The EXTREME Bedroom Makeover

I've been looking forward to today for weeks now and now as I'm sitting here trying to share the incredible blessing that took place I just can't keep the tears from streaming down my face. It's always an amazing experience when a group of people who love God decide to do something practical in HIS name! A few weeks ago I got a call from a friend at church. She wanted to know if Amy or her children needed anything for Christmas. Her small group wanted to come together to do something in the name of Jesus to be a blessing to my sister, the single mom, and her three sweet children. So I shared a few needs of Amy's (Nate needed a new bed since he was still in a toddler bed, Abby needed a new car seat, etc). I thought they would pick just one thing to do, but Nate's new bed turned into an entire room makeover for the Marshall kids. And Abby ended up with a new booster seat too!

Here's a glimpse of our day through pictures!!

The Marshalls were kicked out of their house around 2pm and these Santa Elves arrived!
This picture was taken when the room was almost complete. I wish I had taken a before picture, because the transformation is amazing!!! The room is so much more spacious and bright!

Emma and Abby used to have bunk beds and Nate had a toddler bed in this room. Now they have one bed with a single on top for Emma and a double on the bottom for Abby and Nate to share!

Very cute wall stickers now decorate the room and now there is plenty of room for Nate to play on his train table.

A new hamper, light, very cool chair and a lava lamp now fill this corner of the room.

Isn't the bedding adorable? Perfect for boys and girls!

Emma's first glimpse of the room! Make sure you check out all the video at the bottom of this post! The video is even better than the pictures!

Abby and Nate checking it out for the first time!

What do you think? I think Abby loves it!

Their first moments in their new room!

Emma trying to figure out where everyone was going to sleep.

Emma on the top bunk with her new monkey.

Abby climbing up to see Emma.

Nate and Abby snuggled up in their spots.

The whole gang on the new lime green shag rug.

Christian was there for the reveal too! He loved their room!

Everyone had a grand time climbing to the top bunk. This bed has two ladders, so now they can have ladder races. I wouldn't have thought of that, but leave it up to this crew to make a race out of everything.

Abby and Nate watching their new lava lamp!

Everyone in their spot!

A fuzzy chair for two! Those stuffed animals were included in the room makeover too!
And here is Nate! Ready for bed at 6pm! He asked to get his pj's on right away. He couldn't wait to go to bed. So he and I laid their for awhile with the lights out and watched the lava lamp.

Video of the big reveal.

Nate's favorite new thing!

Nate

Emma & Abby telling me what they liked best.

Nate all ready for bed at 6pm!!

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So today was a huge blessing for Emma, Abby and Nate! Amy and I were both completely overwhelmed with emotion as we sat in the children's beautiful new room looking at the thought and love that went into it! Words cannot even begin to express our gratitude to the small group who took this project on! The verse that keeps coming to my mind is Ephesians 3:17 And it says; "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!"

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Thank you small group friends for giving Emma, Abby and Nate a taste of how wide, how long, how high and how deep God's love is for them! I know they felt loved and I told them that they got this room makeover because there is a group of people who love Jesus and wanted to be a blessing to them!! Thank you, Again and Again!

A Brinkley/Marshall/Chatterton Christmas

My brother Tim's family and my sister Amy's family came to our house tonight to celebrate Christmas! We managed to get a picture of all eight cousins. You'll notice that Nate is trying to make an escape, but this is the best I could get. Trust me, it went downhill from here!We played and opened some very fun presents.
And there was lots of wildness, but what do you expect when you give three, three year olds swords!

We celebrated Jesus' birthday, hugged on each other and took lots of pictures! Don't worry Mom, I have at least fifty. But I also have two kiddos who are still awake, so you'll just have to wait!

Here we GO!

So I went downstairs to switch the laundry and then I went into the garage to find something. I was gone about 6 or 7 minutes and look what I found when I came back up the stairs!!! YIKES! One more roll or scoot and she would have plumetted down the stairs.

When I left her she was probably seven feet from the stairs. I had no idea she could move like that. She NEVER moves when I'm in the room because she just counts on me moving her. I've noticed that she'll fuss until I pick her up and then as soon as I hold her and walk a few steps she starts struggling to get down. She doesn't really want to be held, she's just using me as her mode of transporation. Now that I've figured that out I'm not going to be picking her up nearly as much. My goal is to make it through Christmas with no gates up and after Christmas we will begin the baby proofing!

