Please Pray...

Dear friends and family,

Years ago when I was in college I learned a bit of information that put an idea in my head.  That idea has come back to me off and on over the years.  The idea became a dream, one of those things you would love to do, but never really thought would become a reality.  As of late... this dream is getting bigger and bigger and I can't stop thinking about it. 

You're probably wondering what on earth I'm talking about.  I can't share any of the details right now.  I don't know when or if I'll ever be able to.  I think the reason this dream is becoming so big to me at this point in time is because a deadline has been put upon it.  If it is not accomplished in a certain amount of time, it may never be. 

Please, will you pray?  You don't know the details, and right now, you don't need to.  God knows.  He knows how much I want this, how important it is to me, and it is important to Him.  This is not some selfish thing that I want for myself.  It truly is a worthy goal.  Please pray first and foremost, that God would keep this on my heart.  Secondly, pray that the deadline will cease to exist.  Thirdly, please pray for a miracle!!!!!   We will need one to accomplish this desire. 

I appreciate it so much.  God will show us if this is His will for our lives.  For now, I'll keep these verses in my heart:

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
                               - Romans 8:28

"who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"
                               - 2 Timothy 1:9

Feelin' Fine

We’re finally on the mend – all of us!!  Still have the sniffles, but we’re feeling much better.  The children are back to playing, which is so nice.  But I will admit, I was getting used to them waking up and wanting to sleep again 15 minutes later! 

Church was cancelled Sunday due to the weather.  We’ve been having freezing rain.  I haven’t experienced it yet.  The only time I’ve gone outside in the last many days was to stand on our doorstep while someone picked up some baby socks I was selling (which increased the total on our Mastiff thermometer, I might add! ;]) 

I hope the weather holds off for a few more days!  My bi-monthly solo shopping trip is coming up on Thursday and I don’t want to miss the opportunity!  Derek and I decided trying to take all the children grocery shopping in the evening when he gets off work is too crazy; everyone gets grumpy, we have to rush, rush, rush, and in order to get everything done that we need to, we end up staying out way too late, which makes for cranky, screaming kids.  Shopping on Saturday is out of the question as it takes up our whooole day.  No, thanks. 

So now I go aloooone!  That’s right, I said it… aloooone.  It’s like a spa day for me.  Daddy watches the children and I just get to leave...  what!  I know, I can’t believe it either.  I make up my shopping list, and you know what I do?  I take my sweet time.  I look at EVERYTHING.  I touch EVERYTHING!  I go to Burger King and get my $1 chicken sandwich and my $1.29 strawberry sundae, and you know what I do?  I eat it SLOWLY.  And when I’m done, I just SIT there for a while.  It’s crazy, I know. 

I love my kids and I love my husband, but sometimes I just need to give my brain a rest.  It’s nice to be able to do things at my snail pace and not have to worry about little ones.  Not to say that I don’t think about them, I do.  It’s good for me to get out and miss them so I can come home and be a refreshed mom.  And it’s so nice to not have to multi-task every single second of the day, just for a few hours. 

I’m also looking forward to Thursday because I’m picking up some stuff that I found on buy/sell/trade.  I’m getting obsessed, really!  But this stuff is not all for me.  I’m also getting some baby items for my cousin, who recently delivered her 5^th child at 29 weeks!  She needs boy stuff as there is like a 9-10 year span between this new little guy, and her oldest boy.  Their other children are all girls.  Needless to say, she needs some goods.  

I am getting one item that I am particularly excited about, though!  That’s for me.  Kind of… It will actually be used by Hannah… but it will be a big help to me, so it’s like it’s for me.  Isn’t it funny how buying stuff for your children is almost more exciting than buying stuff for yourself?  Weird. 

I have a couple more pending sales.  Hoping to get those taken care of soon.  I’ve learned that the longer a sale is drawn out, the quicker buyers lose interest.  Something else comes up, so they pass.  That’s fine, but I’m killing two birds with one stone here.  I’m getting rid of stuff AND saving up money for something.  I will say this, if you are trying to sell something, local buy/sell/trade is probably the way to go.  Trying to coordinate schedules so you can meet buyers can sometimes be a pain, but it is what it is.  Just do it smart.  Don’t spend more on gas delivering an item than you’re collecting for it, that’s for sure. 

