Holy Hobby Lobby!!!

Yeah so Leelah and I had the Pig Flu all week. We're cool now- John's not! He sounds like gravel in a blender. Pretty awesome.

You can imagine after my self-quarantining all week I just hads to go to Hobby Lobby. So Leelah and I hit HL. Hard. We were there for over an hour (don't judge me!) and whilst perusing the crochet yarnball aisle I hear Leelah perched in the buggy, LOUDLY exclaim to the heavens,
"OHHh LORD! PLEEEASE LET MY MOM GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!!!!!"

Ah jeez. The Hobby Lobby Prayer 2009. Totally writing that one in the book!

Teaching Kids About Heaven

"But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive me."

 Psalm 49:15

"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces." Isaiah 25:8

UPDATED POST (Originally published 2009)

What do you tell your little one about death?
When someone your family loves so dearly "graduates" to be with Jesus in Heaven?
When someone suffers?

Today early this morning John's sweet Granny Ruth passed away and graduated to be with her Savior and friend Jesus Christ. She is healed. We are thankful for her life. Thankful she believed and raised believers (John's mother, Carol) who then in turn raised believers (John and Amy). What a beautiful life she lived. Thank you Lord for taking her home. To her real home. We know we aren't meant to stay here.

The other day I was at a pray and play group with my daughter. There were 3 other moms with me all with toddlers and babies. All believers. All beautiful women I admire and love. Every month we meet and pray scripture over our kids. I encourage you if to find some fellow believer moms and do this for your children. It is a precious time that Leelah looks forward to too- "Mommy are we going to our prayer group today?" I always get emotional and teary thinking about it. I even find myself future thinking about it and future-remembering how we always end the time with the song "You are my Savior" sung to the tune of "You are my sunshine." Such a precious time.

While at this group, it came to me to lift up prayer requests for Leelah. Since we knew my husband's beloved Granny was ill, I decided to ask for prayer in teaching Leelah about death and graduation. That God would teach us through this time and show Leelah the correct response He wants us to have. That it would be a time of grieving, but that we are rejoicing for her healing and for the beginning of her eternal life of renewed health.

What do you teach kids about Heaven? When I asked the other moms what their thoughts were about dealing with death, taking kids to funerals, etc, I learned that this is sort of an untapped subject at least in our stage of life. None of them really had dealt with the death of a loved one and teaching their kids about it firsthand it seemed. The Lord showed me that maybe we are experiencing it first amongst a lot of friends to help. Leelah's grandfather (Gigi) and my father passed away from Cancer a year and a half ago. Please let me share what the good Lord and Shepherd has taught us to teach our sweet baby (3 yr old). Please share with me your ways too!

Get them focused on where the loved one is now. Give them an image of Heaven to hold onto:
- as soon as my father passed we made sure to talk up Heaven. We told Leelah how it was the best place you could ever be. She was 22 months at the time. So we asked her what do you think Gigi is doing in Heaven with his best friend Jesus right now? Her answer: "Playing balls". So we let her have that image to hold on to and reinforce it.

Let your children see you cry and know this is how you process grief:
- I would cry at the oddest times and still do. I just say only if she asks, "Mommy is sad and misses Gigi. But I am happy because he is in Heaven with Jesus." I then bring up the image she has to talk to her about and that helps me too! Jesus cried about Lazarus' death, so we can too.

Start little traditions or memory cues:
- At HEB we have to get a balloon. We have to. God help us if they are out. At the end of shopping, Leelah gets to give Gigi her balloon (I think a lot of people do this- thank you for the idea!). The other day I was missing my dad and John told me, just think once we get to Heaven we'll see your daddy standing there with a whole bunch of balloons. Now I have an image I think about that makes me happy. Thank you John.

We call graves- "memory spots"
- This is where we go to remember Gigi. We know they are not here though, but that they are in Heaven. This really helped put a good spin on a grave which could be confusing for little ones.

Have a photo book
- take all the pics of your loved one and make a photo book. Take it out every now and then and laugh about good time with them. Keep it sweet.

