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Memory Lane...




Camping out with Dad...well not really all night camping out, just playing all day in a tent that took dad half a day to put up...hahah:)Precoius memories though.




Shaking up his Ensure drink...hahah...they love it, call it their muktake(milkshake)...




Here are the Korean missionary choir children who visited our church and spent one night with us. The girls absolutely LOVED having them stay. Ellie is ready to pack her bags and go to Korea. I was astounded at the genuine love and compassion the girls showed for one another.



One reason I still try to keep up with this blog is to simply keep up to date with the memories we share in our family. I don't have near the time I use to when I stayed home, to update the blog, but I don't want to lose touch with it completely, so here is a quick update:


The first memory I need to document, I don't have a picture of (unfortunately) but it would be that of John David as he took his last swig of the Motrin bottle of medicine last Saturday evening. No, I am not kidding, John David drank about 3/4 bottle of Children's Motrin last Saturday evening. Of course when I caught him, and said, "WHAT DO YOU HAVE!?!?!"....he shouted, "No Mommy, I nack (aka snack)". Of course we called poison control and they explained that he would be fine....ONLY because he took 1000mg of Motrin and not 4000....AHHHHHHH, in case you are wondering, the recommended dosage is 100mg! SO he had 10 times the recommended amount. Let's just say JD was pain free for the night!

Next, the boys ....they have become very sneaky. John David seems to be the more deceitful one at the moment, but James is right there with him most of the times. A few nights ago I was in the kitchen cooking supper when I heard, "No Bubby, NO" And as I turned the corner of the kitchen, this is what I found....




So other than a bottle of Motrin and destroying my living room behind my back, it has been a pretty laid back week here at the Pate house. We are counting down the days until Becky and Rosey come to visit. Both middle girls will have birthdays next month and Mommy is scheduled to run the Boston Marathon April 18th...just a little bit freaked out about that, but really excited as well.

I would gladly take any extra prayers out there for my health and safety (and the same for my family) as we approach the month of April.

Other than the normal chaos of everyday (which really is a blessing), not much else is going on with us.

We are excited to finally be at Spring Break now, and have a full week planned...full of loving on each other, playing outside, visiting Jesse's Place (tradition during Spring Break), baking in the kitchen, watching favorite movies, building forts in the kitchen with bed sheets....you know, the good ole wholesome kind of fun that doesn't cost money and actually teaches kids valuable life lessons.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Some New Pics and Video








I may be a little partial, but I think this boy can dribble a basketball pretty dang good for a 2 year old. Too bad his momma isn't going to let him play contact sport though...:-)

The boys have known their colors for several months now, but here lately, I have noticed James recognizing other colors aside from the basic 8! This evening as I was dressing him, he said, "Oh mommy I Elmo shirt!"....so I responded, "Yes buddy, you have on your Elmo shirt." Then he looked down and said, "And gray mommy"....I realized he was talking about his GRAY PANTS he was wearing....I laughed out loud and said, "Gray, are you saying gray for the pants you are wearing?"....he said, "Yeah."....LOL!

My poor Claire Bear started coming down with a stomach virus early yesterday morning, and managed to pass it to Jenna and Mommy by late evening. I am just so thankful nobody else was affected by it. But because of the dreaded stomach bug, I was able to stay home an extra day with Jenna. She and I had a wonderful day together. Playing at the park, soaking up lots of sunshine, and we even made a special visit to Wal-Mart to buy her baby doll a "real bottle"! The extra time spent with just her today was worth the stomach virus yesterday.