Here’s a quick little update on the children’s happenings:  Audrey so far is the star of the week!  The other night she fell down the stairs :[  Daddy saw it all happen.  He said she was standing on the landing and must have forgotten there were more steps and just kinda went splat!  It was only like 4-5 stairs, but that still hurts, and is very dangerous.  We’re glad she was ok, just scared.  Yesterday she went #1 AND #2 on the potty!!!!  That’s her first time doing both!  YAAAAAY!  She got two treats for that.  She was pretty proud.  So was her big brother.

Roen is busy as usual and Hannah is adorable as usual. 

The end.

Saving for some Dogs!!

If you look to the right of my blog, you'll see something new, a fundraising thermometer!!  For a long, long time, we as a family have been discussing raising and breeding dogs -- English Mastiffs!  We chose this breed because:

1.) their size -- I love a critter that stands out and is not run-of-the-mill.  These are the BIGGEST dogs, not necessarily height wise, but in body-size.  Besides, we live out in the country, and my husband is not always home.  I like the idea of  some protection, something that says, "Don't even think about it...";
2.)  their temperament -- Although they look mean, Mastiffs are supposed to be very sweet and lovable dogs.  That is key as these will be family dogs and we have small children.  Although, they can still be mean if they need to be, which is a plus;
3.)  Grooming is very minimal;
4.)  Life-span -- another plus, 10-14 years.  These dogs will be our pets.  We'd like to have them around for a while;
5.)  Health -- they do have some issues, like possibilty of bloat, hip displasia, and eye problems, but they don't have reproductive issues like, say the English Bulldog, which requires c-section births;
6.)  Resale value -- hey, we're looking at breeding.. this should be a consideration.  These dogs can bring in a nice paycheck! 

Those are just a few reasons why we've selected this type of dog.  Now I know the thermometer says, "We need your support," but, please, I'm not asking you to help fund my doggie endevors, it was a freebie.  You take what you get and you don't throw a fit, as I always say.

You may see there is a little money already collected for this new adventure.  I have been selling some things that we don't need on Facebook on the local Buy/Sell/Trade sites.  It's amazing!  You get awesome feedback and it's local!  They can come right to you to collect.  I'm very pleased with how that's working out so far.  I also have some repurposing projects lined up.  Pretty much any extra money that I make from now til -- whenever, I'm going to apply to this dog-buying dream of ours.  I'm excited to see how this all comes together.  Until it does, I'm going to be doing research - research - research!!!  I always like going into a new thing with lots of knowledge.  That's a good thing, right?  I will keep you posted as to our progress.  Keep checking back to watch the thermometer rise!  Oh, and if you would like to help support us, you can do so by purchasing some of my buy/sell/trade goods or my repurposed pieces.  OR if you have an old (preferably) wood piece, whether it be furniture, picture frame, decorative item, etc, that you would like to donate, or sell very cheap, so that I can repurpose it, please email me thesegerstroms@hotmail.com I would appreciate that so much!!!  I'll be sure to give my friends from the blog first dibs on some items by posting them here before anywhere else.  

For those of you that don't know what a Mastiff looks like, Enjoy! 

(photo courtesy of: www.dogbreedinfo.com)

Better Safe than Sorry!

We got a little worried last night at around 10:30 pm.  Hannah’s breathing was very labored, she couldn’t sleep or eat because she couldn’t breathe, and her last three diapers had been dry.  We decided I would take her to the emergency room and Derek would stay home with the other two children who were already in bed.  Poor baby, she was wheezing and her little tummy was heaving!  Thankfully, she was able to sleep in the car.  I was praying the whole way up that God would help her to breathe and for no serious illness.

We were put in a room right away and a male nurse took all her stats.  Her oxygen levels were good.  He thought her lungs sounded clear, but very tight.  Another female nurse came in multiple times to suck her nose.  She couldn’t believe how much yuck she was getting out of such a tiny baby!  Hannah had just turned 4 months old that very day! 

The doctor came in and she was all smiles – a good sign.  That is, until he used the tongue depressor on her, then she was angry.  He also thought her lungs sounded clear, but ordered an x-ray of her chest just to be sure she didn’t have pneumonia. 

That was the saddest thing I’ve seen!  She had to sit straight up on a little tiny bicycle seat looking thing with her legs dangling and her arms straight up in the air while this plastic tube closed around her to hold her in position.  They let me hold her hand.  It was such a pathetic sight!  She was so sick that she couldn’t even cry like a normal baby, she just moaned and coughed.  It didn’t take very long, thankfully, and she was fine as soon as I was holding her again.

We had to wait a long time to see the doctor again for the results.  Meanwhile, Hannah was lulled to sleep by some poor man in the next room coughing up his lungs.  I was nearly falling asleep in the chair. 