Jesse Tree

Click on the Christmas tree picture on the right hand side of the blog to find out what a Jesse Tree is if you have no idea what I'm talking about in this post!

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Alright ladies, here is the plan. I have assigned each person who expressed interest in this project an ornament to make. I wanted to get this out before Christmas so you can hit up all the after Christmas sales. I just saw boxes of six ornaments for a dollar the other day, so hurry up and shop and this shouldn't cost that much!!! You can start working on your ornaments anytime! The due date for getting your ornaments to me is February 28th 2008. That's the last day in February. I hope that gives everyone plenty of time. You can mail or give your ornaments to me anytime over the next two months. If you can, just get them done. Or if you just had a baby, take your time :) You will notice that we still need a few more people, but I'm not worried about it. If you want to double up and take another ornament just let me know (that means you'll get two Jesse Tree kits which will make a nice gift for someone). Send me an email (judah322@hotmail.com) by the end of December if you feel like you can't participate for any reason.

1. Light of creation - a globe or picture of the earth - Katy S.

2. The first sin - an apple and a snake wrapped around it - Heidi S.
3. Inside the ark - an ark with a rainbow - Wendy B.

4. The call to Abram - a camel and a tent - Millicent F.

5. Isaac and the Lamb - a lamb - Nikki D.

6. Jacob's ladder - a ladder - Holly C.

7. Joseph's coat of many colors - a colorful coat - Amy M.

8. Moses & the Ten commandments - a tablet with 10 numbers -Sarah S.

9. Canann, the Promised Land of Blessings - a cluster of grapes - Kristin F.

10. Ruth and Boaz - a sheaf of wheat - Diana B.

11. King David - a slingshot - Amy C.

12. Josiah Finds the Law - a scroll or Bible -Laurie B

13. Prophecy of Shoot from the Stump of Jesse - a stump with a green leaf - Judy C.

14. Prophecy of the Lion and the lamb resting together - a lion and a lamb - Jenn F.

15. Prophecy of the Prince of Peace - a dove and a crown - Jackie

16. Prophecy of a Gentle Shepherd - a lamb and a shepherd's staff - Heather R.

17. Prophecy of the Suffering Servant - a cross - Amy M.

18. Prophecy of the New Covenant - a heart with writing on it - Becki S.

(I must have lost this one Becki! Sorry, no picture!)

19. Prophey of Bethlehem - Bethlehem town silhouette with start - Candi L.

20. The Exile - a fiery furnace

21. The Return to the Land - a brick wall

22. The Star - a star - Judy C.

23. The Light of the World - a candle or light Jenn F.

24. Angels Proclaiming - an angel - Heather W.

25. The Birth of Jesus - Nativity scene or baby in a manger

Please remember that the pictures are just suggestions! You can do anything you want. You could just get a plain ornament and a sharpie or paint pen and draw a picture of your symbol on it. You could find a sticker with a lion and a lamb on it and stick it on a ball. Don't make it complicated! I would also suggest googling "Jesse tree, ornament" or "ornament ideas, Jesse Tree" and see what you can come up with. There are lots of ideas floating around out there! And remember we still need someone to sign up for 20, 21 & 25!! I don't have to know you for you to participate in this. Just sign up!!

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If your name has been assigned to an ornament, will you please leave a comment or send me an email to let me know that you saw this post and you know what to do! Thanks!!

Answers

I know you're all waited with baited breath for an update on Ryan (okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration), but here's the scoop. Ryan has some damage to his sciatic nerve. Unfortunately, as most of you know, that's a pretty major nerve. So the plan of action is quite extensive, some of it's rather discouraging and a little unnerving (no pun intended) to me, but I'm glad this is being taken very seriously.

They gave Ryan ANOTHER prescription for percocet. I'm not too happy about that, but I'm also not the one trying to deal with ongoing pain, so that's just where Ryan is right now and we'll deal with the effects of that later. Ryan is also going to see a neurologist and start some physical therapy. And he has been prescribed some kind of nerve medication. I didn't even know they had nerve medication. I'm going to have to do a little research on this because apparently it's something to be taken rather seriously. Ryan has to work up to the full dose and then slowly wean himself off of it once he's better. He will start taking the medication at night because it's supposed to make you extremely tired. So he'll take a small dose tonight and then start increasing his dosage every day until he's up to the prescribed amount. We're hoping that he'll be in perfect health by the end of January!