The first year- the memorial day
- Have things planned. Don't let this day sneak up on you. Plant a rose bush or a tree in memory of them. Give to a charity in their name to teach your kids about giving. Go do something they loved to do in honor of them. Pray for God to assist you and carry you on this day.

Stop, Drop and Pray
- If you are just stuck or your child brings up the loved one - just stop and say "Let's pray about it" And just lift up your thoughts out loud to God. That prayer can look like this:
 Lord, we miss Gigi today. We are really sad. Please take our sadness and let us rely on you. We love you Lord. We know you are taking good care of Gigi. Thank you for taking care of him. 
You think, well I've got a 2 yr old they don't know what I'm saying. Who cares. Say it anyway. They will learn that when times are tough, we stop and pray. Even at Target. At all times you are witnessing.

Good Books:
- I plan on purchasing today "God Gave Us Heaven" by Lisa Bergren. She wrote "God Gave Us You" and Leelah loves it. I think it will help explain things on a kid's level.

Funerals:
- I personally don't know the answer. We took Leelah to my dad's memorial service in Oklahoma and since she talked the whole time, my sweet cousins pushed her stroller around. For this upcoming funeral we have asked John's mom who is closest to this whole situation what she wants? Then I ask John what he wants? Pray about the decision. I do think open caskets might not be suitable or helpful for little little ones to see.

Make sure your thinking is up to par
- What are your thoughts on? I know that reading the "One Year Book of Hope" devotional by Nancy Guthrie has been instrumental in helping me cope and grieve with the Lord. As well as loving friends and family. Things that friends and family told me that I have clung to:
"It's not okay" IT's okay to know this. We're on Earth. Not in Heaven. And really, we weren't meant to be here. So sometimes it's not going to be okay.
"The miracle has already happened." So many times people pray for miracles. Lord, please heal them with a miracle. But if that sick person is a believer then that IS the miracle. The miracle has happened- they were saved. Pray for salvation in a sick person's life. That they would accept the Lord as their Savior.

I know this is deep and doesn't encompass this huge issue by any means. I am merely a mom in Katy who has felt the Spirit move in my life to let you know that God has overcome death in Jesus. To have that Kingdom-Heaven vision to get through the day.

Swhy us?

So. The Nichols have the Swine Flu. At least Leelah does have it confirmed plus an ear infection. I feel like I probably have it too- her pedi nodded her head yes I had it but didn't test me. Honestly, I'm only posting this to let people know- IT'S NOT THAT BAD! The flu John and I had at the beginning of the year was 10x worse. I'm talkin' someone call a young and old priest bad. But this stuff is comparable to a sinus infection with the same type of symptoms: runny, stuffy nose, cough,low fever. Leelah just took her first dose of Tammy- love her- tamiflu and zithromax and seriously, not more than five min. ago she was jumping, yelling and smiling about something so things are good.

You will live with swine flu and be okay. Now we did have our seasonal flu shot and not the swine flu vacc. So I do think this is what is preventing worse symptoms. Just a layperson guess. Also, we will be hunkering down in our home for a week so as to not get Leelah sicker or give anyone the virus. But when I asked Dr.L about how long we are contagious for and this and that there was not a clear answer. Mostly because CDC does not have clear info to give us. They don't know. So with the doc's advice we'll be taking the whole 24hrs symptom/fever-free route, but not going to school and dance for this week.

Hold the phone!