The doc came in and said he didn’t see any signs of pneumonia, but that she does have a viral infection in her chest.  He said she could be admitted to the hospital, but he didn’t really want to do that with her being so young, and it being the middle of flu season.  He asked how I thought she looked.  I said, “She’s obviously in pain from the fever and congestion.  She’s paler than normal, and she’s exhausted.”  He agreed.   He was going to email our children’s regular doctor and I was supposed to call him the next day.

We got home after 2 am, both exhausted.  Hannah only awoke once during the night!  This morning everyone was wide awake and ready to play at 8 am!!!  Mommie wasn’t!  But I was thankful that everyone is starting to recover.  No more wheezing for Hannah, and she’s been drinking her bottles like normal.  I’m even starting to feel a little better, too!  Praise God!

An Unusual Thanksgiving

Have you ever been thankful for the flu?  Our whole family is sick with it right now, and I’m praising God!  I’m thanking Him because it could be so much worse.  We have been so blessed with good health.  The worst illness my children have ever had is the flu, and they’ve each only thrown up once in their entire lives, except Hannah.  She’s just an infant, so she only spits up. 

I’m totally attributing our well-being to the grace of God because we certainly don’t do anything special to stay healthy.  In fact.. sometimes we do some very UNhealthy things.  We don’t eat as well as we probably should, we don’t get any extra vaccines, and we share pretty much everything… drinks, food, the kids steal each other’s pacis, you name it. 

I’ve been thinking about this so much lately as I hear of people with little children who are really struggling health-wise.  I can’t begin to imagine what those moms and dads are going through.  It’s hard enough for me when my child has to get a shot… let alone test after test, treatment after treatment, like some parents have to watch their child endure.  My heart and prayers truly go out to them. 

I think that parents with a child or children who suffer from disease, disability, or any other health issue or special need are the strongest of people.  Our kids are our weaknesses!  We would do anything to spare them the smallest amount of pain, yet these parents have to watch their children endure excruciating pain every day.  Could I do that?!  I believe God would give me strength if I were in that situation, just like He gives strength to the parents who are already there.

This is a reminder to pray often for the parents that you know whose children suffer every day.  Pray, of course, for healing, but also pray for strength, comfort, and wisdom for the parents.  Think of as many ways as possible that you could be a blessing to that family.  They need help.  Finances may be tight.  The marriage relationship may be tense.  The other children in the family may feel ignored or even scared.  Look for ways to be a blessing. 

Please feel free to leave a comment with a prayer request or a praise regarding this topic, or an idea of a way to bless a family with a needy child/children.  I especially want to hear from you parents who have been there!  What was a great encouragement to you?  What was not so helpful?  We all need to learn so we can be there for others!  Or just post something unusual that you are thankful for (like the flu)!!

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

2012 year in review

** note:  more pictures will be added to this post soon **

I love a fresh start.  Although the past 12 months were full of times of rejoicing and blessing, there was one huge heart ache that has left a hole, as of yet, unhealed.  “In times like these, you need a Savior…” as the old hymn goes.  That could not be truer.  I am so thankful for my Lord, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful my anchor holds and grips the solid Rock.  I am so thankful for His peace that passes all understanding.  Without these things… what would I do?  I’m thankful I don’t have to know, because I know the Lord and He knows me.  Can you say that for yourself?  I pray that you can. 

Well, without further adieu… I present to you,

the Segerstrom family’s 2012 Year in Review…

 

Baby #3. 
Boy or Girl?  We never find out!



In late January we discovered, much to our surprise and joy, that we were expecting our 3^rd child!!  Audrey was just 7 months old at the time.  Derek  started working with livestock; calves to be more precise.  Farm boy that he is, this was a nice job opportunity for him.

Fast forward to spring.  In May I got to watch my baby brother, Taylor Ryan Carr, graduate from high school.  This was a huge accomplishment for him.  A few years ago he was very seriously injured during football practice.  He was knocked unconscious and temporarily paralyzed for a number of hours.  This injury caused major damage, but multiple doctors could never find out where.  He would become very ill off and on, and usually school-related events would trigger the illness.  He missed a ton of school and had to work very, very hard to catch up.  I will never forget watching him walk across the stage to receive his diploma.  I was standing in a hallway quieting a fussy Audrey.  As he walked past, I waved excitedly.  He waved back, a little embarrassed.  Later he told me that a police officer on duty thought Taylor was waving at him, so he gave my brother a big, cheesy thumbs up!  Ha ha I love it!! 