So you're probably thinking that Ryan regrets being a bone marrow donor. After all he's been in serious pain for six weeks, he's missed work, he hasn't been able to work out (which is one of his greatest frustrations) and all of this has made him rather grouchy. BUT Ryan is a giver. I'm serious, that's the way the Lord has wired him. He is always quick to give (time, money, whatever) and I'm the one he has to drag along with him. Ryan told me last night that if he never works out again he would still do it all over again. And I quote..."After all being fat is better than having someone die." Well, yes I guess it is! I love this man! What an example he is for me.

Emma brought home a flyer a few weeks ago about signing up to donate blood. Amy couldn't do it because of her earlier medical issues this fall. Ryan obviously can't do it because his body is still working to build back up his blood supply. So that left me. I had to think about it for three days before I finally signed the card to say I would do it. I hate needles. I really hate giving blood, but then I look at what Ryan has done and it really seems like the least I can do for someone else. Particularly during this holiday season. And Emma only got a Red Cross backpack if she got someone to sign up and of course every second grader is apparently dying to have a Red Cross backpack. And so, I am now dreading 6pm on December 30th. I'm such a wimp.

And now for the most important part -Just keep praying for the patient!! Pray, pray, pray that this works!! That all of this results in a life saved. At this point she probably has a really good idea as to whether or not the transplant is working (we haven't heard anything yet and we don't plan on it for another month). I'm praying that this is a season of great JOY for her family and that they are anticipating many Christmas' ahead instead worrying that this could be her last.

Looking for answers...

That's what Ryan will be doing today as he heads back to Georgetown University Hospital. You might remember that when Ryan woke up from his bone marrow harvest he was in excruciating pain. All the doctor's and nurses were extremely surprised by this because it isn't normal. Everyone just thought Ryan had a cramp in his leg from being in an awkward position for so long. Six weeks later we have learned that the "cramp" is actually some nerve damage. At this point we think that they nicked a nerve during the procedure or that there is inflamation around a nerve that is pressing on the nerve causing problems. Ryan has been in constant pain for the last six weeks. He's a pretty tough guy but this is wearing on him. It's bearable but very uncomfortable and unfortunately pain killers have become Ryan's best friend.

He had an ultrasound done a few weeks ago to make sure that he didn't have a blood clot and he also saw our regular family physician. When the doctor did the reflex test on Ryan's knee (hit it with that little hammer) his right and left foot popped up just like it should. When they did that same test around his ankle (they hit his Achilles tendon) his right foot popped up and his left foot didn't move. That means there is a nerve problem in that left leg. Our hope it that there is just some inflamation around the nerve causing the pain. We are also hoping that some consistent physical therapy will take care of the problem. We just really need some answers from the experts today!

So would you just please pray that the doctor's will have wisdom and be able to give us some definitive answers? And please pray that they don't find anything majorly wrong that can't be fixed. I'll let you know how things turn out! Thanks for praying!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Today we went to our friend's house for a Happy Birthday Jesus party! As we were getting in the car to go to the party Christian told me he was happy to finally see Jesus. He thought Jesus was going to be there. I mean, why not? It's His party! I love the heart of my little boy and I even love it that he felt disappointed when I told him that Jesus was still in Heaven watching over us, but that he would see the whole party!

It's a tradition for us to make a Christmas tree cake for Jesus' birthday. I've been doing this ever since I was a little girl. This is Christian's cake and I must say it looks a ton better than last years. I think I might even eat it this year. Last year there was way too much sneezing on it. When I started to put some of the red icing on it Christian freaked out because he thought I was ruining his cake with ketchup. Once we worked out that misunderstanding he took over the red icing himself.


Sticky hands after all the decorating fun.

Our friends the Shaulls!

Our whole gang minus Nate who was at an appointment but joined us later.

Nate was a little shy when he first arrive. All the wild kids playing were a little overwhelming for him, so he snuggled me for the first half an hour and I love every minute of it. There is something so endearing about Nathan. He is sweet, polite and has such a kind heart, yet there is a serious defiant streak to him. Isn't he just the cutest thing ever in his Christmas sweater?

And here we all are for the third year in a row. I love our Happy Birthday Jesus tradition and I hoping that it pleases our Lord too!

My gang!

Happy Birthday Jesus! We love you! And thanks Mandy for hosting it this year!