So. Leelah's been bringing up some heavy subjects. Always whilst driving- me not her- and it almost causes me to wreck. I mean I've got 1.25 eyeball I'm workin' with. The topics of discussion in the Toyota Corolla I lovingly named "Ol' Smokey" are:
- How you milk a cow.
Leelah: I know how you milk a cow. (me: oh cool how?). You have to clean out the cow's... It got graphic from here on out. BELIEVE ME. Scary. She's 3.5 yrs and I was shocked at what she thought she knew. So after yelling at her: "STOP WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!" and correcting the car's trajectory, I set her straight about udders. And where they are located... Phew. That could have been disastrous.
- Why do you get "bath-tized" i.e. Baptized?
Leelah: I don't want to get bathtized. (me: {praying for help} why not?) Because I don't want everyone to see me go under the water and then they think I'm not pretty. Me: (whoa really? already worrying?) So Leelah you know it's one of the most beautiful events that Christians can do to show they love the Lord and everyone will think you are so beautiful when you do that. I rambled on and on about her heart being made clean and showing how much you love Jesus.
Leelah: What's a "Christin"?
Me: someone who loves Jesus.
This whole conversation took place all while driving to Katy Budget Books (super cute store might I add).
I pray it "soaked" in. We then took her to one of our pastor's daughter's baptism on Sunday and I think this helped her see what it was all about. It's a big deal to John and I that she see what an awesome testimony it is. So precious that she asked about it and I'm thankful she shared her trepidations with me. Again though phew!
- Who Leelah really loves...
Leelah: Mom, you know who I love even better than you?
Me: (thinking please say God that is the only acceptable answer)
Leelah: Santa!
Me: (thinking oh man I could so blow this right now with HE'S NOT EVEN REAL) Leelah, you know Santa is really cool, but God is the one you should love most. Then mommy and daddy. We celebrate Jesus' birthday more than getting presents on Christmas.
Leelah: But I love you too.
- What is a brain? And What is inside you?
Leelah: What is a brain?
Me: It helps you think and talk and move and it's an organ.
Leelah: What's inside you?
Me: Bones, guts, organs and Jesus.

Seriously. I was not prepared to answer so many heavy topics this week.
Eyeball status:
I've decided my eye's just plain tired. After 4 surgeries, it's pretty much on hiatus. I quasi-see out of it, but not like after the YAG procedure. So I've been trying to stay positive. People have so much more to contest with and I am thankful to the Lord for what I have got! I'm hoping it will just heal eventually. I'm more upset about my hairstyle dying on me...

One Crazy Week...

Monday

Was John's 31st birthday!! Thank you Lord for this sweet man of fun! He had a fishing themed day complete with a brand new fishing pole! Leelah kept trying to spill the beans all week about his present. I learned never to take her shopping with me for anyone's gift as she will totally narc about it to their face.

Tuesday





... was the day of Leelah's preschool Halloween Parade. At first Leelah told me she wanted to be a "cool bat". After I shamefully pretended not to hear her, she decided she wanted to be a blue superhero- Super Leelah it was! I mean really. A bat? I can't do anything with that!?!?!
Wednesday

Was surgery day. It went well. I mean about as good as eyeball sewin' up can go. The vision is still a little hazy and not back up to where it was, but I'm hopeful it will return soon. I go back this week to have them check it again. I'm growing weary of that waiting room. But I really can't stand people that complain about waiting 2 hrs for their once a year visit. Get over yourself and be thankful you go once a year. Sorry. Just had to ventilate. John was the bomb.org and got me some TBS(Tomato Basil Soupe) from La Mad, plus an Orange Vanilla candle from Charming Charlie. Apparently, having eye surgery more than 4 times makes you a diva with many requests. A thank you to all the homies that prayed it up for me! I'm back out in the world and plan to drive tomorrow... Thanks for the meals too! Love it!
Thursday and Friday were both completely stricken from the books for me as I was all knocked out...
Saturday



First we headed over to Rennie Park to hang with the Vine, carve some pumpkins, eat an edible arrangement- whoop!, and have some devo time with the ladies. We love The Vine!
Then the 1st Annual Boo Bash! Thanks James'! We loved every stinkin' minute of it! Leelah had "soooo much fun!" We also started a tradition of the Sugar Witch (Thanks Annette for the idea) where we had her eat all the candy she wanted within reason- and then took the rest and put it out on the porch where the "sugar witch" came to pick it up and replaced it with a candied apple. So Leelah got to see the bag on the porch this morning and tore up that apple after lunch. Next year, we'll probably get her a cool toothbrush from the SW. Good stuff.
Sunday

Pj's and pancakes day at church! Leelah said "I had 3 whole pancakes today and syrup and apple juice" Amen to that!

Thank you Lord for your daily blessings!