I was very proud of Taylor on this day.



Calves at about 4 months old



Our family took on a fun project!  Derek bought 7 calves from work and we began the process of raising them for meat.  There was one calf that we are particularly fond of, we call him Brownie.  Now he is fully grown and he is the sweetest, most playful thing!  He's like a 1000 pound dog, he just wants to be petted and scratched on his head.  He will come right up to us at the fence.  When all 7 were young, Derek used to run around their pasture and they would chase him.  It was quite the scene!  As of January 15, 2013 five of the seven, now steers, were taken to the sale barn and sold.  We have Brownie and his friend left to butcher sometime this spring.  It will be hard because we've grown so attached.  I know we'll never get another steer like Brownie.  I'll miss that big lug, but I'm sure  I'll appreciate not having to buy ground beef from the store for the next year or so!

At the end of May, we as a family traveled to New Bern, North Carolina for our second serving of Eight Days of Hope!  This is a Christ-centered ministry that we love and support.  It’s an all volunteer organization that aides in disaster relief throughout the US  (eightdaysofhope.com).  Homes and lives needed help being rebuilt after Hurricane Irene hit the area in fall 2011.  We drove straight through, 25 hours in the car with Derek and I driving/sleeping in shifts.  I was 6 months pregnant. 



Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

We arrived a day early, and I had never seen the ocean before.  Needless to say, we hit the beach.  Needless to say, I am a redhead, and redheads and the sun don’t mix.  Somehow I managed to get a nasty sunburn on the back of my legs.  This caused my feet and ankles to swell up like mad.  It was extremely painful.  I could only walk because I had a stroller to lean on.  The pain was so bad that I saw the nurse who also volunteers at EDOH.  She said I needed to be off my feet.  No working for me.  Very thankfully, a local couple opened their home to us.  Praise the Lord!  AND they had grandkids.. so of course they had a playroom for the children!  That kept Roen and Audrey occupied while I sat on the couch all day with my feet elevated.  Derek, at least, was useful that trip.  He was on a roofing crew.  One day he wore shorts, and he, too, experienced the feet swelling due to severe sunburn.  What a sight we were to behold!  Husband and wife, hobbling around with redder than red legs.  We met some great new friends on this trip, and got to catch up with some old ones from the EDOH8 trip (2011).  We saw God do some very amazing things.  I will have to dedicate a post solely to our trips in serving with this ministry.  It would take up way too much room, otherwise. 

After EDOH9, we decided to revisit Amory, Mississippi, our home away from home.  This was the location of our first missions trip with Eight Days in 2011.  We had so many special people there that we wanted to see again.  We also celebrated my 27^th birthday while in Amory. 

 June was a hustle and bustle kind of month.  Audrey celebrated her 1^st birthday!!!  In our household, the first b-day is a big deal!  We do a themed party.  Her theme was ladybugs (“Our little lady is turning one!”).  I handmade the invitations and little lady bug pins for everyone to wear.  We use one of those photo albums that have an area where you can write text next to the photos as a guestbook.  Each guest/family gets their photo taken and slipped into the space next to where they signed their names.  Everyone had to wear bug antennae for their photo, of course!  It’s really fun to look back and SEE who was there. 

Why not redo your whole kitchen eight days before you’re expecting a houseful of guests for a birthday party?!  We did!!  Thankfully, the project was completed at the last minute, as that is the Segerstrom way.   I’ll also do a separate post going into more detail on this remodel job.  For now, enjoy the before and after photos!!



Happy Anniversary
to my hunk of a husband! ;]



In June, Derek and I celebrated our 4^th wedding anniversary.  L’amore!!  Because we were a broke, young couple with two children and one on the way, we just enjoyed our day at home.  We actually babysat our niece!  How romantic!  I fed the kids chicken nuggets while we love birds enjoyed stuffed pork chops! 

In July, Roen turned 3.  Raise your hand if your children have too many toys!  Mine do!  We asked him if, instead of gifts, he would be willing to accept birthday cards with a little money donation inside to send chickens to poor families in Asia?  As he just got 15 chickens for Christmas, of course he said yes!!  We celebrated his birthday at our favorite family restaurant.  He loved his cake.  By adding green food coloring to the frosting and throwing on some small farm toys I became his cake-decorating heroine!!  He still talks about it to this day.  Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles gave enough money for Roen to donate 5 pairs of poultry to Asian families!  This was done through Gospel For Asia (gfa.org), another ministry we love.  These chickens will be delivered by national pastors who will also share the love of Jesus Christ with the fams.  Not only will they receive a food and income source, but they’ll also receive the Bread of Life!!  :]

 In July we also said goodbye to my grandmother, Cleo Carr.  She lived to be in her mid-80s and she loved the Lord.  She was a very important member of the Carr family, and we were sad to see her go, but we’re thankful she is now with the King of Kings! 

