I LOVE CO-OP!

We had our orientation meeting last night and it there was such a sweet spirit. There is something so special about co-op ladies.

When I first walked in I was glad to be there because this is the third year that I have been part of the group. It was nice to not feel like the new person and be able to look around tenderly at the other ladies and love them because I know what terrific ladies they are. It was also great that my friend Valerie and my neighbor Kara were there.

Then as the meeting progressed I realized that my happiness was much more than just from being part of the group. The Spirit of God was in that room. One thing I love about co-op is that the ladies are not focused on the things of this world. They all just love Jesus and truly want His will for their lives. That is so rare and it just shines because it is like finding a diamond in the rough.

Valerie made a comment that this the the "prayenist" group of ladies that she has ever met. I have a feeling that may be the reason that God's Spirit was dwelling with us. Something was started at the retreat and that feeling has not left. I don't think I have ever seen a group of ladies pray like they did at the retreat. They didn't have to. We could have just gone and had a great time of fellowship. But one thing that was mentioned last night is that they feel it is important to be intentional in our relationship with Jesus. We need to be purposeful in making a place for His presence. I am not charismatic but I do agree that it is needed. If we don't, we end up just traveling through life doing our own little thing and not experiencing His awesome power or the fullness of His plan for our life. I am just so encouraged every time that I go there.

Stephanie T. and I had some neat fellowship together because we are going through a similar situation. It was great to be open and totally honest about concerns we were having. She is such a great encourager and it was heartening to know that my situation is not unique.

We all really did have a great time last night. I am so sorry Michelle that you were not able to make it to the meeting. Hopefully there will be another time that you can join us soon.

Good News! Bethany did not have the rotavirus! I think I was pulling a Michelle and being a bit over dramatic. ;)

When the nurse called back she did not seem to overly concerned and just told me to keep up with the fliuds and then put her on the BRAT diet. I think the fact that she did not have fever and had only had been sick for three days showed the nurse there was no cause for alarm. I am just not used to my kids getting sick this much. It seems like my kids are getting sick much more and they are staying sick longer than before. I was thinking about it and it might be because I breastfeed Caylee and Natalie longer than the other children. Caylee was breastfeed for 10 months and Natalie for 6 months. I have a very good immune system and I think I was able to pass that on to them through nursing. It was hard for me to nurse and got more difficult with each baby. The three little ones were not nursed much past three months. I noticed a big difference with Macy. Caylee rarely got sick and it seemed like Macy was always sick when she was a baby. I still think my kids all have pretty good immune systems but I guess I am just going to have to get used to dealing with this stuff.

By the way, I think Bethany had the flu. This weekend Asher and Serenity got it too. Serenity is finally feeling better, but I think she still feels a little weak. She is not quite as active as she is normally. I have to admit it was nice to let everything go and just sit and snuggle with her this weekend.

We were planning on taking family pictures this weekend but Asher was in so much pain there was not way we could, so hopefully we can get that done before it gets too cold. Next year Asher is planning on getting the flu shot so he doesn't have to go throught that again.