i heard on a movie once, "i am one good stomach flu away from my goal weight." or something like that. well....i can now say that i WAS one good stomach flu away from my monthly goal weight. :( too bad it won't last long!! however, in my quest for full disclosure and to encourage less embarrassment surrounding our weight and our body image....i started DECEMBER at 154 and i am now weighing in at 139. i will probably gain at least 4 pounds back as soon as i dare to eat again. :) anyway....i was at about 142 for a while and then went back up to about 146 then got sick. we shall see how much i can hold onto. getting closer to my goal every day!! (oh...my goal for February was 140...if not less)

i promised myself...since i have been on here a lot lately...that i would not get on for a while but here i am again!! i can not believe that are people out there that would try to justify the abuse or killing of a child....there is no reason, no excuse for that! nothing that is happening to the parent can justify it. not one little bit. period.

your life was so short and fleeting it's true
but now God will be the protector for you
He held you and loved you before your short life
then sent you to earth with parents to protect you from strife
He trusted His angels to parents below
He hope that bound less love on you they could bestow
but anger and hatred clouded their way
and they forgot to love you today
the hands taht should caress and hold you
were used to abuse and betray you
go to Heaven where He waits with open arms
with Him you can be safe from all earthly harms
your parents wounds He will also heal
as their Father too He can and He will
through His love and mercy all will be made right
so rest easy little Angels
you sleep with God tonight.

--unknown

for all the little hurt ones but especially for the Powell babies.

Sometimes after you have been married for a while it becomes too easy to forget how special and wonderful your spouse is. I know I accuse Mike of this often enough even though I am just as guilty of it myself. So...I am going to try to be more appreciative of Mike. He does so many little things to help me out. Like today, I have been going crazy because I have not been able to find my favorite chapstick for a long time. (I have terrible problems with dry skin/lips in the winter) I am very particular about the chapstick I use because of allergies and I hate weird tasting chapstick and such. Anyway, even though he was tired after work this morning he went to Walmart and finally found it for me! He wrote a sweet little note on the package and left it in the van for me to find when I headed out. He is amazing! So...I have pulled out the Love Dare book that was given to me a while back and I am preparing to start on a 40 day journey of relearning to appreciate/love my husband the way I did "way back when". Shouldn't be too hard. Love you tons Mike and you are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!. Thank you so much for all you do for us. I love you.

i am so thankful to my Heavenly Father and the small but miraculous ways that he blesses me and my family. i have been praying so hard for my little maximus to start eating and taking his bottle. finally, last week when he was so sick i asked mike to give him a blessing and guess what? max started to eat! in fact, he is now taking over 20 oz a day. i know that our prayers are answered. that does NOT mean that it is always easy and max still needs to gain weight but at least he is on the right track. today all is right in my heart and in my world.

MAXIMUS

my son will not eat. i probably wouldn't worry too much about it but the doctor always tells me that he is too skinny and he is pretty little. he finally started taking about 15 oz of formula and nursing twice a day and he did this for about a week but then he got the flu. he threw up for one night and had icky diapers for a couple of days and now he won't eat. since sunday...he has only been taking about 6 oz a day and i have to force him to take that! i don't know what to do for sure. he has only had 2 wet diapers today and those were barely, a tiny little bit wet. i am really freaking out!! i tried for almost and hour to get him to nurse or take a bottle before bed and he just refused. i feel like i am going to lose my mind. i cry myself to sleep almost every night because i can't get him to eat and i fell like i am killing him. i don't know what to do.

who i am can not be measured in inches or pounds......however:
since the first of december i have lost 10 pounds...well one pound shy of that
1 1/2 inches around my waist and 1 inch around my hips
I know...baby steps. :)
I am determined to get it done by june...16 more pounds to go.
9 more days of january and i have worked out almost every day...except for sundays.

if you happen to come to my house and you see the piles of laundry littering the floor and the dirty dishes in the sink and the dust on every surface, please keep in mind that today i have:
washed five loads of laundry
folded three loads of laundry
dressed four people, besides myself
listened to two lectures
finished two assignments
started a lesson
read two chapter (20 pages each)
fixed two meals...so far
"exercised"
negotiated at least five thousand peace treaties
located a couple hundred missing artifacts
and cleaned up 3 major disaster areas.
and my day is only half over!!
i do more than you see and i am sure that you do more than i see! so....smile instead of frown at my dirty house. it is a work in progress.