Derek celebrated his 25^th birthday.  He’s still my hero and the love of my life!

September.. can we skip this part?  It’s true when they say one phone call can change your life forever.  The day started off innocent enough.  It was September 20, 2012, my due date, I was 40 weeks pregnant.  Derek got off early from work and we were enjoying some time together as a family.  Then came the call…
I think the most difficult thing my husband has ever had to do in his entire life was to tell me, his wife, that my baby brother.. the brother that I just watched graduate from high school… the brother that was just at our house a few weeks earlier reading a book to my son.. that baby brother was “no longer with us.”  I lost it.  I immediately thought of a car accident.  My husband said, “he committed suicide.”  I was in absolute, complete shock.  I wish you could have known my brother.  This was not him.  He would never do something like this to himself or to us!  But he did, and we’re all left wondering why?!  No one knew what he was struggling with.  The memories are so vivid from this day and the days that followed, it’s almost like they happened yesterday.  I have so many unanswered questions and so many regrets…  the pain is so deep.  This is the very, very condensed version of the story.  The whole of it is too difficult to share like this, too personal.  This post may seem a little.. I don’t know what.  There’s just no way to express the hurt.  Our whole family has been devastated.  What would I do without Jesus Christ?!  I’m so, so thankful that I can get strength from Him whenever I need it, and I need it every day.

 I wanted to be with my family and just cry with them.  But like I said, I was due with a baby at any time.  Have you ever prayed that your baby would just come?  Well, I was praying the exact opposite.  I was praying, “God, please don’t let my baby come!”  Not now.  I needed to mourn, I needed to grieve, I needed to attend Taylor’s visitation and funeral. 

Four days after my brother passed away, I was taken to the hospital, very much in labor.  At 9:01 am on September 24, 2012, Hannah Grace arrived by c-section.  She weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 19 ½ inches long.  She had a head of long black hair.  She was absolutely beautiful.  She was our sunshine after the rain.  Her name comes from Hannah in the Bible, a woman I greatly admire.  Grace was Taylor’s favorite name for a girl.  We thought it was a nice way to honor someone we loved and miss so much.  Both of her names mean “Grace of God.”  How fitting – we doubly needed God’s grace during this very difficult time and He provided it through a tiny baby, once again.

Hannah was born on a Monday.  Taylor’s visitation was the next day.  I was not able to attend.  I wanted to be there because I wanted to see my brother one last time.  The funeral was going to be closed-casket. 

Amazingly enough, I was discharged late Tuesday night.  How many mothers get out of the hospital one day after a cesarean surgery?  God worked everything out so I could make it to his funeral on Wednesday morning.    I didn’t even have any pain.  This was my third c-section, I know there is pain involved!  I rode in a wheelchair and held my newborn daughter.  My poor daughter who would never get to know her wonderful uncle.  That really breaks my heart.  Can you imagine  your little brother’s casket being wheeled down the aisle RIGHT next to you?  It’s the worst feeling.  The whole experience was traumatizing, to say the least. 



Taylor, we love you
& miss you so much.

I thought that with time, this might get easier.  It hasn’t, it’s actually gotten harder.  Every family gathering, every holiday, everything that Taylor is missing right now, makes us miss him more.  Suicide is a thief and a liar.  It robbed us of someone very, very special.  My brother was convinced that this was his only option.  He could not have been more wrong.

Thanksgiving was difficult.  Christmas was even harder.  Dad, Loretta, and Taylor’s girlfriend, Demi, did make it very special, though.  They blessed us with gifts that will never be forgotten.  For Dad and Loretta, we made a stepping stone with all three of our children’s’ hand prints pressed into it with the words, “We love you Taylor.”  They can place it in the rock garden they’re making in his memory.  We’re going to make another to leave at his grave site this spring. 

Such a sad ending.  2012 was a year I’ll never forget, but I really, really would like to.  Please, do me a favor.  Love everyone you know like you’ll never see them again.  Be there for others when they need you.  Just be a friend.  Love your family and let them know how much you love them..